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Yup. I used their offer for solo travel and saved a few hundred on a international flight. It was more like a savings of 25% off what I could have booked myself but it amounted to a few hundred dollars so I'm happy with the savings and the flights they booked. I received my flight confirmation about 100 days out. Also I also asked for a two day deviation immediately making final payment and they added it and refunded me $25 dollars. Some of the reasons I wouldn't use NCL's flight offer is if I wanted more than a two day deviation at either end of the cruise since NCL will only add up to a two day deviation without a penalty if you ask for it at least 75 days before embarkation.

Hopefully this will all be moot in the future in light of... Recent California legislation to ensure fees are clear and visible. i.e. fees are presented up front at the start and not at the end of the billing process. Similar legislation in the works at the federal level and by other cities and states.

It was a 5 day if that makes any difference. That's $500 per day per cabin. I would not survive caring for my parents for more than that. 🤣 When stock performance is based on small percentages in profit and loss, a loss of a small percentage of revenue generating gambling customers and their family and friends does have an impact. For every one person who experienced this and actually speaks up, you can bet there are many others who experienced the same thing on ours and other cruises and did not get the desired response from NCL. Some won't even bother to complain on social media. They will just switch cruise lines. PR 101.

No cheating. If a good itinerary with a good price point from other mainstream lines (Carnival, Royal) and maybe a little bit higher (Celebrity, Princess) appears, I as a solo traveler am "loyal" to NCL so long as they continue to provide value such as Latitudes benefits and their service/quality is good compared to other lines. There are certain areas where I would not consider NCL. I would not bring people with disabilities such as my parents on a cruise or their aging friends. Our last family cruise with them out of New York, we were neglected and mistreated. Embarkation was chaotic and lacked the "assistance" or consideration for the elderly or those in a wheelchair. Disembarkation was terrible and it was miracle they got from the ship to the taxi safely. NCL never followed up with my complaints with anything more than a form letter. If they can't assure that safety problems are fixed then they are not the right cruise line for my aging and disabled parents (and sometimes their retired friends). That's NCL's annual loss of two retired casino gamblers (and me to care for them). The last family cruise was two cabins costing $5100 alone before onboard expenses.

The "decline" has been very subtle for me sailing out of New York. I imagine experiences vary due to ship and itinerary. Since I rarely dine out on land, both NCL's main dining and specialty dining are always a treat to me. That staff are amazing although occasionally overwhelmed or lacking adequate training. Cagney's - I always have the same - A medium ribeye with the parmesan truffle fries. It seems the past few cruises I have not gotten the steak at the correct temperature. I've heard a few complaints from staff that they are overwhelmed due to the number free at sea dining packages and Lattitudes members with vouchers. The truffle fries were under seasoned and under cooked. Despite this, Cagney's is still my favorite. A slightly overcooked ribeye will not ruin my vacation. Moderno's - Another favorite. I haven't seen any big change to the salad bar. Although consistently what I call the "soy sauce" lobster bisque has never my favorite. The quality and selection of meats has been very good. However the preparation varies -- Usually one of these happens but usually not all at the same time thankfully (too salty, overdone dry chicken/pork, bloody red meat, etc.) Again not a show stopper. La Cucina - Another favorite. I observed no changes but I usually always order the same thing. Calamari, pizza, carbonara, salad. Food republic - Another favorite. I observed no changes but I usually always order the same thing. Lamb chops, the yakitoris, ramen, udon or pho. The pork belly dumpling may as well be called grease dumplings and completely oozing with pork belly fat. I want to eat it but my heart is screaming "Don't do it!" Sushi - I enjoy nigiri sushi and would like to have often but they consistently slice the fish paper thin and way over priced a la carte. The rolls are better value. Main dining rooms - I enjoy the dishes there. No complaints about the preparation or quality. The potion size are sometimes laughably small and lately I've had to go to the buffet, OSheehan's/Local, room service to fill up. You'd think NCL would want people full at dinner so they don't overwhelm the staff at other venues.

I see that for a different itinerary, NCL says they are changing the itinerary to "optimize for fuel efficiencies" where they took away 30-60 minutes away from time in port and changed ports of call. So, guests on other itineraries are being short changed too although probably not as badly as those on Feb 4 Star. This is consistent with the passengers on Star reporting the reason they were given was that it was a "slow down" order from Miami. I'm guessing the slow down order is to save fuel. If cost of fuel is the reason, then why didn't they just impose the fuel supplement rather than short change Star passengers and create a PR nightmare. This whole situation is distressing. I hope something even worse isn't going on behind the scenes at NCL. ---------- Sent by NCL for a different itinerary some days after start of the Star Feb 4 cruise. Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners, We have important information regarding your upcoming sailing on board Norwegian XXXXXXXXXX on XXXXXXXXXX XX, 2024. Travel Partners are asked to share this information with impacted guests. We are committed to providing the best vacations at sea and have been working tirelessly to continue to elevate the quality of our offerings and overall guest experience while driving a positive impact on society and the environment. As we optimize itineraries for fuel efficiencies, we have modified Norwegian XXXXXXXXXX's itinerary as shown below. Please note, the ship will now depart from XXXXXXXXXX,XXXXXXXXXX at XX:XX pm.

Except Cruise Next sales reps pitch that any unused Cruise Next OBC will be applied to the cost of the Cruise Next. If you use zero Cruise Next OBC on board, then the presumption is you've paid 50% of the face value and will use the certificate towards a future cruise fare. NCL has higher margins on this type of OBC spent on the ship as opposed to using it toward Cruise Next certificates which go towards future cruise fares (lower margins). Sincerely, Captain Confusion P.S. It's a pretty slick sales pitch to for Cruise Next reps to say you can have a discount on your Cruise Next certificate OR use the onboard credit to spend on the ship. I'm guessing a good number of people subconscously "forget" you can't have both and just go ahead and spend the OBC more freely. I'm guilty of it.

Just a guess. They want you to spend the OBC on board where they have the highest margins.

Cruise Next reps seriously upped their sales pitch. They first look at your cruise history and then adjust their sales pitch accordinly. If you're a new cruiser they pitch fewer certificates ($500). If you cruise a lot with NCL, they start with a higher amount ($2000) and keep lowering it until you agree or walk away. The sale pitch if you continued to listen and say you're not interested. CN: "$2000 in CNs will only cost you $1000" followed by the many reasons to do it. You: "Oh that's too expensive" or "I can't commit to that many cruises" etc. CN: "What about $1500 in CNs will only cost you $750. You can certain take six cruises and there's double up offers all the time, etc. Rinse and repeat until you agree to an amount or walk away. Also, at $2000 costing $1000 i'm getting a minimum 25% annualized return assuming I take only two cruises a year. Certified financial analysts please do the real maff and chime in. 🤪 Year 1 - $500 in CNs that cost $250 over 1 year - 100% annual return Year 2 - $500 in CNs that cost $250 over 2 years - 50% annual return Year 3 - $500 in CNs that cost $250 over 3 years - 33% annual return Year 4- $500 in CNs that cost $250 over 4 years - 25% annual return

Just got back from an Alaska cruise a few weeks ago, We arrived in Seattle the day before. I saw an NCL sign at a station near baggage pick up that looked like they were helping passengers with shuttles. So just a guess you'd go there for the shuttle. I'd call your PCC or TA to get the details. Something else that might help you... On embarkation day, there will be two long lines going into the terminal outside. Dress appropriately for the weather. One line was for dropping off luggage and one for the security screening into the terminal. We divided and conquered. One of us took the luggage on the baggage line which was faster and the other waited on the security line to hold our place. If you don't do that, you'll be directed and looped back to the end of the security line after dropping of your baggage. After security, the check-in is the similar as some other terminals. There are two separate check in areas depending on which deck you're on, Haven and Latitudes lines, etc.

Call guest services and they will correct it. They should offer you credit for the time you did not have a clean room for you to use. This happened to me and they blamed it on the previous steward leaving after finishing their contract. The new steward was overwhelmed. They sent the housekeeping deck manager to follow-up. Also as other have said, NCL has increased the number of rooms a steward must clean and reduced the number of times a day to one turn down to boost their profits. The stewards are working their butts off. That said, hold NCL accountable and don't disembark without having your concerns resolved. Trying to resolve after the fact and you'll likely get nothing for your inconvenience by reporting it after the cruise.

We didn't do a private session in the studio but our experience might be helpful. We got our pictures taken at dinner and were offered a photo package that we gladly accepted. The price seemed reasonable -- 14 pictures of our choice, 3 picture frames, and digital pics on a USB stick for $175. We could have our pictures taken with any of the photographers stationed around the ship and visiting the specialty restaurants. On a different night, that same photographer offered us a photo session outside with Gracier Bay in the background. When the day came, the photographer passed us on to a different photographer who took our pictures. The session was 30 minutes. Afterwards, we were given an appointment for a "viewing" of the pictures in their private studio later in the cruise. The next day we went to view our pictures in the main gallery and only then did we learn that there were two photography teams. Our original photo package would not include the Glacier Bay pictures. We didn't think to have any passersby take our pictures so we felt stuck and concerned, fearing a bait and switch of sorts. When we arrived for our private "viewing" of the Glacier Bay pictures in the private studio, there was no high pressure sales per se. It was subtle. They know many people like us entrusted our most memorable vacation pictures to their studio. They know that you have to make a decision during the 30 minute viewing session because they are completely booked and there would be no other opportunity. That said, the pictures were stunning. The 30 minute photo session may have felt short and rushed but the photographer knew what he was doing. We ultimately decided to purchase 14 digital pictures on a USB stick for $400. The pictures were worth the price. The process ... not so much. Here are the specs for the pics.

They have. Executive Compensation increased due to the liquidation of NCL's inventory of Veuve, Grey Goose, Bailey's and a variety of aged tequilas and whiskeys. For comparison "Royal Caribbean Group's CEO Jason Liberty made over $10 million in 2022...Liberty was paid a base salary of $1.2 million and a bonus of $2.3 million, along with about $7 million worth of long-term incentive equity awards. Combined with his shares in the company, his 2022 compensation is estimated to equal around $10.76 million.

The Getaway sailing out of New York City has been overbooked and understaffed for the past few months. Things could change for the better or for the worse depending on your cruise's port and itinerary and NCL (in)competence. Should this continue to be the case, I suggest the following: Stick to specialty restaurants especially on Day 1. The lines to the included dining options will be long. Consider adding additional prepaid specialty dinners or upgrade Free at Plus if you also drink a lot and use internet a lot. Since you're retired, I'm guessing you won't benefit from Free at Sea Plus. So I'd prepurchase more specialty dinners. Make specialty reservations online as soon as they are available. The reservation system may not have the number of guests in your party. It might be 2, 4, 6, or 8. Make a reservation for the best time available regardless of party size. The NCL dining reservation system including the NCL app are flawed. For example: It allows guests to overbook by party, restaurant, and time and doesn't let them cancel reservations using NCL.com or the the app. So don't feel bad about making a reservation for 8 when you are only a party of 2. You can always fix it with the Restaurant Reservations desk after you are on board. This way you at least have a reservation for the first night before you board and the flexibility to change reservations for the better. Go to the Restaurant Reservations desk as soon as you can after you board and adjust your reservations as needed. Cagney's is the most popular restaurant and will get fully booked. Make at least two reservations for a 7 day cruise. I'd recommend first and last day of the cruise. Teppanyaki and Le Bistro get booked quickly too. Consider the Vibe pass. Consider the Thermal Spa pass. The Waterfront during the day is usually not busy. Plenty of loungers to relax on. Get a balcony cabin or higher if you enjoy lounging. However, this doesn't guarantee you aren't stuck with noisy neighbors. Participate in the activities that are in the Bliss Lounge such as painting. Even if you don't paint, you can lounge there. It's a quiet activity in a quiet venue. Also check out the Library/Card Room. Moderno is also open sometimes for games. Quiet public areas in the afternoon - You can usually find one - Couches near Sunset Bar, Sugarcane Bar, entrance to Cagney's / Moderno. Stick to included dining venues for breakfast and lunch and avoid the buffet. Service might be slow. Tip: Tell the waiter you are trying to make it to an event and to bring your food as soon as it's ready.

Yes. I've had one incident a month ago where where add-ons disappeared and suddenly I had a balance and payment due even after I've paid in full. I called my PCC and he fixed it. Seems to be the NCL system going screwy.

In ideal conditions, you will be able to do VOIP or wifi calls and streaming video (netflix, etc) using the lowest quality settings. In my experience, you can count on poor wifi quality at some point during the cruise due to one of these issues: Poor weather conditions A influx of passengers trying to connect at the same after returning from shore in order to surf, share pics and videos, etc. More passengers connecting on sea days than port days NCL over selling the streaming package. An incorrectly configured connection. If your connection is slow, have the internet services check your connection. You might have prepaid for streaming but might not be getting it on board.

Hypothetically yes you can. My PCC was able to get a "one time" courtesy cabin upgrade on my US-based reservation. After, he said any upgrade has to cost more than the cost of the current reservation. Whether your PCC or TA is willing or able to do it is another story. Good luck. I usually upgrade if it's under $100 rather than try to fight for a courtesy upgrade.

I did not get any "party crowd" "spring break" vibe. All the guests I encountered were surprising patient and calm. As a New Yorker, I'm surprised that a ship full of mostly NYers was so poised in the face of long waits and subpar bar and restaurant service. The negative reviews IMO are due to poor staff to guest ratio and a staff that was overwhelmed, under-trained or inexperienced. Bar, restaurant, room service, and venues were improperly staffed during peak hours. The staff were professional. I put the blame solely on NCL management for improper staffing and/or overbooking the ship repeatedly. I'll be cancelling or have cancelled all remaining (4) 2023 NCL cruises except one I'm bring my parents on. My mom's disabled in a wheelchair and unfortunately this is a still the most feasible type of vacation. I'll be shopping for a replacement to this cruise too with other cruise lines.

Easier to rhyme than nickle and dime.

I'm a lightweight. One drink is too much for me to come up with that bright idea.😁👍🍹

FWIW I've met guests who did it. They loved it. A few got severely sunburn. They came back red as a tomato. Wear waterproof sunscreen and reapply as needed.

Mudslides, Bloody Marys, Peach Bellini's and other popular drinks at popular bars like OSheehans/Local and the casino bar are now premade with substandard ingredients. This is what I was served on my last two cruises. I had many drinks made with substandard or missing ingredients and garnishes. Occasionally I encountered a bar/bartender who would make a proper drink. More times than not, the drinks were subpar. Mudslide - One ounce of premade mudslide mix from an unlabeled bottle or reused liquor bottle that does not contain Baileys or Kahlua. It's basically a flavorless milk shake now. Peach Bellini - Premixed out of an unlabeled bottle, or two ounces of Oasis Peach Mixx with Le Duc Champagne, OR a premade Peach Bellini poured from a glass bottle made from some unknown company (I couldn't find the manufacturer on Google). Bloody Mary - One ounce of off brand vodka and bloody mary mix out of a unlabeled bottle. One bartender served a bloody caesar instead. Pina Colada - They haven't managed to screw these up... yet.

Instead of removing the daily service charge and risking a black mark on your folio, maybe just bring a bunch of cards to hand out to other passengers and let them do the dirty work for you... "Did you know... You can remove or reduce the discretionary daily service charge if you're unsatisfied with the service on board. Just go to the Guest Service Desk and don't take no for an answer." I didn't remove the DSC after the last two subpar cruises but I wouldn't mind educating others on how to do it. First time cruises would probably never return to NCL any time soon anyways.

I didn't want to repeat what others have said about this cruise but I wanted to share my experience on this cruise because my previous cruise was also on the same ship and itinerary back in Dec 18, 2022. I feel that the problems I experienced with the restaurant and bar service, and food and beverage quality, and other problems, are not isolated to this one cruise due to the change in itinerary or large number of passengers. Had I not already paid in full for this cruise I would have cancelled it. I've already cancelled my next cruise and ate the 25% cancellation fee. I'll be reading reviews and social media closely before choosing whether to sail with NCL again. Regardless, I'm no longer recommending NCL to family or friends. I have more reservations to cancel if more of the same is reported here and social media in the future. TLDR; On my last two NCL cruises, both Getaway 5 day NY to Bermuda, the staff were professional and work hard. They were attentive and mindful when their station was properly staffed and not overwhelmed by guests. The bar and restaurant staff were understaffed and under-trained. The staff resolve problems that I brought to their attention but there were too many problems and so much time wasted. Food and beverage quality and service have gone down noticeably. There are too many passengers compared to bar and restaurant staff resulting in long waits, wrong orders, wrong charges. I don't go on vacation to waste time waiting for subpar food and drink, or wasting time on hold, on the phone, or at guest services trying to get problems fixed. I've been on many cruises with NCL. No cruise is perfect. There is usually a glitch here and there that keeps the cruise from going from "Very Good" to "Excellent". I've considered the food and beverage quality to be very good over the past 30 cruises. On every trip, I usually meet a few crew members who are memorable, particularly attentive, or go the extra mile. Not so on these two NCL cruises. On the 12/18/2023 cruise, I encountered what I thought was an unusually high number of problems. Here's just some of them: There were problems most dining services at the main dining rooms and at specialty restaurants. At the main dining room, a waiter lost my key card, they delivered the wrong food, and wrongly charged me for items. At Wasabi, another guest (who I didn't know) and I arrived early. We sat without water or even a menu while other guests arrived later and were served. The service itself was slow and had mistakes. At La Cucina, service was also slow and I was served a pizza that resembled the buffet pizza. One of the casino managers and a couple of dealers were simply unpleasant. Room service wait times were long, deliveries were missing items or had mistakes. I would have considered cancelling my 2/1/2023 cruise but I already fully paid it. I hoped that service and quality would improve. Instead, it's become worse: On Day One, I settled into my cabin only to realize it had not been cleaned. The bed linen appears clean but there were stray hairs and makeup on closer examination. There were stray hairs throughout the room too -- On the nightstand, on the table. Crumbs on the carpet, dirt (the icky kind) on the mirrors, floor, shower were dirty. The manager blamed it on a departing steward whose contract was over. The new steward cleaned the room promptly. However, such a problem should never have happened. This was the start of more problems to come and a ship that is understaffed, overwhelmed, or inexperienced. Room service - Room service at times was unreachable. After being on hold for 10 minutes, the phone system automatically routed me to the operator who sent me room service to wait another 10 minutes, only to have this process rinse and repeat ad nauseum until I either give up or tested my patience. Most orders were wrong in some way - Missing items were charged to my bill. Missing condiments (fish with no tarter, fries with no ketchup, free beverages like coffee and tea were usually missing. OSheehans - There were many times when it took 20 to 30 minutes to get a bar drink. After I placing my food order, it took 50 minutes for a simple food order of wings and a burger to arrive. At most bars - Many time the bartenders were overwhelmed and understaffed. They were overwhelmed or inattentive to who was next in line. Many drinks were inconsistent - missing ingredients, wrong ingredients, subpar ingredients. This happened at most bars. The premixed drinks were weak and flavorless - Mudslides for example were premixed and poured from an unlabeled bottle. They aren't made with classic ingredients of Baileys, Kahlua, and Vodka. Bloody Marys were often missing garnishes and made with the wrong ingredients. The bloody marys and peach bellini's came premixed out of an unlabeled plastic bottle at some bars and tastes subpar compared to those traditionally mixed. There were problems with most main dining room and specialty restaurant services. Individually, they were minor. But when the restaurant service is consistently slow and there are mistakes at most meals, all the issues combined make for a memorably unpleasant experience. Most waiters were professional and worked hard. They brought drinks quickly from the bar. However, food service itself was slow. The variety and quality of food at the buffet seemed noticeably less than on past cruises. We were double charged for an item. 5 Bermuda cruises in the past year 2 Bermuda cruises cancelled this year More cancellations to come if things don't improve.

I wish I could take credit for it. I found it hilarious nevertheless 😁