First freestyle cruise....don't get it.

[tripman]

Hello

 

Just got off my first Norwegian Cruise (Gem to Bahamas). While I like the cruise alot, and am not complaining...I just don't see anything really all that different from any other line.

 

For example...the info says "want breakfast for dinner...dinner for breakfast...whatever you want..."

 

The problem is, you really can't do that. If I wanted breakfast at 4pm, I was pretty much out of luck. For that matter, if I wanted anything at 4pm, I was out of luck unless I ordered room service (which I didn't want to do) or go to the Blue Lagoon (which honestly, the service really was bad and the food wasn't good either).

 

I didn't quite understand the buffet...while it had a great setup and selection, the seating was no where near adequate. The hours were not very accomodating, 7:30 to 9:30 for breakfast, 11ish to 2:30 for lunch, 5:30 to 9:30 for dinner (hence my 4pm comment above). And when it was open, there was hardly any seating available...unless you wanted to sit outside....in New York...in March.

 

Granted, there are 13 restaurants, they LOVE to point that out, but I'm from the old school, I refuse to pay for a meal onboard, so that leaves me little options. I knew this going in, but I'm not sure it is clear in the advertising.

 

So I really don't see how it is any different, the format is ALMOST exactly the same as anywhere else, with the exception being the dinner arrangements. For the most part, if I were to go on Princess and choose the anytime dining, it would be exactly the same, in fact, since the buffet hours on princess are 24/7, princess may have the upper hand.

 

Please don't respond with something like, "enjoy princes, more room for us, good riddence," or something like that. Like I said, I had a good time, but with all the commercials you see on TV now, where the other cruise lines make you do everything exactly as they say...I really don't see NCL being much different.

 

You still have breakfast menus at breakfast time, lunch during lunchtime, etc. You still have two seatings for the main show each night. There is still a scheduled list of activities. NCL would have you believe that the other cruise lines put a gun to your head and make you do everything exactly as they say, and their product of "freestyle cruising" is something totally revolutionary. Well it isn't, it is just minor tweaks on a long established format.

 

I will point out that I DID like being able to sit with my wife and JUST my wife. I know people love meeting others, but I don't want to sit and make uncomfortable small talk.

 

I also liked not having to pack a suit, I conceed that the other cruise lines DO make you dress up certain nights.

 

OH, and one more thing, NCL would make you think you can wear whatever you want anywhere you want. Well, I was delighted to see that in the main dining room, every single night, I saw someone turned away for wearing either shorts or jeans. I really think that was great to have rules and actually enforce them.

 

Anyway...that is all, I really like it, great new ship, great service, great entertainment, desserts were just so so, but still ok. But the bottom line is, it felt just like Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Holland America.

[BeachBumMama]

I've always said the main difference in NCL is really only that you don't have the 6:00 or 8:00 dinner times. However, the other lines are leaning in that direction of offering a version of Freestyle. Princess has 1 dining room (I think) allocated to Anytime dining. RCI has a new ship I believe that offers a variation and Holland is now offering it.

 

As for breakfast at 4:00 :confused: , I have to say I've never seen that one. Maybe it's coming with Freestyle 2.0, not sure.

 

And I'm glad they enforced the no shorts/no jeans rule. One of the main restaurants will be this policy and the other won't. Maybe you just ate in the one where it wasn't allowed. So again, they offer the flexiblility to wear what you want, they just designate 'where' you wear it. Which is fair for all.

 

It sounds like you had a good time overall. In my opinion, most of the mass market lines offer a variation of the same product. It's just tough trying to get to them all.:D

[ChBoxers800]

Slightly off topic here but did any of you see over on the Cruise Discussion board the post that said that Carnival has changed their dress code and that shorts are welcome in dining rooms?

[Coll101]

I will agree with you on the eating times & places to sit...this was our 4th NCL cruise in less then 2 years & honestly this was the one I was most un-impressed with.

Maybe we were spoiled on the Jewel in December, the service was great, stewards were happy and everyone seemed to enjoy working.

I can tell you that I spoke to alot of people who either themselves (or people they were with) were infected w/ the roto-virus. In our party of 9, 4 of us were sick (me getting it the worst for 3 and a half days).

There were some positives:

-the Garden Cafe is decorated really nice

-Lunch in the Grand Pacific was good

-I won in the casino:) (always a plus)

Some oberservations...(please note I did not say negatives here):

-On the other 3 NCL boats we were on (Jewel, Spirit, Majesty) there was always someone w/ a spray bottle of santitizer(sp)...not on the Gem...

-The Latitudes Lounge always had the same cookies (lol, I was just looking for variety!!)

-The room stewards did not know what the "do not disturb sign" meant...2 examples:

-the first night on board, DH & I finally had 10 minutes w/ no kids around......we lock the doors, turn the do not disturb sign on and 2 minutes later, there's a knock from houskeeping & the door opens!! YIKES! DH yells, "we'll be done in 5 minutes"...(gee thanks!) and the door closes...I kid you not, 3 minutes later, the door opens & it's housekeeping again!! I said, "I'm sorry, WE are still getting ready, we will turn the sign over to make up the room when we are ready".....5 minutes later, ANOTHER knock! (ok, now Dh's & our time is gone since the kids are going to be on their way back in a few minutes...

-#2, 1st morning of roto-virus hell, do not disturb sign is on...knock, knock, housekeeping comes in...I am in the bathroom & I said to PLEASE....do not come back today, I am not feeling well. 10 minutes later, a knock & the door opens...GRRR! I know they are doing their job, but I asked not to be disturbed and had the sign on!!!!

 

Will this deter me from booking NCL again?? Nah, we are taking another cruise in August.....I'll write a review later in the week:)

[jeannep]

We love to cruise but especially love NCL. The last cruise we went on was RCL. We had a wonderful time but we really felt like we were always rushing to get dressed for dinner. Our dinner time was 5:45 but the nightly trivia session was at 5:30. We really enjoy trivia and felt we could not come late for dinner because that would not be right for the 2 other couples we were seated with.

 

The buffet on RCL was really small and finding a table was not easy. On the NCL Dawn, the buffet had many different areas for the food and we really never had a problem finding a table. The last time we were on the Dawn it seemed there was always some kind of meal being served in the buffet. Early morning coffee and, breakfast till 10:30, lunch till 2:30, afternoon sandwiches and sweets, dinner 5:30 til 10:00, nighttime sandwiches and sweets at 11:00 pm were just some of the times to eat. And there is always the small sandwiches, cheeses and sweets in the casino everynight at 11:00 We never went hungry.:p

 

Jeanne

[cpcanuck]

I will agree with you on the eating times & places to sit...this was our 4th NCL cruise in less then 2 years & honestly this was the one I was most un-impressed with.

Maybe we were spoiled on the Jewel in December, the service was great, stewards were happy and everyone seemed to enjoy working.

I can tell you that I spoke to alot of people who either themselves (or people they were with) were infected w/ the roto-virus. In our party of 9, 4 of us were sick (me getting it the worst for 3 and a half days).

There were some positives:

-the Garden Cafe is decorated really nice

-Lunch in the Grand Pacific was good

-I won in the casino:) (always a plus)

Some oberservations...(please note I did not say negatives here):

-On the other 3 NCL boats we were on (Jewel, Spirit, Majesty) there was always someone w/ a spray bottle of santitizer(sp)...not on the Gem...

-The Latitudes Lounge always had the same cookies (lol, I was just looking for variety!!)

-The room stewards did not know what the "do not disturb sign" meant...2 examples:

-the first night on board, DH & I finally had 10 minutes w/ no kids around......we lock the doors, turn the do not disturb sign on and 2 minutes later, there's a knock from houskeeping & the door opens!! YIKES! DH yells, "we'll be done in 5 minutes"...(gee thanks!) and the door closes...I kid you not, 3 minutes later, the door opens & it's housekeeping again!! I said, "I'm sorry, WE are still getting ready, we will turn the sign over to make up the room when we are ready".....5 minutes later, ANOTHER knock! (ok, now Dh's & our time is gone since the kids are going to be on their way back in a few minutes...

-#2, 1st morning of roto-virus hell, do not disturb sign is on...knock, knock, housekeeping comes in...I am in the bathroom & I said to PLEASE....do not come back today, I am not feeling well. 10 minutes later, a knock & the door opens...GRRR! I know they are doing their job, but I asked not to be disturbed and had the sign on!!!!

 

Will this deter me from booking NCL again?? Nah, we are taking another cruise in August.....I'll write a review later in the week:)

 

Just curious do the cabin doors not have the security bar or deadbolt to prevent these kind of invasions...i.e. like a typical hotel room?

[Coll101]

We had them on & the do not disturb sign too....

That's what concerned me the most was that the deadbolt was "locked" (at least it sounded like & looked like it) but to test it, we even locked it & had one of the kids use their key cards which opened the door......

Again, this was not me complaining:) You have to always see the positive ya know???

[nancyfancy40]

Hello

 

Just got off my first Norwegian Cruise (Gem to Bahamas). While I like the cruise alot, and am not complaining...I just don't see anything really all that different from any other line.

 

For example...the info says "want breakfast for dinner...dinner for breakfast...whatever you want..."

 

The problem is, you really can't do that. If I wanted breakfast at 4pm, I was pretty much out of luck. For that matter, if I wanted anything at 4pm, I was out of luck unless I ordered room service (which I didn't want to do) or go to the Blue Lagoon (which honestly, the service really was bad and the food wasn't good either).

 

I didn't quite understand the buffet...while it had a great setup and selection, the seating was no where near adequate. The hours were not very accomodating, 7:30 to 9:30 for breakfast, 11ish to 2:30 for lunch, 5:30 to 9:30 for dinner (hence my 4pm comment above). And when it was open, there was hardly any seating available...unless you wanted to sit outside....in New York...in March.

 

Granted, there are 13 restaurants, they LOVE to point that out, but I'm from the old school, I refuse to pay for a meal onboard, so that leaves me little options. I knew this going in, but I'm not sure it is clear in the advertising.

 

So I really don't see how it is any different, the format is ALMOST exactly the same as anywhere else, with the exception being the dinner arrangements. For the most part, if I were to go on Princess and choose the anytime dining, it would be exactly the same, in fact, since the buffet hours on princess are 24/7, princess may have the upper hand.

 

Please don't respond with something like, "enjoy princes, more room for us, good riddence," or something like that. Like I said, I had a good time, but with all the commercials you see on TV now, where the other cruise lines make you do everything exactly as they say...I really don't see NCL being much different.

 

You still have breakfast menus at breakfast time, lunch during lunchtime, etc. You still have two seatings for the main show each night. There is still a scheduled list of activities. NCL would have you believe that the other cruise lines put a gun to your head and make you do everything exactly as they say, and their product of "freestyle cruising" is something totally revolutionary. Well it isn't, it is just minor tweaks on a long established format.

 

I will point out that I DID like being able to sit with my wife and JUST my wife. I know people love meeting others, but I don't want to sit and make uncomfortable small talk.

 

I also liked not having to pack a suit, I conceed that the other cruise lines DO make you dress up certain nights.

 

OH, and one more thing, NCL would make you think you can wear whatever you want anywhere you want. Well, I was delighted to see that in the main dining room, every single night, I saw someone turned away for wearing either shorts or jeans. I really think that was great to have rules and actually enforce them.

 

Anyway...that is all, I really like it, great new ship, great service, great entertainment, desserts were just so so, but still ok. But the bottom line is, it felt just like Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Holland America.

 

 

Oh no! I remember reading in this board or on NCL release that jeans had been okay and allowed now in the dinning rooms. Now, I have to go back and inform my teenage jean loving son it isn't sooooooo. :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

Could the travelers of pearl past, please help clarify this for us.

 

Nancy

[CC Help Michell]

Oh no! I remember reading in this board or on NCL release that jeans had been okay and allowed now in the dinning rooms. Now, I have to go back and inform my teenage jean loving son it isn't sooooooo. :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

Could the travelers of pearl past, please help clarify this for us.

 

Nancy

 

Per hundreds of posts and reviews here, and the NCL website, jeans are acceptable on every NCL ship in every dining venue except one of the main dining rooms. Apparently the OP was dining in that dining room. http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=FAQ#whatpack Don't let this one post panic you -- the OP appears to have eaten in only one dining room.

 

To the OP, perhaps the reason you felt that NCL Freestyle dining was "like" Princess Anytime dining is that NCL is where Princess (and the other lines who are implementing a version of it) got the concept? Of course, the dress codes are a bit different, so it's not exactly the same. I guess I would say what's so different about Freestyle is that other lines have copied it, at least in part, and continue to do so -- including HAL's new Eurodam with multiple specialty restaurants. And NCL still offers a more relaxed dress code with no formal nights, as you say; no assigned seating, as you mention; many more restaurant choices (not all the alternative restaurants have a fee); and relaxed disembarkation (another concept a few lines are starting to copy).

 

That doesn't make NCL so "all that," that's not what I mean -- but it could explain why you had a bit of a feeling of "what's the big deal?" Because on other lines you've already experienced some of the differences NCL was the first to implement.

[JWestShuh]

Nancyfancy40 - jeans are allowed in all dining rooms except for one at night. I believe it is the Summer Palace. Now to answer the OPs question as to why NCL is different from any other mass market cruise line...you chose not to pay for specialty dining, you chose when you wanted to eat, you chose not to dress up for dinner in a suit...I guess I don't understand where your question lies. That is the difference between NCL's freestyle and the other lines. All those choices that you made wouldn't be choices on other lines. My husband and I went on RCL for our first cruise, and while we loved it, we felt rushed all the time to make it to the show on time, then dinner on time. With NCL we didn't feel that urgency since we knew something would be open for dinner if we didn't make the first show and wanted to eat after the second one. It was nice. So what I am trying to say is, you answered your question IN your question.

[TravelingFamily5]

Oh no! I remember reading in this board or on NCL release that jeans had been okay and allowed now in the dinning rooms. Now, I have to go back and inform my teenage jean loving son it isn't sooooooo. :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

Could the travelers of pearl past, please help clarify this for us.

 

Nancy

 

 

We just got off the GEM. The main dining area that does not allow jeans after 5pm is Grand Pacific. The rest of the dining area even the specialty area you can. The main dining areas and specialty restaurants does not allow tank tops and shorts for dinner. My 12 year old had to go back and changed when we went to the Orchid Garden because he was wearing shorts. My 7 y.o. was ok to wear shorts.

We did not have a problem looking for a place to seat in the Garden Cafe. There were 6 of us. We had no problem getting a reservation in the main dining area and specialty restaurants. We don't mind eating dinner at 6pm, 8pm or 9pm. The food was good except in La Cucina. I had spaghetti and chicken parm so was my DH and DS. It was not good at all. Maybe we were just used to the Italian restaurants here in NY. My DD liked her cheese tortellini though.

My complaint is the service in Magenta is sooooo slow. Most of the waiters in main dining area do not come back to check to see if you like desserts or not. My kids always like to have ice cream. Maybe you order it when you order your entree.

If you have Adan as a waiter, it feels like you have your own butler. Jeff in Grand Pacific was also good. We have Fidel Chacon and I Wayan Subawa as our Cabin Stewards. Both are very good. They respect the do not disturb sign. They bring us fruits every other day. The kids were excited to come back to our cabin after the show or dinner to find a different animal towels every night.

[musicgirl63]

Personally I hate all the cruise line commercials that try to make themselves look better than the others....obviously they are suppose to do that, but they act like no one else has this or doesn't have that.

 

NCL-they make a big deal about the others telling you when to eat, when to tan, when to exercise (the marching around the deck), who to eat with etc.

 

I've only been on 2 cruiselines, but neither has ever told me when to excercise or when to tan or swim or even eat even if traditional dining was the only option. Even on DCL who only has traditional, I could still opt not to eat in the dining rooms. We could have chosen the buffet or room service or eating at the adult restaurant. On both lines, yes they may put you at a table with someone else, but that can always be changed. You can also request on both lines to eat with another group.

 

Of course when they print their daily programs, it isn't a schedule since you can choose what to do. I'm pretty sure this is the way it is on all lines.

 

While I do love the idea of "no formals nights", they still have them. I could have chosen not to participate on other lines. On both lines, many people dressed casual on formal night. Many guys just wore polos and khakis. Some even got away with "less casual".

 

I also love the lines that really emphasize the excursions. I amazed that they want us to believe that they are the only ones where you can snorkel or jet ski. If you've never cruised you might think the excursions are included in the price. Also, all the excursions (or similar) shown on their commercials can be done on other lines as well.

 

Cruise lines, go ahead and tell us what one can do on your line. But don't try to pretend that certain things are exclusive to your cruise line. It is an insult to my intelligence.

[jjb415]

I also experienced the lack of seating in the buffet area also on a recent Norwegian Gem sailing. For those reading this that may be sailing aboard her soon, please note that you can take your food into La Cucina and eat there during Breakfast and Lunch. The La Cucina area always had seating available. Unfortunatly, I didn't figure this out until about midway through the cruise. :)

[annierie]

I agree, that the ads and the hype are just that.

 

Many cruise lines have had options for years. NCL's marketing is no different than others in that it greatly misleads people into believing they offer a new concept in cruising.

 

Sea Goddess offered dining "when you want, where you want, and with whom you want" in the early 1980s. Ren offered a variation of the same in the 1990s.

 

The current luxury lines have for the most part had "freestyle" for years. NCL didn't invent it.

 

NCL started offering Le Bistro when, 1994?, and by 1999, the time I last sailed on NCL, Le Bistro was the only place you could get dinner that matched what we had on Norwegian Seaward in 1992. In other words, you had to pay to be fed what used to be the dinner in the main dining room. That concept, of lowering the dining standards except for the pay venues, is hardly something to cheer about. :o

 

I was very disappointed in the decline of NCL from 1992 to 1999 and it still seems to going in that same vein. The buffets were quite bad in 1999, and for dinner, we ate in Le Bistro three of the seven nights where we had our best meals.

 

Added to that, I was disappointed as well in the stretching of the Dream, adding cabins but not greatly increasing the public spaces. It made for a much more crowded ship. Friends want us to do Bermuda with them on NCL, but in reading all the negatives, it seems they aren't what they used to be. Just like all the other lines are doing. Bigger, crowded ships. It's a shame.

[Planer's Edge]

 

 

 

NCL started offering Le Bistro when, 1994?, and by 1999, the time I last sailed on NCL, Le Bistro was the only place you could get dinner that matched what we had on Norwegian Seaward in 1992. In other words, you had to pay to be fed what used to be the dinner in the main dining room. That concept, of lowering the dining standards except for the pay venues, is hardly something to cheer about. :o

 

 

 

Le Bistro was available on the Norway in 1989 when we started cruising.

 

Any other "facts" you need corrected?:rolleyes:

 

The NCL bashers are out in force today.

 

PE

[Coastaljen]

I hate to say the ''j" word, but since jeans are allowed in one of the main dining rooms (I am not talking about a pay restaurant), is the menu the same as the dressy dining room?

 

I told my 76 year old mother she could wear jeans on the Pride of America, and if there will be steak in the main dining room and hamburgers in the other I am in trouble. I will call and tell her to pack nice clothes. I don't remember there being jeans at all for dinner the last time I took NCL, so that is why I am asking.

[tripman]

 

you chose not to pay for specialty dining,

 

you chose when you wanted to eat,

 

you chose not to dress up for dinner in a suit....

 

 

Sure...but I can do that on most other lines as well. The commercials and literature for NCL would make you think that, as I said in my original post, the other lines put a gun to your head and force you into no choices at all.

 

When we boarded, when I first turned the TV on, there was a little welcome video, it showed how you should just throw your watch, alarm clock, etc, into the trash, meaning you could do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted. But that isn't true, if I wanted to sleep in until 10:30, then wanted breakfast...I was out of luck. If I wanted to have dinner at 4:30, I was out of luck.

 

I'm not knocking my cruise, I really liked it, please don't think that, BUT, it really seemed no different than any other cruise I have been on. I realized once that I could pretty much be blindfolded, board a ship, and not really be able to tell which line I was on since everything is the same. I had thought NCL would be different because of all of their marketing. Well, clearly their marketing worked on my because I chose them, but when all is said and done, I really didn't think anything was any different.

 

Even the ridiculous "real questions" that were asked of the cruise director staff that she told everybody about at the end of the week that she swore were really asked in the past week. (stairs go up? how do I know which pictures are mine? etc.)

[DAGVBSB]

Hello

NCL would have you believe that the other cruise lines put a gun to your head and make you do everything exactly as they say, and their product of "freestyle cruising" is something totally revolutionary. Well it isn't, it is just minor tweaks on a long established format.

 

I will point out that I DID like being able to sit with my wife and JUST my wife. I know people love meeting others, but I don't want to sit and make uncomfortable small talk.

 

I also liked not having to pack a suit, I conceed that the other cruise lines DO make you dress up certain nights.

 

OH, and one more thing, NCL would make you think you can wear whatever you want anywhere you want. Well, I was delighted to see that in the main dining room, every single night, I saw someone turned away for wearing either shorts or jeans. I really think that was great to have rules and actually enforce them.

 

Anyway...that is all, I really like it, great new ship, great service, great entertainment, desserts were just so so, but still ok. But the bottom line is, it felt just like Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Holland America.

 

First, thank you for your review and comments. Freestyle is not for everyone and not everyone likes every aspect of Freestyle. Your review was fair, balanced and you supported your comments well. Although I don't agree with everything you said, it was interesting to read well thought out comments of a different opinion.

 

I think NCL does miss the boat with their advertising. I think they need to emphasis the dress code, sitting with who you want and dining when you want in their advertizing. You are right about everything else though and NCL is somewhat misleading in those areas.

 

Freestyle is about choice and that should be the point. The choice to dress (pretty much) as you wish and still dine in any venue. The choice to dine when you want. The choice to dine where you want. The choice to stay in your cabin until called to disembark.

 

Those are the points of Freestyle. Those are the things that the other lines are borrowing from NCL. Anytime Dining on Princess, HAL and RCCL were basically put in place due to the popularity of it on NCL. Do I think those lines would have added it if NCL hadn't and it han't been successful? No way.

 

The new HAL ship is going to offer several dining venues, another copy of NCL.

 

Freestyle is tearing down the old notions of traditional cruising.

 

As far as the dress code, that was a complaint on here for a few years, NCL not enforcing even their very easy dress code. (I for one raised that issue in 2005 when a family in sweats and t-shirts came into the dining room and were allowed to be seated.) It is good to know that NCL has begun to more vigorously enforce the code.

[DAGVBSB]

 

Even the ridiculous "real questions" that were asked of the cruise director staff that she told everybody about at the end of the week that she swore were really asked in the past week. (stairs go up? how do I know which pictures are mine? etc.)

 

I hate those things too. I have been on several NCL cruises. Funny how 3 different cruise directors got the same questions in three different years... amazing....

[DAGVBSB]

I hate to say the ''j" word, but since jeans are allowed in one of the main dining rooms (I am not talking about a pay restaurant), is the menu the same as the dressy dining room?

 

I told my 76 year old mother she could wear jeans on the Pride of America, and if there will be steak in the main dining room and hamburgers in the other I am in trouble. I will call and tell her to pack nice clothes. I don't remember there being jeans at all for dinner the last time I took NCL, so that is why I am asking.

 

The two main dining rooms on all NCL ships serve basically the same menu so you are fine. Jeans are also allowed in all specialty restaurants. The jeans rule was just relaxed about mid 2007.

 

NCL does have an "Always Available" menu in the main dining rooms which includes a steak, grilled chicken, baked potaoe and Ceasar Salad (among other things). In addition, the kids menus in the restaurants are the same throughout the ship and anyone can order off the kids menu. There are hamburgers, cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets for example on the kids menu.

 

So tell your mom not to worry, what you have told her is true.

[DAGVBSB]

 

I've only been on 2 cruiselines, but neither has ever told me when to excercise or when to tan or swim or even eat even if traditional dining was the only option. Even on DCL who only has traditional, I could still opt not to eat in the dining rooms. We could have chosen the buffet or room service or eating at the adult restaurant. On both lines, yes they may put you at a table with someone else, but that can always be changed. You can also request on both lines to eat with another group.

 

Yes, but on NCL, I don't even have to be assigned to a table. I can choose who I want to dine with every night without having to make a request to have my table changed.

 

And once again, if you don't want to play by the rules of traditional dining and be forced to sit with strangers, you are relegated to the buffet or room service. How ridiculous.

 

While I do love the idea of "no formals nights", they still have them. I could have chosen not to participate on other lines. On both lines, many people dressed casual on formal night. Many guys just wore polos and khakis. Some even got away with "less casual".

 

Yes, but according to what I have been told, if I want to not have to dress up on my upcoming RCCL cruise, I will be forced to go to the buffet instead of the main dining room on formal night.

 

On NCL, I can dine in the main dining rooms even on the optional formal nights in casual clothes. On the other lines, I am reduced to going to the buffet for dinner because I don't like to dress up on vacation. The snobs who want to dress up don't rule the dining rooms on NCL like they do on the other lines.

 

Cruise lines, go ahead and tell us what one can do on your line. But don't try to pretend that certain things are exclusive to your cruise line. It is an insult to my intelligence.

 

 

At one time, many of these things were only on NCL. The other lines have began to copy them from NCL. It is a sure sign of the success and acceptance of something when it is copied by your competitors.

[ChBoxers800]

I hate those things too. I have been on several NCL cruises. Funny how 3 different cruise directors got the same questions in three different years... amazing....

 

Uh, it's called humor guys.

 

I do have a question for the OP. I haven't been on any ship other then NCL for many years. Last time I did HA, RCCCL and CCL, we had to pick our dinner time and that was it. No buffets were offered other then at midnight. And I know that has changed.

 

My question is this. If I make a reservation on any of those lines to cruise, I am asked to select a dinner seating time. I'm not asked that on a NCL reservation. Why am I asked to choose a seating time if I can eat at any time? I'm not trying to be combative, I just don't understand. If I cruise with Carnival and choose the early seating for dinner, I don't have to eat at the early seating? I can show up at the later seating (or anytime in between) in one of the main resturants and be seating? How does that work?

[cvanhorn]

Just back from the Spirit and we also noticed the buffett only being open limited hours. Even the main dining room was open later, 9:30pm, than the buffett. Also long downtimes between breakfast, lunch, dinner servings. Sure, you can always find burgers/fish,chips at Blue Lagoon, but that isn't really what "eating available anytime" used to be. Of course it is all cost savings, especially for NCL who has to pay all that overhead for the NCLA fiasco. :)

[ChBoxers800]

Personally I hate all the cruise line commercials that try to make themselves look better than the others....obviously they are suppose to do that, but they act like no one else has this or doesn't have that.

 

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Uh, ever hard of advertising? Do you really think that Tide is better then Ajax? Or Jiffy is better then Peter Pan? Watch their commercials and they will sure try to convince you of that. It's what advertising is all about and I don't know why you and others are bothered that cruise lines do it the same as any other product.

[anniev3]

I will agree with you on the eating times & places to sit...this was our 4th NCL cruise in less then 2 years & honestly this was the one I was most un-impressed with.

Maybe we were spoiled on the Jewel in December, the service was great, stewards were happy and everyone seemed to enjoy working.

I can tell you that I spoke to alot of people who either themselves (or people they were with) were infected w/ the roto-virus. In our party of 9, 4 of us were sick (me getting it the worst for 3 and a half days).

There were some positives:

-the Garden Cafe is decorated really nice

-Lunch in the Grand Pacific was good

-I won in the casino:) (always a plus)

Some oberservations...(please note I did not say negatives here):

-On the other 3 NCL boats we were on (Jewel, Spirit, Majesty) there was always someone w/ a spray bottle of santitizer(sp)...not on the Gem...

-The Latitudes Lounge always had the same cookies (lol, I was just looking for variety!!)

-The room stewards did not know what the "do not disturb sign" meant...2 examples:

-the first night on board, DH & I finally had 10 minutes w/ no kids around......we lock the doors, turn the do not disturb sign on and 2 minutes later, there's a knock from houskeeping & the door opens!! YIKES! DH yells, "we'll be done in 5 minutes"...(gee thanks!) and the door closes...I kid you not, 3 minutes later, the door opens & it's housekeeping again!! I said, "I'm sorry, WE are still getting ready, we will turn the sign over to make up the room when we are ready".....5 minutes later, ANOTHER knock! (ok, now Dh's & our time is gone since the kids are going to be on their way back in a few minutes...

-#2, 1st morning of roto-virus hell, do not disturb sign is on...knock, knock, housekeeping comes in...I am in the bathroom & I said to PLEASE....do not come back today, I am not feeling well. 10 minutes later, a knock & the door opens...GRRR! I know they are doing their job, but I asked not to be disturbed and had the sign on!!!!

 

Will this deter me from booking NCL again?? Nah, we are taking another cruise in August.....I'll write a review later in the week:)

 

sounds like you had an overzealous room steward!!! Yikes!!:mad:

We just got back from the Star and we had 2 lovely room stewards and on our first day someone had dialed our room sign to Do Not Disturb while we were away at the Mandatory Life Boat Drill. We did not notice it had been switched from "Welcome" to "Do Not Disturb" and went about our day. When we got back to our cabin after our dinner and after the first show our room had not been turned down. I called our cabin steward and she said every so sweetly...We did not want to Disturb you as your sign was on "Do Not Disturb"

Just the opposite of your experience!! :D