Thinking of booking on NCL? Read this first!

[Lori Dobson]

My husband and I just returned form a 12-day Mediterranean sailing on the Norwegian Jade. I have been 4 different cruise lines now, 9 cruises so far and this was the first time I have been on Norwegian. Knowing what I know now, I may not have booked this cruise and I wanted to give you the benefit of my experience. Please keep in mind that the opinions expressed are mine alone and are based on my exact experiences aboard the Jade. I’m a big believer in “forwarded is forearmed” and I wish I had known some of this beforehand – I probably would have booked with another line with a similar itinerary.

Our sailing had a CC Meet and Greet set up for the first sea day – and we even had a visit from the Captain and his first officers. The hotel and Restaurant manager made a big show of telling us that, if there was a problem, don’t just go home and get on CC and complain – tell them while we were on the ship and give them a chance to make it right – so I did as they asked. I talked to them about 2 main issues I had – and they did NOTHING about them. Considering how little it would have taken to make me happy, they really missed the boat, so to speak – because of these experiences and some others detailed below, I probably will not sail Norwegian again, considering I have had much better experiences on Carnival, Celebrity and Holland America.

I will rate the experience by categories, from 1 cruise ship (poor) to 4 cruise ships (terrific)

Embarkation:

4 cruise ships

We departed from Barcelona – arrived at 11AM, just as they said we should – we got on the ship about 20 minutes after – this process was smooth and hassle free. I give Norwegian a lot of credit for making this as easy as it was. The ship departed at 7PM, just as it was supposed to and even the dreaded lifeboat drill was quick and relatively hassle-free.

The Ship/Cabin

4 Cruise ships.

The Jade is a gorgeous ship although I have read some posts criticizing the décor (it used to be the Pride of Hawaii and it retained the décor) I found it to be bright, cheerful and fresh. The ship was Spotlessly clean and was kept that way at all times. Our cabin was also great – we had a mini suite and the extra room and the tub in the bath were worth the extra money. The cabin comes with a coffee maker, mini bar and a few “Elemis” spa amenities. The bed has a thin “temper pedic” layer on it, which made it a little more comfortable. There was plenty of drawer and cabinet space and the balcony was very nice.

Service:

3 cruise ships.

Our cabin stewards, Michael and Edwin, were wonderful – I think, with the possible exception of the cooks, that the room stewards work harder than anyone on the ship. The cabin make-up in the morning wasn’t quite as fast as I am used to (on Carnival, I swear they are hiding in your closet and even if you leave for only 5 minutes, the cabin is already made up). There is a wheel that you have to turn next to the door- it has the “do not disturb”, make up cabin, turn down cabin, etc. If you don’t use this wheel, sometimes the service you want will not get done so make sure to do so.

Spa

1 cruise ship

OK, here’s my first real problem with Norwegian. If you have cruised before, you know the spa service prices are really jacked up – and Norwegian is no exception. However – in addition to the high priced services, they add an extra 18% surcharge to all spa services. Now, this is NOT a gratuity – this is JUST a service charge that the ship gets – you have to add more money for a gratuity. In addition, every other cruise I have been on, if you purchase a spa service, the use of the spa’s other facilities (sauna, whirlpool, etc) is complimentary – here, they charge you another $10 on top of the exorbitant price you paid for the service.

I went to the spa for a salt scrub and massage – (be careful here! There are 2 different prices for services- the “value “ price listed is only for port days, a fact I found out too late). After the 18% surcharge, I ended up paying $268 for this!!! Outrageous – and then, since my therapist neglected to do a scalp and neck massage and I couldn’t use the whirlpool for 10 minute after the massage without shelling out yet another $10, I went back and asked to speak to the spa manager. She sympathized, offered to have me come back another time for a 10 minute neck and scalp massage and offered me a free day pass for the facilities for the next day – which did me no good at all because it was our first port day and I had a 10 hour tour scheduled, which would put me back on board about an hour before the spa closed.

I had a similar incident (missing neck and scalp massage) happen to me on Carnival last year – the spa manager immediately gave me 20% off the service. Made me very happy, so I ended up doing another spa service. This time, since I got absolutely nothing, I did not do my normal second spa service. I was very disappointed.

I also attended one yoga class – Yoga is supposed to be relaxing and calming – the lady doing the ones on the ship was foreign and her accent was so bad I couldn’t understand her and she practically RAN through the class. Add that and the 18% “Surcharge” on a $12 class and you can bet I didn’t do another one.

Specialty Restaurants:

1 cruise ship

OK, here is my second big problem with Norwegian. We went to the popular Teppanaki Restaurant – which is an extra $25 per person surcharge (tip not included). Having been at this type of restaurant before, I was VERY disappointed with this one– although the “show” was excellent, the food was mediocre at best – and what was worse – I ordered the lobster, scallop and calamari combination – I got a half of a very small lobster tail and it was chopped up and cooked along with the rest of the table’s shrimp – so I only got ONE small piece of the lobster that was supposed to be my dinner!!

So later on, I asked to talk with the Hotel and restaurant manager, who was very nice, sympathized and said we would be hearing from him. I was expecting a refund of the $50 surcharge – but all I got was, 3 days later, a plate of fruit that I could have gotten myself at the buffet and a bottle of red wine, which we don’t drink.

So normally, we go to at least 2 or 3 specialty restaurants – but I was upset enough over this that we did not go out again to any of the others.

Another note on the specialty restaurants – not only do you pay a surcharge just to eat there, but you ALSO have to pay ANOTHER surcharge if you get certain items on the menu, like lobster. In my opinion, that’s just way too much.

Main dining rooms:

2 ½ cruise ships

There are 2 main dining rooms, the “anytime” restaurant and the buffet restaurant on deck 12. These are the only restaurants without a surcharge. The food in the 2 main dining rooms, the Alizar and the Grand Pacific, is hit or miss – we had some good meals there and some only fair meals. The buffet on 12 was consistently good – we ate breakfast and lunch there every day and even some dinners when we didn’t feel like going to the main dining room. The ship was hit with a wave of the gastroenteritis bug (which, unfortunately, both me and my husband got, his was so bad he missed the port of Athens completely). There are had sanitizers everywhere and they also spray your hands as soon as you walk into the buffet but it was bad enough that halfway through the cruise, they stopped letting people serve themselves from the buffet and crew did all the serving. It’s a bit more inconvenient that way but if it helped cut down on the number of people that got sick, it was worth it.

Entertainment:

2 cruise ships.

Although we did not go to all of the shows, all of the shows are re-broadcast on the ship’s TV so if you didn’t get to the theater, you can still see them. We did see a Vegas show that was terrific and some of the singers were good, but the comedian they had wasn’t very funny and there was a truly awful puppet show on the last night that I cannot believe they had. There are also mini-shows in the Aloha atrium almost every night and all the typical bars, discos and other dancing venues.

Also, I asked specifically and was told there was a guest talent show and there was NOT – so don’t expect one.

Internet:

1 cruise ship.

The ship’s Internet connection is terrible – VERY VERY slow and also very expensive. I paid $100 for 250 minutes and then had to get another 100 minutes for another $55 – and most of the time was burned up just waiting for the connection to go through. I know they are working off of a satellite connection but I never had such a slow connection with Carnival or the other cruise lines. In addition, there is Wi-fi all over the ship EXCEPT your cabin – you have to have a cable for that, which is one of the few things they will lend you for free.

Art Gallery/photos/misc.

3 cruise ships.

I didn’t pay any attention to the art gallery, the bingo games, or any of that. I have to give them kudos for the pictures – normally, you are besieged with photographers taking your picture at every conceivable opportunity – Norwegian doesn’t do this as much, although the opportunities are there if you want them.

There’s no Captain’s Cocktail party! A shame – this is a lot of fun on the other cruise lines.

The Chocoholic buffet, near the end of the cruise, is FANTASTIC – and make sure to try the crepe station at the buffet on deck 12 in the evenings, very good!

Other notes:

Although all of the cruise lines are getting good at this, Norwegian seems to have taken nickel and dimeing to a new level. There is that 18% surcharge slapped on just about everything and there are fees and charges for some things that you would never expect. You know that neat “behind the scenes” tour that they do the first day or 2 of the cruise? Well, they do it here also – but be prepared to pay for it. You want to use that lovely shuffleboard table up deck 13 in the Spinnaker Lounge? Sure – if you pay $2 a game to do it. Every time I turned around, there was a surcharge being slapped on something – and considering how much you are already paying for the cruise and the $12 PP/PD and all of the other extra charges, it really left a bad taste in my mouth.

I probably won’t cruise with Norwegian again because of this – I think some of the other lines are just as good and a better value, without all of those extra fees. If you have any questions about anything I’ve written or anything I didn’t mention, please feel free to ask!

[smeyer418]

thanks for the warning.

 

I do think some of your issues you are right about especially your lobster being shared.

 

The spa is a leased department. They have all become over-priced-imo and just a profit center.

 

Is the Captains cocktail party gone except to returning guests?...

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=MembershipBenefits

 

 

although on my last cruise the room steward forgot to deliver my invitation....

[Tideone]

Sorry you had such a bad cruise experience on NCL, especially not being able to attend the Captain's cocktail party... I know on every NCL cruise we have gone on we have always attended the Captain's cocktail party... not really much to it... come in, get your picture made with the captain, make a little small talk with the ship's crew, eat some fancy canapes and out the door in about 45 minutes... so you really didn't miss much...

But my big question is - how were the ports you stopped in? Wasn't that that the main reason for your cruise - to see the Mediterrean?

Would you recommend the places that NCL took you... I am interested in booking this cruise and I appreciate you telling me the things to watch out for...

I never go to the spa or the barber shop on any cruise line... I learned that the hard way on one of my early cruises... I needed a haircut so I made an appointment...

The price of the haircut wasn't bad, it was just the extra things I bought that ran the bill up... but that was my fault for falling for the sales pitch...

We have Teppinyaki restaurants all over Atlanta so I won't need to eat there - I have always thought those places were more for show than for eating... everytime I go to one I have to stop somewhere else to eat before we get home because I am still hungry...

I am sorry the hotel and restaurant managers did not take care of your problems like you thought they should... just exactly what did you think they should do for you?

Personally, I think the fruit and the wine was a nice gesture on their part but I am like you I don't drink so it is hard to bribe me with alcohol...

It is a shame you let the little incident in the Japanese restaurant keep you from trying the other speciality restaurants on board... I have always found Cagney's and LeBistro to be a very good deal compared to what I would pay for the same thing at a land based restaurant...

Once again I am sorry you won't be booking NCL again... and I do appreciate you giving me the heads up on what to look for...

[DMH15]

Maybe NCL isn't for you. I am taking this exact cruise next year. If I was a gambling woman, and I am, I expect my review will be different (better).

 

No one forced any of the add-on items on you. All optional.

 

Good luck and happy cruising!

[CruiserRacheal]

Hi Lori,

 

I for one really appreciate your review. I have never cruised before and have been doing a lot of research lately on various cruise lines. I was starting to zone in on NCL for a spring caribbean cruise next year and posts like yours are truly invaluable to me in making a well informed decision. We will probably still go ahead and book a cruise with NCL, but at least we will know what to expect and what to look out for. Thank you so much!

 

Racheal

[uneamie]

I find this board to be very "unforgiving" of posters who come back with "complaints". We are all different. We all have different expectations of all things in life. Your disappointments in your cruise may or may not be mine...some of your issues I might find important to me...slow internet connection if you've had better on other ships, sharing my lobster with everyone else......yet some I really can't relate to...like "spa issues" because I do not use the spa...that said, I sure as heck am not going to make you feel like a fool for expressing your complaints and disappointments.

 

Our last cruise on NCL was a very positive one. We love NCL, which is why we are booked again. That does not mean I never had any issues to speak about...it just means that we had a wonderful vacation and we did not let those issues effect it. But, that does not mean that some people have had some very BIG issues which turned them off...stuff happens. Sorry your cruise was not what you expected..but I do hope you at least enjoyed your ports.

[johnritt]

I appreciated your review as I want to take this cruise in the next year or two. I think the title might be a little loud though

 

I expect to have a better time as the things that are important to you are not as important to me and I appreciate some things that I think are not that important to you.

 

That's why there are different lines for different people.

 

BTW, if you don't mind, what did you do in Egypt?

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

Hi Lori-

To use your quote, "I’m a big believer in “forwarded is forearmed” and I wish I had known some of this beforehand – I probably would have booked with another line with a similar itinerary." Why were you not aware prior to going? There is just a plethora of information available. Why did you choose NCL over other mainstream lines initially?

 

When we did a Med cruise a couple of years ago with NCL, I think we could have bought a Honda Civic for less than we paid for 2 Owners Suites. We LOVED it. We did our homework, but it exceeded our expectations...far better than the previous great Celebrity suite experiences we had. But, then we tried NCL in a balcony cabin...hated it; completely different experience. Did we call it quits, no. We knew from the Suite experience that the cruise experience was probably different depending on cabin type. Tried NCL again in the Garden Villa...changed forever. Nothing will ever compare.

 

Knowing what you're getting yourself into in advance is key...and I perceive that you are trying to educate others so they are aware before making the investment or setting false expectations. Still though...if you factor in the cost of an NCL cruise, add a couple hundred for specialtly restaurants...I think you'll still come out with a lower tab than another mainstream line. BUT...try a suite on NCL. It is a great experience.

 

Sounds like they really did try to make amends for the perceived service failures; just seems like their version of compensating was, again, different from your expectation.

 

Good luck going forward.

[SeaShark]

My husband and I just returned form a 12-day Mediterranean sailing on the Norwegian Jade. I have been 4 different cruise lines now, 9 cruises so far and this was the first time I have been on Norwegian. Knowing what I know now, I may not have booked this cruise and I wanted to give you the benefit of my experience. Please keep in mind that the opinions expressed are mine alone and are based on my exact experiences aboard the Jade. I’m a big believer in “forwarded is forearmed” and I wish I had known some of this beforehand – I probably would have booked with another line with a similar itinerary.

Our sailing had a CC Meet and Greet set up for the first sea day – and we even had a visit from the Captain and his first officers. The hotel and Restaurant manager made a big show of telling us that, if there was a problem, don’t just go home and get on CC and complain – tell them while we were on the ship and give them a chance to make it right – so I did as they asked. I talked to them about 2 main issues I had – and they did NOTHING about them. Considering how little it would have taken to make me happy, they really missed the boat, so to speak – because of these experiences and some others detailed below, I probably will not sail Norwegian again, considering I have had much better experiences on Carnival, Celebrity and Holland America.

I will rate the experience by categories, from 1 cruise ship (poor) to 4 cruise ships (terrific)

Embarkation:

4 cruise ships

We departed from Barcelona – arrived at 11AM, just as they said we should – we got on the ship about 20 minutes after – this process was smooth and hassle free. I give Norwegian a lot of credit for making this as easy as it was. The ship departed at 7PM, just as it was supposed to and even the dreaded lifeboat drill was quick and relatively hassle-free.

The Ship/Cabin

4 Cruise ships.

The Jade is a gorgeous ship although I have read some posts criticizing the décor (it used to be the Pride of Hawaii and it retained the décor) I found it to be bright, cheerful and fresh. The ship was Spotlessly clean and was kept that way at all times. Our cabin was also great – we had a mini suite and the extra room and the tub in the bath were worth the extra money. The cabin comes with a coffee maker, mini bar and a few “Elemis” spa amenities. The bed has a thin “temper pedic” layer on it, which made it a little more comfortable. There was plenty of drawer and cabinet space and the balcony was very nice.

Service:

3 cruise ships.

Our cabin stewards, Michael and Edwin, were wonderful – I think, with the possible exception of the cooks, that the room stewards work harder than anyone on the ship. The cabin make-up in the morning wasn’t quite as fast as I am used to (on Carnival, I swear they are hiding in your closet and even if you leave for only 5 minutes, the cabin is already made up). There is a wheel that you have to turn next to the door- it has the “do not disturb”, make up cabin, turn down cabin, etc. If you don’t use this wheel, sometimes the service you want will not get done so make sure to do so.

Spa

1 cruise ship

OK, here’s my first real problem with Norwegian. If you have cruised before, you know the spa service prices are really jacked up – and Norwegian is no exception. However – in addition to the high priced services, they add an extra 18% surcharge to all spa services. Now, this is NOT a gratuity – this is JUST a service charge that the ship gets – you have to add more money for a gratuity. In addition, every other cruise I have been on, if you purchase a spa service, the use of the spa’s other facilities (sauna, whirlpool, etc) is complimentary – here, they charge you another $10 on top of the exorbitant price you paid for the service.

I went to the spa for a salt scrub and massage – (be careful here! There are 2 different prices for services- the “value “ price listed is only for port days, a fact I found out too late). After the 18% surcharge, I ended up paying $268 for this!!! Outrageous – and then, since my therapist neglected to do a scalp and neck massage and I couldn’t use the whirlpool for 10 minute after the massage without shelling out yet another $10, I went back and asked to speak to the spa manager. She sympathized, offered to have me come back another time for a 10 minute neck and scalp massage and offered me a free day pass for the facilities for the next day – which did me no good at all because it was our first port day and I had a 10 hour tour scheduled, which would put me back on board about an hour before the spa closed.

I had a similar incident (missing neck and scalp massage) happen to me on Carnival last year – the spa manager immediately gave me 20% off the service. Made me very happy, so I ended up doing another spa service. This time, since I got absolutely nothing, I did not do my normal second spa service. I was very disappointed.

I also attended one yoga class – Yoga is supposed to be relaxing and calming – the lady doing the ones on the ship was foreign and her accent was so bad I couldn’t understand her and she practically RAN through the class. Add that and the 18% “Surcharge” on a $12 class and you can bet I didn’t do another one.

Specialty Restaurants:

1 cruise ship

OK, here is my second big problem with Norwegian. We went to the popular Teppanaki Restaurant – which is an extra $25 per person surcharge (tip not included). Having been at this type of restaurant before, I was VERY disappointed with this one– although the “show” was excellent, the food was mediocre at best – and what was worse – I ordered the lobster, scallop and calamari combination – I got a half of a very small lobster tail and it was chopped up and cooked along with the rest of the table’s shrimp – so I only got ONE small piece of the lobster that was supposed to be my dinner!!

So later on, I asked to talk with the Hotel and restaurant manager, who was very nice, sympathized and said we would be hearing from him. I was expecting a refund of the $50 surcharge – but all I got was, 3 days later, a plate of fruit that I could have gotten myself at the buffet and a bottle of red wine, which we don’t drink.

So normally, we go to at least 2 or 3 specialty restaurants – but I was upset enough over this that we did not go out again to any of the others.

Another note on the specialty restaurants – not only do you pay a surcharge just to eat there, but you ALSO have to pay ANOTHER surcharge if you get certain items on the menu, like lobster. In my opinion, that’s just way too much.

Main dining rooms:

2 ½ cruise ships

There are 2 main dining rooms, the “anytime” restaurant and the buffet restaurant on deck 12. These are the only restaurants without a surcharge. The food in the 2 main dining rooms, the Alizar and the Grand Pacific, is hit or miss – we had some good meals there and some only fair meals. The buffet on 12 was consistently good – we ate breakfast and lunch there every day and even some dinners when we didn’t feel like going to the main dining room. The ship was hit with a wave of the gastroenteritis bug (which, unfortunately, both me and my husband got, his was so bad he missed the port of Athens completely). There are had sanitizers everywhere and they also spray your hands as soon as you walk into the buffet but it was bad enough that halfway through the cruise, they stopped letting people serve themselves from the buffet and crew did all the serving. It’s a bit more inconvenient that way but if it helped cut down on the number of people that got sick, it was worth it.

Entertainment:

2 cruise ships.

Although we did not go to all of the shows, all of the shows are re-broadcast on the ship’s TV so if you didn’t get to the theater, you can still see them. We did see a Vegas show that was terrific and some of the singers were good, but the comedian they had wasn’t very funny and there was a truly awful puppet show on the last night that I cannot believe they had. There are also mini-shows in the Aloha atrium almost every night and all the typical bars, discos and other dancing venues.

Also, I asked specifically and was told there was a guest talent show and there was NOT – so don’t expect one.

Internet:

1 cruise ship.

The ship’s Internet connection is terrible – VERY VERY slow and also very expensive. I paid $100 for 250 minutes and then had to get another 100 minutes for another $55 – and most of the time was burned up just waiting for the connection to go through. I know they are working off of a satellite connection but I never had such a slow connection with Carnival or the other cruise lines. In addition, there is Wi-fi all over the ship EXCEPT your cabin – you have to have a cable for that, which is one of the few things they will lend you for free.

Art Gallery/photos/misc.

3 cruise ships.

I didn’t pay any attention to the art gallery, the bingo games, or any of that. I have to give them kudos for the pictures – normally, you are besieged with photographers taking your picture at every conceivable opportunity – Norwegian doesn’t do this as much, although the opportunities are there if you want them.

There’s no Captain’s Cocktail party! A shame – this is a lot of fun on the other cruise lines.

The Chocoholic buffet, near the end of the cruise, is FANTASTIC – and make sure to try the crepe station at the buffet on deck 12 in the evenings, very good!

Other notes:

Although all of the cruise lines are getting good at this, Norwegian seems to have taken nickel and dimeing to a new level. There is that 18% surcharge slapped on just about everything and there are fees and charges for some things that you would never expect. You know that neat “behind the scenes” tour that they do the first day or 2 of the cruise? Well, they do it here also – but be prepared to pay for it. You want to use that lovely shuffleboard table up deck 13 in the Spinnaker Lounge? Sure – if you pay $2 a game to do it. Every time I turned around, there was a surcharge being slapped on something – and considering how much you are already paying for the cruise and the $12 PP/PD and all of the other extra charges, it really left a bad taste in my mouth.

I probably won’t cruise with Norwegian again because of this – I think some of the other lines are just as good and a better value, without all of those extra fees. If you have any questions about anything I’ve written or anything I didn’t mention, please feel free to ask!

 

Wow...sorry to hear that you were so disappointed. Perhaps if you had done some reading on these boards or some other basic research you would have known what to expect. It is said that "forewarned is forarmed"...but, I guess its a little late for that now.

 

I am curious as to what the issues were that the HD "did nothing about"...of the issues you mention, something was offered in each case, so you really can't say nothing was done.

 

You really should have researched the spa. This is NOT NCL...the spa is a contracted vendor. They are charging you, not NCL. The 18% is a gratuity, and is not kept by the cruiseline as you mentioned. It was nice of the spa manager to offer to compensate you when you had your issue. It is too bad that you had other plans...but we all make choices, right?

 

I also see that you had an issue with the spa on Carnival. Now that you've had issues with the spa on two different cruiselines, I hope that in the future that you will take extra precautions so that you don't experience yet another spa issue.

 

I won't comment on your issues with a yoga class being run by a foreigner.

 

As for the Teppanyaki Restaurant...I don't understand the "tip not included" reference. Simple research would have told you that tips are not required on NCL ships. If you really felt that you didn't get the correct food portion, why did you not point this out to the chef right on the spot? If it wasn't taken care of the restaurant manager, food & beverage director, and/or hotel director should have been called on the spot so that they could see the problem firsthand. If this was such a big issue, you may have gotten YOUR surcharge refunded, but I don't think you should have two refunds. Since you waited so long to say something, I think it was nice of the hotel director to send you the fruit basket and the wine.

 

And the extra charge for certain menu items...well known and documented on this site. Again, a little research goes a long way.

 

And speaking of research, looking into the restaurant situation would show that there are three additional dining options that you did not mention that also do not carry any sort of surcharge.

 

Additionally, research would have shown that the Internet situation has been discussed to DEATH on these boards. Nothing new there. You should appreciate that the Internet connection in your cabin is wired and not wireless...the wired connection speed will always be faster than the wireless. Everyone has to make their own choices...watching TV and surfing the Internet is something I can do at home for "free", so its not something I'm going to waste my time and/or money on while on my vacation...but that's just me.

 

The Captain's Cocktail Party is the Latitudes Party on NCL and is for past guests...everyone gets an invitation in their stateroom upon boarding.

 

Overall, it seems like a vacation with a la carte pricing isn't your cup of tea. Perhaps you should look into all-inclusive options. I know many people who sail and never spend a dime on anything other than the three required charges (fare, taxes, and service charge). Other people like to partake in the options that are offered. Something for everyone.

 

 

Better luck on your next vacation...again...don't skimp on the research...knowledge is an asset.

[garycarla]

Not exactly sure what the issues were that did not get attention. I think the lobster thing and spa?

 

Okay, the lobster thing did make sense. As to getting your money back, maybe. Though the rest of the dinner was good, so getting all the money back did not make sense. As to the wine - hey, they tried. Give them credit for that. How were they to know.

 

Spa - we stopped doing that a long time ago. Paying well over $100 an hour for so-so service and maybe having to deal with a sales pitch, and then not sure about also tipping the person, etc. Just not worth it. Better spa's at home for half the money.

 

There were some other issues that made sense. Internet stinks on all ships unless you get on while nobody else is using the link. I always do the higher number of minutes, so have some experience, but no expert for sure as it compares to other ships.

 

Now, I have a complaint. I found it hard reading this 1 cruise ship, 4 cruise ship thing. I thought it was something to do with past experience. I went back and see it was your rating system. Can you send me a bottle of wine for the trouble - just a joke, let it go.

[zqvol]

I found this to be an interesting review, well if you can call it that. IT seems that the OP is not going to sail NCL again for two reasons:

 

 

1. The SPA charges too much and adds a surcharge to services plus expects a tip.
   
2. The specialty restaurants charge too much plus expect a tip.
   

The only issue I have with this is that nothing forces you to go to the SPA, and even when there you are not required to leave an additional gratuity. Every ship that I have been on seems to have similar charges, and truthfully according to my wife every land based spa has the same type of fee structure. She tells me that the surcharge is the gratuity. :rolleyes:

 

No one forces you to go to a particular restaurant on the ship. I find the Teppanaki style restaurants to be over prices no matter where they are located. You pay exorbitant prices for poor quality food to begin with, and once you have been to one know that they combine everyone's food into one big pile. What you are paying for that those places is the ambiance, not the food anyway.

 

Is there something else that I am missing or is that the extent of the complaints?

 

If those are the things that made the OP upset, I'm not sure that anything could have made the OP happy.

[BIG_Steve]

I'm confused. Before I went on the SKY, it was made perfectly clear to me by CC users that the Spa service charge was the tip. Right or wrong??

 

Others have said that Cagneys, etc.... tipping is not required, it's built into the fee.

 

OP, sorry your cruise wasn't up to snuff. No one cruiseline is a perfect fit for every cruiser, I guess.

[njhorseman]

I'm confused. Before I went on the SKY, it was made perfectly clear to me by CC users that the Spa service charge was the tip. Right or wrong??

 

Right, but the way the receipt is printed it's easy to miss that. I know the first time my wife used the spa after they instituted the service charge a few years ago, she added a tip in on top of the service charge when she didn't intend to because the receipt still has a line that allows you to add a tip, just as the bar bills do.

 

Others have said that Cagneys, etc.... tipping is not required, it's built into the fee.

 

The specialty restaurant waiters participate in the daily service charge pool just as the main dining room waiters do, so no additional tip is required, but again, the receipt you sign for the specialty restaurant surcharge includes a line to add a tip, and that may confuse people into thinking it is customary to add one.

 

OP, sorry your cruise wasn't up to snuff. No one cruiseline is a perfect fit for every cruiser, I guess.

 

See my comments above, in red .

[DLMaserang]

We just did our first tourist (as opposed to Navy) cruise on the Gem. Similar itinerary to Jade, and ship is same class. We used the ship as a place to eat, refresh, and relax between history classes. During the evenings, we took yoga classes (similarly priced to back home), worked out, and enjoyed the quieter piano bar, versus the discos. It was also pleasant to sit out on the weather deck and just watch lights go by.

 

Because I spent hours on CruiseCritic, there was little that surprised me. I knew there were going to be expenses, I knew there were going to be surcharges (we went to Cagney's and Le Bistro several times), but the food is generally good in the larger venues (Garden Cafe, Grand Pacific, Magenta). The exceptions were the Blue Lagoon and the Chinese restaurant. We didn't even want to try the Italian restaurant, after having the fresh pastas and seafoods of Sorrano, Rome, Florence.

 

The server to customer ratio is much higher in Cagney's, and the service is much better. A caution - Le Bistro's buffet is indistinguishable from that of the Grand Cafe (with fewer selections). When our server in Le Bistro expressed his disappointment the third time that we were ordering from the menu instead of the "beautiful buffet," we explained that we wanted something different from Garden Cafe - and he did not mention it again.

 

Having said that, we'd go again, and will go again. We avoided ship's tours in favor of smaller groups, and email wasn't a problem for us (just used Blackberry once a day in port, versus taxing ship's bandwidth).

 

NCL is a huge marketing machine. Understand that. Prices will start to slide (especially the spa and aesthetic medicine clinics) after the first couple of days. It's very helpful to educate yourself beforehand.

[MrsLeo]

Self-indulgent whines like this are the bane of Cruise Critic.

 

No I respectfully disagree. Those who castigate others on this board for posting their opinions and essentially punish people for having an opinion that differs from your own are the bane of Cruise Critic.

 

To the OP, I agree with some others that you might have avoided some disappointment had you known the "service charge you paid" is in essence a gratuity, and you are not in any way obligated to leave an additional amount to cover a gratuity. Typically these service charges and tips are pooled and distributed to the crew.

 

I too feel the spa services are overpriced and that is why I get my spa services at home from people I know and trust. They are counting on my return business so I know they will work hard to please me...that is not the case on board the ship. The spa is not operated by the cruise line and is operated by a subcontracting company. The people doing your services are tasked with moving product and making their employer money first, and pleasing you second. If they do not perform to their employer's expectations they are put off the ship and sent home. I am astounded when people mention they would consider services like tooth whitening, and botox injections from cruise ship spa staff. No way! You are never going to see these people. If they screw something up, you have no recourse. One thing you should also know is that almost all of the mainstream cruise lines use the same subcontractor to operate the spas on board, so I think you will likely run into similar issues on many ships and cruise lines. I do however highly recommend the day pass to the spa. I really enjoy it on a rainy or cloudy day and it is much nicer than the average cruise ship spa area, and it is NOT unusual to pay extra for the use of it, I know we did even on Costa and their spa was nice, but not quite as nice as NCL's on their newer ships.

 

With regard to ship's internet, they are all the same, slow. It is typical and it is part of the deal. If you are at sea. it is slow. If a storm rolls in, it is often inoperable. So you will need to accept that is just how things are when you cruise. I much prefer to find an internet cafe when in port. It is much faster and cheaper. The only time I use the ships internet these days is if I have to be in touch for business and it can't wait until I am in port.

We had no problems finding them on our Med Cruise.

 

The situation in Teppanyaki... well I have to agree with you to a degree, if I look at our first experience at Teppanyaki years ago on the Spirit, OMG how they spoiled us. The food quality was better, the quantity larger and does not compare to what they are doing in Teppanyaki currently. However, for us it was still enjoyable, we had great tablemates, the food was good enough and the actual presentation was entertaining. I was disappointed with our experience in Cagney's on our cruise a few weeks ago, but I did not write off all of the restaurants because of that. As a result we had some pretty good dining experiences in spite of the fact that all cruise lines are cutting back right now. They have to cut costs to remain profitable in tough economic times. I do believe what the HD did was a nice gesture, he has no way of knowing that you do not drink red wine. I am not sure when your last cruise was, but I can see a huge difference within just the last year with regard to them cutting back in certain areas.

 

With regard to that 18% surcharge... I am curious what else that was attached to. I know on any drinks, such as soda, alcohol etc..., spa services, it is like that on any of the mainstream cruise lines.

 

I think perhaps your disappointment on many levels (not all) is due to unrealistic expectations and not knowing what to expect before you got on the ship. Nearly all of the mainstream cruise lines are doing auto tips of $10-$12 per day, this is not new. The standard in recent history has been $10/day. There has always been in recent history (the past 5 years)an additional gratuity on drinks and certain services. So I am not sure why these things would surprise you if you have cruised before.

[MrsLeo]

A caution - Le Bistro's buffet is indistinguishable from that of the Grand Cafe (with fewer selections). When our server in Le Bistro expressed his disappointment the third time that we were ordering from the menu instead of the "beautiful buffet," we explained that we wanted something different from Garden Cafe - and he did not mention it again.

 

 

What? Le Bistro had a buffet? OMG and they are charging you a surcharge for a buffet?

Are you sure you have this right? Le Bistro is the nice French restuarant with Chateuabriand, filets and lobster etc...?

Please tell this is an error or some bizarre test that is not going to be adapted fleet wide?

[Simon_B]

No I respectfully disagree. Those who castigate others on this board for posting their opinions and essentially punish people for having an opinion that differs from your own are the bane of Cruise Critic.

 

To the OP, I agree with some others that you might have avoided some disappointment had you known the "service charge you paid" is in essence a gratuity, and you are not in any way obligated to leave an additional amount to cover a gratuity. Typically these service charges and tips are pooled and distributed to the crew.

 

I too feel the spa services are overpriced and that is why I get my spa services at home from people I know and trust. They are counting on my return business so I know they will work hard to please me...that is not the case on board the ship. The spa is not operated by the cruise line and is operated by a subcontracting company. The people doing your services are tasked with moving product and making their employer money first, and pleasing you second. If they do not perform to their employer's expectations they are put off the ship and sent home. I am astounded when people mention they would consider services like tooth whitening, and botox injections from cruise ship spa staff. No way! You are never going to see these people. If they screw something up, you have no recourse. One thing you should also know is that almost all of the mainstream cruise lines use the same subcontractor to operate the spas on board, so I think you will likely run into similar issues on many ships and cruise lines. I do however highly recommend the day pass to the spa. I really enjoy it on a rainy or cloudy day and it is much nicer than the average cruise ship spa area, and it is NOT unusual to pay extra for the use of it, I know we did even on Costa and their spa was nice, but not quite as nice as NCL's on their newer ships.

 

With regard to ship's internet, they are all the same, slow. It is typical and it is part of the deal. If you are at sea. it is slow. If a storm rolls in, it is often inoperable. So you will need to accept that is just how things are when you cruise. I much prefer to find an internet cafe when in port. It is much faster and cheaper. The only time I use the ships internet these days is if I have to be in touch for business and it can't wait until I am in port.

We had no problems finding them on our Med Cruise.

 

The situation in Teppanyaki... well I have to agree with you to a degree, if I look at our first experience at Teppanyaki years ago on the Spirit, OMG how they spoiled us. The food quality was better, the quantity larger and does not compare to what they are doing in Teppanyaki currently. However, for us it was still enjoyable, we had great tablemates, the food was good enough and the actual presentation was entertaining. I was disappointed with our experience in Cagney's on our cruise a few weeks ago, but I did not write off all of the restaurants because of that. As a result we had some pretty good dining experiences in spite of the fact that all cruise lines are cutting back right now. They have to cut costs to remain profitable in tough economic times. I do believe what the HD did was a nice gesture, he has no way of knowing that you do not drink red wine. I am not sure when your last cruise was, but I can see a huge difference within just the last year with regard to them cutting back in certain areas.

 

With regard to that 18% surcharge... I am curious what else that was attached to. I know on any drinks, such as soda, alcohol etc..., spa services, it is like that on any of the mainstream cruise lines.

 

I think perhaps your disappointment on many levels (not all) is due to unrealistic expectations and not knowing what to expect before you got on the ship. Nearly all of the mainstream cruise lines are doing auto tips of $10-$12 per day, this is not new. The standard in recent history has been $10/day. There has always been in recent history (the past 5 years)an additional gratuity on drinks and certain services. So I am not sure why these things would surprise you if you have cruised before.

 

Now THAT is how you disagree and make your points - well done! Balanced OP and great response - this is the level of dialog that helps us all - thanks!

[Taxguy77]

Hope you read a post about having a thick skin before you posted this. As you see, there are people who cruise only NCL. We cruised NCL for our several early cruises and watched the service level and food quality deteriorate until we decided to try other lines.

Happy cruising .

[njhorseman]

What? Le Bistro had a buffet? OMG and they are charging you a surcharge for a buffet?

Are you sure you have this right? Le Bistro is the nice French restuarant with Chateuabriand, filets and lobster etc...?

Please tell this is an error or some bizarre test that is not going to be adapted fleet wide?

 

 

Perhaps they're referring to the "Jazz Brunch" or something similar.

[njhorseman]

Hope you read a post about having a thick skin before you posted this. As you see, there are people who cruise only NCL. We cruised NCL for our several early cruises and watched the service level and food quality deteriorate until we decided to try other lines.

Happy cruising .

 

I'm sure there are...I just don't see them posting on this thread. If you look at the cruise histories of those who include them, almost everyone who has commented has cruised on more than NCL. I don't list my cruise history, but I've been on more than 6 different cruise lines and over 30 cruises .

[Planer's Edge]

The 18% in the spa was answered quite well and the tip in Teppanyaki was also answered very properly.

 

The issue with the lack of lobster at Teppanyaki may or may not have been answered or maybe I missed it. But, that should have been addressed at the table not later with the HD. We were eating in Teppanyaki one time and a lady wondered outloud that she thought she should be getting more steak than she received. The Chef had another steak brought out to him and quickly prepared it and offered it to her. She said she could not eat the whole thing so he offered it to the rest of us at the table.

 

Now, the poster that mentioned a buffet in Le Bistro, could you clarify? Someone mentioned maybe it was during the Jazz Buffet, that sounds logical to me. Please come back and let us know.

 

PE<---will not be "baited" by people who feel the need to tell others how to post here :rolleyes: ...

[lambs2]

Main dining rooms:

 

2 ½ cruise ships

 

There are 2 main dining rooms, the “anytime” restaurant and the buffet restaurant on deck 12. These are the only restaurants without a surcharge. The food in the 2 main dining rooms, the Alizar and the Grand Pacific, is hit or miss – we had some good meals there and some only fair meals. The buffet on 12 was consistently good – we ate breakfast and lunch there every day and even some dinners when we didn’t feel like going to the main dining room. The ship was hit with a wave of the gastroenteritis bug (which, unfortunately, both me and my husband got, his was so bad he missed the port of Athens completely). There are had sanitizers everywhere and they also spray your hands as soon as you walk into the buffet but it was bad enough that halfway through the cruise, they stopped letting people serve themselves from the buffet and crew did all the serving. It’s a bit more inconvenient that way but if it helped cut down on the number of people that got sick, it was worth it.

 

 

We spent 21 days on the Jade last Jan/Feb on a B2B in the Mediterranean and had an absolutely fantastic cruise. We truly went for the adventure of the 10 different ports we were to visit, plus the bargain price compared to a land trip that visited all the different places we went on our trip. We were delighted by the Jade, her great crew, and even the food. We found nothing major to fault, although we were the first cruise to have the $12. pp per day service charge imposed even though we had booked under the $10. pp rate. Some folks were upset about that, but we dealt with it before we boarded and di not let that taint our experience on the Jade.

 

One free food venue you did not mention above is the Blue Lagoon. Our OV cabin was on the 8th floor where the Blue Lagoon is located and we ate breakfast there many mornings, as well as getting served some great "comfort food" snacks! Learned to avoid it if there were too many people, but since we like to get up and go early in the morning it was perfect for us. Did not use the spa, only the free gym equipment every morning, so can not comment on the pay-for-use services there. Our favorite specialty restaurants on the Jade are Cagney's and Salsa's (free margaritas with meal). Your noro-virus episode was unfortunate and can happen anywhere a large group of people congregate. We were concerned since we were porting and spending the night at a hotel in Cairo - but managed to have no digestive upsets - although we were VERY prepared ahead of time with remedies and preventative measures.

 

Your review does show the good points as well as what you did not enjoy, so it is your perspective. Sorry that it was not the perfect trip for you, that is was for us. Everyone has their own view on their particular cruise experience. We would love to go back on the Jade someday. Our memories of our voyage on her are very special.

[sottovoce]

I'm sure there are...I just don't see them posting on this thread. If you look at the cruise histories of those who include them, almost everyone who has commented has cruised on more than NCL. I don't list my cruise history, but I've been on more than 6 different cruise lines and over 30 cruises .

We've been on five different cruise lines, including the much-overrated HAL and Celebrity. Some people--I don't have to name them but they're prominent above--who think they know everything are great at talking through their...hats.

 

Oh, I suspect the Le Bistro buffet mentioned above is the one at breakfast. Even that was inaccurate. There are many items on the Le Bistro breakfast buffet that are not in the Garden Cafe--pate, for one.

[RambleRocket]

My first NCL cruise was the Med. I must admit I was hooked after that. :D

 

I think the OP is suffering a case of poor planning. OP admits to cruising before, so I am surprised they didn't know about the 18% service charge. Carnival and most other lines adds this type of charge, so it is not exclusive to NCL.

 

Many people are quick to come back to CC to complain about their experiences and back up their complaints with the ever popular phrases 'I will never cruise NCL again' and 'NCL nickles and dimes you to death.' Why are they unable to come here beforehand to research or gain information PRIOR to their cruise?

 

Some people just cannot be satisfied.:(

[AuntieBarb]

Embarkation:

 

4 cruise ships

 

The Ship/Cabin

 

4 Cruise ships.

 

Service:

 

3 cruise ships.

 

Spa

 

1 cruise ship

 

Specialty Restaurants:

 

1 cruise ship

 

Main dining rooms:

 

2 ½ cruise ships

 

Entertainment:

 

2 cruise ships.

 

Internet:

 

1 cruise ship.

 

Art Gallery/photos/misc.

 

3 cruise ships.

Other notes:

 

Although all of the cruise lines are getting good at this, Norwegian seems to have taken nickel and dimeing to a new level. There is that 18% surcharge slapped on just about everything and there are fees and charges for some things that you would never expect. You know that neat “behind the scenes” tour that they do the first day or 2 of the cruise? Well, they do it here also – but be prepared to pay for it. You want to use that lovely shuffleboard table up deck 13 in the Spinnaker Lounge? Sure – if you pay $2 a game to do it. Every time I turned around, there was a surcharge being slapped on something – and considering how much you are already paying for the cruise and the $12 PP/PD and all of the other extra charges, it really left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

 

Considering we "Norweenies" have yet to cruise aboard the Jade, I will accept your review for what it is - your opinion - and thank you for your feedback.

 

From our personal standpoint, the key categories we expect high marks on when cruising are: Accommodations, Food, Entertainment, Service and Itinerary. Everything else is "gravy" and completely optional for filling in your "doing whatever" activities. Using your rating system, that would mean "20 Cruise Ships" in total for a fantastic cruise, when concentrating on those key areas. Since I don't really see anything about the itinerary, I believe your overall rating of the cruise falls short at 11.5. Since noro can be avoided by simply washing hands often - especially before eating - I'll tack on 4 Cruise Ships for the itinerary, bringing it to 15.5. Doesn't seem too bad to me! :D

 

Service/gratuities tacked onto non-inclusive services - bar bills & spa services included - is to be expected. Additional tipping is not required in any instance and we only do so when we feel we've received especially great service. I do not feel that any fees aboard the ship are hidden in any way. So if you were charged higher than expected for spa services, then all I have to say is I'm sorry you didn't understand what the fees would be and when.

 

If you walked away from your meal at Teppanyaki without bringing the lobster issue to your wait staff or dining room manager's attention (or the Chef for that matter), how would you expect anyone to validate your claim and do something about it at the time? Otherwise, NCL extended an apology for your disappoint in the form of a fruit plate and bottle of wine. That to me speaks volumes.

 

Charging for shuffleboard? That one caught my eye. I find that hard to believe!