NCL a "bargain cruise line"??

[bingo3]

I wouldn't necessarily consider NCL a bargain cruise line as we are paying more for our next cruise on NCL, than we have any of our other 5 cruises, including to Alaska & Bermuda. This is a Bermuda cruise as well and I guess itineraries are important because I noticed we are paying more for a mid-ship balcony in May than we could get a penthouse suite in the Haven this coming week, going to Bahamas. I can be treated like a queen going to the Bahamas but second class to Bermuda! LOL! :(

[NH Cruisers]

We were on the Gem in a 2bdrm suite a couple of months ago and our cards were purple (we are platinum) as they were on the Jewel in a penthouse. Last year on the Jewel in a penthouse our cards were metallic, so you just can't tell. One time we sailed in a mini-suite and those cards were purple also. There is another big thread currently going about card colors and the info there is that Haven gets metallic, others it's random.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1952235

Last cruise wife had a yellow card and I a bluish card. Color did not mean anything. I would imagine the suites may get a card that distinguishes them from the others.

 

 

Jon

[mpk218]

Suite key cards are a Metalic gold , silver , platinum ( color )

Not in any particular order ;)

[vivian02]

When I get bord and the fancy race car I drive doesn't do anything for me I always turn to the treads for NCL on this site. The entertainment doesn't get any better than this. People are people and everyone has a difference of opion. When I go on a cruise I go on a cruise. I have sailed NCL, Holand America, Royal Carribean, Carnival and Celebraty. Everyone one of those cruises I enjoyed. A good cruiseline always gets the ship to port safely. A good cruiser should always do their homework. Tim

[NH Cruisers]

When I get bord and the fancy race car I drive doesn't do anything for me I always turn to the treads for NCL on this site. The entertainment doesn't get any better than this. People are people and everyone has a difference of opion. When I go on a cruise I go on a cruise. I have sailed NCL, Holand America, Royal Carribean, Carnival and Celebraty. Everyone one of those cruises I enjoyed. A good cruiseline always gets the ship to port safely. A good cruiser should always do their homework. Tim

I too have enjoyed every cruise I have been on, regardless of the cruise line. I do like NCL for the many specialty dinning options though.

[UpTheBanner]

NCL gets us to the ports we want to visit for a good price. We can't fault NCL. Great staff, great food and great ships. Some of the other cruise lines are charging too much for their products. Royal Caribbean's European itineraries are over priced. NCL is good value for money

[peg013]

I think you may have hit the nail on the head with your last sentence. I have not found NCL to be different than most mass market lines in any respect regarding service or staff attentiveness but the quality of food for those that choose not to "freestyle" and pay for those specialty restaurants is a major negative. Many choices available on other mass market lines just aren't available unless you pay for it on NCL.

 

Case in point, the NCL Breakaway just removed Lobster from the main dining room menu. Whether you like lobster or not is not the issue, but an example of many foods that have disappeared cheapeningthe overall experience. Its not a good direction for the industry.

 

Surf and Turf is not only back on the MDR menu the first evening of the cruise on the Breakaway - Prime Rib is on the same menu so DH can have his S&T while I have my Prime Rib! :)

[bones774]

I've been on more cruise lines than my signature indicates. I booked a cruise on NCL and had some low expectations but was very surprised at the level of service and have since done a second NCL cruise and enjoyed that. I take a cruise that fits my schedule and have no allegiance to any line. With that being said, my most disappointing cruise was CCL but even for the right price i would use them again, but only at the right price.

My 2 cents.

[samiam0403]

Suite key cards are a Metalic gold , silver , platinum ( color )

Not in any particular order ;)

 

Interesting, but not entirely accurate - must just be Haven suites that get those metallic keys. I've sailed on 2 different NCL ships in suites in the last 9 months and both times my keys were purple. Our concierge on the Dawn told us that purple = suite. Both ships I've sailed on did not have the Haven - Sun and Dawn. Good thing I've got another suite booked to continue to research the topic. :D

[biker@sea]

I wouldn't necessarily consider NCL a bargain cruise line as we are paying more for our next cruise on NCL, than we have any of our other 5 cruises, including to Alaska & Bermuda. This is a Bermuda cruise as well and I guess itineraries are important because I noticed we are paying more for a mid-ship balcony in May than we could get a penthouse suite in the Haven this coming week, going to Bahamas. I can be treated like a queen going to the Bahamas but second class to Bermuda! LOL! :(

 

We are just the opposite . Twice for us Bermuda 7 day we bargain for @ $299 PP. Our cheapest cruises ever .

[mpk218]

Interesting, but not entirely accurate - must just be Haven suites that get those metallic keys. I've sailed on 2 different NCL ships in suites in the last 9 months and both times my keys were purple. Our concierge on the Dawn told us that purple = suite. Both ships I've sailed on did not have the Haven - Sun and Dawn. Good thing I've got another suite booked to continue to research the topic. :D

 

Thats Odd , " All" ( at least since they started that )of our key cards have been a metallic color (sparkly)..

The Sun for sure , Dawn ??? I think I would have noticed.. maybe not..

You weren't wearing purple colored lenses in you sunglasses were you ..:p

 

"" Exclusive Benefits

Exclusive access to The Haven Courtyard area with private pool, sundeck, hot tub and fitness area

Priority embarkation and disembarkation

Distinctive platinum keycard

Priority boarding of tenders to shore

Complimentary limousine service from pier to airport (for Garden Villa guests)

[mexico8]

My dh and I have about 200 cruise days on many different cruise lines. On one NCL cruise we had a different coloured card or a dot to show that we could have breakfast in a certain dining room (kind of an upgraded room). Can't remember the colours involved but we did have to show the card every morning or we could not get into that dining room.

 

Some people prefer to have filet mignon every night for dinner and for others (like us) we enjoy having an Indonesian meal or curries and were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed the food in the main dining room on NCL. Holland America is considered by some to be more "upscale" but we really enjoyed NCL for different reasons. To each his own. Our favourite ship we have taken so far has been the NCL Pearl and we got a real bargain on that cruise. On some NCL ships we got tired of some of the daily announcements about buying bingo tickets or raffle tickets but not all ships do that.

 

Wendy

[B6ConMe]

Interesting, but not entirely accurate - must just be Haven suites that get those metallic keys. I've sailed on 2 different NCL ships in suites in the last 9 months and both times my keys were purple. Our concierge on the Dawn told us that purple = suite. Both ships I've sailed on did not have the Haven - Sun and Dawn. Good thing I've got another suite booked to continue to research the topic. :D

 

Right, we were in an aft PH suite in Dec. and our key cards were a lovely bright pink! :D Could be just the Haven suites are metallic.

Edited January 27, 2014 by B6ConMe

[samiam0403]

Right, we were in an aft PH suite in Dec. and our key cards were a lovely bright pink! :D Could be just the Haven suites are metallic.

 

LOL - now see, I called it pink as well, but the concierge said purple. I think we're absolutely right that it's a bright pink. With a slight purpley tint. :D

[B6ConMe]

LOL - now see, I called it pink as well, but the concierge said purple. I think we're absolutely right that it's a bright pink. With a slight purpley tint. :D

 

Pink is POWER!! :D:p:D

[emcelh]

LOL - now see, I called it pink as well, but the concierge said purple. I think we're absolutely right that it's a bright pink. With a slight purpley tint. :D

 

Three times in aft penthouse suites and three purple (or pink) keycards. I think the metallic cards are for Haven suites.

[darrendp]

Not sure if that is correct, We usually book a balcony with an interior room for the kids across the hole way from us and we got the same color keys one cruise and different colors for the same cabin last year.

 

 

Haven guests have silver cards... Not sure what this would get you... Unless you wear your key card like a badge...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[ZoneHPH]

Aren't Minis and below have the "random" color keycard? I've started taking photos of my family's keycards since our daughter was born (2010). While i've never seen (much less held) a Haven, metallic, keycard...all our cards just seemed to be random in color. In fact, my keycard would almost always have to be replaced at least once during our cruise since I seem to always have it in the same pocket as my cellphone. So each time they were replaced, the color was different. *shrugs* I dunno.

 

Now on the Feb 2014 CTN...I had a FWD Inside cabin on Deck 11...and i had a purple, nonmetallic card. Would Platinum have anything to do with it? *shrugs*...again, I dunno. :D

[reney313]

Funny story,,,we sailed NCL to Alaska, and while we were in Juneau, there were I beleive 2 other ships..RCCL and Princess I believe.. Well Princess was first in line at the port and NCL was a bit further away..

There was a snobbish type of person there talking to my husband and asked what line we were on..He mentioned NCL..the guy replied..oh you went cheap huh (or something to that fashion) and then proceeded to say that him and his family sailed on Princess..My husband looked at him and said..Well that's nice..the main thing is we both got here..cheap or not :)

 

That snob would have been mortified to know that on our 2nd Alaska cruise on Princess, we received an email from Princess for $199 per person inside rate and jumped on it! We're hoping for another "last minute" email from Princess this summer! I have a feeling that is less than anyone paid on ANY cruise line sailing to Alaska. The airfare was a much different story, but I'm pretty certain it would have been the same regardless of line. Oh....and I didn't get any different service because of the amount I paid.