Any thoughts on the one night cruise to nowhere in NY?

[steel123]

My family and I have never sailed on NCL. I really wanted to try NCL and book the one-night cruise to nowhere this weekend for my husband and myself, but my husband thought it would be too short. I'm still thinking about booking the next one in May, but am wondering if it is too short to really enjoy it. We have to drive a few hours to NY, too. Anyone have any feedback/opinions on this type of cruise.:)

[fridaythe13th]

My family and I have never sailed on NCL. I really wanted to try NCL and book the one-night cruise to nowhere this weekend for my husband and myself, but my husband thought it would be too short. I'm still thinking about booking the next one in May, but am wondering if it is too short to really enjoy it. We have to drive a few hours to NY, too. Anyone have any feedback/opinions on this type of cruise.:)

 

The first one we did (2 nights) was in my opinion CRAZY. Crowded, loud, long lines everywhere, ran out of Bud Lite, to name a few. We decided to give it another try as maybe we just didn't get on the right one. We would never do it again, same things as the first one. Now, if you do a search you will find that it's about 50/50 as far as people liking or disliking the short cruises. You really wouldn't be giving NCL a fair chance to WOW you on a short cruise to nowhere.

[jame_g]

They are very short, and very active. You don't really get a feel for what the ship is like on a normal cruise.

 

People who do these are usually looking to do a dinner and dance and show, party most of the night, or gamble. The dining venues are packed all evening, the casino is busy, the show(s) fill up, and people are definitely hustling and bustling well into the night. The public areas have a lot of traffic. Everyone is trying to get the most out of their one night on board.

 

It's not a bad thing, it's just a different atmosphere.

 

We enjoyed the one we took a couple years back, and so did my MIL and her sister.

[Ms belp]

I just got back from a cruise. Oh really, where? Nowhere.

[steel123]

Thanks jame_g and ms belp! Your descriptions of your experiences are very helpful. I was thinking of taking this one-night cruise to celebrate a special occasion and spend some alone-time as a couple, and since we wouldn't be taking our children, it would be easier to leave them with my parents for one night. I have also been wanting to try NCL, and leave from NY. It sounds like this might not be the best cruise for us. I may have to look into the 6-day Orlando/Bahamas from NY or 7-day Bermuda cruises form NY or Boston--and convince the teenage kids to come with us!:)

[dockrocker]

One- or two-nighters aren't a great way to get a feel for how a longer cruise works.

 

My spouse and I called our one-nighter out of NYC "The Last Night on Earth" because that was how at least three-quarters of the passengers were behaving. As we were on deck for the sailaway, we saw hundreds of them stuffing their faces with barbecue, leaving plates of half-finished food everywhere. We skipped the barbecue in favor of dinner in the main dining room, but were surprised to find many of the barbecue face-stuffers eating multicourse dinners there. Later, as we passed through the Blue Lagoon, we saw many of the same people putting down burgers and fries. I assume they also made a stop or two at the buffet we didn't witness.

 

We tried to get into the shop to buy some Benadryl, but had to give up because there were probably 100 people in there buying 10 or 12 fifths of booze and 10 cartons of cigs each. We strolled through the casino and it was absolutely packed. One of the bartenders told us that alcohol sales on these cruises are over the moon -- that really showed by 10 p.m., when a large chunk of the clientele was dead drunk.

 

Through it all, many passengers pushed and shoved and treated the staff abominably. It was really the grossest behavior I've ever seen on a cruise ship.

 

The cruises to nowhere out of NYC attract people who really want to drink, gamble, buy duty-free booze and smokes, and eat as much as they can without (usually without) throwing up. They're interested in getting everything they can get out of that night. It's not a relaxing atmosphere.

[Laszlo]

My friend and his wife went about 2 years ago just to "get away". They said it was like being trapped in a nightclub for two days. They've never seen so many people acting so badly in one location.

[steel123]

Thank you all! I'm so glad I didn't take the cruise this weekend (I was going to schedule it for my husband's birthday). Thank you all for your opinions. You descriptions are very detailed, and so very helpful! My husband and I are in are mid-40s and we haven't experienced this type of party atmosphere in many years. We've been on many carnival cruises, but we have taken all of our cruises with our kids, and spent the majority of our time as a family. I was hoping for a nice, but quick, get-away without the kids, but this certainly sounds more wild!:)

[Marabella2004]

Thanks jame_g and ms belp! Your descriptions of your experiences are very helpful. I was thinking of taking this one-night cruise to celebrate a special occasion and spend some alone-time as a couple, and since we wouldn't be taking our children, it would be easier to leave them with my parents for one night. I have also been wanting to try NCL, and leave from NY. It sounds like this might not be the best cruise for us. I may have to look into the 6-day Orlando/Bahamas from NY or 7-day Bermuda cruises form NY or Boston--and convince the teenage kids to come with us!:)

 

The GEM sails out of NYC for a 7 day relaxing cruise down the coast to Florida.