A Honest Review - Norwegian Crown - Long but informative

[superdave57]

Greetings!!! Just got back from sailing the NCL Crown this past week. Please be patient with me for I sometimes start to ramble but my intentions are to give an honest and hopefully open-minded review of the ship, the ports, and the cruise in general. First a little history. My name is David and I live in the city of Houston, TX. This cruise marked my 9th passage over the last 28 years and my first cruise on NCL in 20 yrs. It was on NCL’s Skyward that I met my future wife and we have been married going on 18 yrs. We were both excited about returning to NCL and Bermuda was always high on our travel wish list. We traded in our flier miles and with two kids in hand ( Daughter – 13, Son – 8), we packed our bags for NYC and life aboard the Crown.

 

Transportation: We arrived at LGA (LaGuardia) and decided since there were 4 of us, the cheapest way to get to the cruise terminal was to take a cab. We checked on transfers that NCL offered but this averaged out to about $50/pp and this wasn’t economical. The CC site showed that from LGA the fare would be around $22-$30 plus possible toll bridge fees if applicable. Usually, I would research this and have directions ready but my instincts were that all cab drivers would know how to get to the cruise terminal from the airport. Wrong! Our cab driver was someone who didn’t speak fluent English nor have any idea what a Cruise ship was let alone where the cruise terminal was. He kept asking us what bridge to take and driving directions to the terminal. After taking us through a beautiful tour of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan ( Are you kidding me?), he eventually tried to drop us off at the infamous Circle Line terminal. All of you New Yorkers out there are probably laughing your tail off about now. We finally got him to call his dispatcher and $45 later we arrived at the terminal. Lessons learned: Make sure your cab driver knows NYC, speaks English and that you bring a map or specific directions to get to and from airport. BTW, our return trip back to LGA took 29 minutes and cost us $31 plus tip ( this included toll for Triboro bridge). I still would recommend a taxi as the choice of transportation if you have more than 2 persons in party.

 

Embarkation: No problems. We arrived by 2:00pm and we were aboard within 15 minutes. Pre-registered on NCL website so all we had to do was get our pictures and leave credit card imprint for on-board charges. Keys were in room and we were allowed to go straight there upon boarding ship. Very impressed.

 

Ship Appearance: I knew by reading up on the Crown that she was the oldest ship in the NCL fleet and small in comparisons to other mega-ships out there today. This is both good and bad. The good is that you will learn the ship quickly. The Crown has two hot tubs, 6 restaurants, 7 bars and lounges, 1 swimming pool, a fitness center, a spa and beauty salon, a kids and Teen area, a library, game room, and Internet cafe. Most of the activity resides on 2-3 floors. Because the ship is small, she can only accommodate 1000 passengers. This is good if you don’t like crowds. You will soon learn everyone’s face because you are always running into them. The ship reminded me of the Starward and Skyward. They too were small ships and the décor is somewhat dated. She shows her age but it is in fairly good shape. The decks are now worn and no longer polished. She doesn’t have the glass that you see on the newer ships and she definitely doesn’t have rock climbing walls, basketball courts, etc that seems to be the trend these days. From what I saw, the pool was seldom used but the hot tubs were always a gathering point. When you first step aboard, you notice the décor represents the 90’s with lots of blues and reds and mirrors. The word is that 2007 Bermuda run will be her last for the Crown. She has been sold to make room for bigger ships being built by NCL. Too Bad.

 

Room Cabin: We reserved an ocean view room on the 8th floor. Because of the ages of our kids, we requested a Quad and that is what we got. It has 4 fold down beds that come out of the walls. During the day, the top two are closed up and the bottom two serve as couches. It had a small TV, a safe (no instructions on how to use it), a shower and bathroom area, a writing desk and plenty of closet and drawer space. We had 3 suitcases of clothes and we had no problem unpacking and hanging things up. For a small room, I never felt cramped with the exception of when 4 people were trying to get dressed. My gripes were that there was not a refrigerator in the room nor were there electrical outlets to plug items into. My guess is that this was NCL’s intention. The only plug was in the bathroom and it was geared to shavers only. Ironing would have been impossible in the small bathroom area. The showers are small but had decent water pressure. Each stall has soap and shampoo dispensers. I would strongly recommend that you bring a bar of soap and shampoo with you. The quality of the supplied products is poor at best. Your room steward will ensure that you have enough towels and on port days you can check out beach towels instead of using the ones in your room. Window size is relatively small and you may want to determine if outside room warrants the extra cost. Inside rooms are very dark. We took the outside stateroom because they did not have an inside quad available. There is nothing fancy about the room. Beds were extremely comfortable for me and I slept great while aboard. Overall, the room did not blow me away but my room steward kept it clean and comfortable from the time we boarded till the time we left.

 

Freestyle dining concept: I might as well get started, “I hate it”. I know a great deal of people like the concept of freestyle dining but in the end, we didn’t like it and I will do my best to tell you why. First, this was the first cruise that we had ever taken that didn’t have assigned dining. Every other cruise had either an early or late seating and you usually got to choose which one filled your needs. I understand what NCL was trying to accomplish by giving passengers freedom to choose when they wanted to eat so that they were not restricted to a schedule. That part of freestyle dining appeals to many but my biggest problem is that it causes you to lose many benefits associated with assigned dining. One benefit is the loss of establishing a rapport with your wait staff. With freestyle dining, you are not assigned the same waiter and as a result, you get whichever waiter is assigned to the table that you draw that night. With assigned seating, you get the same waiters every night. They learn your likes, your dislikes, what you drink, how you like your coffee, etc. They learn the tempo of how you like to eat and in short, they get to know you and you get to know them. They know your names and you theirs. Often, you would spend time during your meal talking with them about their families, their experiences and by the end of the cruise; you really had built a close relationship. You didn’t have to continually tell them things over and over again because they took the time to become familiar with your eating habits. With freestyle dining, that opportunity is gone because you usually never get the same waiter twice. Another benefit of assigned dining verses freestyle dining is that you don’t have to stand in line waiting to be seated. There wasn’t usually a long time but with assigned dining, you always knew when you were eating and you could go directly to your table when you got to the dining area. One last observation about Freestyle dining that I noticed right away. Freestyle dining tended to restrict the ability for the dining room to staff correctly or functionally operate during dinner hours. It appeared to me that they were overstaffed at times and understaffed at other times. You must remember that freestyle dining allows you to choose the times you eat. As a result, the wait staff couldn’t plan how dinners rolled out. Just as soon as they had your order in, another group of people would sit down and they would have to start over. This constant shuffling in and out of people tended to cause two things to happen: 1) dinner took longer to complete 2) food continually came out warm at best. Way too often we were looking around for our waiter and in turn, service suffered. My belief is that NCL should look at trying to find a compromise and offer both types of seating. Half of the room could be conventional assigned seating and the other freestyle. Just a thought but it is something that really bothered me during this trip.

 

Restaurants: There are two primary restaurants aboard the Crown. The main dining room is called the Seven Seas and the Buffet dining area is called the Yacht Club. During this cruise, we ate at both. The Seven Seas restaurant allows shorts during breakfast and lunch but at dinner hours, there is a dress code. I saw many people get mad because they were turned away because they wanted to wear a muscle shirt, jean shorts, and flip-flops to dinner. Use common sense and you will be fine. There are also several free specialty restaurants to choose from but require reservations. You can’t just show up so make reservation as soon as possible before they fill up. These restaurants are the Pasta Café (Italian) and ChopSticks(Asian). Both are nice but not spectacular. There is also a Fee-Based Specialty restaurant called Le Bistro. It serves Steaks, Lobster, Fish, and various French cuisines. The fee for this restaurant is $15 per person and another $5 if you order surf and turf. We ate at this restaurant for my birthday and the food was far better than either of the other two restaurants. One thing that I noticed is that this cruise never offered steak or lobster once on their menu. The only way to ever have this was to pay the fee for it in the specialty restaurant. My opinion would be to spend the money on the specialty restaurant. You will definitely see the difference. Le Bistro is not great but it is a step way up compared to the other two restaurants. The sad part is that the food offered there is what cruises use to serve during normal dining. NCL has definitely lowered its standards on dining experiences. One thing I need to mention. While at Le Bistro, my kids ate off the Kids menu and not the specialty menu. At the end of the meal, they tried to charge me ½ price for a cover charge for them eating at the restaurant. I refused to pay and they removed it from the bill. If you are bringing your kids, be sure to arrange with the Maitre D all charges so you won’t be surprised. Overall, I would classify the food on this cruise as mediocre. The buffet line seemed to serve the same things over and over again and way too often, it looks like they recycled the food from meal to meal. The dining room food was far superior to the buffet line but still I have been on many other cruises where the food was much better. Presentation of food in the main dining was good but the quality of food was only fair. We found the women wait staff much friendlier then the male wait staff. Good things offered during the cruise was the chocolate buffet, barbeques by the pool ( very good) and late evening snacks especially the ice cream. Bad things offered were $40/pp coke cards and the constant hawking of $8 specialty drinks. We found it so much cheaper to either bring sodas with us or buy them 1 at a time at the bar. The cost per soda was about $2.25 after gratuities. From my daughter’s perspective, the wait staff was inattentive and often forgot what you ordered or ignored you. She also noticed that they were less friendly than other cruises that we have been on. My kids are junk food eaters for most of the time but by the 4th pizza or hamburger, they had had enough. That should say it all. Lessons learned: stay away from buffet, eat the ice cream, try the specialty restaurants at least once, stay on top of your waiter if you want any type of good service.

 

Teen/Kids Club: we have been on several cruises with our kids. Because this ship was far smaller than other ships we have been on, the participation in the kids clubs were far smaller. This is good if you want more attention paid to your kids. For the younger programs, I think this cruise provided ample entertainment. For the other teens like my daughter (13), she did not find it as gratifying. This was primarily due to most of the kids in her area were 15-17 and thus she felt left out. My observation is that kids of that age range ran unattended for most of the time on the ship. I would recommend the kids club for any kid under the age of 10. The staffs for these age groups were great and offered a variety of things for them to keep occupied. Several of the kids were taken on special tours of the ship by the cruise director and also appeared on cruise-tv specials. This ship offered Kids Karaoke, which was fun along with special dinner events just for them. Downside of kids programs was that the rooms they occupied were small in comparison to other programs and often the club hrs interfered with other activities going on.

 

Entertainment: The Crown entertainment was the best that I have ever seen in all of my cruising days. This was the biggest shock that I encountered while aboard. On most cruises, the production shows are poor but in the case of the Crown, I found them to be almost at a Broadway level. The dancers (Jean Ann Ryan Company) were top-notch performers and I was pleasantly surprised at the choreography. There were other acts aboard the Crown that were excellent. The best act was a comedian/acrobat named Rudi Macaggi. He had everyone rolling with laughter. He is also a finalist on the “America’s Got Talent” show that will be airing August 17th. It was a one of a kind performance. We also enjoyed Jane L. Powell who was a singer with an unbelievable voice. She performed only once but brought the house down. Last, there was a comedian named Dave Heenan. He was okay and his comedy centered on New York humor. My wife who is a native New Yorker related to many of his jokes. Other entertainment was Bingo, Adult Karaoke, Sexy Legs contest (boring), and traditional Newlywed game. Bingo has replaced traditional cards with hand-held remotes. This is one area that I think technology might have hurt bingo sales. The new devices require you to do nothing. You spend an hour or so looking at the device. My belief is that people need to have all the cards in front of them and if they don’t have to punch the cards in, they get bored. I myself won the first time I played and earned a grand total of $116. To be honest, I was surprised about the lack of interest in the bingo. They do a hard sell of getting you to buy a variety of packages and most start at about $35 for each game. My package was $55 for the bingo session ( 6 games). The payouts were very small and this was probably due to number of players and I think the devices scared off some of the older players who were use to paper cards. My take on the cruise was that there was plenty of entertainment at night but very little during the day. I did enjoy the special movies that they showed in the main showroom on several nights during the cruise along with the special late night shows (70’s night, Liar’s club, Jazz fest, Tropical Island Night, etc) that were available throughout the week. The cruise director Clint was very personable and tried to make everyone have a great time. For evening entertainment: A+. For day entertainment: C

 

Casino: The crown is not known for its casino. It is small and for the most part, it did not stay busy. There are 3 blackjack tables – one for $5, one for $10, one for $25. The $25 table was never busy and only a few times did I have a problem getting on either of the other two tables. There is also a roulette wheel and a 3 card poker table. The offer Craps on request but I never saw anyone playing it. The do have about 20 or so slot machines but I didn’t see them paying too often and I found no one who actually one big on any of them. There were traditional blackjack and slot machine tournaments but were not highly patronized. I did relatively well on blackjack table and I met someone who won over $3000 on the roulette wheel so there was money to be one. One observation was that the dealers did not interface with the guest as much as I have seen on other ships. As a result, they missed opportunities to bring players to the tables. The bottom line was that the casino lacked excitement. I think that this could be directly attributed to the casino staff. They did not sell themselves at all. A casino should be almost like a circus and these guys were sullen, barely spoke, and really killed the mood. I was there at midnight on several nights and it was almost dead. A big problem for the casino was the cruise schedule. Because the Crown was in port for 3 full days, the casino was only opened for 4 nights. Wait staff in the casinos was good. I found the best waiter aboard and for the rest of the cruise; he and I became good friends.

 

Ports: Our ship stopped at two ports: St. George and Hamilton. There was supposed to have been a third port: The Dockyard (Kings Wharf) but this was dropped due to some port issues but this was not too disappointing. You could catch a ferry from either of the other ports if you wanted to go there. St. George and Hamilton are the best spots. I personally like St. George better but both are accessible while on the island. There is a ton of things to do in Bermuda. First off, the Bermuda beaches are some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Another fact, the temperature of the sand in Bermuda never changes. It could be 100 degrees outside and the sand will remain cool. I also found that the sand changes from beach to beach. The most beautiful beach on the island is Horseshoe Bay. While in Bermuda, we visited Tobacco Bay, Horseshoe Bay, and Church Bay. All three were different. Tobacco Bay, the water is perfectly calm, great for kids, with a fort at one end (Ft. Catherine) and a golf course on the other. There is good snorkeling here and there is a ton of volcanic rock to see and climb. Beach facilities are available along with rental of umbrella, chairs, drinks, and snorkel gear. The sand is more white than pink and if you want to get away from the crowds, all you have to do is walk further down the beach and you will find yourself all alone with your own private cove. Ft. Catherine is only opened till 4:00pm so if you are planning to see it, go early. Horseshoe Bay is the most beautiful beach. It is also the most popular. My recommendation is that you get there early. We went twice while there. You can catch the number 7 bus and it will drop you off right there. It is a 20-25 minute ride from Hamilton and if you only have time for one beach, this is the one. We got there one morning at 8:30am and the beach was practically deserted and it was one of the most peaceful experiences I have ever had. Be sure to bring water shoes so that you can climb some of the many rock formations. You can also snorkel here and there is a beautiful cove to the right as soon as you step onto the beach with excellent diving opportunities. There is a steep hill that goes to the beach and it is infamous of getting people tired while getting back to the main road. During the day there is a guy who takes you back to the top for $1 for adults 10-up. Trust me, spend the dollar – it will be the best purchase of the day. Church beach is a beach that is past Horseshoe Bay. You can take the 7 Bus there also. It is a small beach with a much grainier sand base. It has a quick drop off and much stronger waves. It was hear that we found the infamous “beach glass”. This is broken bottles or shads of glass that have been smoothed by the wave activity and washes ashore. We found quite a bit of this and brought it home with us. There is good snorkeling here but the undertow is strong near the shore and the waves are very powerful. The beach is small and not as nice as Horseshoe or Tobacco but it has the pinkest of sands if you are looking for it. There are no facilities here but there is umbrella, chair, snorkel rental available. Outside of the beaches, there are many things to do. NCL offers a ton of excursions that you will see offered. They have a shore excursion desk that will be glad to assist you with questions. Getting around the island is usually accomplished 3 ways: 1)Bus 2)moped or 3) taxi. If I came to Bermuda without the kids, I would have rented a moped. NCL frowns on it but there are tons of them around the island. You have to remember that they drive on the opposite side of the road and Hamilton is much more congested than St. George but if you want to explore, this is the best way to see the island. With the kids, this was too dangerous and risky so we utilized the bus and ferry systems. The are not bad but I want to pass on some lessons learned: 1) if you are planning to spend your day at the beach, buy individual round-trip ticket and not the one or two day pass. Only buy these passes if you are planning to move around the island several times during the day. 2) If you have kids, buy a 15 ride student card for approx $8.00 at the bus terminal. This should last you for your whole time while in Bermuda. Taxis are fast but expensive so be ware 3) If your plans include taking a carriage ride, we found that you can ride for $40 for a half hour for a family of 4 verses paying $40 per person for a hr. offered by NCL if you rent the carriage directly on Front street. We found the carriage drivers friendly and informative. We took our kids to the Zoo/Aquarium. It was okay but don’t expect too much. No lions, tigers, or bears. Very small. I believe it cost $ 36 for the 4 of us (2 – adult, 2 children tickets). We bought the tickets at the place itself verses taking this as an excursion. This was a great deal cheaper. St. George and Hamilton are both historical ports with many excursions geared to discovering it’s flavored past. Both have special market nights that are fun and highlight the spirit of each port. I would strongly recommend seeing both. Hamilton has some small parades on Wednesday night and the nightlife in both is worth seeing and experiencing. Be aware that shops close early (5 pm avg.) so if you are souvenir shopping, don’t procrastinate. Shopping is better in Hamilton due to the many stores along Front Street. St. George is less crowded and most of the stores are within walking distance of the ship. You can spend a lot or a little in Bermuda. There are great shopping opportunities but do your homework. If possible, listen to the port discussions aboard ship. They are informative and helpful. Enjoy Bermuda.

 

Dining Vouchers: Quick word on this. This is a program offered to the NCL Crown passengers. For $5, you can get a $25 lunch dining voucher to be used at various restaurants within St. George or Hamilton. You can upgrade the lunch voucher to a dinner voucher for an additional $5. In this case $10 buys you $50 dining voucher. My opinion is to not use the $25 lunch voucher but upgrade it to the $50 dinner voucher. The lunch menu value is minimal. The restaurants are few; the voucher only applies to a special menu with little selection. Trust me, you will not see the value if you utilize it at lunch. Upgrading the dining voucher to dinner vouchers will yield you a much better deal. The Carriage House in St. George accepts the dinner voucher and everyone that I talked with enjoyed this immensely. We used it on lunch and thought it was a major rip-off. One thing to remember is that the voucher only is offered to those 12 yrs and older. As a result, we had to pay full fare for my son. My daughter, wife, and I received the voucher. A hamburger alone for my son ran $12 with no drink. Use the voucher on the Carriage House or something equivalent or don’t use it at all. Be sure to make reservations as soon as possible. The front desk can help you.

 

Gratuities: The worse and best thing that NCL did. Each person is charged $10 per day for gratuities. Children under 10 get charged $5 per day. This covers your dining and room steward. If you receive special service from someone, additional cash gratuities are appreciated. The fixed gratuities are added to your bill at the end of the cruise. It makes it simple so you don’t have to figure it out and prepare envelopes, etc. Since I usually over-tip, the pre-gratuities simplifies my life. The bad part of it is that the staff does not have to work as hard for their money. They are paid either way. I have found that work staff will work a great deal harder if they know that you may or not tip them based on service. I found my room steward did an excellent job and we gave additional tip as such. The dining staff did a poor job but still was paid. I think they would have been more attentive if their primary monies were coming from the patrons. All drinks, services add on gratuity so be sure that you don’t tip the bartender again unless you received exceptional service.

 

Portraits: Trust me, you will have opportunities to get your picture done. For the week we had pictures taken at least 10 times. Many good pictures were taken, many bad. Pictures are very experience and you can end up spending a fortune if you do not watch out. 8 x 10 portraits are $25 each so you can imagine how quickly they can add up if you received 20 pictures while aboard. There was a good offer for $20 that included a portfolio of the ship and a 5x7 collage. This is a special that you will see toward the end of the cruise. There is one formal night and this is when most people take pictures so dress for the occasion.

 

Spa/Salon: Did not utilize this much but we saw specials offered during the cruise. There were several programs offered regarding physical and health tips during the day and port specials for both the Spa and Salon were your best bet for bargains.

 

Art Auction: this is one area that NCL and all cruise lines push. Complimentary champagne is offered if you register and you can learn quite a few things regarding art if you attend any of the shows. Knowledgeable Art Auctioneers are aboard and can answer any question regarding various artist or painting. My observation on this is that NCL has tried to expand cruising to all levels of financial ability. The problem with that is the fact that lower income levels do not buy art nor are they willing to part with thousand of dollars at an art auction. This can be a good thing or bad thing based on how you look at it. My bet is that if you can afford it, you can find some bargains since you will probably receive little competition once you get past the opening bid. There are many beautiful pieces of art available but many are overpriced in my opinion and you may find better deals elsewhere. You also need to be aware that the price paid usually doesn’t include shipping or the frame that it was shown with so bid carefully.

 

Disembarking: NCL offers several disembarking plans. Before any US citizen can disembark, Customs must clear Non-US citizens. They are first priority. Once they clear, US citizens can then leave the ship. NCL offers the ability for those passengers who need to disembark right away due to transportation issues or other pressing needs to hand carry their luggage directly off the ship without placing the luggage in the hallway on the last night. For those not in a hurry, colored tags are assigned based on departure urgency and are placed on all remaining luggage. This luggage will be placed on pier and you will sit there till your color is called. At that time, you will pick up your luggage and go through customs (each family will have a customs declaration form that will be turned in) and you will then be able to leave the ship. We decided that we were not in a hurry and took our time leaving ship. At the latest, you can expect to be off the ship no later than 10:00am. The ship must be readied for sailing by noon so they get you off very quickly. You will be able to eat breakfast and take showers before you leave your room the last morning. I found this process extremely efficient. Exiting the ship was smooth and we proceeded straight to the taxi stand. No waiting.

 

Summary - Overall, this cruise was okay. I liked the entertainment especially and the ports of call. The food was mediocre and I did not like the quality of food or the concept of freestyle dining. I was disappointed that they did away with the Captains welcome aboard party and the lack of day activities. I did like the progressive Trivia games offered and areas such as the library and Internet Café. Because the ship was small, I soon began to recognize everyone by the end of the cruise. I thought the cruise staff tried to make our cruise enjoyable. Would I cruise NCL again? The jury is out but I loved Bermuda and I love cruising so you never know. If you are looking for excitement and lots of activities, this ship is probably not right for you. Till we see you again, Happy cruising!!

[CruisinMK]

thank you. Marking thread for future review

[smoothdancer]

Well written review, but so sorry to hear about your taxi ride!

[superdave57]

After reading this the next day, it sounded like I didn't enjoy this cruise. The truth is that I did. I do not believe that this was the ships fault but rather a change in direction from NCL. I had sailed on NCL 3 times before and I am not sure that I like the changes that NCL is implementing. Cruising especially in the dining area was suppose to be about experiencing a lifestyle that you don't get to experience everyday.

[NJBear]

Thanks for the review, Ive been looking at the CROWN/Bermuda and it sounds like I'd like it. I like the Freestyle a lot so what wasn't your cup of tea seems to be mine. :D . I was in Bermuda on one rainy port stop on the SPIRIT and want to go back. Thanks again

[macdays1]

Wow, I think you win the award for the longest review. That was great though. You touched on every possible subject. The only thing I wanted to say is that the Carriage House accepts the voucher for lunch or dinner, and that you can choose from their entire menu. There are no limitations. This voucher is also available for Majesty cruisers, and I have used it myself every time. It's a deal that can't be beat. Sounds like your overall cruise was pretty good though, and that's what really counts. Thanks for a wonderful review. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

[hotspur]

Cruising especially in the dining area was suppose to be about experiencing a lifestyle that you don't get to experience everyday.

Perhaps YOU think dining on a cruise ship is supposed to be a rigid, regimented, controlled experience. Some of us here think that's simply nonsense, and avoid it wherever we can. Sorry you were unable to enjoy the freedom that freestyle dining offers.

[newlywedcruisers]

Thank you for this greatly detailed review, I'm glad that you did enjoy it and I'm sorry for the parts that weren't good to you.

Really though thanks again for the great review.

[sjbdtz]

I'm intrigued by the whole idea of "getting to know your waiter". I don't "get to know" the guy at McDonalds who takes my order.

 

The waiter is the person the cruiseline hired for minimum wage, whose job is to find out what I'd like to eat, relay that to the kitchen, and then serve it.

 

I also find intriguing that you think that automated tipping causes a deterioration in service, since you presume that the staff aren't sucking up to you.

 

YET, you say that the service in your cabin was so good (even with automated tipping), that you felt compelled to tip additionally.

 

You see, what actually happens with automated tipping, is that NCL can almost assure the staff of a higher wage. This in turn leads to a higher dedication to the job (higher paying jobs are harder to find, therefore people go the extra mile to hang on to one they've already got).

 

Think of a retail clerk at Target...they have little incentive, and therefore little interest in going above & beyond.

 

Then think of a retail clerk at Gucci, or Hugo Boss. Their pay packets are higher, and they offer a different calibre of service.

 

I would be SO offended if I was having a pleasant chat with my travel companions, recapping the excitement of our day, and the waiter came over & wanted to tell me about their family..... :eek:

[7SeasLover]

I enjoyed reading your review. I'm looking forward to our time on the Crown in South America. It does sound like the type of cruise that I enjoy. I really do like freestyle and I really don't like getting to know people. I cruise so I can get away from people! That sounds awful -- I should say I want peace and quiet and serenity - casual strolls on deck after dinner and as the sun sets, quietly sitting on my balcony sipping wine and thinking while hubby is stretched out trying to find USC football (not) on TV. He'd even settle for reruns!

 

Great review - thanks. That NY cab ride was hysterically funny (to read that is). I'm sure you were at your peak frustration level!

[Maryfrei]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Enjoyed reading your review.

[tom_uk]

Thanks for the review. It sounds as if you really liked the ship, but not the way she's currently being used.

 

Norwegian Crown is going to Fred.Olsen Cruises, to start with them in 2008. I think ownership has already been transferred but a lease-back arrangement has been set up to get Crown through to her last cruise with NCL in 2007. When she joins Fred Olsen she'll be renamed 'Balmoral', and will be refitted, refurbished, etc, in keeping with the Olsen style. Fred. Olsen have a handful of older and smaller ships, of course, and in fact Balmoral will be their largest. It's probable that Black Prince, the oldest & smallest, will probably be withdrawn in a year or two, but the remaining fleet is going strong. It includes two of the Royal Viking Line trio dating from the early 70s, and these together with the renamed Balmoral will really set them up as a 'classic ships' company.

 

There aren't any detailed itineraries for Balmoral yet, of course, but we do know that she will spend summers in the Mediterranean. And of course Fred.Olsen will not do 'Freestyle Dining' - it'll be tradition all the way. So if, in a couple of years' time, anyone wants to get a feel as to the spirit of cruising 20 or more years ago, a cruise on Norwegian Crown/Balmoral might be just the ticket.

[newmexicoNita]

Greetings!!! Just got back from sailing the NCL Crown this past week. Please be patient with me for I sometimes start to ramble but my intentions are to give an honest and hopefully open-minded review of the ship, the ports, and the cruise in general. First a little history. My name is David and I live in the city of Houston, TX. This cruise marked my 9th passage over the last 28 years and my first cruise on NCL in 20 yrs. It was on NCL’s Skyward that I met my future wife and we have been married going on 18 yrs. We were both excited about returning to NCL and Bermuda was always high on our travel wish list. We traded in our flier miles and with two kids in hand ( Daughter – 13, Son – 8), we packed our bags for NYC and life aboard the Crown.

 

Transportation: We arrived at LGA (LaGuardia) and decided since there were 4 of us, the cheapest way to get to the cruise terminal was to take a cab. We checked on transfers that NCL offered but this averaged out to about $50/pp and this wasn’t economical. The CC site showed that from LGA the fare would be around $22-$30 plus possible toll bridge fees if applicable. Usually, I would research this and have directions ready but my instincts were that all cab drivers would know how to get to the cruise terminal from the airport. Wrong! Our cab driver was someone who didn’t speak fluent English nor have any idea what a Cruise ship was let alone where the cruise terminal was. He kept asking us what bridge to take and driving directions to the terminal. After taking us through a beautiful tour of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan ( Are you kidding me?), he eventually tried to drop us off at the infamous Circle Line terminal. All of you New Yorkers out there are probably laughing your tail off about now. We finally got him to call his dispatcher and $45 later we arrived at the terminal. Lessons learned: Make sure your cab driver knows NYC, speaks English and that you bring a map or specific directions to get to and from airport. BTW, our return trip back to LGA took 29 minutes and cost us $31 plus tip ( this included toll for Triboro bridge). I still would recommend a taxi as the choice of transportation if you have more than 2 persons in party.

 

Embarkation: No problems. We arrived by 2:00pm and we were aboard within 15 minutes. Pre-registered on NCL website so all we had to do was get our pictures and leave credit card imprint for on-board charges. Keys were in room and we were allowed to go straight there upon boarding ship. Very impressed.

 

Ship Appearance: I knew by reading up on the Crown that she was the oldest ship in the NCL fleet and small in comparisons to other mega-ships out there today. This is both good and bad. The good is that you will learn the ship quickly. The Crown has two hot tubs, 6 restaurants, 7 bars and lounges, 1 swimming pool, a fitness center, a spa and beauty salon, a kids and Teen area, a library, game room, and Internet cafe. Most of the activity resides on 2-3 floors. Because the ship is small, she can only accommodate 1000 passengers. This is good if you don’t like crowds. You will soon learn everyone’s face because you are always running into them. The ship reminded me of the Starward and Skyward. They too were small ships and the décor is somewhat dated. She shows her age but it is in fairly good shape. The decks are now worn and no longer polished. She doesn’t have the glass that you see on the newer ships and she definitely doesn’t have rock climbing walls, basketball courts, etc that seems to be the trend these days. From what I saw, the pool was seldom used but the hot tubs were always a gathering point. When you first step aboard, you notice the décor represents the 90’s with lots of blues and reds and mirrors. The word is that 2007 Bermuda run will be her last for the Crown. She has been sold to make room for bigger ships being built by NCL. Too Bad.

 

Room Cabin: We reserved an ocean view room on the 8th floor. Because of the ages of our kids, we requested a Quad and that is what we got. It has 4 fold down beds that come out of the walls. During the day, the top two are closed up and the bottom two serve as couches. It had a small TV, a safe (no instructions on how to use it), a shower and bathroom area, a writing desk and plenty of closet and drawer space. We had 3 suitcases of clothes and we had no problem unpacking and hanging things up. For a small room, I never felt cramped with the exception of when 4 people were trying to get dressed. My gripes were that there was not a refrigerator in the room nor were there electrical outlets to plug items into. My guess is that this was NCL’s intention. The only plug was in the bathroom and it was geared to shavers only. Ironing would have been impossible in the small bathroom area. The showers are small but had decent water pressure. Each stall has soap and shampoo dispensers. I would strongly recommend that you bring a bar of soap and shampoo with you. The quality of the supplied products is poor at best. Your room steward will ensure that you have enough towels and on port days you can check out beach towels instead of using the ones in your room. Window size is relatively small and you may want to determine if outside room warrants the extra cost. Inside rooms are very dark. We took the outside stateroom because they did not have an inside quad available. There is nothing fancy about the room. Beds were extremely comfortable for me and I slept great while aboard. Overall, the room did not blow me away but my room steward kept it clean and comfortable from the time we boarded till the time we left.

 

Freestyle dining concept: I might as well get started, “I hate it”. I know a great deal of people like the concept of freestyle dining but in the end, we didn’t like it and I will do my best to tell you why. First, this was the first cruise that we had ever taken that didn’t have assigned dining. Every other cruise had either an early or late seating and you usually got to choose which one filled your needs. I understand what NCL was trying to accomplish by giving passengers freedom to choose when they wanted to eat so that they were not restricted to a schedule. That part of freestyle dining appeals to many but my biggest problem is that it causes you to lose many benefits associated with assigned dining. One benefit is the loss of establishing a rapport with your wait staff. With freestyle dining, you are not assigned the same waiter and as a result, you get whichever waiter is assigned to the table that you draw that night. With assigned seating, you get the same waiters every night. They learn your likes, your dislikes, what you drink, how you like your coffee, etc. They learn the tempo of how you like to eat and in short, they get to know you and you get to know them. They know your names and you theirs. Often, you would spend time during your meal talking with them about their families, their experiences and by the end of the cruise; you really had built a close relationship. You didn’t have to continually tell them things over and over again because they took the time to become familiar with your eating habits. With freestyle dining, that opportunity is gone because you usually never get the same waiter twice. Another benefit of assigned dining verses freestyle dining is that you don’t have to stand in line waiting to be seated. There wasn’t usually a long time but with assigned dining, you always knew when you were eating and you could go directly to your table when you got to the dining area. One last observation about Freestyle dining that I noticed right away. Freestyle dining tended to restrict the ability for the dining room to staff correctly or functionally operate during dinner hours. It appeared to me that they were overstaffed at times and understaffed at other times. You must remember that freestyle dining allows you to choose the times you eat. As a result, the wait staff couldn’t plan how dinners rolled out. Just as soon as they had your order in, another group of people would sit down and they would have to start over. This constant shuffling in and out of people tended to cause two things to happen: 1) dinner took longer to complete 2) food continually came out warm at best. Way too often we were looking around for our waiter and in turn, service suffered. My belief is that NCL should look at trying to find a compromise and offer both types of seating. Half of the room could be conventional assigned seating and the other freestyle. Just a thought but it is something that really bothered me during this trip.

 

Restaurants: There are two primary restaurants aboard the Crown. The main dining room is called the Seven Seas and the Buffet dining area is called the Yacht Club. During this cruise, we ate at both. The Seven Seas restaurant allows shorts during breakfast and lunch but at dinner hours, there is a dress code. I saw many people get mad because they were turned away because they wanted to wear a muscle shirt, jean shorts, and flip-flops to dinner. Use common sense and you will be fine. There are also several free specialty restaurants to choose from but require reservations. You can’t just show up so make reservation as soon as possible before they fill up. These restaurants are the Pasta Café (Italian) and ChopSticks(Asian). Both are nice but not spectacular. There is also a Fee-Based Specialty restaurant called Le Bistro. It serves Steaks, Lobster, Fish, and various French cuisines. The fee for this restaurant is $15 per person and another $5 if you order surf and turf. We ate at this restaurant for my birthday and the food was far better than either of the other two restaurants. One thing that I noticed is that this cruise never offered steak or lobster once on their menu. The only way to ever have this was to pay the fee for it in the specialty restaurant. My opinion would be to spend the money on the specialty restaurant. You will definitely see the difference. Le Bistro is not great but it is a step way up compared to the other two restaurants. The sad part is that the food offered there is what cruises use to serve during normal dining. NCL has definitely lowered its standards on dining experiences. One thing I need to mention. While at Le Bistro, my kids ate off the Kids menu and not the specialty menu. At the end of the meal, they tried to charge me ½ price for a cover charge for them eating at the restaurant. I refused to pay and they removed it from the bill. If you are bringing your kids, be sure to arrange with the Maitre D all charges so you won’t be surprised. Overall, I would classify the food on this cruise as mediocre. The buffet line seemed to serve the same things over and over again and way too often, it looks like they recycled the food from meal to meal. The dining room food was far superior to the buffet line but still I have been on many other cruises where the food was much better. Presentation of food in the main dining was good but the quality of food was only fair. We found the women wait staff much friendlier then the male wait staff. Good things offered during the cruise was the chocolate buffet, barbeques by the pool ( very good) and late evening snacks especially the ice cream. Bad things offered were $40/pp coke cards and the constant hawking of $8 specialty drinks. We found it so much cheaper to either bring sodas with us or buy them 1 at a time at the bar. The cost per soda was about $2.25 after gratuities. From my daughter’s perspective, the wait staff was inattentive and often forgot what you ordered or ignored you. She also noticed that they were less friendly than other cruises that we have been on. My kids are junk food eaters for most of the time but by the 4th pizza or hamburger, they had had enough. That should say it all. Lessons learned: stay away from buffet, eat the ice cream, try the specialty restaurants at least once, stay on top of your waiter if you want any type of good service.

 

Teen/Kids Club: we have been on several cruises with our kids. Because this ship was far smaller than other ships we have been on, the participation in the kids clubs were far smaller. This is good if you want more attention paid to your kids. For the younger programs, I think this cruise provided ample entertainment. For the other teens like my daughter (13), she did not find it as gratifying. This was primarily due to most of the kids in her area were 15-17 and thus she felt left out. My observation is that kids of that age range ran unattended for most of the time on the ship. I would recommend the kids club for any kid under the age of 10. The staffs for these age groups were great and offered a variety of things for them to keep occupied. Several of the kids were taken on special tours of the ship by the cruise director and also appeared on cruise-tv specials. This ship offered Kids Karaoke, which was fun along with special dinner events just for them. Downside of kids programs was that the rooms they occupied were small in comparison to other programs and often the club hrs interfered with other activities going on.

 

Entertainment: The Crown entertainment was the best that I have ever seen in all of my cruising days. This was the biggest shock that I encountered while aboard. On most cruises, the production shows are poor but in the case of the Crown, I found them to be almost at a Broadway level. The dancers (Jean Ann Ryan Company) were top-notch performers and I was pleasantly surprised at the choreography. There were other acts aboard the Crown that were excellent. The best act was a comedian/acrobat named Rudi Macaggi. He had everyone rolling with laughter. He is also a finalist on the “America’s Got Talent” show that will be airing August 17th. It was a one of a kind performance. We also enjoyed Jane L. Powell who was a singer with an unbelievable voice. She performed only once but brought the house down. Last, there was a comedian named Dave Heenan. He was okay and his comedy centered on New York humor. My wife who is a native New Yorker related to many of his jokes. Other entertainment was Bingo, Adult Karaoke, Sexy Legs contest (boring), and traditional Newlywed game. Bingo has replaced traditional cards with hand-held remotes. This is one area that I think technology might have hurt bingo sales. The new devices require you to do nothing. You spend an hour or so looking at the device. My belief is that people need to have all the cards in front of them and if they don’t have to punch the cards in, they get bored. I myself won the first time I played and earned a grand total of $116. To be honest, I was surprised about the lack of interest in the bingo. They do a hard sell of getting you to buy a variety of packages and most start at about $35 for each game. My package was $55 for the bingo session ( 6 games). The payouts were very small and this was probably due to number of players and I think the devices scared off some of the older players who were use to paper cards. My take on the cruise was that there was plenty of entertainment at night but very little during the day. I did enjoy the special movies that they showed in the main showroom on several nights during the cruise along with the special late night shows (70’s night, Liar’s club, Jazz fest, Tropical Island Night, etc) that were available throughout the week. The cruise director Clint was very personable and tried to make everyone have a great time. For evening entertainment: A+. For day entertainment: C

 

Casino: The crown is not known for its casino. It is small and for the most part, it did not stay busy. There are 3 blackjack tables – one for $5, one for $10, one for $25. The $25 table was never busy and only a few times did I have a problem getting on either of the other two tables. There is also a roulette wheel and a 3 card poker table. The offer Craps on request but I never saw anyone playing it. The do have about 20 or so slot machines but I didn’t see them paying too often and I found no one who actually one big on any of them. There were traditional blackjack and slot machine tournaments but were not highly patronized. I did relatively well on blackjack table and I met someone who won over $3000 on the roulette wheel so there was money to be one. One observation was that the dealers did not interface with the guest as much as I have seen on other ships. As a result, they missed opportunities to bring players to the tables. The bottom line was that the casino lacked excitement. I think that this could be directly attributed to the casino staff. They did not sell themselves at all. A casino should be almost like a circus and these guys were sullen, barely spoke, and really killed the mood. I was there at midnight on several nights and it was almost dead. A big problem for the casino was the cruise schedule. Because the Crown was in port for 3 full days, the casino was only opened for 4 nights. Wait staff in the casinos was good. I found the best waiter aboard and for the rest of the cruise; he and I became good friends.

 

Ports: Our ship stopped at two ports: St. George and Hamilton. There was supposed to have been a third port: The Dockyard (Kings Wharf) but this was dropped due to some port issues but this was not too disappointing. You could catch a ferry from either of the other ports if you wanted to go there. St. George and Hamilton are the best spots. I personally like St. George better but both are accessible while on the island. There is a ton of things to do in Bermuda. First off, the Bermuda beaches are some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Another fact, the temperature of the sand in Bermuda never changes. It could be 100 degrees outside and the sand will remain cool. I also found that the sand changes from beach to beach. The most beautiful beach on the island is Horseshoe Bay. While in Bermuda, we visited Tobacco Bay, Horseshoe Bay, and Church Bay. All three were different. Tobacco Bay, the water is perfectly calm, great for kids, with a fort at one end (Ft. Catherine) and a golf course on the other. There is good snorkeling here and there is a ton of volcanic rock to see and climb. Beach facilities are available along with rental of umbrella, chairs, drinks, and snorkel gear. The sand is more white than pink and if you want to get away from the crowds, all you have to do is walk further down the beach and you will find yourself all alone with your own private cove. Ft. Catherine is only opened till 4:00pm so if you are planning to see it, go early. Horseshoe Bay is the most beautiful beach. It is also the most popular. My recommendation is that you get there early. We went twice while there. You can catch the number 7 bus and it will drop you off right there. It is a 20-25 minute ride from Hamilton and if you only have time for one beach, this is the one. We got there one morning at 8:30am and the beach was practically deserted and it was one of the most peaceful experiences I have ever had. Be sure to bring water shoes so that you can climb some of the many rock formations. You can also snorkel here and there is a beautiful cove to the right as soon as you step onto the beach with excellent diving opportunities. There is a steep hill that goes to the beach and it is infamous of getting people tired while getting back to the main road. During the day there is a guy who takes you back to the top for $1 for adults 10-up. Trust me, spend the dollar – it will be the best purchase of the day. Church beach is a beach that is past Horseshoe Bay. You can take the 7 Bus there also. It is a small beach with a much grainier sand base. It has a quick drop off and much stronger waves. It was hear that we found the infamous “beach glass”. This is broken bottles or shads of glass that have been smoothed by the wave activity and washes ashore. We found quite a bit of this and brought it home with us. There is good snorkeling here but the undertow is strong near the shore and the waves are very powerful. The beach is small and not as nice as Horseshoe or Tobacco but it has the pinkest of sands if you are looking for it. There are no facilities here but there is umbrella, chair, snorkel rental available. Outside of the beaches, there are many things to do. NCL offers a ton of excursions that you will see offered. They have a shore excursion desk that will be glad to assist you with questions. Getting around the island is usually accomplished 3 ways: 1)Bus 2)moped or 3) taxi. If I came to Bermuda without the kids, I would have rented a moped. NCL frowns on it but there are tons of them around the island. You have to remember that they drive on the opposite side of the road and Hamilton is much more congested than St. George but if you want to explore, this is the best way to see the island. With the kids, this was too dangerous and risky so we utilized the bus and ferry systems. The are not bad but I want to pass on some lessons learned: 1) if you are planning to spend your day at the beach, buy individual round-trip ticket and not the one or two day pass. Only buy these passes if you are planning to move around the island several times during the day. 2) If you have kids, buy a 15 ride student card for approx $8.00 at the bus terminal. This should last you for your whole time while in Bermuda. Taxis are fast but expensive so be ware 3) If your plans include taking a carriage ride, we found that you can ride for $40 for a half hour for a family of 4 verses paying $40 per person for a hr. offered by NCL if you rent the carriage directly on Front street. We found the carriage drivers friendly and informative. We took our kids to the Zoo/Aquarium. It was okay but don’t expect too much. No lions, tigers, or bears. Very small. I believe it cost $ 36 for the 4 of us (2 – adult, 2 children tickets). We bought the tickets at the place itself verses taking this as an excursion. This was a great deal cheaper. St. George and Hamilton are both historical ports with many excursions geared to discovering it’s flavored past. Both have special market nights that are fun and highlight the spirit of each port. I would strongly recommend seeing both. Hamilton has some small parades on Wednesday night and the nightlife in both is worth seeing and experiencing. Be aware that shops close early (5 pm avg.) so if you are souvenir shopping, don’t procrastinate. Shopping is better in Hamilton due to the many stores along Front Street. St. George is less crowded and most of the stores are within walking distance of the ship. You can spend a lot or a little in Bermuda. There are great shopping opportunities but do your homework. If possible, listen to the port discussions aboard ship. They are informative and helpful. Enjoy Bermuda.

 

Dining Vouchers: Quick word on this. This is a program offered to the NCL Crown passengers. For $5, you can get a $25 lunch dining voucher to be used at various restaurants within St. George or Hamilton. You can upgrade the lunch voucher to a dinner voucher for an additional $5. In this case $10 buys you $50 dining voucher. My opinion is to not use the $25 lunch voucher but upgrade it to the $50 dinner voucher. The lunch menu value is minimal. The restaurants are few; the voucher only applies to a special menu with little selection. Trust me, you will not see the value if you utilize it at lunch. Upgrading the dining voucher to dinner vouchers will yield you a much better deal. The Carriage House in St. George accepts the dinner voucher and everyone that I talked with enjoyed this immensely. We used it on lunch and thought it was a major rip-off. One thing to remember is that the voucher only is offered to those 12 yrs and older. As a result, we had to pay full fare for my son. My daughter, wife, and I received the voucher. A hamburger alone for my son ran $12 with no drink. Use the voucher on the Carriage House or something equivalent or don’t use it at all. Be sure to make reservations as soon as possible. The front desk can help you.

 

Gratuities: The worse and best thing that NCL did. Each person is charged $10 per day for gratuities. Children under 10 get charged $5 per day. This covers your dining and room steward. If you receive special service from someone, additional cash gratuities are appreciated. The fixed gratuities are added to your bill at the end of the cruise. It makes it simple so you don’t have to figure it out and prepare envelopes, etc. Since I usually over-tip, the pre-gratuities simplifies my life. The bad part of it is that the staff does not have to work as hard for their money. They are paid either way. I have found that work staff will work a great deal harder if they know that you may or not tip them based on service. I found my room steward did an excellent job and we gave additional tip as such. The dining staff did a poor job but still was paid. I think they would have been more attentive if their primary monies were coming from the patrons. All drinks, services add on gratuity so be sure that you don’t tip the bartender again unless you received exceptional service.

 

Portraits: Trust me, you will have opportunities to get your picture done. For the week we had pictures taken at least 10 times. Many good pictures were taken, many bad. Pictures are very experience and you can end up spending a fortune if you do not watch out. 8 x 10 portraits are $25 each so you can imagine how quickly they can add up if you received 20 pictures while aboard. There was a good offer for $20 that included a portfolio of the ship and a 5x7 collage. This is a special that you will see toward the end of the cruise. There is one formal night and this is when most people take pictures so dress for the occasion.

 

Spa/Salon: Did not utilize this much but we saw specials offered during the cruise. There were several programs offered regarding physical and health tips during the day and port specials for both the Spa and Salon were your best bet for bargains.

 

Art Auction: this is one area that NCL and all cruise lines push. Complimentary champagne is offered if you register and you can learn quite a few things regarding art if you attend any of the shows. Knowledgeable Art Auctioneers are aboard and can answer any question regarding various artist or painting. My observation on this is that NCL has tried to expand cruising to all levels of financial ability. The problem with that is the fact that lower income levels do not buy art nor are they willing to part with thousand of dollars at an art auction. This can be a good thing or bad thing based on how you look at it. My bet is that if you can afford it, you can find some bargains since you will probably receive little competition once you get past the opening bid. There are many beautiful pieces of art available but many are overpriced in my opinion and you may find better deals elsewhere. You also need to be aware that the price paid usually doesn’t include shipping or the frame that it was shown with so bid carefully.

 

Disembarking: NCL offers several disembarking plans. Before any US citizen can disembark, Customs must clear Non-US citizens. They are first priority. Once they clear, US citizens can then leave the ship. NCL offers the ability for those passengers who need to disembark right away due to transportation issues or other pressing needs to hand carry their luggage directly off the ship without placing the luggage in the hallway on the last night. For those not in a hurry, colored tags are assigned based on departure urgency and are placed on all remaining luggage. This luggage will be placed on pier and you will sit there till your color is called. At that time, you will pick up your luggage and go through customs (each family will have a customs declaration form that will be turned in) and you will then be able to leave the ship. We decided that we were not in a hurry and took our time leaving ship. At the latest, you can expect to be off the ship no later than 10:00am. The ship must be readied for sailing by noon so they get you off very quickly. You will be able to eat breakfast and take showers before you leave your room the last morning. I found this process extremely efficient. Exiting the ship was smooth and we proceeded straight to the taxi stand. No waiting.

 

Summary - Overall, this cruise was okay. I liked the entertainment especially and the ports of call. The food was mediocre and I did not like the quality of food or the concept of freestyle dining. I was disappointed that they did away with the Captains welcome aboard party and the lack of day activities. I did like the progressive Trivia games offered and areas such as the library and Internet Café. Because the ship was small, I soon began to recognize everyone by the end of the cruise. I thought the cruise staff tried to make our cruise enjoyable. Would I cruise NCL again? The jury is out but I loved Bermuda and I love cruising so you never know. If you are looking for excitement and lots of activities, this ship is probably not right for you. Till we see you again, Happy cruising!!

thanks David for your very honest review. You pointed out the good and bad as you saw it and that is what reviews are all about. As for freestyle, it certainly isn't for everyone, but more ships are experimenting with varies versions of freestyle or offering more flexibility.Getting to know the wait staff has never been important to us; we did have one waiter and assistant that are still on one of the ships which we loved, but other than that we don't get to know our wait people at home as a rule either. Apparently you have cruised other lines in the past few years so you know food overall has gone down hill since the late 90s. Not having the captains cocktail party is a disappointment I know. They kept it for awhile after freestyle became the policy but I guess it just simply didn't work. We have always found enough to do during the day but I guess it depends on your likes and dislikes. DH loves just to lay in the sun and read and I love the casino regardless of what ship. I do hope you will consider cruising one of NCLs newer and larger ships. Again, thanks for your very objective review. NMNita

[Zeno]

Nicely detailed review - although of course being a Freestyle fan I did not agree with your comments on Freestyle dining. I have never wanted to establish a rapport with my waiter (anymore than I would want to establish a rapport with a waiter in a "land" restaurant) but I know that is important to some people. And choosing my own dining companions and eating on my own schedule are VERY important to me. I guess some people are more suited to Freestyle dining and some are more suited to "traditional" dining.

(edited because I typed too fast)

[sweetpea-2]

;) great informative review !!! must have taken you a long time, thanks..........

[Markandrews]

Thanks for your review on the Crown.

 

I have to aggree that we like to get to know the crew members that are working on board. I think about our cabin steward Benji from the Jewel and wonder how he is doing. Very often the conversations with crew members are more pleasant then that of our fellow passengers. But I still would rather have the option of dining when and with whoever I choose.

 

When writing of you dining experience in LeBistro you said,

 

"The sad part is that the food offered there is what cruises use to serve during normal dining. NCL has definitely lowered its standards on dining experiences".

 

I bet you paid about the same for this cruise as you did for your cruise on the Skyward 20 or so years ago. All Cruise lines have cut back on the quality and quantity of food served in the main dining rooms. These cut backs are also what happened to your Captain's welcome aboard party. If you want the perks of 20 years ago you have to pay for the high-end lines.

 

The cruise lines can only provide so much when MANY passengers are only paying 100 bucks a day per person.

[Stillfloatin']

Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed and honest review. This is just the type of information that allows all of us to make informed decisions before we book a particular ship, shore excursion, or itinerary.

 

I can empathize with your feelings about wait staff. Much as I love Freestyle, and I REALLY do, the one thing I miss about set dining is the relationship with the wait staff. We've had some wonderful experiences in the past and meal times were always more special. That said, the convenience of eating when I'm hungry or when it's convenient are a deciding factor for me now when I book a cruise. Too bad there's no way to combine the two!:D

[bragstarr]

Thanks so much for your honesty and all the information. I do admit, this New Yorker did have a good laugh over your cab ride from LGA.:) I'm going on Crown in September and looking at it as my way to get to Bermuda, rather than the ship being the destination, like the Mega Ships (and I DO like them!) often are.

 

As for freestyle dining--my jury is still out on it. Did it on the Dawn, loved not having to be at a certain place at a certain time. Made life and touring much easier. However, not only did I have a lot of fun times with previously unknown people that I sat with all week during traditional dining, but I DO understand your point about the waitstaff getting to know you--for example, by day 2 of a traditional dining cruise, the iced tea would be waiting for me on the table at dinnertime when I got there, and the waitstaff knew to bring me the tea box at dessert time, as I do not drink coffee. And we have had some lovely waitstaff who have told us stories about their home countries that I found interesting.

 

Thanks again,

[newmexicoNita]

Thanks so much for your honesty and all the information. I do admit, this New Yorker did have a good laugh over your cab ride from LGA.:) I'm going on Crown in September and looking at it as my way to get to Bermuda, rather than the ship being the destination, like the Mega Ships (and I DO like them!) often are.

 

As for freestyle dining--my jury is still out on it. Did it on the Dawn, loved not having to be at a certain place at a certain time. Made life and touring much easier. However, not only did I have a lot of fun times with previously unknown people that I sat with all week during traditional dining, but I DO understand your point about the waitstaff getting to know you--for example, by day 2 of a traditional dining cruise, the iced tea would be waiting for me on the table at dinnertime when I got there, and the waitstaff knew to bring me the tea box at dessert time, as I do not drink coffee. And we have had some lovely waitstaff who have told us stories about their home countries that I found interesting.

 

Thanks again,

You know mentioning waitstaff who tell things about their family and life back home: we have gotten the same thing from our wait people in the dining rooms even with freestyle cruising. NMnita

[jayceedp]

I was also on the Crown 7/23 sailing. I thought it would be useful to supplement Superdave57's comprehensive review with my own impressions. I've lurked these boards for a few years, but only registered for this posting. My wife and I are 50 with two kids, 12 & 18, and this was our 10th cruise...the 5th (or maybe 6th) for the children. Our 3rd on NCL.

 

Embarkation: Arrived at Pier 92 at 11:15 a.m. Boarded a few minutes after 11:30. We travel fairly light with one 21" bag plus a messenger bag per person, so we walked our bags on board straight to our cabin, also an obstructed view on deck 8.

 

Ship: A first class example of an older, smaller ship. Biggest advantage is being able to get to cabin within a couple of minutes from anywhere on board. Biggest disadvantage is no jogging track...it's walking only on both Lido deck and the top. Also, we missed the lack of forward sun deck space.

 

Cabin: Best quad we've been in. Clean and in good repair. No rattles or squeaks. Ample closets. Best water pressure and hand-held shower I've had on a ship. There is 110VAC outlet on the vanity behind the TV. If you forget to bring an extension cord, borrow one at the reception desk. We found safe instructions on the closet door and inside the safe. Other passengers complained about the lack of refridgerators, but we haven't had one on NCL yet (Spirit and Wind). The window was typical of a 1980's ship before the floor to ceiling thing became popular. We had a "40%" obstructed view, but looked over the bow of a lifeboat. It was fine.

 

Dining: Food met our expectations...nothing special. The trick is in ordering smart. Lobster and Chateau Briand were served in the main dining room on Monday night. Lobster was dry but the beef was fine. We didn't eat in Le Bistro. Other specialty resturants were just OK. All the specialty resturants have very limited seating, so make reservations upon embarkation. There appeared to be a lot of no-shows for the early seatings on port days. One good thing to remember if you like your coffee is that you can get cappuccini or espressi in the resturants at meal times on all NCL ships. We don't do soda, but lemonade is always available to kids in the fine resturants at meals (it's on the kid's menu).

 

Kids Club: For the first time ever, we didn't use the club.

 

Entertainment: Superdave was on the money with his overall assessment. The comedian was rather embarassing sometimes, but it's a Tri-state crowd and he was well received on the whole. Rudi Macaggi was amazing. We'd seen Jane L Powell on a previous cruise, and she was great. No bingo for us and the casino was pretty lousy. Cruise Director Clint did a great job with the resources at hand.

 

Ports: Thank goodness the Crown Princess had an itinerary change that put her at King's Wharf so we could stay at Hamilton an extra day and 1/2. We weren't stuck at the dockyard a whole day and got an extra 1/2 day in Bermuda. We bought bus passes for two days in Hamilton ($20, $10 under 15) and made the loop on the Number 7 bus to the beaches, Sandy, and Dockyard with the Ferry back to the Ship on both Wed. and Th. Well worth the price and lack of hassle. Free ferry rides between Hamilton and the dockyard were available until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Re. Mopeds: We saw folks riding on the right-hand side of the road several times. All your instincts are to move to the right in an emergency... especially if you've been drinking. I'm surprised there aren't more disasters.

 

Dining Vouchers: We used all four of our vouchers for lunch at the Salt Rock Grill in Sommerset Village (Sandys) and got more than our money's worth. The resturant is on a bluff overlooking Mangrove Bay and the patio is delightful under the shade of an umbrella. In hindsight we could have used two on Wednesday and two on Thursday at the same resturant and had plenty to eat both times. Each meal came with an appetizer and entree plus a nonalcoholic beverage. The best calamari I've had since Turkey. And that tall glass of cold Carlsberg beer was the cheapest drink I had all cruise! If you're looking for fine resturant atmosphere and your fellow shipmates, go with the Carriage House, otherwise, head for the country.

 

Gratuities: System works fine for me with extra rewards where appropriate (room service comes to mind). I tipped the lounge barman a buck for ice water the first couple of days, and he automatically got it ready for me the rest of the trip when I walked up during showtimes. Very important is to get names of those who gave you great service and note them in your comment card at the end of the cruise or send a note to the Hotel Director during the cruise.

 

Portraits: We've always taken advantage of the portrait sittings in the past in hopes of getting one good shot, but they've gotten so cheesy and expensive that we didn't even bother. $15 for a 5x7 that's essentially an advertisement for NCL is a bit high for me.

 

Spa: New spa is first class for such a small ship. Added during it's recent overhaul. Standard NCL port day specials available.

 

Art: Don't bother unless you know your prices.

 

Disembarkation: A breeze, if slightly delayed for some reason this trip. Express walk off is great for independent guests who can haul their own luggage. Next best is the "red tag" you can get from registration desk. On this voyage all tags were called at once after the express walk off, so you might want to camp out near the lobby and post a spy near the gangway.

 

Other: Cellular at Sea is available on the Crown (and all NCL ships). $2.49/minute for Cingular customers. Cheaper than the alternatives. Cingular roaming in Bermuda is $1.99/minute

 

Latitudes: Crummy 11:30 a.m. reception on Monday (after loosing an hour sleep)

 

Overall: A great cruise. Overall service and friendliness below expectations, but we will cruise NCL again because we love the flexibility of Freestyle...especially when in port.

 

One last item. Both sea days, Monday and Friday, were rough with lots of green people. The reception staff were a bit stingy with the meclazine. If you are prone to motion sickness at all, take your first pill before the ship unmoors.

 

 

 

--

[newmexicoNita]

I was also on the Crown 7/23 sailing. I thought it would be useful to supplement Superdave57's comprehensive review with my own impressions. I've lurked these boards for a few years, but only registered for this posting. My wife and I are 50 with two kids, 12 & 18, and this was our 10th cruise...the 5th (or maybe 6th) for the children. Our 3rd on NCL.

 

Embarkation: Arrived at Pier 92 at 11:15 a.m. Boarded a few minutes after 11:30. We travel fairly light with one 21" bag plus a messenger bag per person, so we walked our bags on board straight to our cabin, also an obstructed view on deck 8.

 

Ship: A first class example of an older, smaller ship. Biggest advantage is being able to get to cabin within a couple of minutes from anywhere on board. Biggest disadvantage is no jogging track...it's walking only on both Lido deck and the top. Also, we missed the lack of forward sun deck space.

 

Cabin: Best quad we've been in. Clean and in good repair. No rattles or squeaks. Ample closets. Best water pressure and hand-held shower I've had on a ship. There is 110VAC outlet on the vanity behind the TV. If you forget to bring an extension cord, borrow one at the reception desk. We found safe instructions on the closet door and inside the safe. Other passengers complained about the lack of refridgerators, but we haven't had one on NCL yet (Spirit and Wind). The window was typical of a 1980's ship before the floor to ceiling thing became popular. We had a "40%" obstructed view, but looked over the bow of a lifeboat. It was fine.

 

Dining: Food met our expectations...nothing special. The trick is in ordering smart. Lobster and Chateau Briand were served in the main dining room on Monday night. Lobster was dry but the beef was fine. We didn't eat in Le Bistro. Other specialty resturants were just OK. All the specialty resturants have very limited seating, so make reservations upon embarkation. There appeared to be a lot of no-shows for the early seatings on port days. One good thing to remember if you like your coffee is that you can get cappuccini or espressi in the resturants at meal times on all NCL ships. We don't do soda, but lemonade is always available to kids in the fine resturants at meals (it's on the kid's menu).

 

Kids Club: For the first time ever, we didn't use the club.

 

Entertainment: Superdave was on the money with his overall assessment. The comedian was rather embarassing sometimes, but it's a Tri-state crowd and he was well received on the whole. Rudi Macaggi was amazing. We'd seen Jane L Powell on a previous cruise, and she was great. No bingo for us and the casino was pretty lousy. Cruise Director Clint did a great job with the resources at hand.

 

Ports: Thank goodness the Crown Princess had an itinerary change that put her at King's Wharf so we could stay at Hamilton an extra day and 1/2. We weren't stuck at the dockyard a whole day and got an extra 1/2 day in Bermuda. We bought bus passes for two days in Hamilton ($20, $10 under 15) and made the loop on the Number 7 bus to the beaches, Sandy, and Dockyard with the Ferry back to the Ship on both Wed. and Th. Well worth the price and lack of hassle. Free ferry rides between Hamilton and the dockyard were available until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Re. Mopeds: We saw folks riding on the right-hand side of the road several times. All your instincts are to move to the right in an emergency... especially if you've been drinking. I'm surprised there aren't more disasters.

 

Dining Vouchers: We used all four of our vouchers for lunch at the Salt Rock Grill in Sommerset Village (Sandys) and got more than our money's worth. The resturant is on a bluff overlooking Mangrove Bay and the patio is delightful under the shade of an umbrella. In hindsight we could have used two on Wednesday and two on Thursday at the same resturant and had plenty to eat both times. Each meal came with an appetizer and entree plus a nonalcoholic beverage. The best calamari I've had since Turkey. And that tall glass of cold Carlsberg beer was the cheapest drink I had all cruise! If you're looking for fine resturant atmosphere and your fellow shipmates, go with the Carriage House, otherwise, head for the country.

 

Gratuities: System works fine for me with extra rewards where appropriate (room service comes to mind). I tipped the lounge barman a buck for ice water the first couple of days, and he automatically got it ready for me the rest of the trip when I walked up during showtimes. Very important is to get names of those who gave you great service and note them in your comment card at the end of the cruise or send a note to the Hotel Director during the cruise.

 

Portraits: We've always taken advantage of the portrait sittings in the past in hopes of getting one good shot, but they've gotten so cheesy and expensive that we didn't even bother. $15 for a 5x7 that's essentially an advertisement for NCL is a bit high for me.

 

Spa: New spa is first class for such a small ship. Added during it's recent overhaul. Standard NCL port day specials available.

 

Art: Don't bother unless you know your prices.

 

Disembarkation: A breeze, if slightly delayed for some reason this trip. Express walk off is great for independent guests who can haul their own luggage. Next best is the "red tag" you can get from registration desk. On this voyage all tags were called at once after the express walk off, so you might want to camp out near the lobby and post a spy near the gangway.

 

Other: Cellular at Sea is available on the Crown (and all NCL ships). $2.49/minute for Cingular customers. Cheaper than the alternatives. Cingular roaming in Bermuda is $1.99/minute

 

Latitudes: Crummy 11:30 a.m. reception on Monday (after loosing an hour sleep)

 

Overall: A great cruise. Overall service and friendliness below expectations, but we will cruise NCL again because we love the flexibility of Freestyle...especially when in port.

 

One last item. Both sea days, Monday and Friday, were rough with lots of green people. The reception staff were a bit stingy with the meclazine. If you are prone to motion sickness at all, take your first pill before the ship unmoors.

 

 

 

--

What's with this stupid latitude party in the morning? We had the same thing on the Sun and it was held in the showroom. I guess with so many repeata cruisers they can't handle it so have cut way back. On the Jewel they handled it better I thought. Over 1/2 the ship were latitude so they had 3 separate parties; they were during the day, but more like 1pm if I remember right. I would say I am very disappointed in the latitude program anymore, but when I compare it with Celebrity's I realize it is still pretty good. NMNita

[bakechef]

correct me if i'm wrong, because I have not yet sailed NCL, but can't you arrange to have the same table with the same waiter every night? I am looking foreward to freestyle, because only about 50% of the time have I enjoyed my tablemates, I like fun loving easy going people. I have had a couple of great waiters, but the majority of them were so busy (RCI Voyager) they didn't have time for chit chat, although he brought me key lime pie every night, on piece the first night, two the second, three the third etc.. a great touch, my whole table ended up eating key lime pie! I can certainly see how the traditional dining can set the mood for someones cruise, if that's what they enjoy, but I hated having to go to the dining room when I wasn't hungry, and wearing a suit or tux to dinner, I have learned to relax on vacation as an adult, and I think freestyle will suit me just fine!;)

[dateacher]

Thanks for the review. We are sailing on the Pearl in December and I am not sure about the free style. I hope they consider a combination. I liked the reserved seatings on previous cruises because everyone knew where they had to be when.

Appreciate the time you took in writing all the details.

[superdave57]

I have been reading all the replies to my postings and there have been quite a few valid points made by many of you. I knew that some of my opinions on freestyle dining would be disagreed with and that is cool because that is what the purpose of posting threads are all about. For many of you, freestyle cruising meets your needs. For me, it didn't. I still think that NCL should work at coming up with something that fits both worlds. For me, my disliking of freestyle dining will probably make me sail with some other cruise line and I cannot see how this is beneficial to NCL. Not that I am somebody but the fact that there are possibly other people like me that feel the same way. I believe one of the threads made a very good point about how the prices of cruises has not went up substantially in 20 years. Twenty years ago, the money that I saved and spent to take that cruise bought a great deal more than it does today. NCL and practically every other cruise line made the decision that reducing other things was the best way of maintaining cruise costs. I am not against that philosophy because it keeps the base price low and leaves the decision to spend money to the traveler once on board. My concern is that if cruise lines continue to water down the product, the product will no longer be in demand or sustain its value. The Crown is a very grand ship. It has a great deal to offer in regards to intimacy, value, and entertainment. I still disagree with the gratuities up front logic. People are driven by incentives and those who work the hardest should be rewarded the best. The problem I believe was that people weren't rewarding staff effort and that this was the only way to resolve issue. Finally, to the person who knew so much about the future of the ship, do you know what happened to other ships such as the Norway, Skyward, and Starward? If others have comment, please continue this thread. Dave in Houston.....

[newmexicoNita]

I have been reading all the replies to my postings and there have been quite a few valid points made by many of you. I knew that some of my opinions on freestyle dining would be disagreed with and that is cool because that is what the purpose of posting threads are all about. For many of you, freestyle cruising meets your needs. For me, it didn't. I still think that NCL should work at coming up with something that fits both worlds. For me, my disliking of freestyle dining will probably make me sail with some other cruise line and I cannot see how this is beneficial to NCL. Not that I am somebody but the fact that there are possibly other people like me that feel the same way. I believe one of the threads made a very good point about how the prices of cruises has not went up substantially in 20 years. Twenty years ago, the money that I saved and spent to take that cruise bought a great deal more than it does today. NCL and practically every other cruise line made the decision that reducing other things was the best way of maintaining cruise costs. I am not against that philosophy because it keeps the base price low and leaves the decision to spend money to the traveler once on board. My concern is that if cruise lines continue to water down the product, the product will no longer be in demand or sustain its value. The Crown is a very grand ship. It has a great deal to offer in regards to intimacy, value, and entertainment. I still disagree with the gratuities up front logic. People are driven by incentives and those who work the hardest should be rewarded the best. The problem I believe was that people weren't rewarding staff effort and that this was the only way to resolve issue. Finally, to the person who knew so much about the future of the ship, do you know what happened to other ships such as the Norway, Skyward, and Starward? If others have comment, please continue this thread. Dave in Houston.....

Dave, the Norway had an explosion about 3 years ago and to repair was to costly. Many were very sad about the decision, but apparently there was no other choice: I can't help you with the Skyard and the Starward. Of course living in Houston you know about the Sea, which was the Seaward for years. Back to freestyle, as many have said, including myself, it isn't for everyone even though many lines are doing it is some form or anyother. Maybe offering the choice like Princess does would please more, but the trend is growing and most of the NCL ships go out full each sailing. It is great we have so many choices in cruising. For those who do prefer the traditional dining there are other lines very similar like RCI that meet the criteria. NMnita