Thinking of booking on NCL? Read this first!

[lambs2]

Sorry to hear you had some problems on your cruise. We enjoy sailing on various cruiselines--including NCL. We would never cruise on just one cruiseline because we enjoy experiencing different things on every cruise we take. Each line has different cabins, different restaurants, different production shows, even different casino games.

 

We have had some disappointments on some of our cruises but we did not stop sailing on those cruiselines because a few items didn't live up to our expectations. Our worse cruise ever was on RCCL Legend of the Seas in Hawaii. Fortunately, it was a one time experience.

 

We recently enjoyed an NCL west coast cruise. We have a RCCL caribbean cruise coming up in January and a Carnival cruise in February. We also have NCL Gem booked for January 2011.

 

For us, variety is the spice of life.

 

We feel the same way! Our last two crusies were not with NCL - but our two upcoming ones are!

[sjbdtz]

Blah blah blah... same old thing - people just trying to get a rise out of others. I just wonder if NCL is paying some of these people because they really are devoted fans. OP and others YOU are entitled to voice your opinion... okay - Flame On cheerleaders!

 

I'm not being paid...heck, apart from the casino....I don't even get a discount (hint...NCL!!!)

 

What I do have is some experience with the product, and the understanding that this board is read by many people who do NOT have experience with the product.

 

When someone has an axe to grind, and posts in-factual information for whatever ulterior motive (venting, compensation-seeking, revenge-motive, etc.) I attempt to illuminate the inaccuracy not for the purpose of belittling the poster, but for the purpose of informing those newcomers who might find the OP concerning.

 

I do this because:

 

a) it's the right thing to do

 

b) because I enjoy the NCL product, but understand there are some who would have been better-off picking a more traditional cruiseline who come to NCL and get upset that it wasn't as formal as they hoped.

 

So I defend my service provider. While they haven't been perfect in every aspect of the service, and I've had cause to get upset from time-to-time, I'm very much of the mindset that expecting perfection is unrealistic....but expecting restitution is not.

 

What I mean is....mistakes happen. It's how the mistake is handled / corrected which means more to me than avoiding the mistake in the first place.

[MrsLeo]

And I personally feel it is wrong and unnecessary for someone to tell others not to patronize a cruise line by posting negative rants based on a sweeping lack of understanding of that cruise line's policies and practices. That is irresponsible--to both the cruise line and people reading this board. People make vacation decisions based on these ill-tempered and baseless rants.

 

That is refreshing. It is great to see people express themselves without insulting others. Thanks! Although I really don't feel the OP was ill-tempered, or really ranting, but I do agree some of her issues were without merit.

Fortunately there is a large number of very well educated cruisers here to correct any misconceptions created by this review and I doubt any damage was done and fortunately if NCL is not a person's cup of tea, there are plenty of cruise lines in the sea. I think most people are reasonable and weigh these reviews along with all of the other posts in the thread, which is one of the reasons I am really glad when people have the nerve to post their reviews here. It allows others to offer their own points of views & experiences and counter the misconceptions creating a well rounded view of things.

 

If people simply post their reviews in the review section of the board for fear of being humiliated and crucified here, then no one gets a chance to correct anything and all you see is one side of the story.

[Zeno]

I'm not being paid...heck, apart from the casino....I don't even get a discount (hint...NCL!!!)

 

What I do have is some experience with the product, and the understanding that this board is read by many people who do NOT have experience with the product.

 

When someone has an axe to grind, and posts in-factual information for whatever ulterior motive (venting, compensation-seeking, revenge-motive, etc.) I attempt to illuminate the inaccuracy not for the purpose of belittling the poster, but for the purpose of informing those newcomers who might find the OP concerning.

 

I do this because:

 

a) it's the right thing to do

 

b) because I enjoy the NCL product, but understand there are some who would have been better-off picking a more traditional cruiseline who come to NCL and get upset that it wasn't as formal as they hoped.

 

So I defend my service provider. While they haven't been perfect in every aspect of the service, and I've had cause to get upset from time-to-time, I'm very much of the mindset that expecting perfection is unrealistic....but expecting restitution is not.

 

What I mean is....mistakes happen. It's how the mistake is handled / corrected which means more to me than avoiding the mistake in the first place.

 

 

Beautifully put! The only thing I would add is "REASONABLE" restitution if you have a problem. Expecting a full refund for something someone could have had corrected on the spot but chose not to is not "reasonable". We all must bare some responsibility for how WE deal with any issues encountered. I too have had the occasional problem on an NCL cruise but all were dealt with appropriately, expediciously and reasonably.

[Planer's Edge]

This was your initial response to me. I don't see a date here do you?

 

There was a link in the post showing the the purchase date of Mandara, by Steiner, as some time in 2001. Yes, Mandara Spa's showed up on the Dawn in 2002. Because that is when the Dawn was christened!!

 

Mandara Spas replaced Steiner on other ships shortly after Star Cruises purchased NCL in 2000.

 

PE

 

 

editted to add link http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4008520.search?query=when+did+steiner+purchase+mandara

[MrsLeo]

There was a link in the post showing the the purchase date of Mandara' date=' by Steiner, as some time in 2001. Yes, Mandara Spa's showed up on the Dawn in 2002. Because that is when the Dawn was christened!!

 

Mandara Spas replaced Steiner on other ships shortly after Star Cruises purchased NCL in 2000.

 

PE[/color']

 

There is no link in any of your posts stating this.

 

 

Steiner was majority shareholder of Mandara in 2001 owning 60% of stock. If by chance there was a period of time where Mandara operated on NCL's ships independent of Steiner it would have been only a matter of a few months Since the plan was to roll Mandara out fleetwide in 2001. I am certain that Mandara was not rolled out prior to 2001.

 

If I am in error I will gladly retract anything I have stated thus far. But I am sure I have my facts straight.

[flbeachmom]

i agree with the charging for every little thing but we priced all the cruiselines going out of Florida and NCL has been the cheapest by far for us 2 years in a row. My family is low maint. so we perfer to save the cost upfront because we do not do spa ( have a wonderful one at home much cheaper), bar ( we dont drink), casino ect. We love the Buffet and prefer to be in and out and off to the next event. I Love the Pearl but to me all the cruiselines are about the same some things i like with one may not like on another..

[sillysailor 1955]

I'm not being paid...heck, apart from the casino....I don't even get a discount (hint...NCL!!!)

 

What I do have is some experience with the product, and the understanding that this board is read by many people who do NOT have experience with the product.

 

When someone has an axe to grind, and posts in-factual information for whatever ulterior motive (venting, compensation-seeking, revenge-motive, etc.) I attempt to illuminate the inaccuracy not for the purpose of belittling the poster, but for the purpose of informing those newcomers who might find the OP concerning.

 

I do this because:

 

a) it's the right thing to do

 

b) because I enjoy the NCL product, but understand there are some who would have been better-off picking a more traditional cruiseline who come to NCL and get upset that it wasn't as formal as they hoped.

 

So I defend my service provider. While they haven't been perfect in every aspect of the service, and I've had cause to get upset from time-to-time, I'm very much of the mindset that expecting perfection is unrealistic....but expecting restitution is not.

 

What I mean is....mistakes happen. It's how the mistake is handled / corrected which means more to me than avoiding the mistake in the first place.

 

I agree with your assessment of the "product" however it just seems that people really get "in your face" when you have anything about NCL that isn't glowing - I think everyone can voice their opinion without people getting hostile... and that's just my opinion!!!

[lspiegel17]

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...

 

 

We were on the NCL Jade this summer which did many European ports and they were great. It was a great convenience to see all of Europe and not need to pack and unpack a family of 4 every few days. I would recommend booking tours independently though- NCL wastes time on some of the tours in tourist trap restaurants- With 10 hours in Rome port with 2 hours of driving, do you really want to waste 2 hours in a bad restaurant?

[MrsLeo]

We were on the NCL Jade this summer which did many European ports and they were great. It was a great convenience to see all of Europe and not need to pack and unpack a family of 4 every few days. I would recommend booking tours independently though- NCL wastes time on some of the tours in tourist trap restaurants- With 10 hours in Rome port with 2 hours of driving, do you really want to waste 2 hours in a bad restaurant?

 

It isn't just NCL that does this. I was floored on our Med. Cruise (on a different cruise line) The tour operator nearly left an elderly gentleman behind at the souks in Tunis, because the elderly gent was tired and wanted to sit and relax rather than being hounded in all of the shops the tour operator was planning on taking him to (no doubt a kickback was involved for him to direct people to these shops). The tour operator told the man he would come back and get him at the end of the tour on the way back to the bus, which he never did. Had d/h and I not gone back to check on him, he without a doubt would have been left behind. Then at the end of the tour the guide waited for the last couple on this bus to exit and stood in front of them blocking the exit and demanded they give him a tip. Luckily the gal was a plucky lady from Louisiana and she told him where to go, how to get there.

 

There was a great ship tour we went on though called Palaces and Principalities of Monaco. If you ever have the opportunity to take this tour. I highly recommend it. Fantastic! My husband is a Formula 1 fanatic, and I was fascinated by the cathedral where Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier were married and are now entombed. We went up to the Palace ( great place to pose for a picture), walked past Princess Caroline and Stephanie's homes. Went to Hotel de Paris and the famous Casino from the James Bond movies, Saw Jacques Cousteau's Oceanographic Museum and sat across the street and enjoyed a cappucino in the open air cafe, and watched them set up the Christmas decorations in the town square.

[lucille&mike]

sjbdtz - just curious, since you've done nothing but NCL cruises, (9 of them according to the signature) what makes you an authority on what any other cruise line may or may not do or provide as compared to NCL?

 

Originally Posted by sjbdtz

What I do have is some experience with the product, and the understanding that this board is read by many people who do NOT have experience with the product. and obviously a bunch of postings regarding other cruiselines that posters have no experience with.

 

When someone has an axe to grind, (you may or maynot have an axe to grind, but a definte love affair with NCL. Not necessarily a bad thing, but trust me, unless you are married to them(i.e., employed) there are other options. I can attest to that from my own love of RCCL, but the fact of the matter is, its time for a change.and posts in-factual (?) information for whatever ulterior motive (venting, compensation-seeking, revenge-motive, etc.) I attempt to illuminate the inaccuracy not for the purpose of belittling the poster, but for the purpose of informing those newcomers who might find the OP concerning.

 

I do this because:

 

a) it's the right thing to do

 

b) because I enjoy the NCL product, but understand there are some who would have been better-off picking a more traditional cruiseline who come to NCL and get upset that it wasn't as formal as they hoped. and you would understand this due to the fact that you have had vast (oops, I mean NO experience with any other line?)

 

So I defend my service provider. While they haven't been perfect in every aspect of the service, and I've had cause to get upset from time-to-time, I'm very much of the mindset that expecting perfection is unrealistic....but expecting restitution is not.

 

What I mean is....mistakes happen. It's how the mistake is handled / corrected which means more to me than avoiding the mistake in the first place.

Please don't take this as a personal attaack, it is not meant to be. I'm simply trying to understand where some of the people on this board are coming from. It will obviously have to have an effect on 'my research' for next year's NCL cruise.

[sjbdtz]

sjbdtz - just curious, since you've done nothing but NCL cruises, (9 of them according to the signature) what makes you an authority on what any other cruise line may or may not do or provide as compared to NCL?

 

Originally Posted by sjbdtz

 

What I do have is some experience with the product, and the understanding that this board is read by many people who do NOT have experience with the product. and obviously a bunch of postings regarding other cruiselines that posters have no experience with.

 

When someone has an axe to grind, (you may or maynot have an axe to grind, but a definte love affair with NCL. Not necessarily a bad thing, but trust me, unless you are married to them(i.e., employed) there are other options. I can attest to that from my own love of RCCL, but the fact of the matter is, its time for a change.and posts in-factual (?) information for whatever ulterior motive (venting, compensation-seeking, revenge-motive, etc.) I attempt to illuminate the inaccuracy not for the purpose of belittling the poster, but for the purpose of informing those newcomers who might find the OP concerning.

 

I do this because:

 

a) it's the right thing to do

 

b) because I enjoy the NCL product, but understand there are some who would have been better-off picking a more traditional cruiseline who come to NCL and get upset that it wasn't as formal as they hoped. and you would understand this due to the fact that you have had vast (oops, I mean NO experience with any other line?)

 

So I defend my service provider. While they haven't been perfect in every aspect of the service, and I've had cause to get upset from time-to-time, I'm very much of the mindset that expecting perfection is unrealistic....but expecting restitution is not.

 

What I mean is....mistakes happen. It's how the mistake is handled / corrected which means more to me than avoiding the mistake in the first place.

 

Please don't take this as a personal attaack, it is not meant to be. I'm simply trying to understand where some of the people on this board are coming from. It will obviously have to have an effect on 'my research' for next year's NCL cruise.

 

 

Here....hope you're hungry. I hear the crow is tasty.

 

Other than the 22 days at sea on the Sapphire Princess, you're right....I only know what I've experienced. I also know that Cunard is more formal, and that a Cunard cruiser might find NCL a little too casual. Might. Not will.

 

So I defend NCL against those who assert "Will" rather than "might".

 

As for RCCL.... I'd HATE being on a ship where I had to eat at a particular time, or if I wanted to dress casually that I'd be relegated to the buffet, or that they'd waste space for silly things such as flow-riders and ice rinks.

 

I've never sailed them....but I already know I don't want to. :)

 

Oh the Sapphire Princess cruise (Vancouver - Anchorage - Vladivostock(Russia) - Muroran (Japan) - Pusan (Korea) - Kagoshima (Japan) - Dalian (China) - Beijing (China) was SO off-putting, that we promptly scheduled another NCL cruise for 2 months after our return...just to re-enjoy cruising again.

 

On Princess we found the staff obsequious, the beds uncomfortable...the food was too seafood-oriented (I'm allergic) and I couldn't trust most things...there was rarely anything simple.

 

But the worst was the staff. On Princess we felt like customers. On NCL we feel like family.

 

That's why I have the "love affair" with them.

[Simon_B]

. . . cruise (Vancouver - Anchorage - Vladivostock(Russia) - Muroran (Japan) - Pusan (Korea) - Kagoshima (Japan) - Dalian (China) - Beijing (China) . . .

 

Now THAT sounds like a trip!!

[sjbdtz]

Now THAT sounds like a trip!!

 

 

It was an amazing itinerary.... plus 5 days in the remnants of 2 tropical depressions from the Sea of Japan, as we crossed the Bering Sea... was umm...interesting.

 

Didn't get sick, but had to hold on to the bed, to keep from rolling out of it.

 

It was really too bad that Princess ended up being for....well..... princesses (which I try to avoid being), because they have far more interesting itineraries than NCL....but NCL's casino program, their inclusiveness vis-a-vis LGBT guests, the friendliness and efficiency of the staff (oh, hi....how was your day? vs. "Hello sir, yes sir, right away sir") make NCL the hands-down winner.

 

We BOTH said when we returned, that we needed an emergency dose of NCL to re-engage us with cruising. That's why we did the Gem NYE cruise....it was booked with only 2 months notice....and it did the trick!

 

Fell in love with cruising again. Thanks NCL!

[new_guy]

My belief when signing for an 18% gratuity is that it goes into a tip pool - to be shared. Perhaps another way of saying that is: 'it goes to the ship' meaning it doesn't go to the server in its entirety. It goes 'to the ship' to split amongst a pool. If a server or spa person was hinting (or deserving) an additional gratuity, I would always do so in cash -- by this route I know that the cash goes to the service provider and not into a shared pool.

 

The shuffle board in the Spinnaker is a coin operated game. Like a video game. Or a slot machine. It would be nice if it was 'free' by I'm not surprised that it isn't.

 

The tours in Egypt are expensive. But well worth it (IMO). Since the ship overnights in Alexandria, the Cairo overnight trip (at ~$500pp) is well worth it. From the armed guard on board the coach to the numerous once-in-a-lifetime sights experienced, the $500 seemed worth it to me. Of course, it might seem odd to be paying for a hotel room on land while at the same time your paid-for room onboard the ship goes empty.

 

If you want to experince many (not all) of the same sights, you can do so in a very looooong day trip for the ~$180pp rate that another poster quoted. You hit many of the same sites, but not for as lengthy a stay. Think of it as a highlights tour.

 

I'm sure there are local operators available for smaller, more intimate excursions. In Egypt, I'd expect it to be more difficult than other countries (booking a trustworthy local operator) which is why the cruise-line sponsored excursions are expensive and often at capacity. Research.

 

Customs officials in Egypt can be self-important power-mongers.

 

Lastly, the gastrointestinal virus is always present after a trip to Egypt. I think it's routine for the ship to stop self-serving-food after Egypt. They don't even wait for the virus to show up; it always does. They even take the conditments off the tables in the fee-restaurants and bread baskets, too. Bread is served by a person with tongs going table-to-table.

 

Egypt has a different sanitation regimine and people will always bring the virus back with them. Even from a 5 star hotel.

[hat776]

Simply untrue. The 18% is not a surcharge for the ship; it IS the gratuity. From NCL's web site FAQ:

 

Also, certain staff positions provide service on an individual basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. For example, for guests purchasing bar drinks the recommended gratuity is 15 percent. For guests purchasing spa treatments the recommended gratuity is 18 percent. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

 

I Know that only a tiny percentage of folk who cruise use CC beforehand. For me CC is part of the fun and find that you learn so much more than by just going to the ship's web site.

Having said that, I always feel upset that someone goes on a cruise and is disappointed by something that just by spending a few minutes on the web site FAQ they would have known about. What more can NCL do to make sure future passengers know what to expect.

This summer we went on a MSC cruise in the Med. On the site heading there is MSC ......... for UNICEF. There is a FAQ stating that eur 1 is added to your account and if you wish you can remove it. There is the UNICEF logo on the site , and if you click on it you get a video of the kids in Brazil. In the cabin there will be a leaflet with these details, a booklet with more details and a channel on the TV.

Yet you still get passengers who don't know about this eur 1 donation and get so angry that they have it removed 'for the principle of the thing'.

To the OP - apart from the lobster story = most of your complaints are dealt with on the NCL site and the FAQ (apart from CC).

I never use the Spa but I know about the charge, rarely have a drink at the bar but know about the added gratuity, know that the internet is often lousy and slow. Apart from the drinks, to be honest, I don't know what else the 18% is added to.

As for a la carte cruising, I much prefer it this way. If everything was included the fare would include things I wouldn't be making use of.

I once said that I would prefer it if the Kids Club wasnt free and my fare reduced. However, rightly so, there were a couple of comments saying that they willingly want to have it free as it reduces the amount of kids running about.