Norwegians shocking demise of quality on all fronts

[stinkyharriet]

2 hours ago, hallux said:

When my water glass is empty and the waiter walks past 4 or 5 times before I ask to get more I consider the service needing a boost.  That was the main thing and it was almost every night.

Sounds like a bad waiter.  I have had no issues like that on the three cruises I’ve done in the last 10-11 months.  We had one waiter in one of the smaller MDRs who wasn’t the best but I didn’t use that to rate my entire cruise.  

[SpainAlien]

After a few years of being loyal to NCL I recently tried Royal again. The entertainment was on a par with NCL but the organised parties were better,  the food was slightly better and the service was outstanding. 

 

I have been disappointed with NCL cuts to entertainment but the food and service are, in my opinion, still generally good. However on NCL I have noticed that the crew seem a little more downcast these days.

 

I am now booking my cruises for this year and next and I regret that none of them are with NCL. Perhaps if NCL reinstate the production shows or have an itinerary that I particularly want I will go back.

 

[FPMoosally]

3 hours ago, JT222 said:

I’m so sad that this once excellent cruise line has become so poor.

 

You use both of these terms quite loosely. NCL is neither excellent, nor poor. Never has been. NCL is a mass-market cruise line that attempts to appeal the broadest number of people possible. Times change. Some things get better, some get worse.

 

Your comments on the food are especially exaggerated. While different, less high-end, and perhaps less selection, the food is not even remotely close to "poor". Just different.

 

Mass-market cruising (regardless of the brand) is still an incredible value compared to land-based vacations, and things will continue to change to keep it that way.

 

Same as it ever was.

 

[gmbhardy]

2 hours ago, hallux said:

For those of you that assume my experience matched yours but I was too 'blind' to see it, I suggest you remove your head from where it's become lodged.  My experience is what it was, I felt the food was on par with my previous 4 cruises (I'm less than a month from my most recent cruise) and the on-board entertainment was excellent.

Reality isn’t subjective.

[spanishguy1970]

I wouldn't say we are loyalists, but we have only done NCL because of the freestyle and itineraries that interest us. We would consider Celebrity as another option, this said, in all the years we have done NCL we definitely have seen the decline on their services. The entertainment is either all magic shows, hypnotists or stuff that really don't interest us. On our last cruise for 16 days, we definitely experienced the quality and variety in the MDR menu questionable not to mention repetitive. We definitely see NCL more for less approach now. I particularly liked Kevin Sheehan approach on customer service better than Del Rio, but that's us.  

Edited February 28 by spanishguy1970

[FPMoosally]

10 minutes ago, gmbhardy said:

Reality isn’t subjective.

 

How do you come to this conclusion?

 

[gmbhardy]

25 minutes ago, FPMoosally said:

 

How do you come to this conclusion?

 

My wife told me.

[hallux]

1 hour ago, gmbhardy said:

Reality isn’t subjective.

There are ship-to-ship differences as well.  I experienced no perceived drop in food quality on my cruise recently, compared to the last 2 years.  Others on recent cruises on other ships have had bad food experiences.  So, yes, it IS subjective and variable from ship to ship.  I was on the Bliss.  I actually thought the burgers (in the buffet and at The Local) this year were an upgrade compared to last year on the Escape...

[FPMoosally]

1 hour ago, gmbhardy said:

My wife told me.

 

Ah. Completely understandable.

 

[unionhall]

I completely agree that the quality of the NCL product has declined. I have sailed with them for forty years but this past 10 day Caribbean on Getaway in February was my last cruise. I wasn’t happy on the 5 day Bermuda Getaway in January with the temperature of the food at breakfast in the Buffet and American diner so I didn’t eat there on the February cruise.  
 

We had two bad meals in O’Sheehans and then we didn’t go again. I tried to avoid what  wasn’t working for us. We had a very good dinner at Cagneys and Teppanyaki but the rest were just okay. 

 

For me I liked the hash browns with breakfast, the cookies in the afternoon, the occasional towel animal. They like the thin mint on your pillow and cabins done twice a day are gone from NCL.
 

The most frustrating part for me is how long it takes to get a response from guest services. We had a problem with the casino and I want to know who to get in touch with. I filled out the form and they told me I will get a response in 15-  30 days. That is just to get the name of who we have to contact.

 

My up coming cruises are booked with Royal in April,(Bahamas/Florida/perfect day) two with Celebrity in July  (Japan and Alaska)and back on Royal in September for Canada.

 

Out of the nine people with us on our last trip only two are booked on a future NCl. The rest are moving on.

[Travelling2Some]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

There are ship-to-ship differences as well.  I experienced no perceived drop in food quality on my cruise recently, compared to the last 2 years.  Others on recent cruises on other ships have had bad food experiences.  So, yes, it IS subjective and variable from ship to ship.  I was on the Bliss.  I actually thought the burgers (in the buffet and at The Local) this year were an upgrade compared to last year on the Escape...

Agree that the food on the Bliss was outstanding, especially the Indian cuisine.  The fettuccine Alfredo I had in The Local was actually slightly better than it was in La Cucina.

[julig22]

2 hours ago, hallux said:

There are ship-to-ship differences as well.  I experienced no perceived drop in food quality on my cruise recently, compared to the last 2 years.  Others on recent cruises on other ships have had bad food experiences.  So, yes, it IS subjective and variable from ship to ship.  I was on the Bliss.  I actually thought the burgers (in the buffet and at The Local) this year were an upgrade compared to last year on the Escape...

Good point. Think it was on the Sky where a woman took time during the "Officers" chat to berate the head chef (Indian) because there wasn't enough Indian food in the buffet to suit her. If you've been on the Sky you would know that the buffet is quite small, there simply isn't room to offer a lot of variety.

As to burgers, last year I think they were trying some sort of fake burgers - they didn't even look like beef and they were awful - I'm not that picky and I couldn't eat them.  Fortunately they seem to have gone back to real beef.

[Panhandle Couple]

Some over the top comments here.

I think some view EVERY itinerary change as "Greedy NCL trying to save money" vs the realities of the world.

 

Since reopening, we have been on 7 NCL cruises, 34 ports overall.  We have missed 2 ports, Bar Harbor due to storm front coming in the afternoon (good call by the Captain, 50 mph winds hit us that evening) and Acapulco in Dec, due to a Cat 4 hurricane hitting them 2 months earlier.  We knew well before hand that we would not dock at a devastated port. 

[DrUrsula]

7 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

No way I'm getting up that early on vacation, that's also for sure! I think 6:30 am is more than reasonable for the average cruiser. I highly doubt most people are taking excursions at 6:45 AM. (Not saying no one, but I don't think it's typical, therefore the room service times likely suit most people.)

Its not typical but we did do it recently for Jost Van Dyke on the 5 hour, abbreviated Tortola stop. We skipped breakfast; had a Starbucks - which Is open at 6- and ate breakfast at the beach.

We did our research and read about the amazing breakfast on Jost and opted to eat there. It was a good choice.

[DrUrsula]

7 hours ago, zqvol said:

Private excursion?

Encore goes to Tortola from 7am-1pm. Excursions meet 6:30-6:45 am .

Totally worth it.

[DrUrsula]

We have taken 6 NCL cruises in the past 18 months. Until about a year ago we cruised exclusively in the Haven. It is in the Haven that we have seen a very noticeable decrease in quality of service and overall "product". Not only have the prices become ridiculous; the service has really taken a dive. From snotty concierges to the pool area becoming a playground for the young and the intoxicated; complete with dirty diapers in the spa and cookies tossed in the pool; butlers who never introduced themselves before ignoring us

; exhausted suite stewards...we were becoming disillusioned with NCL.

While RCL has no suite pool area, their service at the suite level did not change from what we were used to.

 

Last year we had a chance to make a late reservation on an NCL cruise and no Haven suites were available. As it was just the two of us and not the whole family , we decided to give them another try and booked a club balcony and the Vibe. The cost was less than half of what we pay in the Haven. We also added the thermal suite once onboard.

 

NCL won us back. This cruise happened to be on the very day that housekeeping services were reduced to once a day . There was a certain amount of general panic among some guests. We did not really care. We found the service very good, the Vibe blows away the Haven pool area- and Vibe doesn't even have a pool! 

 

We have completed 5 additional cruises with the same set up since then. With a few exceptions, food has stayed at about the same level of quality as in the past. On our December Encore cruise, for example, Cagney's was awful. almost inedible. The barbeque place was vile. But our other meals were terrific. Getaway in Europe several months prior , we had terrific meals with the exception of the Brazilian steak house. 

 

We  do not like the changes to booking for the Comedy Cellar/Social. Previously, our Haven status or Sapphire status allowed us early access to prebooking. As there is no prebooking now for anyone,  we were unable to see a show in the club on Encore. Each of the 10 or so shows was SRO within minutes of opening the doors as families would place one person in line and 15 other close friends and uncles would show up just before door opening. We were offered a standing space  behind a pillar but opted out. When we saw the comedians later that week in the theater, we were quite happy not to have stood behind the pillar as they were awful!!! But Choir of Man made up for the meh comedy.

 

We have only had a few minor itinerary changes so no issues there. They were Caribbean and not of consequence. We did get a 100 dollar OBC when they forgot to tell us that Cozumel was cancelled. That was a nice surprise ! 

 

SO- we are not down on NCL in whole. We ARE getting a little bored of all the ships having the same personality, so to speak. Its been close to a year since we have been on a Royal Mega and we miss Central Park and the Boardwalk and the suite lounge happy hour.

Celebrity is our  favorite cruise line but our schedules and Celebrity's haven't meshed as of late.

 

We have 2 NCL cruises booked this year and that will most likely be it for a while. It is not due to a decrease in service or quality - we solved our Haven disappointment  - we simply need a change in ship scenery for Caribbean cruises. For European cruises we don't care which ship we are on as they are so port intensive. 

 

We have had bad meals and an occasional nasty waiter on RCL and NCL (Never on Celebrity) . RCL has better aesthetics than NCL and we get 6 free drinks and suite happy hour; their suite restaurant and the Haven restaurant are comparable. NCL has a great premium drink package and the other little perks ; we also get latitudes meals and laundry. Six of one, half dozen of another. Granted, NCL in non-suites is much more affordable. Probably going to downgrade on RCL as well .

 

We don't see the great overall  decline that some do except in the Haven. 

We have been cruising again  since the industry reopened; we were on Symphony of the Seas at 25% capacity and have stuck in there as ships filled up to 50,70,110% capacity.

(We have a spring break cruise coming up in 10 days . That MAY change our minds!!LOL!)
)

Edited February 29 by DrUrsula

[jaapie]

5 hours ago, hallux said:

There are ship-to-ship differences as well.  I experienced no perceived drop in food quality on my cruise recently, compared to the last 2 years.  Others on recent cruises on other ships have had bad food experiences.  So, yes, it IS subjective and variable from ship to ship.  I was on the Bliss.  I actually thought the burgers (in the buffet and at The Local) this year were an upgrade compared to last year on the Escape...

Not just variable from ship to ship but from cruise to cruise. I did two transatlantics on the Jade in the same year, the food on the Spring crossing was great, on the Fall crossing six months later the food was dreadful.

[TenForward]

1 hour ago, DrUrsula said:

Its not typical but we did do it recently for Jost Van Dyke on the 5 hour, abbreviated Tortola stop. We skipped breakfast; had a Starbucks - which Is open at 6- and ate breakfast at the beach.

We did our research and read about the amazing breakfast on Jost and opted to eat there. It was a good choice.

 

Where's the amazing breakfast on Jost? Heading there in April...we have the early morning "Escape to Jost Van Dyke" excursion. 

 

[forgotmyCCname]

13 minutes ago, TenForward said:

 

Where's the amazing breakfast on Jost? Heading there in April...we have the early morning "Escape to Jost Van Dyke" excursion. 

 

We did the same thing as DrUrsula

There are several restaurants right where you land . I can't remember the name but it has big 

signs touting their breakfast.

we ate, grabbed our snorkel gear and headed off to the far end of the beach. No one else from  the ship was snorkeling!

we swam with sea turtles and beautiful fish for hours. The water was absolutely clear and the turtles amazing!!

We snorkeled until the boat was leaving.

We are divers and snorkelers and this is in the top 3 of all our trips over 30 years , beauty wise.

 

 

Edited February 29 by forgotmyCCname

[vacation44]

12 minutes ago, TenForward said:

 

Where's the amazing breakfast on Jost? Heading there in April...we have the early morning "Escape to Jost Van Dyke" excursion. 

 

Not sure if this is where @DrUrsulawent but we had our breakfast at the Soggy Dollar Bar.   I just had a bagel but my husband had a breakfast bowl which he said was very good.

[DrUrsula]

2 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

Not sure if this is where @DrUrsulawent but we had our breakfast at the Soggy Dollar Bar.   I just had a bagel but my husband had a breakfast bowl which he said was very good.

I honestly cant remember! I know they offered a huge range of coffees. It was either Soggy Dollar or to the left of Soggy Dollar.

You cant miss it. We split a gigantic burrito. Really good snorkeling if you travel off to the right ( facing the ocean) 

We also encountered the delightful sea turtles. Such grace and beauty. 

[TenForward]

5 minutes ago, DrUrsula said:

I honestly cant remember! I know they offered a huge range of coffees. It was either Soggy Dollar or to the left of Soggy Dollar.

You cant miss it. We split a gigantic burrito. Really good snorkeling if you travel off to the right ( facing the ocean) 

We also encountered the delightful sea turtles. Such grace and beauty. 

 

Hendo's Hideaway maybe?  That's where we're planning to spend our day. Looks lovely and is a little quieter than Soggy Dollar I've heard.  We're bringing our snorkel gear.  Thank you!

 

[Shidah]

7 hours ago, vacation44 said:

 

Tortola.

 

It is typical if the ship arrives at 6:45 a.m. and all aboard is 2:00 p.m.   There were a lot of excursions offered for very early morning.    Those with an early excursion had to meet in the theater at 6:45 a.m.   

 

I am just saying it would have fbeen nice to order room service for 6:00 a.m. instead of going to the buffet.

If it was The Rebel Yell going to JVD, that is worth getting up any time for! Our favorite excursion that we do every time and would not miss it!  Definitely worth the early rise!

[TenForward]

28 minutes ago, forgotmyCCname said:

We did the same thing as DrUrsula

There are several restaurants right where you land . I can't remember the name but it has big 

signs touting their breakfast.

we ate, grabbed our snorkel gear and headed off to the far end of the beach. No one else from  the ship was snorkeling!

we swam with sea turtles and beautiful fish for hours. The water was absolutely clear and the turtles amazing!!

We snorkeled until the boat was leaving.

We are divers and snorkelers and this is in the top 3 of all our trips over 30 years , beauty wise.

 

 

 

I'm so happy to hear this! My husband dives and the rest of us snorkel -- at least a little. Really looking forward to it!

 

7 minutes ago, Shidah said:

If it was The Rebel Yell going to JVD, that is worth getting up any time for! Our favorite excursion that we do every time and would not miss it!  Definitely worth the early rise!

 

It is.  My husband and I actually did this same excursion 8 years ago but the weather was such they wouldn't stop at JVD and took us to an alternate beach (and far inferior in my view).  Looking forward to making it this time. 

[EngrJones]

1 hour ago, DrUrsula said:

There was a certain amount of general panic among some guests.

Really?