The TERRIBLE State of Norwegian Cruise Line in 2024

[DCGuy64]

10 minutes ago, UKstages said:

oh, gosh, no.

Uh, yeah you are, see post #154. 😉 

[mking8288]

22 minutes ago, Vegasvolfan said:

Just a reminder bookings are now open for specialty restaurants.  120 days out will be here before you know it!

Under FAS, folks had challenges booking their preferred "prime" time slots at 120, wait 125 days for "select" and/or "popular" highly-rated specialty restaurants ahead, wait, maybe not if one is booked in Haven and/or full suite, etc.  With More At Sea and extra dining days added (and the extra "nominal" fees/added on charge, wondering how this would pan out ahead ... I mean, on 8 or 9 days itinerary, add the Platinum/higher tier's 2 complimentary SD - that's 6 nights of SD together (balcony & higher, of course) ?   Asking for a friend, b/c they don't feel the conversion of the Asian fusion dining is going to appeal to them, and for the older ships, choices are rather limited ... not just seating capacity.  

 

On the other hand, this might result in short lines to dine freestyle in the MDR since reservations are no longer allowed for parties of 5 or less.  Time will tell ... going to be watching this for a while.  

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

I remember on the MSC board someone complaining about a terrible smell that the author claimed was all over the ship, and then someone on the same sailing said "I never smelled that."

If somebody thinks that there is a bad smell that follows them all over the ship, they had better check their shoe and/or traveling partner's shower routine.

Edited October 10 by ChiefMateJRK

[cheersforbeers]

8 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

If somebody thinks that there is a bad smell that follows them all over the ship, they had better check their shoe and/or traveling partner's shower routine.

Amen brother!  

[Goldenknight]

5 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

 

 . . . 

when that person tells a personal story and then makes grand statements about the entire line and says no one should sail with them again, that is not confining it to one's own experience, it's attempting to extrapolate a personal experience as though everyone else has to agree and boycott the cruise line altogether. And I will call that out every single time.

+1 !!

 

There's a laundry list thread of complaints from a known whinger, who sailed on a particular NCL smaller ship,  then tried to convince everyone not to ever sail NCL again, because they would never . . .  oh, until NCL capitulated with compensation for said poster.  

Seem to be a few threads from other posters recently, since then, who manipulate facts to get compensation for every unfortunate mishap.  

 

You may have your own opinions, but you can't have your own facts.

 

Thank you for calling out these posters.  

[UKstages]

26 minutes ago, Goldenknight said:

Seem to be a few threads from other posters recently, since then, who manipulate facts to get compensation for every unfortunate mishap.  

 

this seems awfully unlikely.

 

NCL has established guidelines by which they issue compensation and it seems to max out at about $500 per person. one can "whinge" all one likes, but NCL ain't budging. there is much lower compensation and specific requirements for missed and changed ports and other customer service mishaps.  again, they rarely deviate from these compensation levels. it's one of the few policies they actually adhere to.

 

the people who come here to express their thoughts and opinions do so because they believe they have been wronged (many indeed have been). in some cases, they wish to warn others. in other cases, they just need to blow off steam after what they believe has been a horrific experience.  they are just as passionate as those who cant wait to take to cruise critic to express their delight at sailing with NCL. both have valuable stories to tell and both are to be believed, regardless of whether their opinion is contrary to one's own.

[Capitan Obvious]

28 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

this seems awfully unlikely.

 

NCL has established guidelines by which they issue compensation and it seems to max out at about $500 per person. one can "whinge" all one likes, but NCL ain't budging. there is much lower compensation and specific requirements for missed and changed ports and other customer service mishaps.  again, they rarely deviate from these compensation levels. it's one of the few policies they actually adhere to.

 

the people who come here to express their thoughts and opinions do so because they believe they have been wronged (many indeed have been). in some cases, they wish to warn others. in other cases, they just need to blow off steam after what they believe has been a horrific experience.  they are just as passionate as those who cant wait to take to cruise critic to express their delight at sailing with NCL. both have valuable stories to tell and both are to be believed, regardless of whether their opinion is contrary to one's own.

 

 

Your last statement: "both have valuable stories to tell and both are to be believed, regardless of whether their opinion is contrary to one's own." contradicts your first statement: "this seems awfully unlikely."

[kasimir]

On 10/9/2024 at 10:20 AM, jibbity said:

Newbie here...great site & great posters with info and advice! Glad I found it - my situation is while I've booked an NCL cruise next May (on the Getaway), I can still cancel it as final payment not due until January. It was a great deal with the liquor package and other perks included (internet, excursion credit, etc)  but now I'm second guessing it and whether I should cancel and find another option. I've been on one other cruise before - NCL Sun to Alaska over a year ago. While it seemed ok I had nothing to compare it to. I can say I wasn't blown away by it but I know the Sun is an older ship and booked said cruise due to , again, a great deal.

 

I know some will say for a better experience go with a more exclusive line but I'm not to where I can splurge on such (and I'm glad, but envious, lol, of those who can). 

 

In the future I plan on cruising more as I get to full retirement so another concern is going with and stick to a line for the customer loyalty thing - and from what I'm reading & seeing, NCL may not be the one. 

 

Would Royal, MSC or another be a "like" cruise line to go with vs NCL at this point??

 

 

 

Look everyone has an opinion and everyone's perception will be different, but as I mentioned in my early post... experienced NCL cruisers must be either blind or have not been on NCL recently to not have noticed how bad it has gotten. 

We have been on all major cruise lines except for MSC and HAL and while there is no perfect cruise line out there, for us the main reason we enjoyed cruising with NCL for a long time and are now platinum is that the bang for your buck with NCL was hard to beat. 

Since we noticed that NCL have raised their prices for many cruises in 2025, while at the same time aggressively cutting costs and lowering their product/service quality, that "bang for your buck" argument is now out of the window for us, especially when we can get similar itineraries at similar prices (or cheaper) on cruise lines like Princess or even Celebrity. 

So in our case, 2 out of the next 3 cruises we have booked are on Celebrity as we got incredible deals with them. 

 

But I want to make a general note, since you are new to cruising, it is actually very important that you find the right cruise line for yourself. Ironically, Ben & David just released a video today on exactly that to rate all the major cruise lines and showing the differences between them. 

My personal recommendation, before you stick to one cruise line to build up loyalty, try a few lines (that are in your budget) so you can compare yourselves and be more objective. 

Since you have been on the Sun, you also want to try one of NCL's newest ships (Prima class), as another point brought forward in the video by B&D is that their newer ships feel like you are on a completely different cruise line and to us that is very true. 

[kasimir]

21 hours ago, wncretired said:

Obviously MANY people think highly of NCL. Stock price nearly doubled in one year!! 
If you bought NCL stock anytime in the past couple of years, you have made money. And if you bought at least 100 shares, you have made even more money with OBC. 
 

 

 

While the NCL shareholder benefit is great, your argument is wrong and that is not really how it works. The actual fact is that NCL stock is a bad performing cruise line stock since the lows in the COVID pandemic. 

Find below the chart since March 2010 comparing NCLH with RCL. 

 

NCLH is still far below their pre-pandemic stock levels where they were trading in the $40-60 price range. 

[Wayward Son]

11 minutes ago, kasimir said:

The actual fact is that NCL stock is a bad performing cruise line stock since the lows in the COVID pandemic. 

Find below the chart since March 2010 comparing NCLH with RCL. 

 

Will you do the same chart with NCL vs. Carnival?  Just curious.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

37 minutes ago, kasimir said:

experienced NCL cruisers must be either blind or have not been on NCL recently to not have noticed how bad it has gotten. 

This is silly.  I'm not blind and I was on NCL in August.  Please tell us more about how "bad" NCL has gotten.  Specifics?

[kasimir]

1 minute ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

This is silly.  I'm not blind and I was on NCL in August.  Please tell us more about how "bad" NCL has gotten.  Specifics?

 

I will gladly refer you to post #14 in this thread where i mentioned the highlights. 

 

And to add, please don't look at the points isolated but more holistically, because for us personally if I only look at for example the removal of the second turn down service, yea it doesn't really affect us. But looking at the whole picture of negative changes during the past 3 years at some point its too much combined with the price hikes. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 10/3/2024 at 7:22 PM, kasimir said:

- Cuts in entertainment

- Removal of second turn down service

- Lowering of food quality, very noticeable in their meat/fish dishes 

- Complete removal of higher valued food items in MDR, Buffet and Indulge Food hall.

- Increase in service charges

- Lower staff count (this really is noticeable)

- Nickel and diming getting worst. 

 

So the above (if true) are "really bad?"  I've seen no cuts in entertainment.  Cuts in crappy Broadway shows?  Yes.  Thank God.   Lower food quality?  Haven't seen it.  Removal of higher valued food items (whatever those are/were)?  Haven't seen it.  Increase in service charges?  So prices go up on things.  I only focus on the final cost, an I'm fine with those.  Lower staff count?  Maybe.  I still get my drinks quickly.  I still get my food served promptly.  My room still gets cleaned as well as ever.  Nickel and diming?  Many of us don't even know what that is.  Good luck with your next line of choice.

[UKstages]

 

35 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

So the above (if true) are "really bad?"

 

hell, yes.

 

and what could you possibly mean... "if true?"

 

chief, every one of those things is demonstrably true (and really bad) and you yourself have been a participant in threads in which all of them have been discussed. you personally don't care about most of those things, and that's just swell, but many people do.

 

why would you even pretend you don't know which high value food items were removed? you haven't read discussion after discussion in which people bemoaned the removal of smoked salmon from the buffet, the lower quality of meats in the MDR, the inedible strip steak in the MDR, the scarcity of cookies... and let's not forget the case of the disappearing hash browns. how about the reduction in apps and entrees in the MDRs and the "simplification" of the specialty restaurant menus? i know you have because you commented in them all. again, these things may be of no interest to you, and that's just peachy keen, but they are to others. (and i'm grateful that one of those folks took the time to share their perspective.) 

 

why would you pretend that there haven't been real cuts in service, staff, and food and beverage when there have been? you cruise in a very narrow lane... you likes what you likes and have no energy for others who like things different than what you like or notice things that you don't.

 

as for "crappy" broadway shows, this is a curious comment. you may not like them, but many others do. and every other cruise line has invested heavily in full scale broadway-style entertainment... only NCL is going in the opposite direction. on the face of it, surely you can understand how canceling a full production show with a cast of 17 and replacing it with a solo violinist who plays along with a recorded music track is considered by most people to be a cut in entertainment? surely you can understand that to most people, not you, of course, but to most people, replacing "six" or "priscilla, queen of the desert" with the "price is right" is not an equitable swap?

 

chief, come on down, you're the next contestant on "NCL is always right!" 

 

Edited October 11 by UKstages

[mking8288]

@UKstages ... sadly enough, there is quite a few contestants playing that game.  

 

I finally got around to watch the referenced YT video - odd, not 1 dislike vote.  Just 5,700 "likes" - wow !!   I don't agree with everything said in that using the Epic as an example is bad, to illustrate their some of their points.  Epic is in need of some serious drydock work ahead for sure, but it is unfair to make the entire case on that basis alone.  

 

It is hard to remain upbeat and stay with NCL these days ... some of these folks need to sit back, take a deep breath and read some of the recent posts on " NCL Itinerary Changes After Final Payment *just the facts* " - just see a new one added, poster is, I believe, either another Ambassador for the brand (and, if not, definitely Diamond status)   I wonder, sometimes, if the defenders bothered to read or at least skim thru @YVRteacher Yvonne's recent live reports and appreciate some of her highly critical comments, and, IMHO, done in a very fair & respectful way.  

Edited October 11 by mking8288

[wncretired]

2 hours ago, kasimir said:

 

While the NCL shareholder benefit is great, your argument is wrong and that is not really how it works. The actual fact is that NCL stock is a bad performing cruise line stock since the lows in the COVID pandemic. 

Find below the chart since March 2010 comparing NCLH with RCL. 

 

NCLH is still far below their pre-pandemic stock levels where they were trading in the $40-60 price range. 

You’re cherry-picking the your cruise lines. Do a comparison with Carnival !!

[wncretired]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

So the above (if true) are "really bad?"  I've seen no cuts in entertainment.  Cuts in crappy Broadway shows?  Yes.  Thank God.   Lower food quality?  Haven't seen it.  Removal of higher valued food items (whatever those are/were)?  Haven't seen it.  Increase in service charges?  So prices go up on things.  I only focus on the final cost, an I'm fine with those.  Lower staff count?  Maybe.  I still get my drinks quickly.  I still get my food served promptly.  My room still gets cleaned as well as ever.  Nickel and diming?  Many of us don't even know what that is.  Good luck with your next line of choice.

I agree with the Chief 100%.

[kasimir]

23 minutes ago, wncretired said:

You’re cherry-picking the your cruise lines. Do a comparison with Carnival !!

You are right that CCL is also not doing very well, but there are not that many publicly traded cruise line companies out there. 

My point was also that the stock price doesn't say much about the popularity of a cruise line (which i was reacting to), but about the financial performance. 

And I believe in the short term NCLH stock might actually benefit from all the cost cutting and price increases as their financials will start to look better, combined with the fact that interest rates are trending lower, so their financing cost will go down as well. 

 

I am just worried that the longterm effects of all this negativity that you see and hear can be destructive as now many loyal NCL customers are looking elsewhere and all the negative publicity will affect the NCL brand. 

Edited October 11 by kasimir

[UKstages]

33 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

It is hard to remain upbeat and stay with NCL these days ... some of these folks need to sit back, take a deep breath and read some of the recent posts on " NCL Itinerary Changes After Final Payment *just the facts* "

 

i'm one of those people!

 

and all the port changes happen after final payment, natch.

 

i'll be flying to hong kong in december to embark on a cruise that was supposed to leave from manila! that's a pretty big inconvenience, especially since i have friends in manila and we were planning a big reunion. but manila won't even be a port call on this cruise. i'm tempted to do a back to back, since the next cruise calls on manila, but i'm pretty damn sure NCL will cancel that port call, too.

 

look, i'm lucky, I book all my own air using frequent flyer miles. that aspect of this trip is easy to change. not everybody is so fortunate. but it still upends my plans. and so i'm allowed in one or two or three related threads here on CC to mention my disappointment. just as i should be allowed to say that the prima has some, um, problems. and that there have been severe cuts in entertainment. and that game shows aren't professional show biz entertainment.

 

and when i say that, the frequent posters here should recognize that i'm the same guy who loves the NCL joy, loves sailing on NCL, loves playing in their casinos and eating in their indulge food halls, loves onda, los lobos and moderno, loves the vibe... i call 'em like i see 'em. it's, frankly what should make my negative comments all the more credible.

 

anybody would have to be (metaphorically) blind not to see the decline and fall of the once mighty NCL. i live in a world where i can love sailing with NCL, while still being able to have the difficult "tough love" conversations with them and with the good people of this forum.

[luv2kroooz]

16 hours ago, Goldenknight said:

Seem to be a few threads from other posters recently, since then, who manipulate facts to get compensation for every unfortunate mishap

.....speaking of manipulating facts. Yeah, this isn't happening.

[luv2kroooz]

9 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

So the above (if true) are "really bad?"  I've seen no cuts in entertainment.  Cuts in crappy Broadway shows?  Yes.  Thank God.   Lower food quality?  Haven't seen it.  Removal of higher valued food items (whatever those are/were)?  Haven't seen it.  Increase in service charges?  So prices go up on things.  I only focus on the final cost, an I'm fine with those.  Lower staff count?  Maybe.  I still get my drinks quickly.  I still get my food served promptly.  My room still gets cleaned as well as ever.  Nickel and diming?  Many of us don't even know what that is.  Good luck with your next line of choice.

You didn't opine on the importance of delivering the advertised itinerary.....

 

We, too, live on the sunny side of the street. The product degraded and we could either stay and be miserable or expand our horizons to check out other offerings, which we did. You continue to confuse negativity with stating facts.

Edited October 11 by luv2kroooz

[mking8288]

1 hour ago, luv2kroooz said:

... The product degraded and we could either stay and be miserable or expand our horizons to check out other offerings, which we did. 

 

Hush ... Let them eat turkey instead 

 

 

[Denise T]

With all the really silly arguing back and forth, at the end of the day, you do what is right for you. Everyone has different experiences and perspectives. Instead of trying to convince someone they are wrong, acknowledge their right to see the world as they do and move on. If you are unhappy with NCL by all means, try the other cruise lines. There is a large variety of cruise lines out there. If you want to continue with NCL, do so. Stop trying to convince everyone that they are wrong because their experiences are different than yours. 

 

[Capitan Obvious]

12 hours ago, kasimir said:

Look everyone has an opinion and everyone's perception will be different, but as I mentioned in my early post... experienced NCL cruisers must be either blind or have not been on NCL recently to not have noticed how bad it has gotten. 

 

So everyone can have an opinion and a different perception, but if they don't see it the way you do they "must be either blind or have not been on NCL recently"?

 

That doesn't seem equitable.

[jibbity]

Thanks to everyone for all the advise/information.

 

We're going to keep the NCL cruise as scheduled and enjoy it as it goes. We're not the types that complain or obsess about the little things so we should be good.  THANKS!