Convince my travel group PLEASE

[Kaboochi]

I love NCL and need to convince 9 other couples to cruise this line. Our "leader" sailed 15 years ago and said except for the wonderful show, the ship was farty. I have cruised with NCL 4 times in 2 years and it is THE BEST. Help me convince our leader.

 

Please post the fun you have on an ncl cruise. I will show him your posts on March 9, when our group gathers to pick next years cruise. Thank you:)

[shelly11]

Freestyle cruising!!! Getting to do what you want when you want! Not set times to eat, no formal wear unless you want to! I've had positive experiences with the staff on all 3 NCL cruises so far, have one booked and am planning two more right now!

[puddles99]

Our "leader" sailed 15 years ago and said except for the wonderful show, the ship was farty.

 

I must not be up on the lingo . . . how can a ship be "farty"? I honestly have no idea what this means!

 

I do believe that every travel experience is a large part matching personal style with a good attitude. Here are a few of the things that I love about sailing Norwegian:

• I can eat wherever I want, whenever I want - the options are endless.
  
• I am spoiled rotten by the Suite Life
  
• There are lots of entertainment options - all good
  
• I don't have to get all gussied up unless I want to - and if I want to, that's fine, too!
  
• The crew seems to love their jobs, and they make sure I have a fabulous vacation
  
• I'm not forced to eat with strangers - which just doesn't fit my style
  
• And yet, I still have plenty of opportunities to make new friends

 

I never sailed the "old" Norwegian, but I think many folks will tell you that a 15-year-old experience isn't really relevant to what today's experience might be. Good luck to you - I hope you enjoy your adventure!

[Kaboochi]

I must not be up on the lingo . . . how can a ship be "farty"? I honestly have no idea what this means!

 

I do believe that every travel experience is a large part matching personal style with a good attitude. Here are a few of the things that I love about sailing Norwegian:

• I can eat wherever I want, whenever I want - the options are endless.
  
• I am spoiled rotten by the Suite Life
  
• There are lots of entertainment options - all good
  
• I don't have to get all gussied up unless I want to - and if I want to, that's fine, too!
  
• The crew seems to love their jobs, and they make sure I have a fabulous vacation
  
• I'm not forced to eat with strangers - which just doesn't fit my style
  
• And yet, I still have plenty of opportunities to make new friends

 

I never sailed the "old" Norwegian, but I think many folks will tell you that a 15-year-old experience isn't really relevant to what today's experience might be. Good luck to you - I hope you enjoy your adventure!

Thank you for your post, great tips you gave.

 

FARTY SHIP: When the majority of the passengers go to bed before 10pm, and there is no nightlife it is a farty ship. Personally sailed costa, that was a farty ship.

 

Please only post positive. If you can't help me with convincing our leader, then please refrain. Thank you for the cheerleader rah rah posts.

[Kaboochi]

Is it possible with My time dining, to reserve a table for 10 at a set dinner time?

[shelly11]

Thank you for your post, great tips you gave.

 

FARTY SHIP: When the majority of the passengers go to bed before 10pm, and there is no nightlife it is a farty ship. Personally sailed costa, that was a farty ship.

 

Please only post positive. If you can't help me with convincing our leader, then please refrain. Thank you for the cheerleader rah rah posts.

 

 

Not farty at all!!! Plenty of late night activities or go to bed early if you like. It's all freestyle!!!

 

 

Yes you can make reservations at the pay restaurants if you like, or you can eat when you want at the main dining rooms, buffets, or other free places to eat. You can make reservations in the MDR if needed, but usually no need!

 

I have 2 reviews in my signature, one from the Sky and one from the Dawn if that helps you.

[MM9953]

Is it possible with My time dining, to reserve a table for 10 at a set dinner time?

 

If you set yourselves up as an actual group, then yes, you can make reservations at any of the restuarants ahead of time with the group department or through a TA. I've done it numerous times with no problems. Also, as a group, you can do check-in/embarkation and disembarkation together.

 

NCL really goes the extra mile for their groups. That's why our group sails with them most every year. I'm sure you'll have fun no matter which cruise you choose.

[Cruzface]

We just got off the Epic from our first NCL cruise and We all agree (US and 2 boys) that we will not cruise on any other line again. As you can see from our signature line we have cruised Royal and Carnival. NCL blows them away. Food, entertainment, service, music, friendliness, basically every category.

 

Good luck convincing them, you are doing them a great service.

[candycaramel]

I don't know what ship you are looking at but the EPIC was a bit "farty" and "burpy" (aka lots of kids). There was only one party with adults and that was the White Hot Party.

 

The only thing going on in the evening were the abreviated mini Vegas shows (yawn), game shows (eyes rolling), bingo(eyes closed), and the casino (rubbing my temples).

 

I don't know what I would or could do with a group of friends (age 40's -50's) for fun after dinner except drink.

[kchesneylover]

I agree with cruzface. I have sailed Carnival and Costa and prefer NCL hands down. The Pearl is a beautiiful ship. Never sailed on rccl but from the youtube videos, rccls ships look like huge shopping malls. No thanks!!!

 

Ncl all the way. The food was delish, the ports were great and the colors they use on ncl are very soothiing. Not red and harsh looking. Im trying to book the epic right now. Have them youtube ncl. Good luck!

[WaldosPepper]

Your friend needs to understand that the Norwegian Cruise Line of 15 years ago is not even REMOTELY close to what they are today. Since then NCL has positioned itself as the innovator, introducing Freestyle (a concept which every other major cruise line has attempted to imitate in some fashion) and has completely changed their entire model.

 

Hubby (56) and myself (49) sailed the Jewel last year with our adult kids (27 and 23) and our future daughter-in-law (28). Although we often spit up and rejoined numerous times over the course of each evening (to enjoy various venues) we rarely got back to the suite before 1:00. Most nights the kids were out until at least 2am. There is live music all over the ship (including the pool deck) in addition to the shows in the main theater. The casino is hopping until the wee hours, and the bars will stay open as long as there are patrons. We had the time of our lives, and will be repeating the trip in two weeks. :D

 

We've sailed the Majesty, Dawn, Jewel and Star and I can assure you if these ships were "farty" we would have chosen another line a LONG time ago. When we go on vacation we want to have FUN, and we're never disappointed on an NCL cruise. ;)

 

I can't think of anything more "farty" than cruising on a line that still has mandatory formal nights, assigned seating, and the same old hum-drum entertainment. :rolleyes:

 

Your friend is stuck in history. They need to try NCL and step into the future. :D

[Ms belp]

We have never had a bad cruise on NCL. We love Freestyle. We love the crew on each and every one of our cruises they have gone above and beyond. I would not cruise Carnival if they gave me a free cruise. We will stick with NCL. We love their excursions too.:)

[GORDONCHICK]

Essentially, none of the cruise lines are the same as they were 15 years ago. Heck, at one time, every night was formal!

 

As far as Farty - I'd put HAL in that category, and possibly some Celebrity cruises (though this is our other favorite line).

[shark with a laser]

I've sailed twice on RCCL, twice on Carnival, and am preparing for my fourth on NCL. I've never had a bad cruise. NCL is at least as good as, if not better, than RCCL or Carnival in terms of overall quality, from my experience. Add in the freestyle concept, and it takes it up a level, unless you're someone who looks forward to spending a week dining with people you never met before you got on the ship.

 

And if you're fortunate enough to afford a suite, I'm not sure where you have to go to find something comparable. We did a suite on our recent cruise on Carnival Triumph. We got to bypass the check-in line and had a bigger, slightly nicer room. That was it. Not sure what suite perks are like on RCCL, but it's my understanding they don't begin to approach those of NCL. I recently did a comparison of my upcoming NCL cruise in a suite to a similar RCCL itinerary, and they wanted nearly twice as much for a smaller, not as nice suite.

[NYcruzzer]

I love NCL and need to convince 9 other couples to cruise this line. Our "leader" sailed 15 years ago and said except for the wonderful show, the ship was farty. I have cruised with NCL 4 times in 2 years and it is THE BEST. Help me convince our leader.

 

Please post the fun you have on an ncl cruise. I will show him your posts on March 9, when our group gathers to pick next years cruise. Thank you:)

 

If your "leader" is using a cruise from 15 years ago as a basis for his/her opinion, then it is time to get a new leader !!!

[ddakrt]

I don't know what ship you are looking at but the EPIC was a bit "farty" and "burpy" (aka lots of kids). There was only one party with adults and that was the White Hot Party.

 

The only thing going on in the evening were the abreviated mini Vegas shows (yawn), game shows (eyes rolling), bingo(eyes closed), and the casino (rubbing my temples).

 

I don't know what I would or could do with a group of friends (age 40's -50's) for fun after dinner except drink.

 

Is this serious? :confused:

 

Are you sure you actually sailed on the Epic last week?

[shark with a laser]

Is this serious? :confused:

 

Are you sure you actually sailed on the Epic last week?

 

Agreed. Admittedly, the Epic wasn't my style. But I was never bored and never had a situation where I couldn't find something to do.

[ddakrt]

Agreed. Admittedly, the Epic wasn't my style. But I was never bored and never had a situation where I couldn't find something to do.

 

Just came across another of candycaramel's post from a thread about the Nassau port authority closing the port to the Epic and 2 other ships last week:

 

I have to jump on the "I'm upset because we missed Nassau port" bandwagon. Hubby was really mad :mad: because he couldn't stand the crowded pool decks.

 

I understand that Nassau is probably a bit crowded and funky but I wanted to see it and I thought I paid to visit short of a hurricane.

 

(Now searching for a smaller, luxurious cruiseline):rolleyes:

 

 

Seems like candycaramel either has a beef with NCL and is simply finding things to complaint or she is one of those impossible to please passengers that none of us want to have the displeasure to travel with.

Either way, she is definitely bitter about the cruise and NCL.

[lordchaos]

quite simply, NCL has picked up their game immensely from the company they used to be. my first sailing on NCL was 2003 on the Norwegian Sea. wasnt bad, but i didnt know any better then. the ships they have now are like night and day. i highly recommend you give it a try. especially the Gem, or the EPIC for a wow factor, but i think the Breakaway will be even better. i'm going on her on may 26 to Bermuda- cant wait.

[lordchaos]

Is it possible with My time dining, to reserve a table for 10 at a set dinner time?

 

 

yes you can reserve dinner table in the main dining room. they will say you dont need it but i would do it anyway. probably cannot be done more than a day in advance.

[lordchaos]

also, in my opinion, Norwegian has greatly improved the quality of their food in the last few years, as well as food choices.

[Cruzface]

I don't know what ship you are looking at but the EPIC was a bit "farty" and "burpy" (aka lots of kids). There was only one party with adults and that was the White Hot Party.

 

The only thing going on in the evening were the abreviated mini Vegas shows (yawn), game shows (eyes rolling), bingo(eyes closed), and the casino (rubbing my temples).

 

I don't know what I would or could do with a group of friends (age 40's -50's) for fun after dinner except drink.

 

Um, Howl at the Moon, Fat Cats, Bliss... Did you even walk around the ship at night? Seems like you missed an entire deck.

[terrydtx]

Interesting thread. I am the leader of our group of 10 couples, so far. We are all prostate cancer survivors and fighters from all over the country over 50 years old and, one couple is from Maui, Hawaii. I have never been on NCL, past cruises on CCL (15 years ago on a farty old ship) RCL, not a great ship. Celebrity, too stuffy and HAL, very good food first cruise not so good last cruise. We are on the Jewel leaving from New Orleans on Dec. 1. Picked NO as it is in the middle of the country and an easy drive for many of us. Our choices were in Dec from NO, CCL (Sunshine), NCL and RCI (Navigator of the Seas). Two of our group are past NCL customers and talked very positive about their past experiences. Of those who have cruised before not one of them had a positive cruise from CCL or RCI so NCL was our choice. We also looked at pricing and a balcony cabin was considerably less cost on the Jewel compared to the other 2 lines. WE all agreed that no one wanted to bring any formal wear for dinning and we wanted to try the freestyle cruising of NCL. So far I think we made the right decision to try NCL.

[insidecabin]

Get all of you in to the courtyard villas.

 

on the jewel/dawn class

Book a GV and a few other cabins and share the space.

[Richpontone]

The OP's members are going to do that whether we like it or not. Cruise Critics stands for honest advice and honest reviews, and we mostly deliver that. Rah rah messages are a bit of stretching the truth, that NCL is 100 percent perfect. Reading our message board proves that this is not the case, there are some negative reviews and observations, not many, but they are there. Face it, all of us must have had some negative experience with food or service on our many NCL cruises. Our message boards prove that no cruise line is 100 percent perfect. Heck, there are negative passenger reviews on the NCL.com website. So, who are we kidding?

If the OP wants someone to stretch the truth, let that individual contact the PCC's at NCL. They are paid to "sell" cruises. Cruise Critics are not. Let us at least have some integrity.