My opinion of Freestyle (Dawn)

[ChBoxers800]

It seems that the bashers have come out in full force.

 

We have:

 

Please understand there was nothing wrong with our cabin or the food (except prime rib), but we resented having to pay for our food when we had already done that. Our room steward introduced himself to us on thursday evening in the hallway and when he did he called us by the wrong name. He kept our room clean but... never have we felt so disconnected.

So they hated their cruise even tho the cabin was fine and so was the food except for one dish they didn't care for. And, even tho there are several dining options with no surcharge, they resented having to pay for food???? Surcharge restaurants are a CHOICE and they had to have been aware of that prior to sailing. Regardng the room steward, even tho they kept my room great, that sure would ruin my vacation too if I wasn't "connected" to the room steward. God forbid they attempt to be nice and call me by the wrong name..how dare they?

 

the insufficiently sized deck area that created shoving matches amongst the guests competing for chairs at the pool,

Chair hogs? Oh my gosh, there weren't enough chairs right at poolside and people hogged them? Go to all the cruiseline boards and read about chair hogs. They are everywhere.

 

And freestyle, they mislead you with "eat what you want when you want" making it sound like you can just pick a restaurant and go, maybe have a few minutes wait like on land, but that is not the case. In reality it's not much different than the lines with a set dining time, except you pick the time the day before IF you can get in.

 

This from the expert who has never set foot on an NCL ship

 

This past cruise, if I hadn't had a friend traveling in the suites, I would have ended up in the buffet or one of the two main dining rooms the whole trip for Dinner. I would only go on an NCL cruise again under two conditions - if they were the only ship leaving NYC the week I wanted to go and I could afford at least concierge service.

 

How horrible for them. Forced to eat in one of 4 or 5 included dining venues. Glad that didn't happen to this person. Sure would have ruined their trip. Surprised that they would still cruise NCL again cause if they would only go if they got concierge service, they could take that same money and go on some other line. Why not take that money and go on a line that you like?

 

If you DO make the reservation for the next evenings dining, then you've made a time at which you MUST BE THERE. That is not "freestyle" no matter how you try to spin it.

 

I have now heard it all. You CHOOSE to make a restaurant reservation and then say it's no longer freestyle because you have to show up at your reservation time. LOL

 

I am done responding to this thread. I am not an NCL cheerleader and have no loyalty to any cruiseline. It just amazes me the different slant that people can attempt to put on things in order to try and make their point.

I loved my NCL cruise and am looking forward to the next one. All of those who will never cruise NCL again doesn't bother me at all...that'll just leave more room for me to get one of those deck chairs, make reservations in the speciality restaurants and enjoy the delicious FREE food on board.

Hope everyone enjoys whatever cruiseline they choose in the future. Vacations are expensive and people should have fun and feel satisfied. I know I sure was.

Nuff said.....I'm done with this.

 

 

[Planer's Edge]

Balcony and Mini suite staterooms do not have concierge access. Balcony's never did and as of Jan. this year they did away with the mini suites having it.

 

Sorry, anyone has access to the Concierge. It is just not advertised as a perk to anyone other than Penthouse Suites and above. Do you think that if you ask for the Concierges assistance he/she will say "You don't have access to me"? They work for tips just like any Concierge on land.

 

PE

[Planer's Edge]

unfortunately, no I am not kidding; I wish I was...

 

You are so full of it. Why do you have such disdain for this "second class" cruise line. You come to Cruise Critic a few weeks ago and do nothing but snipe at NCL. If you're preferred lines are Cunard and Holland why don't you go and enjoy the comaraderie over there rather than dwelling on something you don't like about NCL?? Oh, that's right you have to tell us what a horrible choice we are making by sailing on this "second class" cruise line.:rolleyes:

 

PE

[Sandyrella]

 

I think that what nobody, especially the NCL cheerleaders don't want to admit, is that NCL caters to the big spenders. If you book one of the more expensive rooms, you get access to making your reservations before everyone in the cheaper rooms. For me that rubs me the wrong way.

 

Nobody wants to say it, but that is the reason why alot of people can't get reservations, like Paul saying he was trying to book Friday night for Saturday night and it was already full, how if you can only book 24 hrs in advance. The upper priced rooms are allowed to do it, that's how.

 

I don't like the idea of it, since we always book inside rooms and if I feel like I'm treated any different than the more expensive room people, I won't sail them again.

 

And freestyle, they mislead you with "eat what you want when you want" making it sound like you can just pick a restaurant and go, maybe have a few minutes wait like on land, but that is not the case. In reality it's not much different than the lines with a set dining time, except you pick the time the day before IF you can get in.

 

Just FYI I am not guessing at all of this, my sister has sailed NCL exclusively and totally admits that unless you book a more expensive room, or if you travel with more than 2 people, your dining options will be limited. Not always but it certainly happens alot.

 

We have 6 girls going in May and if we cant' get into any of the restaurants when booking 24 hrs in advance I'm not going to be happy. If you're booking the 24 hrs they require and they still say all the restaurants are full, what does that tell you, someone is booking them early, and it's the higher end room people, to me that's not fair.

 

You are setting yourself up to have a lousy time because you are buying into all the BS that you hear before being able to form your own opiniont

 

March 2 we were a party of nine in 4 cabins...2 balcony's 2 inside. I did not feel like any less a passenger than the prior year when we got an upsell to the owner's suite. We never had a problem getting a reservation at the free specialty restaurants because we were ORGANIZED. We planned ahead. We ate at Salsas once and Impressions twice with no problem at all because I made the reservations in the morning the day before we ate. So we had to think about it about instead of just walk up.....Big deal.

 

If I decide that I want to go out to dinner with friends on Saturday night a peak time at a popular restaurant, I will not be able to get in without planning ahead and making a reservation. I really think that people here just do not get it.

 

We also ate a Venetian twice and Aqua once, between 7 and 8 o'clock, no reservation...just walked up. Once we went to Aqua and were told that they could not accommodate us for 1/2 hour but Venetian had room immediately....so we went to Venetian. Same menu....

 

I am not a cheerleader, I have no problem going to other lines if the ship and itinerary appeals to our family but NCL gives us what we need in Freestyle and that means not having to eat in whatever dining room, every night at 6:00 whether I'm hungry or not.

[ChBoxers800]

Help me out here. I will be going on my first NCL cruise in 2 weeks. Dawn to Bermuda. We will have a party of eight, in three balcony cabins.

 

With a party of eight can we just show up at any of the restaurants or do we absolutely need reservations. We will be traveling with 5 teenagers. I don't know if they will all eat with us every night. Can we make a reservation for 8 and show up with 6 if some of the kids decided not to join us?

 

Since we are in Balcony stateroom we will have access to the concierge. Didn't know that, any other perks to the Balcony Staterooms?

 

You can make reservations for any of the main dining rooms if you have a group of 8 or more. Only problem is, you can only make reservations in non peak hours...before 6:15 or after 8:30. If you do make the reservation for 8 and only 6 of you show up, that will not be a problem. On our recent cruise we had a reservation for 13 and one night there was only 8...no big deal.

 

If you choose to utilize freestyle more and not do a reservation that is fine too. Since you are 8, you may have a slight wait for a table but it shouldn't be excessive as there are quite a few larger tables and many people prefer the smaller one.

 

I'd suggest you just wing it when you get on board and then decide how you want to do it. Don't worry, it'll work out fine.

[annie m]

"Sorry, anyone has access to the Concierge. It is just not advertised as a perk to anyone other than Penthouse Suites and above. Do you think that if you ask for the Concierges assistance he/she will say "You don't have access to me"? They work for tips just like any Concierge on land."

 

 

Never knew that. When discussing changes that were being made - we were told by the concierge on the Spirit that they would no longer be taking care of mini suites it would be suites only. - they do only advertise for Penthouse Suites.

[doodlefan]

You are setting yourself up to have a lousy time because you are buying into all the negatives that you hear.

 

We have cruised with NCL twice. The first time we got an upsell to an Owner's suite which came with special perks that we enjoyed.

 

March 2 we were a party of nine in 4 cabins...2 balcony's 2 inside. I did not feel like any less a passenger. We never had a problem getting a reservation at the free specialty restaurants because we were ORGANIZED. We planned ahead. We ate at Salsas once and Impressions twice with no problem at all. I made the reservations the morning the day before we ate. So we had to think about it about instead of just walk up.....Big deal. When I made the reservations, I saw that there was also still space in the paying restaurants, as they flipped through the pages.

 

If I decide that I want to go out to dinner with friends on Saturday night a peak time at a popular restaurant, I will not be able to get in without planning ahead and making a reservation. I really think that people here do not completely grasp the Freestyle concept.

 

We also ate a Venetian twice and Aqua once, between 7 and 8 o'clock, no reservation...just walked up. Once we went to Aqua and were told that they could not accommodate us for 1/2 hour but Venetian had room immediately....so we went to Venetian. Same menu....

 

I am not a cheerleader, I have no problem going to other lines if the ship and itinerary appeals to our family but NCL gives US what we need in Freestyle and that means not having to eat in whatever dining room, every night at 6:00 whether I'm hungry or not.

 

I'm not setting myself up to have a bad time. I've never had a bad cruise. I didn't say I have a problem with reservations. Why do people keep saying that. I have a problem with the fact that people are TRYING to make reservations right at the 24 hr advance mark and are being told no. If we have to adjust the time or w/e I have no problem but if I try to make reservations at the 24 hr point and are told no sorry everything is full, I think I will not be happy.

 

My sister LOVES NCL and I am quite happy to try other lines, I've been on 4 so far, and honestly there hasn't been much difference to say I like this line over that line, although I give the edge to Carnival, but it's kind of hard to not notice all the upset people coming back from NCL and saying they couldn't even get IN a restaurant when following NCL's rules about making reservations in advance. I think it's just the whole, upper level rooms get the advance booking, so the better times and the lower rooms are stuck with what's left. Not that people always get turned away, but from all the posts I've read in the last few months, more people are complaining that the freestyle isn't working out for the lower room people or for larger parties of say 4.

 

I'm like you and very organized, so I will plan what days we want to eat where and book it according to quieter times, but that is my whole point, that you have to be ORGANIZED, as you say, it doesn't bother me to do that, as long as we CAN get reservations. I don't want to go 24 hrs in advance only to be told that everything is booked, and it's happened to alot of people lately. I think alot of people take freestyle as exactly what it implies, freestyle, and when they realize that it takes alot of planning and organization to get the reservations you want, that they are disappinted and find it to be more work than if they had a preset dining time.

 

Also as I originally said the whole freestyle concept is misleading. You said yourself you have to be organized. Well that's not what NCL is advertising. They show a couple just breezing into any restaurant to be seated for dinner, well that's not how it works. I know that ahead of time so I'll deal with it. I'll also reserve judgement until I go and try it out for myself. Either way, It's not going to ruin my cruise. But it will give me an idea of whether I like freestyle or not and whether NCL is a line I want to cruise again. Honestly if the food is good in the free main dining rooms, we'll be fine. We only want to have one special dinner but we'd like to be able to reserve it and get in at some point during the cruise.

[bobnatt]

You are so full of it. Why do you have such disdain for this "second class" cruise line. You come to Cruise Critic a few weeks ago and do nothing but snipe at NCL. If you're preferred lines are Cunard and Holland why don't you go and enjoy the comaraderie over there rather than dwelling on something you don't like about NCL?? Oh' date=' that's right you have to tell us what a horrible choice we are making by sailing on this "second class" cruise line.:rolleyes:

 

PE[/quote']

 

 

actually in February, 2007 after I returned from my Dawn cruise I wrote a detailed review of my cruise experience. My comments on this thread are absolutely consistent with that review. Go to : http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=26733

 

 

For folks who have not had a sophisticated cruise experience I am sure that NCL is just fine. Sure beats a weekend in the Poconos. For those of us who are used to a more upscale experience NCL is a disappointment. My biggest disappointment was the inconsistency of the quality of the Villa Garden suite with the rest of the ship. The Villa Garden suite goes for over $30,000 for a ten day cruise. In my mind the experience on the rest of the ship doesn't justify such a price.

 

Good luck on your NCL cruises, I wish you well. (I gotta tell you it was fun watching the Belly Flop competition from the our suite which overlooked the main swimming pool).

[alwayssingin]

Since balconies & above can book restaurants 48 hours in advance thru the concierge, no need to use a reservation desk.

 

You comment on Salsa with all the empty table. Did you ask about them? All those folks were due within the hour?

 

Exactly... The "reservation/surcharge restaurants" are not like chain restaurants at home where patrons are rushed through their meal so that someone else can have the table. Meals can easily last two hours. Even though the restaurant may look empty at the moment, that could change in the next 30 minutes and remain full for two hours, and then the staff have to clean and reset the tables.

[doodlefan]

quote "And freestyle, they mislead you with "eat what you want when you want" making it sound like you can just pick a restaurant and go, maybe have a few minutes wait like on land, but that is not the case. In reality it's not much different than the lines with a set dining time, except you pick the time the day before IF you can get in.

 

This from the expert who has never set foot on an NCL ship quote"

 

 

 

CHBoxers800

 

You are the only basher that I see on this thread so far. I never said I was an expert, I'm reading what other have stated and from what my sister who has sailed NCL over 10 has told me. This is why she will only book conceirge class. I am simply stating my opinion, why is it that it's okay for YOU to do that, and rudely I might add, and it's not for anyone else.

[Mooder]

. Most of the time except for the first day when we got into Salsa, we ate at the Venetian or Aqua which were fine. .

 

So, did you get to pick the time you ate at Venetian or Aqua or did someone tell you what time to show up? Is Venetian or Aqua buffet or sit down with waiter service? Sit down/waiter service at any time you choose is called Freestyle! And that's what I love! Sorry you did not feel the same way.

[Ralphinsc]

Boy are you ever correct. We took one cruise last year on the Dawn and had Garden Villa accomodations and felt that it was a second rate cruise experience in every manner. Mediocre food in all restaurants, the insufficiently sized deck area that created shoving matches amongst the guests competing for chairs at the pool, etc., etc. Mondy is much better spent on a top tier cruise line.

 

You mean to tell me that you had a 2000 square foot deck for your own private cabin with a private hot tub and yet you still wanted to go down there and fight with all the chairhogs? :rolleyes: Yeah, that sounds smart.....

[bobnatt]

You mean to tell me that you had a 2000 square foot deck for your own private cabin with a private hot tub and yet you still wanted to go down there and fight with all the chairhogs? :rolleyes: Yeah, that sounds smart.....

 

 

can't do laps in a hot tub...

[Sandyrella]

can't do laps in a hot tub...

 

You certainly can't do laps in the pool....not with all those people in it...:rolleyes:

[ChBoxers800]

Bob,

 

As I said in my last post, I'm not longer participating in this topic. It's a no win situation and I will just bypass making any further comments.

 

However, I had to respond to your posts.

 

I must say that I understand 100% how you must feel. You are used to the more upscale cruise lines and I believe that all of us would consider NCL, CCL, RCCL and others 2nd class cruise lines if we had your experience. I'm sure that those experiences are far above and beyond what any of us mass market cruisers have experienced.

 

Unfortunately, most of us don't have the funding to upgrade to those lines, so we just have to deal with what we can afford.;)

 

You sound like a guy with a lot of humor (you are right, you cannot do laps in a hot tub) :D

 

Hope you enjoy all your future cruises.

[Giorgi-one]

Freestyle pretty much goes out the window when NCL claims that you can't make reservations more than 24 hours in advance and then takes them 36 hours in advance.

 

I NEVER SAID that there was only the buffet to eat in. What I did say (or implied) is that if you are not willing to wake up early on your vacation in order to make a reservation for the next evening, you will most likely end up in either the buffet or one of the two main dining rooms as we did.

 

If you DO make the reservation for the next evenings dining, then you've made a time at which you MUST BE THERE. That is not "freestyle" no matter how you try to spin it.

 

Paul:

 

You must be new to these boards. You cannot criticize any cruise line on the board for that cruise line. For example, you could criticize Carnival or Royal Caribbean on this board but not NCL. If you want to criticize NCL, you have to go to one of the other boards. I know it doesn't make sense, but you probably forgot that cruise lines never do anything wrong. The only really accepted opinion is that you are on vacation, don't expect too much, and you will have a great time.

[dmcm19]

We were also on the Dawn last week (party of 4) and despite what other posters have posted we had a great time and had no problems with reservations in the specialty restaurants. We were in a mini suite so had no access to concierge service. When we boarded I made reservations for the first 2 nights (36 hours) and then each morning before going to breakfast we went over to the reservation desk and made reservations for the following night. We ate every night between 6:30 - 7:00p. We ate at Bamboo twice, Salsa, Cagney's, Impressions, and Tepanyaki. We ate one night at Aqua and walked right in. You have to be flexible with time and specific venue depending on the availability. If I waited to go to a popular restaurant 5 minutes before I wanted to eat I would have a problem.

 

Just a final note to the post about people who spend more money getting more perks and that not being fair. That's just life. If I was spending $6,000+ I would expect to have benefits. The people in the sky box at Yankee Stadium don't have to wait on line at the concessions and miss the game.

[doodlefan]

Paul:

 

You must be new to these boards. You cannot criticize any cruise line on the board for that cruise line. For example, you could criticize Carnival or Royal Caribbean on this board but not NCL. If you want to criticize NCL, you have to go to one of the other boards. I know it doesn't make sense, but you probably forgot that cruise lines never do anything wrong. The only really accepted opinion is that you are on vacation, don't expect too much, and you will have a great time.

 

You are SO right. I'm amazed at the backlash people get for expressing their opinion and experience if it has some negative. All the lines have good things and yes bad things too, but heaven forbid if you mention one thing you are not happy with on that lines boards. :eek: Attack of the cheerleaders.

[maggymine]

i totally agree with Paul507. Went on the Dawn last summer with a group of 13 and could not get reservations for the resturants unless you wanted to eat at 10 pm. I will never go freestyle again.

[Dolphins]

Since there are a large number of balconies and above (plus gold and platinum latitudes) with access to the concierge, that is certainly not a guarantee of getting reservations.

 

There are a larger number of cabins which don't have concierge service and they will have the most difficulty getting reservations for the specialty restaurants (most balcony cabins do not have concierge service). A certain number of specialty reservations are set aside for suite passengers who have concierge service. The only way you can be reasonably assured of reservations in the specialty restaurants is to book one of the suite cabins which have concierge service. That's why they pay more and you get what you pay for. How much success do you think you would have booking a specialty restaurant on a 3,000 passenger mega-ship with traditional dining that has only one specialty restaurant? At least the Dawn gives you 10 restaurants to choose from.

[Clutterlady]

It seems that the bashers have come out in full force.

 

We have:

 

Please understand there was nothing wrong with our cabin or the food (except prime rib), but we resented having to pay for our food when we had already done that. Our room steward introduced himself to us on thursday evening in the hallway and when he did he called us by the wrong name. He kept our room clean but... never have we felt so disconnected.

So they hated their cruise even tho the cabin was fine and so was the food except for one dish they didn't care for. And, even tho there are several dining options with no surcharge, they resented having to pay for food???? Surcharge restaurants are a CHOICE and they had to have been aware of that prior to sailing. Regardng the room steward, even tho they kept my room great, that sure would ruin my vacation too if I wasn't "connected" to the room steward. God forbid they attempt to be nice and call me by the wrong name..how dare they?

 

the insufficiently sized deck area that created shoving matches amongst the guests competing for chairs at the pool,

Chair hogs? Oh my gosh, there weren't enough chairs right at poolside and people hogged them? Go to all the cruiseline boards and read about chair hogs. They are everywhere.

 

And freestyle, they mislead you with "eat what you want when you want" making it sound like you can just pick a restaurant and go, maybe have a few minutes wait like on land, but that is not the case. In reality it's not much different than the lines with a set dining time, except you pick the time the day before IF you can get in.

 

This from the expert who has never set foot on an NCL ship

 

This past cruise, if I hadn't had a friend traveling in the suites, I would have ended up in the buffet or one of the two main dining rooms the whole trip for Dinner. I would only go on an NCL cruise again under two conditions - if they were the only ship leaving NYC the week I wanted to go and I could afford at least concierge service.

 

How horrible for them. Forced to eat in one of 4 or 5 included dining venues. Glad that didn't happen to this person. Sure would have ruined their trip. Surprised that they would still cruise NCL again cause if they would only go if they got concierge service, they could take that same money and go on some other line. Why not take that money and go on a line that you like?

 

If you DO make the reservation for the next evenings dining, then you've made a time at which you MUST BE THERE. That is not "freestyle" no matter how you try to spin it.

 

I have now heard it all. You CHOOSE to make a restaurant reservation and then say it's no longer freestyle because you have to show up at your reservation time. LOL

 

I am done responding to this thread. I am not an NCL cheerleader and have no loyalty to any cruiseline. It just amazes me the different slant that people can attempt to put on things in order to try and make their point.

 

I loved my NCL cruise and am looking forward to the next one. All of those who will never cruise NCL again doesn't bother me at all...that'll just leave more room for me to get one of those deck chairs, make reservations in the speciality restaurants and enjoy the delicious FREE food on board.

 

Hope everyone enjoys whatever cruiseline they choose in the future. Vacations are expensive and people should have fun and feel satisfied. I know I sure was.

 

Nuff said.....I'm done with this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

OMG....didn't you get enough sleep last night??:eek:

[Clutterlady]

We were also on the Dawn last week (party of 4) and despite what other posters have posted we had a great time and had no problems with reservations in the specialty restaurants. We were in a mini suite so had no access to concierge service. When we boarded I made reservations for the first 2 nights (36 hours) and then each morning before going to breakfast we went over to the reservation desk and made reservations for the following night. We ate every night between 6:30 - 7:00p. We ate at Bamboo twice, Salsa, Cagney's, Impressions, and Tepanyaki. We ate one night at Aqua and walked right in. You have to be flexible with time and specific venue depending on the availability. If I waited to go to a popular restaurant 5 minutes before I wanted to eat I would have a problem.

 

Just a final note to the post about people who spend more money getting more perks and that not being fair. That's just life. If I was spending $6,000+ I would expect to have benefits. The people in the sky box at Yankee Stadium don't have to wait on line at the concessions and miss the game.

 

NCL getting back to the old "class" system?

[watchdiva]

OK - let's beat the "NCL's returning to a class system" horse to death.

 

I'm willing to bet that other cruise lines that offer penthouse accommodations offers suite perks as well. Whether it be priority reservations in the specialty restaurants, concierge/butler service, etc. - you can bet that for those willing/able to spend the $$ to sail in a suite that the cruise lines do everything they can to make it easy for the pax.

 

HAL S suites offer the Neptune Lounge with concierge service and I see the same type of comments on the HAL boards about a "class system" re-emerging.

 

We have concierge floors in hotels, VIP Boarding Lounges at Airports, private lounges in clubs, etc - all for the convenience of those who make the choice to spend more $$ than someone else and enjoy the perks that they have paid for.

[bobnatt]

Bob,

 

As I said in my last post, I'm not longer participating in this topic. It's a no win situation and I will just bypass making any further comments.

 

However, I had to respond to your posts.

 

I must say that I understand 100% how you must feel. You are used to the more upscale cruise lines and I believe that all of us would consider NCL, CCL, RCCL and others 2nd class cruise lines if we had your experience. I'm sure that those experiences are far above and beyond what any of us mass market cruisers have experienced.

 

Unfortunately, most of us don't have the funding to upgrade to those lines, so we just have to deal with what we can afford.;)

 

You sound like a guy with a lot of humor (you are right, you cannot do laps in a hot tub) :D

 

Hope you enjoy all your future cruises.

 

 

Thanks, I finally found a sane person on this thread. I realize that I have been fortunate in being able to afford the top acomodations but, frankly, that occured just over the last three years because I was able to sell my business. Before that I cruised in much more modest accomdations.

 

Certainly there is not much difference in price between an average outside cabin on NCL and Holland America or even Cunard. But the quality of the food, service and public facilities such as the swimming area are dramatically different.

[AFT_LOVER]

Press Releases

 

Norwegian Cruise Line Announces Significant Enhancements to Its Onboard Product as Part of Its Freestyle 2.0 Initiative

 

Miami - Dec 20, 2007 ---

As the transaction between Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and Apollo Management, LP ("Apollo") nears completion and the infusion of $1 billion comes into the company, NCL announced today its Freestyle 2.0 fleet wide initiative featuring significant enhancements in its onboard product that will further improve the guest experience. The enhancements include a major investment in the total dining experience; upgrading the stateroom experience across the ship; new wide ranging onboard activities for guests all of ages; additional recognition, service and amenities for balcony, suite and villa guests; and a re-launch of a tiered Latitudes past guest recognition program.

 

The initiative has been driven by quantitative and qualitative feedback from both guests and travel partners and has been enabled by Apollo's billion dollar investment in NCL and Star Cruises continued commitment and vision.

 

"Our innovative Freestyle Cruising and exciting, dynamic fleet of new ships have combined to make NCL a truly unique and exciting cruise vacation," said Colin Veitch, NCL's president and CEO. "We have achieved the milestone of offering the youngest fleet in the cruise industry, and will now focus our attention on delivering the next generation of freestyle cruising - Freestyle 2.0 - a significant enhancement to the guest experience fleet wide."

 

NCL will immediately begin to roll out Freestyle 2.0 fleet wide. Highlights of the different onboard initiatives include:

• Freestyle Dining:
  • An increased investment in food of $50 million before we deliver our first F3, equating to a 20 percent increased investment in food per passenger per day plus major fleet-wide capital investments;
    
  • Lobster Galore - Lobster in the main restaurant on multiple days and in one restaurant every night of the cruise;
    
  • A signature specialty dish in every restaurant (i.e. 48oz Porterhouse in the steak house, chocolate fondue tower in the action station restaurant)
    
  • An enhanced nighttime dining/ambience in the action station restaurant with table cloths, muted lighting and enhanced service;
    
  • One or two alternative restaurants open for lunch on sea days;
    
  • A new and expanded room service menu;
    
  • A "bubbly welcome" - a welcome aboard glass of bubbly for everyone;
    
  • A Taste of Freestyle on embarkation day - samplings from all of the specialty restaurants;
    
  • A major hardware investment to bring all buffets to Norwegian Gem/Norwegian Pearl "action station restaurant";
    
  • An investment in back of house to refine the reservations process and system.

  [*]Stateroom Experience:

  • An upgrade in bedding and sheets, pillows, duvets;
    
  • An upgrade in towels and bathrobes;
    
  • An upgrade in in-room amenities including coffee maker and expanded TV offerings;
    
  • Addition of sofa beds to suite categories.

  [*]Balcony and mini suites

  • A distinctive colored key card for ship wide recognition;
    
  • An "at your service" hotline;
    
  • A separate check-in for balcony and mini suite guests;
    
  • A personal escort to stateroom;
    
  • Priority disembarkation.

  [*]Suites and Villas:

  • All suites and villas to have concierge and butler service
    
  • Welcome champagne in suite/villa;
    
  • Upgraded canapés every day;
    
  • Private breakfast/lunch in Cagney's Restaurant
    
  • An exclusive concierge lounge;
    
  • Priority disembarkation;
    
  • Priority restaurant reservations;
    
  • Dedicated Butler presence in the Courtyard*;
    
  • Private breakfast/lunch in the Courtyard*.

  [*]Onboard activities:

  • An enhanced educational, entertainment and lifestyle program - NCL "U":
    • A range of new classes such as Improv, organic cooking, bartending, sommelier, etc.;

    [*]An enhanced Health and Wellness program;

    [*]An enhanced Pool Deck experience:

    • Entertainment taken upscale
      
    • Drink flags on all deck chairs
      
    • Pool of indulgence - Evian spritz, cold towels, etc.
      
    • Quiet zones and times

  [*]Past Guest Latitudes program:

  • A new program with various tiers rewarding both spend and frequency;
    
  • A new range of tangible, meaningful and deliverable benefits;
    
  • A staffed concierge lounge for Latitudes members.

Freestyle 2.0 enhancements will begin rolling out immediately and will be largely implemented by summer of 2008.

*Available to Villa and Owner's Suite guests.

 

 

Help me out here. I will be going on my first NCL cruise in 2 weeks. Dawn to Bermuda. We will have a party of eight, in three balcony cabins.

 

With a party of eight can we just show up at any of the restaurants or do we absolutely need reservations. We will be traveling with 5 teenagers. I don't know if they will all eat with us every night. Can we make a reservation for 8 and show up with 6 if some of the kids decided not to join us?

 

Since we are in Balcony stateroom we will have access to the concierge. Didn't know that, any other perks to the Balcony Staterooms?