New to NCL, what differences from other lines?

[luckybecky]

Hello Cruisers!

 

We have just booked our first NCL cruise -- 12 day Summer Solstice cruise to Norway in June 2019. I'm just beginning to research this cruise.

 

This is our first time on Norwegian and I've already started to notice some differences from other lines. Correct me if I am wrong, but these are some things I have noticed.

 

No formal nights. I know you can still dress up if you choose, but what do most people do? Keep it casual, or plan for some dress up evenings?

 

No set time dining. Do most of you think this is a good thing? Or do you miss the opportunity to have the same servers who learn your preferences?

 

What is this "bidding" thing I see when it comes to upgrade offers? On other cruise lines, I just get an offer, with a price. I can take it or leave it. Does it work differently with NCL? You have to BID?

 

I saw someone make a reference to reserving seats at a show. How does this work? I've been on a few cruises now and never had to reserve any shows in advance. Do you get specific seat assignments? How do you reserve shows, and how far in advance can you do this?

 

Laundry: there is no guest laundry? We will be travelling for a minimum of 14-15 days, so lots of dirty laundry. Is there any option to the very expensive "per piece" laundry charge that is common in hotels and cruise ships?

 

Lastly, our cruise is not showing any shore excursions available this far out. When are these usually made available for booking?

 

Thanks for any advice. I'm sure I will have more questions as we are new to this cruise line and the itinerary. We appreciate any help!

 

Becky

[josephmz]

Do not miss the dress up thing. Means packing fewer clothes. they have a "dress up or not night" if you want to do pictures.

 

I like the dine anytime idea. You can book dining reservations about 60 days out.

Never had to wait for long to get a table if no res. Don't really miss not having same table or tablemates every night. Had some real doozey on other cruises.

 

You may get an offer to bid on higher grade cabin. Don't necessarily have to.

You can bid on two grades above your current booking.

 

Don't know what ship you are on, but some shows on bigger ships can be reserved about 60 days out.

 

Wouldn't expect to see excursions much before the end of this year. You can always go on website and see list of excursions normally available for each port.

 

On a 14 day trip I can imagine the laundry thing would be a problem. They will offer the service a couple of times during your cruise. Less than $20.00 for a bag that you can cram as much as you can in. Will get items back, neatly folded in about two days.

 

Hope this helps

Edited August 22, 2018 by josephmz
Clairty

[Two Wheels Only]

1. As long as the dress code (cruise casual and smart casual) are followed, dress however you want. Some will "suit and tie" for dinner and some will "shorts and t-shirt".

 

 

 

2. Freestyle Dining is great. Again, it's up to you and you aren't seated with others as standard. Reservations open 120 days before sailing (130 if in a suite) but only a percentage of reservations open before sailing. If those are filled, there are more reservations to be made on embarkation day.

 

 

3. You may (likely) get an invitation to bid on a higher stateroom category. You select your bid amount and if it wins, you get a stateroom in that category (you don't select a particular stateroom). If you don't win, no charge and you stay where you booked. Also, if you win, you get whatever amenities come with that stateroom but your promos remain the same.

 

 

Excursions just appear. Nothing is set in stone but if sailing in June 2019, you have plenty of time.

[suzequ]

Welcome to NCL luckybecky! I hope you have a wonderful trip. DH and I have been cruising since 1993, predominantly with NCL (we love informality and free style dining), but we have tried other lines when timing and itinerary work best.

 

No formal nights. I know you can still dress up if you choose, but what do most people do? Keep it casual, or plan for some dress up evenings? "Most people" depends a little on the itinerary. All Alaska cruises seem much less formal. A 7-night cruise will typically have 2 "Dress Up or Not" nights. I usually see 1/4 - 1/3 of the passengers dressed up. Whether you decide to or not is really up to you and the kind of cruise experience you want to have. Either way is fine.

 

No set time dining. Do most of you think this is a good thing? Or do you miss the opportunity to have the same servers who learn your preferences? Having tried dining both ways, I prefer the "no set times". Its closer to how we live at home - if I want to stay late in the spa, I can (don't have to rush to make a 6 pm seating). I have enjoyed having the same servers on more traditional lines, but I haven't missed it enough to outweigh the "dine when/where I want" advantages of free style.

 

What is this "bidding" thing I see when it comes to upgrade offers? On other cruise lines, I just get an offer, with a price. I can take it or leave it. Does it work differently with NCL? You have to BID? DH and I haven't tried the bidding process yet. We book the cabin we want. NCL used to do the Offer/set price/accept or reject thing and changed to this - maybe its the new management.

 

I saw someone make a reference to reserving seats at a show. How does this work? I've been on a few cruises now and never had to reserve any shows in advance. Do you get specific seat assignments? How do you reserve shows, and how far in advance can you do this? Several months out some of the entertainment will be available for advance reservations (not specific seats, it's general seating) on the My NCL site where you complete your eDocs, etc. If any of them interest you, pick a day/time and reserve a seat. I typically keep a screenshot of the confirmation, but haven't ever had a problem with them losing it. If you prefer to wait until the day of the show to go (definitely more free style like than reservations), the screener at the door will ask you to wait until 15 minutes before show time, then if there are "No Shows" they admit anyone waiting. I've never been left out.

 

Laundry: there is no guest laundry? We will be travelling for a minimum of 14-15 days, so lots of dirty laundry. Is there any option to the very expensive "per piece" laundry charge that is common in hotels and cruise ships? Sadly, there is no guest laundry. Dh and I bring some items that we handwash and enough for half the week, then do the Laundry Special NCL has a mid-point. It's a flat fee and we usually get a couple pair of pants, a couple shirts, t-shirts and all our underclothes in one bag. The most annoying thing is the small, hard identifier tags they put on each item. Pulling them off socks is tough.

 

Lastly, our cruise is not showing any shore excursions available this far out. When are these usually made available for booking? Sorry, I can't answer this as we don't book that far out. I'll call my NCL cruise consultant and ask her and post an update/edit.

[tempus137]

On the larger ships, you reserve the main shows, but not a specific seat. A line starts forming about 45 minutes before showtime for people with reservations. Once they let you into the theater, it's general admission.

 

 

 

There is a second line for people for stand-by (without reservations). Once the all of the people with reservations are let in, and there are no-shows, the stand-bys then can go in.

[ShipWalker]

Wife and I are also first timers with NCL.

 

I saw this on the NCL page for our October trip, NYC-NOLA

 

 

Please note:

-Disembarkation usually begins 2 hours after docking.

-Due to security reasons, all guests must be on board 2 hours before sailing.

 

I understand the two hours after docking but having to be on board two hours before sailing?? Is this for every port stop? Is this standard for NCL?

 

Thanks.

[gkr283]

Wife and I are also first timers with NCL.

 

I saw this on the NCL page for our October trip, NYC-NOLA

 

 

Please note:

-Disembarkation usually begins 2 hours after docking.

-Due to security reasons, all guests must be on board 2 hours before sailing.

 

I understand the two hours after docking but having to be on board two hours before sailing?? Is this for every port stop? Is this standard for NCL?

 

Thanks.

Not every stop, just embarkation day

 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[adjensen]

No set time dining. Do most of you think this is a good thing? Or do you miss the opportunity to have the same servers who learn your preferences?

One thing I'll point out is that the servers pretty much work the same restaurants and times throughout the trip, so when we find a good server, at the "check in" stand, we say "We would like to sit in <server name>'s section, please," and nine times out of ten that is accommodated.

[luckybecky]

Thanks everyone for the good information. I appreciate your insights.

 

I called NCL this morning to ask about shore excursions. The lady said to just look at excursions for this year, saying they should be roughly the same next year. I kept telling here, there are NO excursions shown for any of our ports, anywhere I can find on the website. Maybe because they do this itinerary less often? I mean, it is not like Cozumel where there are ships every single day all year round.

 

We are going to Stavanger, Hammerfest, Trondheim, Haugesund, Flam, and other ports in Norway. Perhaps because these are less commonly visited, they have nothing offered at all on NCL website that I can find. I am keen to see what is available and prices, so I can decide whether to go with NCL excursions or book on our own outside of the cruise line. Guess I will just have to wait and see.

 

It's weird about the shows. I have never had to book in advance for any cruise line, and almost never have to wait in line. Obviously if you want prime seats you will have to arrive early, but in general we just show up and walk right in when we want to see a show. Never had this concern about lines for people with reservations, and standby lines. It is true that the comedy clubs have always been popular on our cruises and we had to go early to get a seat. But it's good to know that things work a little differently on NCL.

 

I'm sure I will have many more questions as we continue our planning for this cruise. We are very excited to see Norway. My MIL went years ago and said it was the most beautiful place on earth. And we are looking forward to cruising NCL as we like to try different things. Thanks again for the tips!

[Travelling2Some]

If you are wanting to do the extremely popular railway excursion in Flam be sure to book ahead. You can buy tickets in advance online. Don't pay for the cruise line's ridiculously expensive excursion. Flam is a very small town and it is easy to buy your own tickets and take the very short walk from the ship to the rail station. When we were there we walked past long lines of very disappointed cruisers trying to get tickets that morning in Flam. Of course they were completely sold out ahead of time and I would imagine that is the case on any day there is a ship in port.

[newmexicoNita]

Hello Cruisers!

 

We have just booked our first NCL cruise -- 12 day Summer Solstice cruise to Norway in June 2019. I'm just beginning to research this cruise.

 

This is our first time on Norwegian and I've already started to notice some differences from other lines. Correct me if I am wrong, but these are some things I have noticed.

 

No formal nights. I know you can still dress up if you choose, but what do most people do? Keep it casual, or plan for some dress up evenings?

 

No set time dining. Do most of you think this is a good thing? Or do you miss the opportunity to have the same servers who learn your preferences?

 

What is this "bidding" thing I see when it comes to upgrade offers? On other cruise lines, I just get an offer, with a price. I can take it or leave it. Does it work differently with NCL? You have to BID?

 

I saw someone make a reference to reserving seats at a show. How does this work? I've been on a few cruises now and never had to reserve any shows in advance. Do you get specific seat assignments? How do you reserve shows, and how far in advance can you do this?

 

Laundry: there is no guest laundry? We will be travelling for a minimum of 14-15 days, so lots of dirty laundry. Is there any option to the very expensive "per piece" laundry charge that is common in hotels and cruise ships?

 

Lastly, our cruise is not showing any shore excursions available this far out. When are these usually made available for booking?

 

Thanks for any advice. I'm sure I will have more questions as we are new to this cruise line and the itinerary. We appreciate any help!

 

Becky

quick answers to some of your questions:

 

Most people love the freestyle of eating when and where you want. That is why so many lines are adopting a similar plan.

2-Making reservations for shows depends on which ship you are on. The mega ships do have reservations; the other ships; no

 

Bidding for an upgrade is a personal thing. Some people do and some do not, in fact I am guessing most do not.

 

Shore excursions will start vein listed about 8 months prior to sailing. Maybe as late as 6 months

 

Laundry: about 1/2 through you cruise there will be a special laundry offer which will save you a lot of money.

 

Formal nights: you are right, there is none and probably 70% of the guests will not dress up even on dressy night optional. It will save you dragging those suits, fancy dresses, heels etc with you unless you really are set on a nice night in your best garb.

[emcelh]

Thanks everyone for the good information. I appreciate your insights.

 

I called NCL this morning to ask about shore excursions. The lady said to just look at excursions for this year, saying they should be roughly the same next year. I kept telling here, there are NO excursions shown for any of our ports, anywhere I can find on the website. Maybe because they do this itinerary less often? I mean, it is not like Cozumel where there are ships every single day all year round.

 

We are going to Stavanger, Hammerfest, Trondheim, Haugesund, Flam, and other ports in Norway. Perhaps because these are less commonly visited, they have nothing offered at all on NCL website that I can find. I am keen to see what is available and prices, so I can decide whether to go with NCL excursions or book on our own outside of the cruise line. Guess I will just have to wait and see.

 

It's weird about the shows. I have never had to book in advance for any cruise line, and almost never have to wait in line. Obviously if you want prime seats you will have to arrive early, but in general we just show up and walk right in when we want to see a show. Never had this concern about lines for people with reservations, and standby lines. It is true that the comedy clubs have always been popular on our cruises and we had to go early to get a seat. But it's good to know that things work a little differently on NCL.

 

I'm sure I will have many more questions as we continue our planning for this cruise. We are very excited to see Norway. My MIL went years ago and said it was the most beautiful place on earth. And we are looking forward to cruising NCL as we like to try different things. Thanks again for the tips!

Not all NCL ships offer reservations for entertainment. That started with the much larger Norwegian Epic and ships built after her. You didn't mention which ship you're sailing on but I think it's the Spirit which is one of NCL's smaller ships so it will be just like your experience on other cruise lines. Just show up when you want to see a show.

 

You can make dinner reservations 120 days in advance though (130 days if you're in a suite). If you have a restaurant in mind and want a specific date or time, I'd recommend you book in advance.

[luckybecky]

Thanks for the information. I have a lot to learn. Yes, we are on the Spirit so it's good to know we don't need show reservations.

 

We actually like the freestyle dining. However after our last cruise, when we had long waits and slow service, we thought that we might try set time dining on our next cruise. But I guess not this time. :)

 

Also thanks Travelling2some for the tip about the train in Flam. We have not yet started researching our ports at all, and there are no shore excursions on the NCL website so I have no idea what will be available and at what price.

 

We rarely do ship excursions. We almost always book our own outside of the cruise ship. However this time we have a $100 per port shore excursion credit so that might make the ship prices more competitive.

 

Anyway, thanks again for all the information. I'm sure I'll be back with many more questions lots of times between now and next June!

[hal2008]

The biggest difference 10-15 years ago was Freestyle Cruising. Now many other ships offer similar casual choices.

Recently, we discovered that for some reason Norwegian has "prohibited" honoring requests for bringing food from crew's galley when offering on MDR menu is poor (usually entree from crews galley is the most authentic meal on any cruise ship)

[sanger727]

We love the freestyle dining. I don’t think you’ll have a problem with long waits and service. When other lines try to duplicate it, they only offer a section of a dining room and wait staff for anytime dining. And the food service is competing with the traditional meals timing. On NCL it’s the whole ship that’s on freestyle so I haven’t found long waits to be an issue. Plus, every ship I’ve been on has two dining rooms, and you are free to use either. So when one is busy, we go to the other and often find no wait.

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

No formal nights. I know you can still dress up if you choose, but what do most people do? Keep it casual, or plan for some dress up evenings?

No formal nights. Dress as you feel comfortable. Shorts are allowed in all dining rooms for all meals except Windows and Le Bistro where long pants are required (jeans, slacks). Tuxes are nonexistent. Suits and ties are few and far between. Some dress up. Some dress down. (Don’t pack a lot of additional close to be fancy)

 

No set time dining. Do most of you think this is a good thing? Or do you miss the opportunity to have the same servers who learn your preferences?

We love not being constrained to a specific dining time. We eat when we are hungry or when it fits our schedule.

 

What is this "bidding" thing I see when it comes to upgrade offers? On other cruise lines, I just get an offer, with a price. I can take it or leave it. Does it work differently with NCL? You have to BID?

NCL use to send out upgrade emails, but it became unmanageable since they have been launching a new megaship every year. Bidding just automated the old telephone system. Pick the room you want and don’t worry about bidding.

 

I saw someone make a reference to reserving seats at a show. How does this work? I've been on a few cruises now and never had to reserve any shows in advance. Do you get specific seat assignments? How do you reserve shows, and how far in advance can you do this?

Reserving seats is common on megaships across cruise lines. You are not on a megaship. No reservations are required. First come first serve for seating in the theater each night.

 

Laundry: there is no guest laundry? We will be travelling for a minimum of 14-15 days, so lots of dirty laundry. Is there any option to the very expensive "per piece" laundry charge that is common in hotels and cruise ships?

On your 12 day cruise, there will be at least one fill-a-bag for $19.95. Maybe 2.

 

Lastly, our cruise is not showing any shore excursions available this far out. When are these usually made available for booking?

Keep watching. Your MyNCL. Book excursions soon after they become available. Popular ShoreEx will sell out.

 

Becky

Enjoy your cruise. Freestyle Crusing on NCL is intended to make the cruise process more like a vacation than having to dress up and dine on a schedule.

 

Avoid specialty dining unless you have some free meals included as part of your reservation. Save the money for some fantastic ShoreEx. The main dining room is wonderful (don’t listen to those who promote that you “have to” spend money on food).

 

The spirit should be new and shiny after a dry dock (hopefully) early next year.

[JayS]

If you are wanting to do the extremely popular railway excursion in Flam be sure to book ahead. You can buy tickets in advance online. Don't pay for the cruise line's ridiculously expensive excursion. Flam is a very small town and it is easy to buy your own tickets and take the very short walk from the ship to the rail station. When we were there we walked past long lines of very disappointed cruisers trying to get tickets that morning in Flam. Of course they were completely sold out ahead of time and I would imagine that is the case on any day there is a ship in port.

 

 

I was on a B2B that stopped twice in Flam. I got off the ship ASAP and went to the rail station and picked up an 11:00 train. An hour later everything prior to the ships departure was sold out.

On the second leg, I left the ship about 9:00 the trains were sold out. Next to the ticket office a tourist office sold other excursion. I bought a ferry trip through the Fjord. It included a 20 km bus trip of which 15 were in tunnels.