Thoughts on Norwegian?

[bouhunter]

We've been on 4 cruises the past 4 winters, all RCCL (Mariner, Navigator, Liberty, Independence). We LOVE RCCL and are hesitant to try something else. Obviously we've only been on the bigger ships and really liked them because we keep going back:) For anyone who's been on Norwegian, considering the RCCL ships we've been on do you think we'd like it? We like the Royal Promenade and have always considered the cleanliness and service on RCCL impeccable. We're only shopping around for two reasons:

 

1. Price

 

2. The 9-night caribbean itinerary for Norwegian Dawn is AWESOME. We so wish RCCL went to some of these other ports.

 

Switching from RCCL next year would be a big decision because we've liked it so much. All thoughts and comments are welcome.

 

THANKS!

[ziggypup]

We've been on 4 cruises the past 4 winters, all RCCL (Mariner, Navigator, Liberty, Independence). We LOVE RCCL and are hesitant to try something else. Obviously we've only been on the bigger ships and really liked them because we keep going back:) For anyone who's been on Norwegian, considering the RCCL ships we've been on do you think we'd like it? We like the Royal Promenade and have always considered the cleanliness and service on RCCL impeccable. We're only shopping around for two reasons:

 

1. Price

 

2. The 9-night caribbean itinerary for Norwegian Dawn is AWESOME. We so wish RCCL went to some of these other ports.

 

Switching from RCCL next year would be a big decision because we've liked it so much. All thoughts and comments are welcome.

 

THANKS!

 

I just booked a 7 night Bermuda cruise aboard the Dawn for June of 2010. Never been on NCL, but it might be time to try something else. I also booked the Explorer 9 night Bermuda/Caribbean for June of 2010 also. We will have about a year to decide which one we will go on. I don't know what will be the deciding factor yet. Maybe by then RCCL will have a surcharge for sheets and pillow cases. Time will tell.

[sunluva]

We've been on RCL x 4, but in December tried NCL Dawn because

some friends wanted us to join them. I hadn't read a whole lot of great things about NCL - especially food - compared to RCL. But thought we'd give it the benefit of the doubt. We got AE Suite category for the price of our usual balcony price on RCL. I was pleasantly surprised. We enjoyed ourselves. The ship has a really weird layout though. It was tough navigating ourselves around. Maybe I'm just used to RCL? Not sure.

Would I give up Royal? Nope. Would I sail NCL again? Yes!

For 2010 we are currently deciding on either the Oasis or the new NCL Epic. I am waiting for the prices on the Epic and that will help me decide.

[CruiseQueenie]

Good Afternoon:

This is my personal opinion. I have over 30 cruises on RCCL - I have 2 cruises on Hawaiiana Cruise Lines (now out of business I believe) and 1 on Norwegian. The reason there was only 1 is because I would never try them again (even if it was a free cruise!).

The food was uncooked, the staff couldn't even communicate with passengers, it was a filthy dirty ship (there was throw-up on the stairs for 3 days!!!) Very disgusting!!!

Service is a big part of what I love and I just didn't get that on Norwegian. Granted, it was only once and maybe I just had bad luck but that was all I needed.

Certainly if you want to give it a try - I hope your experience is better than mine.

I think a small part of the problem too was that RCCL treats you soooo well that when things are different - it is not as good!

Again, just my humble opinion but I wish you well in what ever decision you make.

Have a good day!

[klfhngr]

I sent my mom and aunt with some friends on NCL 2 years ago. I heard, 'it was ok' to 'NEVER EVER AGAIN'! There you go.

[slotaddict]

I love the Norwegian Dawn - I would sail her again in a heartbeat. Having no loyalty to any cruiseline has it advantages - I truly enjoy all of my cruises.

 

I do agree that the Dawn is difficult to navigate, but that problem is somewhere in the vicinity of one of main dining rooms, once you figure it out there is no problem.

 

What I think is happening here is that many people now are trying other cruiselines due to price and itinerary and some are finding that they are pleasantly surprised.

 

We have never had a problem with Freestyle cruising - and I believe that if you eat around 5:45 or after 8:30 you will experience no problems whatsoever. We have never had a problem with service onboard NCL - I have read that other people feel differently.

 

Give it a try and enjoy yourself.

[slotaddict]

I sent my mom and aunt with some friends on NCL 2 years ago. I heard, 'it was ok' to 'NEVER EVER AGAIN'! There you go.

 

 

What ship was that?? The one thing about Norwegian is that you have to sail the Spirit or newer - a smaller ship just doesn;t cut the freestyle concept.

[sunluva]

I sent my mom and aunt with some friends on NCL 2 years ago. I heard, 'it was ok' to 'NEVER EVER AGAIN'! There you go.

 

Yes, I agree. NCL was "ok"... I'd go again.

But still love Royal!

[bouhunter]

Thanks everyone. That's why I love CC, so much good feedback so fast!:)

[klfhngr]

What ship was that?? The one thing about Norwegian is that you have to sail the Spirit or newer - a smaller ship just doesn;t cut the freestyle concept.

 

I believe it was the Star. It was a 'newer' ship..

[slotaddict]

I believe it was the Star. It was a 'newer' ship..

 

 

I have heard both pro's and con's on the Star - never had the pleasure. Have only sailed on the Dawn,Spirit and Pearl.

 

I'm not suggesting that there are not problems on the newer ships, I am just saying that the newer ships are more well equipt for the freestyle concept.

 

To tell you the truth - I book my cruises based on itinerary and price - I love RCL and have two cruises booked.

[TifTif]

As you can see from my history, I have sailed the Dawn, yes it was hard to navigate.The few things I loved about this cruise, price of our JS, washer & dryers.(we took kids) freestyle dining. That's pretty much it. I don't believe it was a terrible vacation, but I won't go back. We were just off the Indy in March, and I can't say a bad word about any of the ships we were on. I loved all of our royals. I know there has been so much negativity about RCI but, I am not ready to make the switch yet. I guess you won't know until you;ve tried it.So for now I am going to look for the best deal possible and stick with Royal.They are out there.

[PACrew]

I just got off the Norwegian Jewel and it was one of the best cruises I have ever been on. The service was fantastic and the food was the best I have had in a long while.

 

You have nothing to loose by taking NCL. Its a vacation, its still the carribean, and you are still on a beautiful ship. I say try something new...you just might like it.

[msmarvel]

As you can see, I'm booked on RCI this fall, and am sailing with folks who are repeats on many cruise lines.

 

We all sailed the NCL Pearl last November, and I loved it. It was a pretty big ship, but not compared to the FOS. lol

 

We tried several specialty restaurants, as well as the main dining room, and the food was good, if not excellent in some places. We noticed the shrimp cocktail in the MDR was not a big as in the steakhouse specialty, but it was still good.

 

The ship never felt crowded, was extremely clean that I could tell. We made friends with the bartenders at the martini bar. The staff was very friendly, even if you were just walking through the atrium, whatever staff was there would say hello to you. The stewards were great, the spa was wonderful (and a better price than on HAL).

 

I'd sail them again in a heartbeat.

[Got2Cruise]

Did you see the special on CNBC concerning the Pearl? It showed several interesting aspects of the ship. We have sailed NCL many times and loved it. Besides the "freestyle dining" we find it comparable to Royal.

[CruisinManiac]

Can anyone comment on the Pride of America? They have a cruise doing a 7 day in Hawaii that sounds interesting.

[Bonanza]

We sailed on the NCL Star in october - We mainly sail on RCCL but thought we would give it a try because we got a great deal. The ship was very nice however we were disappointed in most every other aspect of the cruise. We didn't like the freestyle dining and felt it added a lot to our cost because we didn't do the MDR most nights. The night we did we felt the service and food quality was poor and that the room seemed less than tidy. We like being able to meet new people during dinner and that opportunity is taken away with the freestyle option. Entertainment in the lounges was spotty and the same goes for the pool area. Our room, while nice, was quite small for a mini-suite. We have no plans to sail with NCL again. But, of course, there were many people who truly enjoyed their experience and obviously NCL is popular with many people.

 

However, that being said, we believe that any time you are on a cruise it is a good thing!

 

Hope this helps.

[temple1]

Okay, so, what is the "freestyle" concept? I've seen it in their commercials and they make such a big deal out of it. So, what is it?

[abridalmaven]

We did the Dawn a few years ago, it was next to free because it was a company sponsored retraining for retirees, so the cost was not an issue. We disliked Freestyle because the service was so slow, and poor we missed several shows and company parties. I can honestly say only one server from a non paying venue was good. Service at the paid venues was top notch as was the food, but reservations were very hard to get. The service not as good as for the MDR and the food just alright. And the layout was bad.

Freestyle (open seating at multiple restaurants offering the same menu and a larger number of paying/reservation only restaurants) was very bad when you had more than 2 people. And the buffet? It was set up exactly like the old style cafeterias from eons ago with very limited seating and poor selections. The ice cream was the high point of the buffet, not much else. I must add one thing though that they did well on the buffet, they had separate area for kiddies with their own choices, which kept them off the already crowded lines.

 

Because of an issue that went on during the cruise company wise, we were offered a free cruise, we turned it down.

[CrusinAgain]

We were so excited to try NCL and had other cruises on NCL lined up to Alaska and Canada/New England and Bermuda until we tried the new Pearl. It was a 9 day cruise and we had never experienced a cruise where everything during the day on the activity list was fee based and to eat Freestyle one had to reserve the day before and the majority are fee based. The service was really slow both in dining and in the cabin, the Pursers desk personnel were rude, our shower was never fixed that was plugged, the ship came down with the Norovirus and then to top it all off, they lost my luggage. We did however like the coffee in the room and the free self-serve laundry that we have read no longer exists. Luckily we did not buy liquor on the trip as the line was huge to retrieve your bottle on the last night. It felt so good to get back to Princess and Carnival after that.

[Sailingagain0123]

See below

[Sailingagain0123]

We have sailed RCL and I personally felt like I spent a lot of time standing in line.

We just got off the NCL Dawn and we had a great trip. The entertainment was good, the food was fine. We ate in specialty restaurants 3 nights and in the MDR the rest of the time. Service was spotty one night, the rest of the time it was fine.

I also prefer free style dining.

The staff was very friendly.

[GrannyMouse]

We were so excited to try NCL and had other cruises on NCL lined up to Alaska and Canada/New England and Bermuda until we tried the new Pearl. It was a 9 day cruise and we had never experienced a cruise where everything during the day on the activity list was fee based and to eat Freestyle one had to reserve the day before and the majority are fee based. The service was really slow both in dining and in the cabin, the Pursers desk personnel were rude, our shower was never fixed that was plugged, the ship came down with the Norovirus and then to top it all off, they lost my luggage. We did however like the coffee in the room and the free self-serve laundry that we have read no longer exists. Luckily we did not buy liquor on the trip as the line was huge to retrieve your bottle on the last night. It felt so good to get back to Princess and Carnival after that.

 

I've been on several NCL ships and never had to reserve the day before and never had a fee associated with the Freestyle Dining. We even had a party of 10 on one cruise and never had a problem being seated promptly. I have a January 2010 cruise booked on NCL and a May 2009 booked on RCCL. I like both lines equally for different reasons.

[Got2Cruise]

We were so excited to try NCL and had other cruises on NCL lined up to Alaska and Canada/New England and Bermuda until we tried the new Pearl. It was a 9 day cruise and we had never experienced a cruise where everything during the day on the activity list was fee based and to eat Freestyle one had to reserve the day before and the majority are fee based. The service was really slow both in dining and in the cabin, the Pursers desk personnel were rude, our shower was never fixed that was plugged, the ship came down with the Norovirus and then to top it all off, they lost my luggage. We did however like the coffee in the room and the free self-serve laundry that we have read no longer exists. Luckily we did not buy liquor on the trip as the line was huge to retrieve your bottle on the last night. It felt so good to get back to Princess and Carnival after that.

I think if one goes over to the NCL board, you will find that posters have posted the daily newspaper with the activities and one will find that all of the activities during the day are NOT fee based.:rolleyes: Also, if one chooses to eat in the specialty restaurants, you may, but then don't go making it seem that you were "forced" to eat there. It was your choice. I love the specialty restaurants and just figure the cost of the restaurants into the price when I am figuring out the per diem. Usually the price is still considerably lower on NCL.

[Got2Cruise]

We did the Dawn a few years ago, it was next to free because it was a company sponsored retraining for retirees, so the cost was not an issue. We disliked Freestyle because the service was so slow, and poor we missed several shows and company parties. I can honestly say only one server from a non paying venue was good. Service at the paid venues was top notch as was the food, but reservations were very hard to get. The service not as good as for the MDR and the food just alright. And the layout was bad.

Freestyle (open seating at multiple restaurants offering the same menu and a larger number of paying/reservation only restaurants) was very bad when you had more than 2 people. And the buffet? It was set up exactly like the old style cafeterias from eons ago with very limited seating and poor selections. The ice cream was the high point of the buffet, not much else. I must add one thing though that they did well on the buffet, they had separate area for kiddies with their own choices, which kept them off the already crowded lines.

 

Because of an issue that went on during the cruise company wise, we were offered a free cruise, we turned it down.

 

The buffets on NCL's newer ships are all action stations. No cafeteria feeling at all. Watch the CNBC documentary to see the buffet on the Pearl.