Generally speaking...

[Maine Coon]

I think NCL sucks.

 

I also think it provides the best price/value items due to the good fleet, good itineraries and good timing.

 

Been there twice and go again.

 

I just wish they were at the very least trying to be close to Princess and HAL in terms of respect to their passengers, get rid of shameless, annoying stewards on the deck, improve food quality etc.

 

Bottom feeder I guess.. Still going with them but only because of the price and itinerary.

[Cosmopolitan]

I think NCL sucks.

 

I also think it provides the best price/value items due to the good fleet, good itineraries and good timing.

 

Been there twice and go again.

 

I just wish they were at the very least trying to be close to Princess and HAL in terms of respect to their passengers, get rid of shameless, annoying stewards on the deck, improve food quality etc.

 

Bottom feeder I guess.. Still going with them but only because of the price and itinerary.

 

If I think anything "sucks"...I avoid it!

 

I'd stay with Princess and Hal. Unless you can't afford them:confused:

 

Never had a problem with NCL's " respect to passengers, shamless, annoying stewards on deck or food quality. When and on what NCL ship did you sail????:confused:

[johnql]

To the OP, sorry you feel that way, but my experience with NCL has always been positive. And, as far as I'm concerned, my five NCL cruises compare favorably to my four Princess cruises.

[Host CMLA]

Bottom feeder I guess.. Still going with them but only because of the price and itinerary.

Nothing personal against you but I guess it's true that everyone has a price. Don't get me wrong...I still patronize places because of price even though I swore I'd never go there again. That's why I always wonder when someone says they've sworn off XYZ cruise line for some reason. Do they mean it or will they change their mind when the price is right? There are some things that I've sworn off of completely and never gone to again but not when it comes to cruises. Price is a big factor for me.

[Tomct]

All five of our cruises have been with NCL, from May of 2002 through July 2005, and have seen no reason to look elsewhere. The price and our locale in the East, have led us to be very pleased. We enjoy the food and restaurant options, the outstanding service, friendly staff, quality entertainment, average liquor prices, intinerary variety, and the direction they are going with all the new ships. Unless we experience something out of the norm, we will continue to explore NCL options for our cruising experience.

[karfest]

I know we aren't supposed to "attack" other members or feed the trolls, but I guess I'm not understanding the purpose of your thread. Is it to tell those of us that like NCL that we have no taste? Or is it to tell us that you are willing to go with a line that is beneath you because you're cheap?

 

I really didn't see any difference between Princess and NCL and would cruise either line again. In fact, we've had the best room stewards on NCL, and the worst was on Princess. She was very nice but not well trained.

 

Maybe we should have a "Bottom Feeders" group cruise!!:D

[seahorse]

Nothing personal against you but I guess it's true that everyone has a price. Don't get me wrong...I still patronize places because of price even though I swore I'd never go there again. That's why I always wonder when someone says they've sworn off XYZ cruise line for some reason. Do they mean it or will they change their mind when the price is right? There are some things that I've sworn off of completely and never gone to again but not when it comes to cruises. Price is a big factor for me.

 

Does the name Wal-Mart ring a bell? Everytime I go there I say "never again"..........then I see a special:D But then again I am not spending 7 to 10 days in the store.

 

Just got off RCI Voyager, really bad experience. Will I say "I will never sail RCI again"? No, not necessarily, but I know I will never sail their Voyager Class again, or anything bigger for that matter.

 

NCL has it`s faults, nothing major IMO. To say it "sucks" because of them, no. Would I say RCI "sucks" no, but my experience sure did.

 

Bottom line.........to make generalizations about an entire cruise line is counterproductive to your enjoyment of your cruising vacations. You will always be looking for something to go "wrong", real or imaginary.

[tinkerbelldee]

While I have only sailed on NCL and can not compare to other lines, I have to respectfully disagree.

 

We were on the Sun and NEVER had a deck steward ask us if we wanted drinks. They did spritz us with cool water and say hello, but never asked if we wanted a drink.

 

While the food was not 5 star Paris dining, it was very good. We are "foodies" and while we were not blown away by the food, we enjoyed all of our meals.

 

We were treated with respect by all the crew we came in contact with. Perhaps that is because we treat everyone we come in contact with with the respect they deserve.

We did have fair service at dinner once, but it was not directed at us personally, the server seemed to be having an off night.

 

We will be back on NCL in 8 months and I am looking forward to a wonderful cruise, that doesn't suck!

[MandyGirl]

I just wish they were at the very least trying to be close to Princess and HAL in terms of respect to their passengers, get rid of shameless, annoying stewards on the deck, improve food quality etc.

Our limited experience includes NCL (3 times), HAL (2 times) and Celebrity (once). All 7-nt cruises since 12/2000 when school is not in session (I'm a teacher). The staff at NCL has always taken great care of us, greeting with a warm smile, and the first time I met our room steward last month (Sun) he greeted me by name without me telling him my name! Our HAL steward this last cruise never once greeted us by name. I really don't want NCL to be close to HAL in that regard - I enjoyed our NCL steward taking time to know our names before we ever met! I first met him down the hall and said "Hi, I'm in 9278..." and he replied "Oh, Mrs. ...." Definitely very impressed. :)

Even eating at the outdoor cafe, my Dad wore his Norway cap. I cannot count the number of crew that stopped by to talk about the Norway. Hubby and I married in St John on that cruise, so the Norway holds a special place in our hearts, and we learned that she also holds a special place in many crewmembers' hearts as well. Very touching to visit with them.

The only annoyances we had on our last NCL cruise were some rude passengers onboard that I shared in my review here on CC last month. Really couldn't "get rid of" them.

[marvholly]

I have sailed multiple cruise lines since 1969. NCL 1x. Celebrity 1x. Carnival 3x; all in the last 6 years.

 

frankly, all cruise lines "suck" compared to 1969. Food has gone downhill (less shellfish and lower grades of beef). Dress codes do not exist in reality (YEA!) although I personally do pack/dress for formal nites.

 

That said and done here is what I have experienced:

Many more activities available

Much better entertainment, at least on Carnival and NCL

Love Carnival cabins (IS thru mini-suite)

Love Carnival Dinner menus

Staff service has been good/bad dependent on individual on EVERY cruise

Love NCL dine room breakfast menu

Love NCL deck BBQ

Enjoy most NCL lunch/dinner menus

Did not care for Celebrity in general, found them stuffy

 

I book by price, date, itinerary factors. For example, I really want a vacation this fall. However, I have a bunch of expenses right now so price was my primary concern. I am booking the new NCL Jewel even though I have been to 2/4 ports as recently as 3/04.

 

I have yet to find a cruise ship/line SOOO bad I would NEVER book again. Never is a really long time. Things/crews constantly change.

 

Guess i am just a cruise nut.

[raria]

I think NCL sucks.

 

I also think it provides the best price/value items due to the good fleet, good itineraries and good timing.

 

Been there twice and go again.

 

I just wish they were at the very least trying to be close to Princess and HAL in terms of respect to their passengers, get rid of shameless, annoying stewards on the deck, improve food quality etc.

 

Bottom feeder I guess.. Still going with them but only because of the price and itinerary.

 

Regarding you comments:

 

a) The food quality was indifferent some meals (the president's

dinner was outstanding) but sometimes at lunch I saw Philly-cheesesteak

sandwiches!

b) The service on the Dawn was generally excellent, but I think this was

because it/was the "flag-ship" of NCL so probably the best people get

assigned to it.

c) NCL is very cheap. When I looked at

other cruises sailing out of the east coast I found I just couldn't afford

them. Most other cruises were *generally* $1200+ pp but NCL was

about $750 per-person.

 

Hi I posted a comparative review of NCL's food/accomodation etc.

against land-based institutions a while ago.

It would be useful to compare the entire line against land-based

institutions as well.

 

I've only sailed NCL Dawn but from what I researched about the

top three lines (below) I found:

 

NCL: Walmart

Carnival Target

Celebrity Macy's

RCC ???

Holland ???

???

 

Comments?

[seahorse]

Regarding you comments:

 

a) The food quality was indifferent some meals (the president's

dinner was outstanding) but sometimes at lunch I saw Philly-cheesesteak

sandwiches!

b) The service on the Dawn was generally excellent, but I think this was

because it/was the "flag-ship" of NCL so probably the best people get

assigned to it.

c) NCL is very cheap. When I looked at

other cruises sailing out of the east coast I found I just couldn't afford

them. Most other cruises were *generally* $1200+ pp but NCL was

about $750 per-person.

 

Hi I posted a comparative review of NCL's food/accomodation etc.

against land-based institutions a while ago.

It would be useful to compare the entire line against land-based

institutions as well.

 

I've only sailed NCL Dawn but from what I researched about the

top three lines (below) I found:

 

NCL: Walmart

Carnival Target

Celebrity Macy's

RCC ???

Holland ???

???

 

Comments?

No disrespect, and I am not putting you down. You did ask for comments.

 

Being you have not sailed on any other line and that was your first cruise and you want to compare on other peoples opinions that have sailed on other lines

( not do-able in my professional opinion unless you have sailed on at least a few of them of them).

 

Carnival-----WAL-Mart big time, even their philosophy of "eating" the competition.

 

NCL----Target (my favorite discount store) gives good value in a classy way. Attracts a "better" clientel, care about the customer, has better service, better merchandise.

 

Princess, Celebrity, RCCI, HAL---Any of your Mall Anchor Stores, hit and miss.

 

Then we get into your speciality stores, extra fine service, attention to detail, one on one......will even custom make your suites for you:D All of this comes at a high price, but the value is there, and you expect nothing less. I am sure all of you cruisers know these cruise lines.

 

Hope this helps.

[lhall85917]

Regarding you comments:

 

 

I've only sailed NCL Dawn but from what I researched about the

top three lines (below) I found:

 

NCL: Walmart

Carnival Target

Celebrity Macy's

RCC ???

Holland ???

???

 

Comments?

 

I just got off Carnival Valor last month and have sailed NCL's Star twice and I found the 2 ships to be very similar in most areas. Both are nicely decorated, staff was courteous and friendly (although no one has ever addressed me by name on either line), food was slightly better on Carnival, I felt there was slightly more to do on NCL and didn't feel like Bingo was pushed on me quite so much. As far as itinerary, I love that NCL offers the Hawaii option, but am disappointed in the lack of Caribbean choices over the summer (only time that I can go). I've also been on Disney several years ago - again not much difference. The mass market lines seem to be similar in many ways just so they can stay competitive. I don't agree with the NCL/Walmart, Carnival/Target designation - I would say they are both Target-worthy! :D

[Bucks]

Carnival-----WAL-Mart big time, even their philosophy of "eating" the competition.

NCL----Target (my favorite discount store) gives good value in a classy way. Attracts a "better" clientel, care about the customer, has better service, better merchandise.

Princess, Celebrity, RCCI, HAL---Any of your Mall Anchor Stores, hit and miss.

These "comparisons" can get a bit ridiculous, but I guess we all use them as a general rule-of-thumb. I've also seen the cruise lines likened to hotel/motel chains, with NCL being compared to Holiday Inn or Best Western.

Using whichever scale you prefer, I would place NCL a notch above Carnival.

Also, I strongly agree with the comment that the "Mall Anchor Stores" cruise lines can indeed be hit-and-miss!

[raria]

I just got off Carnival Valor last month and have sailed NCL's Star twice and I found the 2 ships to be very similar in most areas. Both are nicely decorated, staff was courteous and friendly (although no one has ever addressed me by name on either line), food was slightly better on Carnival, I felt there was slightly more to do on NCL and didn't feel like Bingo was pushed on me quite so much. As far as itinerary, I love that NCL offers the Hawaii option, but am disappointed in the lack of Caribbean choices over the summer (only time that I can go). I've also been on Disney several years ago - again not much difference. The mass market lines seem to be similar in many ways just so they can stay competitive. I don't agree with the NCL/Walmart, Carnival/Target designation - I would say they are both Target-worthy! :D

 

So its

 

NCL/Carnival - Walmart/Target

 

I'll say Walmart/Target becomes sometimes NCL can be hopeless

but most times are quite good.

 

But what about the others.

 

I've read that Celebrity's ships aren't that nice, but the food and

service are outstanding, doesn't that mean:

 

Celebrity - Macy's (i.e. a level of quality above NCL/Carnival)

 

What then makes HAL and RCC different?

 

I liked my NCL cruise but wanted to kno

[seahorse]

So its

 

NCL/Carnival - Walmart/Target

 

I'll say Walmart/Target becomes sometimes NCL can be hopeless

but most times are quite good.

 

But what about the others.

 

I've read that Celebrity's ships aren't that nice, but the food and

service are outstanding, doesn't that mean:

 

Celebrity - Macy's (i.e. a level of quality above NCL/Carnival)

 

What then makes HAL and RCC different?

 

Raria

The only way that you can know the difference is to either sail on them or get "qualified" by someone.

 

Every cruise line has their demographics and then has demographics within themselves ie, time of year, itinerary ship, etc.

 

EVERY cruise line is different. The newer Celebrity ships are beautiful. The last time I sailed a Celebrity ship (last year) the food wasn`t good. The quality, presentation has gone down, IMO, since RCCI took over . I have sailed Celebrity many times. So who are you going to believe?? This is my point:)

[shoreguy]

As always everyone will have different opinions. To do the comparison to land based services you need to go a layer deeper. I think it has to be ship by ship or at a minimum class of ship.

 

A new NCL ship is several levels better then an old CCL ship. It would be like comparing Bloomingdales to Walgreens :D :D

 

 

I think CCL Spirit class compare well to Dawn/Star. The main difference is the additional dining options.

 

I could easily place the Sea in the Walmart bucket but not the Dawn/Star

 

The Dawn is clearly a move up from Horizon and Zenith.

 

 

If NCL is Walmart then the RCL Voyager class ships are Walmart super stores :D

[johnql]

I wholeheartedly agree with Shoreguy. You cannot make generalizations about an entire cruise line. Period. That goes for service, food, amenities, entertainment, etc. Each ship offers a different experience. Even different sailings on the same ship can offer significantly different experiences. In my experience, all of the mainstream lines have more in common than differences. Personal preferences and priorities end up resulting in certain lines being preferred over others. To me, an apt analogy would be flavors of ice cream. Sometimes I'm in the mood for chocolate, sometimes strawberry, sometimes vanilla. They're different flavors but they're all delicious.

[seahorse]

As always everyone will have different opinions. To do the comparison to land based services you need to go a layer deeper. I think it has to be ship by ship or at a minimum class of ship.

 

A new NCL ship is several levels better then an old CCL ship. It would be like comparing Bloomingdales to Walgreens :D :D

 

 

I think CCL Spirit class compare well to Dawn/Star. The main difference is the additional dining options.

 

I could easily place the Sea in the Walmart bucket but not the Dawn/Star

 

The Dawn is clearly a move up from Horizon and Zenith.

 

 

If NCL is Walmart then the RCL Voyager class ships are Walmart super stores :D

 

With all due respect Shoreguy:rolleyes: ,

 

I am sure you don`t want to confuse the topic (we don`t need that now, do we:D ?) We are comparing LINES not SHIPS.

 

If we do this we could go on forever, not enough stores to do that.

[raria]

With all due respect Shoreguy:rolleyes: ,

 

I am sure you don`t want to confuse the topic (we don`t need that now, do we:D ?) We are comparing LINES not SHIPS.

 

If we do this we could go on forever, not enough stores to do that.

 

Actually, this is quite interesting to me. I thought that the quality of

food, service on the Dawn would be pretty much the same for all

ships in NCL fleet.

 

But it seems people are saying that different ships within the

same line differ quite significantly with respect to food quality,

service etc. (note I'm not taking ammenities, these are easily

verifiable).

 

So ship lines are quite different to mall stores. Whether I go the

Macy's in New York or San Francisco, the product quality and

service is the same, but your saying the food/service on some

NCL ships are different. If so, how. Are the menu's different,

is the food quality different (i.e. smaller lobsters, worse cuts of

meat) how do the differ.

[johnql]

your saying the food/service on some

NCL ships are different. If so, how. Are the menu's different,

is the food quality different (i.e. smaller lobsters, worse cuts of

meat) how do the differ.

I believe they primarily differ in the food preparation. This is probably in direct correlation to the chef in charge of the galley staff. It's no different than going to a top restaurant. If you happen to go on the chef's night out, the quality may not be the same as usual. That's why the food quality on the same ship may even change from one sailing to another - i.e., the chef and/or some of the top personnel are on vacation, have left, or have transferred to a different ship.

 

You and I may buy the exact same ingredients - same quality, same freshness, etc. But believe me, you will probably prepare a better meal! LOL

[raria]

I believe they primarily differ in the food preparation. This is probably in direct correlation to the chef in charge of the galley staff. It's no different than going to a top restaurant. If you happen to go on the chef's night out, the quality may not be the same as usual. That's why the food quality on the same ship may even change from one sailing to another - i.e., the chef and/or some of the top personnel are on vacation, have left, or have transferred to a different ship.

 

You and I may buy the exact same ingredients - same quality, same freshness, etc. But believe me, you will probably prepare a better meal! LOL

 

But others like Shoreguy were implying a more systemic difference, i.e.

the quality of food on the Dawn was notably better than say

on the Crown/Majesty.

[johnql]

But others like Shoreguy were implying a more systemic difference, i.e.

the quality of food on the Dawn was notably better than say

on the Crown/Majesty.

I'm sorry, raria, but I just reread Shoreguy's comments and most of the entire thread. I don't see any statements that express that opinion. Mostly, they say that you need to evaluate individual ships and not generalize about an entire cruise line (a view that I wholeheartedly support). Shoreguy does say that he would rate the Sea significantly below the Dawn/Star, but he makes it clear that the reason is the additional dining options. That, to me, means additional choice and diversity of cuisine, but not necessarily quality (altho it may include quality). (Sorry, Shoreguy, if I'm misreading you.)

 

I do think it's very possible (and even probable) that the same person cruising on different ships of a cruise line will have varying opinions of the food. It's no different than finding out that one KFC has much better chicken than a different KFC. That happens all the time within chain restaurants. And I think uniformity is much easier with fast food than cruise-ship meals. Uniformity across an entire cruise line is probably close to impossible.

[Maine Coon]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

 

My apologies to anyone who feels offended by my post.

 

It was just my humble opinion, nothing more.

 

NCL can improve for certain, but this world is not perfect.

 

I did not try to tell NCL cruisers they have poor taste or anything.

 

I cruised with them twice and going for the third time.

 

Freestyle + pricing + itineraries have it's advantages.

 

I just wish waiters wouldn't forget what I ordered, some low-key personnel would not offend passengers while speaking their own language which I happened to understand, food was better etc. ( all from my own experience).

 

Once again, I apologize to anyone who feels offended by the initial post. It was not my intention.

 

Love and Peace and Happy Cruising to all.

[raria]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My apologies to anyone who feels offended by my post.

 

No need to apologize. This is criuise CRITIC!

You clearly articulated why you thought the ship

was not good.