Advice/Opinions, please.

[NJ Fred]

Have not climbed the gangway of an NCL vessel since a 7-day aboard the old Southward in 1985. That voyage soured me on NCL; a resentment that, obviously, has lasted almost three decades.

 

I have been perusing current NCL offerings. Before investing my seat-laden $$$ into a cruise on a line that I have a confessed prejudice against I ask those of you who are NCL aficionados, and have the patience, to supply some friendly guidance.

 

My focal concern is the ambiance on board. The idea of being relatively informal in dress, etc. is appealing. I wear suits all the time. I prefer dining in good slacks and a comfortable shirt.

 

But is NCL's "casual" too lax. Not just in dining room attire but across the board?

 

Is it the same level of non-stop partying that Carnival advocates? My wife and I are both 64. And while we are not dead yet, we enjoy shipboard nooks where a quiet drink can be had free of blaring music and non-ceasing sales pitches for overpriced photographs and chocolate chip cookies.

 

Thank you in advance. Now excuse me while I take out my teeth and chug my afternoon shot of Geritol!

[Demonyte]

First of all, from what I've read NCL is nothing like they were before Freestyle Cruising was introduced so I'd say that you've been holding the grudge for nothing all these decades. :)

 

Secondly no, in general NCL is not a party cruise line. There are of course some larger parties and daily DJ activities in some venue but unless you are on a cruise to nowhere (CTN), music charter, or similar, the atmosphere is overall very relaxed and you can definitely find quiet places to sit and enjoy too. I'm in my early 30s and not so keen on partying to wee hours and have found NCL perfect for my taste.

 

If you are even considering it, all I can say is to go for it and judge by yourself. :)

[Cloudyrain]

Don't panic, people aren't walking around the buffet in speedos and bikinis (though maybe some people like at kind of thing) and even in the more casual dining rooms people are still nicely dressed. I can't think of any time I have seen someone who looks under dressed.

 

We are in our 30s and thought the Epic was quite lively, but not over the top, and there was a brilliant selection of bars and evening entertainment. With the Spirit it is more sedate and a bit more of an older crowd: the Galaxy lounge was lively at night until 12-1ish, but the nightclub was very quiet and mostly used to do dance classes rather than being a hot-bed of sin :D

 

If you like the idea of freestyle you will likely love NCL!

[300dtc]

Have not climbed the gangway of an NCL vessel since a 7-day aboard the old Southward in 1985. That voyage soured me on NCL; a resentment that, obviously, has lasted almost three decades.

 

I have been perusing current NCL offerings. Before investing my seat-laden $$$ into a cruise on a line that I have a confessed prejudice against I ask those of you who are NCL aficionados, and have the patience, to supply some friendly guidance.

 

My focal concern is the ambiance on board. The idea of being relatively informal in dress, etc. is appealing. I wear suits all the time. I prefer dining in good slacks and a comfortable shirt.

 

But is NCL's "casual" too lax. Not just in dining room attire but across the board?

 

Is it the same level of non-stop partying that Carnival advocates? My wife and I are both 64. And while we are not dead yet, we enjoy shipboard nooks where a quiet drink can be had free of blaring music and non-ceasing sales pitches for overpriced photographs and chocolate chip cookies.

 

Thank you in advance. Now excuse me while I take out my teeth and chug my afternoon shot of Geritol!

 

We are in our mid-50's and found NCL perfect for our tastes. We wore business casual for dinners in the specialty restaurant and Taste and never felt out of place. There were people in gowns and tuxes too, it was great to see such a mix of clothes! They definitely enforce the no shorts, no hats rule in the Manhatten Room, we saw some people gently turned away to go and put some slacks on and they came back and joined their party with no problem. We never went to the nightclub, but did go to some other evening venues and there was never any wildly out of control group, just a lot of people having fun. There was always a nice quiet place to read or have a drink or two, I think you will like NCL.

[Love my butler]

NCL has a very lax dress code. If you are the type who care about what the people at the next table are wearing for lunch/dinner it might not be the right line for you. If you have a live and let live attitude NCL is probably what you are looking for. The stuffy atmosphere from 1985 does not exist on NCL anymore.

[artist47]

Firstly, I loved the honesty of your post and your ability to laugh at yourself. GREAT qualities... my compliments to you on that!

 

Second: I'm not really an afficianado of NCL --- I am an afficianado of their prices and their ability to stay out of my business. :D

 

But to answer your questions:

1. Is NCL's "casual" too lax? My answer: Ya, I gotta admit, sometimes I think it is. I lament the demise of common courtesies and common sense among some of the pax. (Does anyone have that photo of the lady in a chainmail "gown"??? I need to see that again just for the laughs.) On the other hand, I am an extremely private person and in general, I tend to "live and let live" and mind my own business, and I expect the same of other pax. If they want to wear chainmail gowns to dinner, who am I to really judge? (But I reserve the right to laugh hysterically at them in the privacy of my cabin. :eek: )

 

2. I don't find NCL to be quite on the same level of partying as Carnival - I am 47 years old, and divorced, cruising solo these days. I'm also an artist/painter and so I always find quiet spots on every line/every ship, to paint and have quiet drinks alone. NCL *does* cut people off from the pubs and that's something rarely seen at sea. I have seen that on several occasions and I have appreciated NCL's common sense approach to the heavy drinkers.

 

In all, I think a couple of your obvious good-humour will enjoy themselves and I don't think you will have any troubles.

 

Happy sailing.

[kaiemiascott2]

NJFred,

 

I hardly every post on Cruise Critic but certainly do enjoy reading the topics on this forum and have certainly leaned a lot of valuable information.

 

My husband and I are in our 70's and feel we are "young 70's". We started sailing in 1974 I got the cruise bug at that time, my husband said never again! Since then we have 52 cruises under our belt and hope we will continue to cruise for as long as we can. Have sailed on all the major cruise lines many times and sailed with NCL for the first time in 2006. We are booked again on NCL in February and that will be our 13th cruise with them.

 

We have done many formal nights on cruises and now enjoy a more relaxed dress code. My husband always wears a golf shirt and dress pants to dinner and I also wear something that I would wear to a nice restaurant in our town. I have observed in the past that many of the passengers dress the same as we do, and then there are some that may be a bit more casual, but that has never ruined my evening, in fact it doesn't bother me at all. NCL does has a dress code for dinner and I have seen them gently enforce it at times.

 

We are certainly not "party animals" but we do see many passengers in the bars having a good time and just enjoying themselves. There are many quiet spots on the ship you and your wife can have a drink and enjoy each other's company. We love to see a show and then go into one of the lounges and listen to the music, sometimes my husband will venture into the casino.

 

We have sailed in NCL's balconies, mini suites, and penthouse suites and we have always received wonderful service, the Captain and his Staff have always been very friendly and attentive.

 

I would suggest that you and your wife give NCL a try again. I think you will enjoy it. We are trying one of the mega ships this time and not sure what to expect, but we are certainly going with a positive attitude.

 

Good luck with your decision.

[Sauer-kraut]

(Does anyone have that photo of the lady in a chainmail "gown"??? I need to see that again just for the laughs.)

Happy sailing.

 

You'll find it on post #13 over here: http://messages.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220572&d=1328298519 :eek::eek::D

Edited January 18, 2014 by Sauer-kraut

[BBT]

I recently sailed Norwegian Epic for my first NCL cruise in 13 years. I had sailed Norwegian just before Freestyle was implemented & shortly after it was implemented.

 

I have to say they have tweaked Freestyle (and more purpose-built Freestyle ships make a difference too I am sure) since I first experienced it & I think they have made it better.

 

As to dress and passenger comportment, I was impressed. Very little in truly slobby appearances. They even turned people away from the buffet for carrying towels and nit being covered up.

 

Overall I was impressed at how people dressed for the most part. Yes, casual, but smart casual. Clean, neat, in style, and I even saw a lot of sports jackets & blazers on the men. I have to say I think the women dressed better than men. Of all ages they were showing off. Loved it.

 

So if it has been since 1985, I say give them a shot. Just try to be relaxed and give the line a fair chance. I don't believe it to be a nonstop party ship. But there is plenty to be entertained by. Hopefully they will sway you.

 

Smooth sailings.

[artist47]

You'll find it on post #13 over here: http://messages.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220572&d=1328298519 :eek::eek::D

 

You are a laugh-saver. :D

[B6ConMe]

My DH & I, although in our mid to late 60's, and just recently married, love cruising Norwegian. I had never cruised but DH had cruised a few times before on other lines and wasn't really sure he wanted to join me on our first cruise.

 

He was so impressed, by the ambiance, the friendliness of the crew, the officers and the passengers, the comfortable dress for dinner and the ease of dining anywhere we wanted. We, and especially he, were so hooked that we've cruised 3 times in 2 years and have 2 more cruises booked. Hooked, oh yeah... and having a great attitude is so important. We're not partiers but we love to have fun, he doesn't like to dance but I do, we enjoy meeting people and sharing a table for dinner, we love sharing a glass of wine while sitting on our balcony...

 

I guess what I'm saying is... if after reading all that has been posted hasn't persuaded you to give NCL another try... well.. it's your choice, enjoy your cruise no matter what cruise line you choose...we've made our choice.

 

Happy cruising...:)

[luddite]

If you are looking at a seven=day or longer trip that isn't at Spring Break, you will do fine on a NCL ship.