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ncl ----WHY


phish tales

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we have heard a lot of negativity about ncl's fleet. food, service. rooms,

staff, ships. etc. etc. we tried 1 ncl cruise and absolutely hated it. it was an older ship (Norway). but the food and crew were still ncl. food was bad, service terrible and we had money stolen from our safe deposit box behind the front desk...... a friend says "give ncl another try" and we said WHY ?????? has anything improved? we hate to spend the money and be disappointed again.

your thoughts.

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I love NCL but some people don't. I love freestyle. Norway is not the NCL of today. All the ships except the Majesty which is leaving the fleet are built for freestyle but if you are looking for a traditional cruise experience(set dining times no choices to make on where to eat) you are better off going elsewhere.

 

As for food, NCL has gone through a couple of different menus. Some I love some I think are so so.

 

I have always found the service fine.

 

But many times your mind set has as much to do with the success of the cruise as the crew's does. If your mindset is that your are going to hate it, you'll hate it. If that is your mindset go somewhere else....your fellow passengers will appreciate it...

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Do some research and see if NCL's style, ships and ambience is right for you.

 

You will probably get reports from both ends of the spectrum - there are determined NCL haters as well as supporters.

 

We have cruised on a number of lines and tried our first NCL last fall. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and appreciated both the differences and the similarities to other cruise lines.

 

Freestyle is IMO a good system when you have a port intensive itinerary and need more flexibility. NCL's food was excellent in parts, good in others - sometimes their buffet was repetitive. The staff were as good as any other cruise line.

 

We will certainly consider them again - just depends on the itinerary, price and time.

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We sailed NCL last April for the first time and had some serious misgivings due to bad reviews. The price was so great on the TA (Jewel) that we went anyway.

 

We had a great cruise with only a couple of caveats. We liked the freestyle concept, service and food was fine, the production shows were among the best we've seen; I know we will cruise them again.

 

A couple of people we talked to on this cruise who had sailed in their older ships warned us to stay with the newer ones. It sounds like most of these have been retired.

 

I thought NCL compared favorably with other mid-level lines such as Carnival, Princess and Celebrity. We're not very picky, critical people though, and in 15+ cruises have never found one we didn't enjoy.

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I have only one cruise and that was with NCL but I loved it. The freestyle worked well for me and my husband. I loved how there were choices for dressing up or not in the dining rooms and the pay extra dining was fab.

 

My only dislike was the layout of the Sun. It was confusing and did not flow well at all.

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I'm just the opposite of you. Absolutely loved the SS Norway and everything about her. But now, since NCL was purchased by Star Cruises, I think everything has gone downhill. The food and service has suffered, in my opinion because of their freestyle dining. You don't have the same waitstaff every night, and therefore you don't establish a rapport with them. They have their tips as soon as you board because of pre-tipping, so there's no incentive to work harder for their tips. And I'm one who can't stand freestyle---I think that concept has totally contributed to a lack of good service. While people love it because they don't want to be told when to eat, for a few days in my life, I don't find having assigned dining to be an imposition.

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My husband and I have only cruised twice and both times on NCL. We were on the Dawn for a New England cruise in '07 and liked it enough to cruise the Baltic on the Jewel in '08. We thought the staff were wonderful. The food was fine, especially in the specialty restaurants and I thoroughly enjoyed freestyle cruising. The only thing my husband complained about was the internet connection on board. We're thinking about a cruise to Bermuda from NYC this fall.:)

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Personally- I love NCL, but.. everyone has different opinions and seek different things on cruises, which is why it's SO hard to tell someone if it's a good line or not. You and I may be looking at/for different things. I'm not picky, I'm VERY VERY easy to please.. some people not quite as much as myself. I happen to love the food on NCL (have been on the Dawn) and I think the staff is top notch. But, just like anything on land (hotel, restaurant, etc) it can depend who is on staff, on the day, etc. Everyone, including yourself, can have a bad day!! kwim?!

 

I love freestyle and the whole concept- it's for me, I would never even venture to a different line.. I have no interest. NCL is perfect for *me*.

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Why indeed. I enjoy NCL, but it may not be the best line for you. You do not mention a single thing that draws you to NCL, just a friend pushing you. Clearly you had a very negative experience on NCL vs positive ones on Royal. And you get the D+ perks, how nice. Unless there were some reason (special timing, a special itinerary,etc) to try NCL, why not stay where you are happy?

 

Much as I like NCL, I never sailed the Norway, because I didn't thnk I'd would suit me. Nor the Majesty nor the Dream. I stick to the newer ships for freestyle. So if freestyle did appeal to you, you might like one of NCL's newer ships better than you liked the Norway. But NCL is definately not for everyone.

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I haven't been on NCL but people I know suggest that their newer ships are a huge step up from their older ones and put them on par with the other mass market cruise lines. At some point in time, we'll definitley give it a try ourselves.

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Give NCL another chance. The Norway was not a good representation! The new NCL ships are nothing like the Norway! Their new ships are spectacular, and the food/service is great.

 

IMO Royal Caribbean's Voyager class & Freedom class ships are the best of the mainstream lines, but NCL's new ships are a close 2nd.

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Just philosophically -- why on earth would you chance repeating an experience you "absolutely hated" ? Every cruise line on this site has satisfied repeat customers. It's odd to me that any cruise line would have unsatisfied, unhappy REPEAT customers. Yet you seem to be willing to be amongst the latter.

 

Go back to the line you profess to love - RCCL.

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The only possible reason I would re-book on a cruise I had "absolutely hated" would be if I went in knowing that it would be below my standards, it goes somewhere I can't go with another line, and the price is soooo good I simply can't pass it up. With that said, we tried NCL this spring and found them delightful. Not the same experience you get on traditional lines, but enjoyable nonetheless. We would have no problem booking another NCL cruise.

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The only possible reason I would re-book on a cruise I had "absolutely hated" would be if I went in knowing that it would be below my standards, it goes somewhere I can't go with another line, and the price is soooo good I simply can't pass it up. With that said, we tried NCL this spring and found them delightful. Not the same experience you get on traditional lines, but enjoyable nonetheless. We would have no problem booking another NCL cruise.

 

I wasn't thrilled with my first experience on NCL, in 1997. I tried them again and now they are our favorite line. The Norway has been out of service for about 7 years, so that's pretty antiquated data on which to make a decision.

 

However, I agree with Shorex. If the OP absolutely hated NCL, and tries it only under pressure from someone else, it will be hard to sail without prejudices (literally, pre-judgment).

 

Stick with what you already know you love.

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I won't comment on the the food as that is totally subjective. I do feel that the Freestyle concept is not for everyone as stated by earlier posters. We happen to like it, but I do miss the rapport with the same waiter. It is possible to request the same each night, but that doesn't always happen. I will say that IMO NCL seems to treat it's suite passengers better than most lines. Between the butler, concierge, treats in the rooms, perks like priority embarkation, etc, it is a joy to sail with them. We had the Royal Suite on RCL and had exactly 1 room steward and that was it on that particular ship, no concierge or lounge, no treats. On the other hand, I have that first timers with a inside cabin didn't get their room cleaned until mid afternoon each day, so I think there may be a disparity in service depending on the cabin level.

 

I do agree the OP probably should not try NCL again, perhaps try other lines for a comparison and then reconsider.

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If you've already made up your mind that you won't like NCL, then indeed don't waste your money. Go somewhere else. There are lots of other lines to chooose from, and maybe you'll find a better fit somewhere else.

 

I have to agree.

 

phish tales: Based on your numerous previous posts about NCL on other threads, I suggest you not even consider it. I suspect you will spend a good deal of your cruise looking for things (big and small) to criticize, comparing every detail to RCI, missing the traditional dining (and thus, being unsatisfied with dining no matter what), and basically just reaffirming your previous opinions. I think that will happen regardless of which NCL ship or cruise you choose. I think it will happen even if the ship is in tip-top shape, the crew is terrific, the food is "okay" to "very good" with an occasional "excellent" (a range we've found on other mass market lines, including RCI, which we love), the cabin is spotless and in good repair, and so forth. Because you can't imagine why you should consider NCL again, I believe you shouldn't.

 

How long ago was it that you were on the Norway? I am curious about that because it seems so much has changed at NCL over the past decade.

 

beachchick

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A cruise is what you make it. Coming from a neutral point of view, I don't feel the service with Freestyle is as good as many of their competitor's, the food also seems a notch below. Yet, I enjoy cruising and the ports/people I meet seem to be the high point. I am sailing with them again next April. I think you can find good and bad with any line but, you time is what you make of it.

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NCL is very unique amongst the cruise lines I've sailed, as each time I've sailed them (1998, 2005, 2009) has been a completely different experience.

 

Loved them in 1998. Borderline hated them in 2005. On our recent coastal this past May, there were a lot of things to like, mainly the ship (Pearl) which was beautiful. Service seemed better, and the food seemed much improved. Stateroom was fantastic.

 

There were still a lot of downsides: service, while better, was largely indifferent, and the push to get you out of the free dining rooms and into the admittedly better specialty restaraunts is barely masked. Drinks are also far more expensive on NCL than on Princess or RCI.

 

Would I take them again? Yes, if it was a short voyage and the price was right, or if the itinerary was unique (some of NCL's South America cruises looked fantastic). Would I take them over Princess, HAL or RCI? No. They just don't offer a comparable product IMHO.

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I'm not sure what it would take for me to try NCL again, (I was on Pearl 10 months ago) and it was my worst cruise ever. Keep in mind the people that only sailed once and sailed NCL, and loved it, have nothing to compare the cruise to. If they only knew what else was out there.

 

We sailed Royal Caribbean 4 times and decided to try NCL last year. Guess what? We liked NCL better. That's not to say we hated Royal - quite the contrary. We loved them too. But NCL had better suites, a better embarkation/debarkation process, better service throughout the ship, a large variety of restaurants to choose from and a more casual, comfortable atmosphere. We can't wait to get back on board the Gem in October!

 

Is NCL ever going to win over those who prefer a traditional, formal cruise line? Absolutley not. It's not for everyone. For us, however, it's a fantastic fit.

 

Now that's just my opinion. Only the OP can determine whether NCL is something they want to try again in the future.

 

Happy sailing everyone! :)

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a friend says "give ncl another try" and we said WHY ?????? has anything improved? we hate to spend the money and be disappointed again.

your thoughts.

 

My answer..."Why Not!" It works for us, the freestyle dining, the crews, the ships, the ports and the price. Granted, we only cruise NCL, but our motto is "why change if we're happy."

Neverthought

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Do some research and see if NCL's style, ships and ambience is right for you.

 

You will probably get reports from both ends of the spectrum - there are determined NCL haters as well as supporters.

 

We have cruised on a number of lines and tried our first NCL last fall. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and appreciated both the differences and the similarities to other cruise lines.

 

Freestyle is IMO a good system when you have a port intensive itinerary and need more flexibility. NCL's food was excellent in parts, good in others - sometimes their buffet was repetitive. The staff were as good as any other cruise line.

 

We will certainly consider them again - just depends on the itinerary, price and time.

 

We also tried NCL for the first time lat year. We liked NCL okay-it was not top notch, but as good as any Carnival or RCI cruise we have taken.

 

We prefer HAL and Celebrity, but we will cruise other mainstream lines that are not considered premium. I expect at some point we will cruise NCL again. I like the 9 day caribbean itinerary NCL offers on the Dawn next winter. We will not do that cruise next winter as we are planning a partial Panama Canal, but perhaps winter 2010-2011 if it is still offered.

 

Now the OP? I can't help but feel their experience with theft colored their feelings about NCL. Unfortunately theft can happen anywhere at any time. I had friends who were pickpocketed this summer while staying in a 4 star hotel. It happens.

 

I do have empathy. That was a terrible experience, and I would probalby be afraid of cruising that line again also, if that had happened to me.

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