What do you like about NCL?

[orchid72]

I have never cruised on NCL, but I am looking at some differnet itineraries that NCL offers (southern Carribean) and would really love to go to those ports.

 

I have read many negative comments about NCL on "other cruise line threads" and thought I would ask - those that love NCL - for their opinion - and from there I will make up my mind.

 

what do you like about NCL?

 

how is the food? examples

 

atmosphere?

 

 

THANK YOU for opinion!

 

Been on Celebrity and Princess, but in the last little while, I have chosen to go with NCL (sailed 3 times in the last 12 months). I do not LOVE NCL, but I will say I would consider sailing with NCL again.

 

So to answer your questions:

 

what do you like about NCL? Freestyle concept - dine whenever, with whomever. Princess now has the anytime dining, and that worked out well for us too, so they are equal in this regard. But I guess the biggest thing I liked about NCL's Freestyle concept is the wear whatever part - not being pressured to dress up (comes in really handy when you are travelling to Europe from N. America because it cuts down on the amount of things you have to put in your luggage).

 

how is the food? examples Food is hit and miss. My main complaint: a little too salty for me (but I thought the same of the food in Princess). Food on the Gem and Sun were good and I would say even on par with Princess. However, the food on the Jewel this past May was not very good at all. I found that there was a lack of vegetable (salad) options in the main dining room and the food in the buffet was just greasy and salty. But that is just my opinion - cheerleaders on this board will have something to say about my comment, that's for sure.:p

 

atmosphere? Chilled-out. It is so relaxed - way relaxed than Celebrity or Princess, and I think this is what I really like most about crusing with NCL. There is less pretentiousness, IMHO. Also, NCL probably has the best crew I have met - very friendly and hardworking.

 

I was pretty critical of NCL on my Jewel review because of the way our disembarkation in St. Petersburg was handled. However, I have since seen that they have listened to their passengers' complaints and have improved their processes considerably; therefore, they have redeemed themselves in my eyes. On the other hand, I have just read accounts from Princess passengers about their hellish experiences in St. Petersburg --- I must say that NCL is looking even better!

[WinnieinWA]

I have never cruised on NCL, but I am looking at some differnet itineraries that NCL offers (southern Carribean) and would really love to go to those ports.

 

I have read many negative comments about NCL on "other cruise line threads" and thought I would ask - those that love NCL - for their opinion - and from there I will make up my mind.

 

what do you like about NCL?

 

how is the food? examples

 

atmosphere?

 

 

THANK YOU for opinion!

 

I love their yummy comfy beds and pillows!

I love their crews! IMO they are the happiest, friendliest crew of any line I've cruised with.

I love Freestyle so I can eat when, where and with whom I wish.

I love their affordable price.

I love not having to take fancy evening clothes. I can wear a nice dress or pants to dinner and fit right in or I can gussy up if I want and still fit right in.

Their food is better than RCCL and equal to Canival and Princess. IMO

I love all the choices of restaurants.

I've tried other lines but NCL is my favorite.

 

Enjoy your cruise. :)

[WinnieinWA]

I have never cruised on NCL, but I am looking at some differnet itineraries that NCL offers (southern Carribean) and would really love to go to those ports.

 

I have read many negative comments about NCL on "other cruise line threads" and thought I would ask - those that love NCL - for their opinion - and from there I will make up my mind.

 

what do you like about NCL?

 

how is the food? examples

 

atmosphere?

 

 

THANK YOU for opinion!

 

I love their yummy comfy beds and pillows!

I love their crews! IMO they are the happiest, friendliest crew of any line I've cruised with.

I love Freestyle so I can eat when, where and with whom I wish.

I love their affordable price.

I love not having to take fancy evening clothes. I can wear a nice dress or pants to dinner and fit right in or I can gussy up if I want and still fit right in.

Their food is better than RCCL and equal to Canival and Princess. IMO

I love all the choices of restaurants.

I love their entertainment.

I love the laid back, comfy atmosphere.

I've tried other lines but NCL is my favorite.

As another poster said..it's like coming home from a hard days work knowing you can kick back and relax with good friends.

 

Enjoy your cruise. :)

[sillysailor 1955]

DH and I have taken 3 NCL cruises (Dawn, Spirit & Jade) 2 HAL cruises and 1 Princess Cruiuse. Here are my honest impressions of NCL

Pros:

1. Their ships are spotless (there are hand sanitizers all over the place)

2. They know how to run their shore excursions, they are very organized.

3. There are plenty of "food options"

4. There are many activities if you are so inclined

5. No one can beat their prices

6. No one can beat their itineraries

 

Cons:

1. Food is not great, but you will certainly not starve

2. I am not a big fan of the "specialty" restaurants

3. Too much Bingo for me

4. They really push the cocktails

 

That being said I would certainly give NCL a try. I am on a NCL break right now but I would definitely consider them again should the right itinerary and good price come up.:D

[ictcruiser]

We ate at Cagney's, Le Bistro, Impressions, and Bamboo on our last cruise.

 

While the food at the speciality restaurants was good, I would not claim that it was remarkably better than the food I ate in the Main Dining Room. We did, however, get all the week's menus for the MDR in advance and choose which nights we wanted to eat in specialty restaurants based on how well we liked the selections for each day in the MDR. (We were suite pax, and our concierge got all the menus for us on the first day).

 

On the third night of our cruise, we sat next to a couple from France eating *for the second night in a row* in Le Bistro. We thought the food was great, but to me, this speaks to the quality if native French people would eat there twice in three nights of a cruise.

 

The best appetizer I got was the escargot in Le Bistro. The steak I had in Cagney's was a great cut of meat, but to me should have been seasoned a little more. The best red meat I had was on prime rib night in the MDR...well, unless lamb is red meat, because the lamb in Le Bistro was delish. The appetizers in Bamboo were excellent, but the rest of the meal was very typical of what we would find in our favorite Chinese restaurant at home. The antipasto trolley in Impressions was so filling, I could have grazed off of it instead of ordering a main course!

 

The best dessert I had of the cruise was chocolate creme brulee in the MDR.

 

I think across the ship, you will find the food is very good. It was the smaller venues and the ambiance of the specialty restaurants that made them so enjoyable for us.

[petesweet]

The one thing I will add about my personal preference for NCL is that my family enjoy different levels of 'dressing up'. I love to dress up and take every opportunity to do so, my husband looks forward to vacations so he doesn't have to, and our daughter doesn't really care at this point (though she's just hitting the age where she's seeming to enjoy it - YAY!). Aside from one 'dress up or not' night, when we all dress up (formal gowns, suit and tie) and have our annual photo taken, I dress for dinner every evening, my daughter wears something 'nice', and my husband dresses casually - often in his jeans. People may think we look odd together, but to us, that's the whole point of Freestyle - being able to choose for ourselves. (within the parameters of the dress code, of course)

 

That's a very good point. We usually travel in a large group of retirees, and we all have different preferences. Since we never know ahead of time with whom we will be eating, we don't have to make arrangements ahead of time about whether we will dress up or not.

Kathy

[gaylebd]

wow - great thoughts and opinions ... love all the food descriptions ... etc.

 

Noticed someone mentioned the bathrooms - what is different/special?

 

RCCL has shower doors where Carnival has curtains - but neither was great IMO. Decent though ...

 

Nice to hear the beds are good too!

[KevinsCruising]

I have cruised Carnival, HAL, Royal Carribean, Celebrity and others. The very first time I went Freestyle, I kinda missed having the same waiter all the time. They would be like family by the middle of the cruise.

 

On my second Freestyle cruise, we just asked to be with those waiters if we ate at the same restaurant. I was getting hooked a little more and more.

 

By my third NCL cruise... I cannot picture myself cruising any other way. They are without a doubt the most relaxing cruises out there. I LOVE FREESTYLE. It is a saying that we now use in our normal life when life gets a little hectic....hey freestyle it !

 

I love the Dawn and I have sailed recently on the Gem. AWESOME SHIPS. May sail the Dawn again this October, will miss the bowling that we did on the Gem but every ship has its favorite area. It is all good. In my opinion. NCL is the way to go !!

[sillysailor 1955]

wow - great thoughts and opinions ... love all the food descriptions ... etc.

 

Noticed someone mentioned the bathrooms - what is different/special?

 

RCCL has shower doors where Carnival has curtains - but neither was great IMO. Decent though ...

 

Nice to hear the beds are good too!

 

Yep the bathrooms are very nice (shower doors) with soap and shampoo dispensers in shower. I love the beds (very firm mattresses - although they are also good on HAL and Princess)

Honestly I like NCL (not crazy about the food - but they are good value for the $)

[gaylebd]

Yep the bathrooms are very nice (shower doors) with soap and shampoo dispensers in shower. I love the beds (very firm mattresses - although they are also good on HAL and Princess)

Honestly I like NCL (not crazy about the food - but they are good value for the $)

 

 

I see that alot - "not crazy about the food" - but most people don't say "WHY"

 

Can I ask you to tell me what was it about the food?

 

To me - the menus that someone posted - seem a little more adventurous - raw sushi, fois gras, etc.

 

I know alot of people do not like food like that ... is that why???

 

I guess I just want to know if the quality is good - I love fois gras and sushi - but would be concerned if the quality was low for obvious reasons!:eek:

 

Thanks for sharing! Appreciate it

 

Gayle

[sillysailor 1955]

I see that alot - "not crazy about the food" - but most people don't say "WHY"

 

Can I ask you to tell me what was it about the food?

 

To me - the menus that someone posted - seem a little more adventurous - raw sushi, fois gras, etc.

 

I know alot of people do not like food like that ... is that why???

 

I guess I just want to know if the quality is good - I love fois gras and sushi - but would be concerned if the quality was low for obvious reasons!:eek:

 

Thanks for sharing! Appreciate it

 

Gayle

 

Our first cruise on NCL was on the Dawn about 4 or 5 years ago out of NYC to Caribbean - the food was very good. Our next NCL cruise was on the Spirit - food was not quite as good as the Dawn. Our last NCL cruise was in the Mediterrean on the Jade. I honestly have to say the food was definitely the worst I have had on NCL- don't get me wrong it was certainly edible and sometimes good to very good. But in general it was poor to medicore. The soups on the Jade were inedible they were very salty. In addition, we ate in Cagney's on all 3 cruises certainly not worth the extra cost IMHO. That being said NCL offers the best prices and the best itineraries and we would give them another go if the price and locations were something we were interested in.

[jdarch]

I have taken the Dawn to Bermuda two years in a row. I love the Dawn. The bathroom is divided into the toilet part on one side and the shower on the other side with a door. In the middle is the vanity with a mirror and shelves and quite a bit of storage. Love the bathroom.:D

[orchid72]

I see that alot - "not crazy about the food" - but most people don't say "WHY" Can I ask you to tell me what was it about the food?

As I have mentioned before, the food was good - not great, but good - during my first 2 sailings with NCL, but the last time we sailed with them, the food quality was not even okay. Fine, it was bad (we could not wait to get to port to eat). I can not really describe what went wrong, but it may have been due to the quality of ingredients they were using. Plus, the food is just way too salty. Considering the average age of the people on that cruise, I do not think the amount of sodium in the food they were serving would have done them any good. At the end of our cruise, I had gained about 6-7 pounds, and I did not even eat that much. I eventually lost the weight within a week or 2, which tells me I retained a lot of water.

 

To me - the menus that someone posted - seem a little more adventurous - raw sushi, fois gras, etc. I know alot of people do not like food like that ... is that why??? I guess I just want to know if the quality is good - I love fois gras and sushi - but would be concerned if the quality was low for obvious reasons!:eek:

On paper, the food sounds good, but it is not. I am a very adventurous eater, so I will eat almost anything. I am a big fan of sushi, and I had the sushi, but it just did not taste fresh. The sashimi did not taste fresh either. Not saying it was off, but it just was not right. I am ethically opposed to eating foie gras, but my DH isn't, so he had it at le bistro, and he was not impressed. The texture - even by just looking at it- was wrong. It was definitely over-cooked. I had the frogs legs one night, and it was just too dry and bland, but salty.

 

That said, I would still cruise with NCL because I think they offer value for money. My main reason for cruising is not the food. I mainly cruise for the itinerary so I could get a taste for various ports - more like a reconnaissance mission to help me decide which ones I would like to explore further in the future - and I think NCL has some good itineraries that are priced way less than other cruiselines. Plus the Freestyle concept just can't be beat.

[kath00]

No one has mentioned this but NCL has the BEST choice of suites of any cruise line. As a matter of fact, I think their suites are larger and nicer than the super luxury cruise ships such as Cunard and Crystal (trust me, I have been looking).

 

And they have a LOT of suites. Unlike princess, where there is only 1 really large suite on the whole ship and it literally gets booked up the day the cruises go on sale! Very frustrating, especially since people often then cancel them the last minute anyway.

 

The Pearl has a wonderful range of suites from the oober expensive Garden villa that is essentially 3-4 suites with a private hallway to their family villas and other various sizes. I like my space so I love seeing the many options on their ships AND that there are enough of them for me to be able to book them even 3-4 months before sailing.

 

Katherine

[CC Help Michell]

No one has mentioned this but NCL has the BEST choice of suites of any cruise line. As a matter of fact, I think their suites are larger and nicer than the super luxury cruise ships such as Cunard and Crystal (trust me, I have been looking).

 

And they have a LOT of suites. Unlike princess, where there is only 1 really large suite on the whole ship and it literally gets booked up the day the cruises go on sale! Very frustrating, especially since people often then cancel them the last minute anyway.

 

The Pearl has a wonderful range of suites from the oober expensive Garden villa that is essentially 3-4 suites with a private hallway to their family villas and other various sizes. I like my space so I love seeing the many options on their ships AND that there are enough of them for me to be able to book them even 3-4 months before sailing.

 

Katherine

 

I did mention that -- I don't see how one can discuss NCL without mentioning suites. I love the variety of choices in suites on NCL, as well as the fact that unless you step way up into a much more expensive line, NCL is the best there is.

[hat776]

The question of food is strange - it seems to vary so much.

On the Gem recently we found all the food we had in the MDR good to very good.

It's a pity there can't be the same standard all over the fleet all the year round.

[sillysailor 1955]

The question of food is strange - it seems to vary so much.

On the Gem recently we found all the food we had in the MDR good to very good.

It's a pity there can't be the same standard all over the fleet all the year round.

 

We are planning group cruise in Mediterrean for May 2010 - all of our past NCL cruisers say that even though NCL has best prices and best itineraries for Europe the poor quality of the food is a deal breaker for NCL and we will be booking this cruise on another line.

[jpcdds6]

the food on ncl is as good, or better, than most other lines sailing the med. period.

[sillysailor 1955]

the food on ncl is as good, or better, than most other lines sailing the med. period.

 

Sorry, but it was pretty bad on the Jade last December.

[newmexicoNita]

Sorry, but it was pretty bad on the Jade last December.

 

well I guess it changed from Dec to Feb. I had clients that are somewhat foodies sail the Jade in Feb and were very happy with the food, both specialty dining and regular. of course the old saying food is subjective does hold true.

 

Sorry your group is choosing a different cruise line because of food: I can't imagine basing a decision on food alone, but to each his own. Enjoy cruising with your group. Going with friends and family is a wonderful vacation.

 

Nita

[jpcdds6]

Sorry, but it was pretty bad on the Jade last December.

was on the gem last month. the food was very good at every venue we tried. the meals and service in cagneys, both for lunch and dinner was outstanding. did everthing rate a michelin star? no, but not many cruise lines do. and i've been on carnival, costa,and RCI.

[sillysailor 1955]

well I guess it changed from Dec to Feb. I had clients that are somewhat foodies sail the Jade in Feb and were very happy with the food, both specialty dining and regular. of course the old saying food is subjective does hold true.

 

Sorry your group is choosing a different cruise line because of food: I can't imagine basing a decision on food alone, but to each his own. Enjoy cruising with your group. Going with friends and family is a wonderful vacation.

 

Nita

 

No, decision to cruise with another line is not just because of food. Everyone wants to try a different line (as the same line gets a little repetitive as far as entertainment, on board games, etc. etc.)

Perhaps the subpar food was a fluke... but I don't think so as my husband and I are not really that picky. However, that being sad I would consider sailing with NCL again somewhere down the road as I think their ships are very nice and you just can't beat their prices or itineraries.

[lambs2]

Sorry, but it was pretty bad on the Jade last December.

 

 

We were on the Jade in January and found the food wonderful! I guess it is very subjective!!!:)

[op1]

Ok so I had a bad experience with NCL a couple of years ago with a trip to Bermuda. But in the long run they did the righ thing. They also issued a credit on future trip so we went ahead and gave the a another chance.

 

Overall we really like the freestyle dinning. The food on the NCL ships I have been on have been good. I would not rate them as spectacular but good. I have not been impressed by their specialty restaurants. I feel they are over rated and overpriced. JMHO So I don't pay extra when the MDR is adeqaute.

Even the buffet is ok for dinner.

 

I find the staff ie the workers to be superb and very friendly. Once you get to know them and they know you they will go out of their way. The staff in the kids club/teen club seem to enjoy what they do and my kids have always had a good time with them. Not so on another line which acted like they where doing the kids a favor. My kids really enjoy the club and if they are happy they are not in my hair an I am not miserable. A big plus.

 

Front desk on the ships on the other hand seems to be very streched. Maybe they are spread to thin but I have never been very impressed.

 

Overall the NCL line is not bad and you do get a fair deal. just my 2 cents and humble opinion. I will be sailig soon and will post a review.

 

Op1

[CC Help Michell]

We are planning group cruise in Mediterrean for May 2010 - all of our past NCL cruisers say that even though NCL has best prices and best itineraries for Europe the poor quality of the food is a deal breaker for NCL and we will be booking this cruise on another line.

 

Again, personal preference. We'd never pay more for an inferior itinerary over the issue of food, but others choose cruises primarily for the food, it seems.