I keep reading bad things on NCL, how true are they

[ialacruiser]

I also just got off the Sun, and we had a fabulous cruise! I'm trying to get my thoughts together to write a review later this week. We only went to a specialty restaurant one night--ate in the free dining rooms the rest of the time. There was only one night when I couldn't find anything I wanted to eat on the menu, and that was because I'm picky, not because of a lack of choices. Really, we ate so many yummy meals. I am having cruise withdrawl! I wish I was going again! You'll have a great time.

[judyf]

Do your research and they go try each line for yourself to see what you think of it. Nice way to try them all.

 

As you can tell from my signature I keep going back to NCL lately.

[whatawonderfulworld]

I too had read some untoward things about NCL - and now, after completing our first cruise on the Dawn this past Sunday, I realize that some people will always find something to complain about.

 

This was my DH's first cruise and he is not one to be impressed. Did he have a good time? Did we (and our travel mates) have a good time? YES YES YES YES and YES. So much so that we've prebooked out next cruise for September 2007 on the Pearl (and that ship hasn't even completed her maiden voyage yet!)

 

While the facilities were absolutely fabulous...the real hook was the crew. Each and every single crew member was simply marvelous. You know...when you're out at sea, for me at least, it can be a somewhat unsettling experience because it's just YOU and the OCEAN out there. However the crew, EACH AND EVERY DAY, made us all feel as we were in their home and their one and only goal was to make us as comfortable as they possibly could.

 

If something isn't quite right, don't be shy and ask to have it corrected. I have arthritis and the bed, for me, felt a little stiff. I asked our steward/ess if they could perhaps bring in a duvet comforter that I could use as a plumper mattress pad. Their response, and with a huge smile? "Yes madam, we can take care of that." They stripped the bed and gave me an entire new mattress topper and I slept like a baby the entire cruise.

 

NCL is the way to go for me...we've booked our cruise for next year and will be looking for another for 2008.

 

Have a wonderful time, forget about the naysayers, and be prepared to be so well taken care of that you will not want to leave the ship. NOW I understand why folks become addicted to cruising...this was the vacation of a lifetime...and one we will attempt to repeat over and over.

 

If you can, try the specialty restaurants...I know there's a surcharge but there's the earlybird that brings the non ala carte items down to 1/2 if you eat at 530 or 6 (this is how it was on the Dawn). When you consider the cost of the cruise the extra dollars are really not that much. We loved Le Bistro, Cagney's (get the rib eye!!), Tepanakyi and Bamboo (main)...and Impressions was our favorite non-surcharge, along with the Blue Lagoon (best fish and chips and macaroni and cheese).

 

Ciao,

W A W W

[laughoutloud]

Yes, they are 2 different companies, much like Carnival owns Princess, HAL, Cunard, etc. NCL should not be confused with NCLA. Unfortunately, Star Cruises (the parent company) chose to go with brand names that are virtually identical and has made no concerted effort to separate the two identities.

 

That's it exactly. Unfortunately, even here on CC, there's only one board for both the NCL & NCLA cruises, and no concerted effort to separate the two...

 

And it's not fair when a poster to this NCL board says "POH was terrible" for everyone to chime in & say "Well of course it was, It's NCLA after all."

Like the average Joe would have known the difference before he booked...

[LaJollaCruiser]

I've sailed twice with NCL (Star and Dawn) and will again on the Star on Sunday. I think NCL is a great value and service and food are excellent.

 

The OP mentioned that there are negative reviews about NCL. I should like to point out that there are negative reviews for all cruise lines. Read some of the reviews for Queen Mary 2 and you'll think NCL is heaven! Some reviewers feel the need to be negatively critical; they probably don't even like their own houses and cooking.

[kirdo]

No complaints or wait times. Ship is clean. Staff is friendly and courteous. Food and service good/ in Le Bistro great. NOLA still

getting cleaned up but embark/debark at new terminal best ever-fast!

Have a great trip!

PS. Book the ruins at Costa Maya W/David & Ivan-Native Choice

Best Tour we ever took $43--Ship wanted $90/rushed busload herd!

Also look for 2for1 submarine listed on Cozumelinsider dot com. Fantastic @105 ft! deep.:D

[sneakerstud]

I have sailed many many times on NCL, I was on the same cruise as Jetskier and have to say it was my worst NCL cruise, by food and VIP service! The Sun is not really my favourite ship in the fleet, but I would go on her again.

I had 2 other NCL cruises since, the Jewel in May for 2 weeks and just got off the Spirit (which was the best) for a 9 day cruise and have to say...like the Gentleman who stays as well in de luxe Hotels...NCL is the way to go! I had great food, service and great company! I sailed as well on celebrity, RCCL, Holland America and Seabourn...only I can say not much difference, except actually NCL is a bit better, if you choice the right things.

 

NCL is by far the best cruise line out there! I do not know, why so many people are crying about "Freestyle dining" I love it not to be put on at table with horrible people (I tell you sometimes I wished never to went to the restaurant on a convetional cruise) and if you have bad luck at a inconveniece time. I just want to have dinner when and with whom I feel like and where I want to go and my mood is up, like anywhere else in one of the best resorts or a metropolis.

 

To the Gentleman of the deluxe Hotels...cancel the Owner's Suite on the Pearl and do rather a Courtyard Villa...it is more convenient for less money or upgrade to the Deluxe Owner's Suite (I booked that one for March 2), then you have the best cabin on the ship...even better then the Garden Villa, since it takes all the forward deck space, now.

 

Enjoy your cruise on the Sun...I only know you will like her...i just got treated badly on her by several people...sometimes unusual things happen! As all say...you make the vacation!

[saxacd]

I've cruised the Pride of America and the Dawn, and had excellent experiences both times. I know many have had issues with the NCLA ships, but maybe the entire crew was in a good mood for the holiday season, because my December 2004 trip was very enjoyable, with fine service.

[DRZ2]

MSD760:

Hello, my future DH and I will be on the same cruise as you. Why don't you come over to the ROLL CALL section and sign up there. We are trying to plan a meet and greet for all CCers. I have been on one NCL cruise before and loved it. I was always able to find something that i liked, and I am a VERY picky eater. I loved being able to go eat whenever i wanted. This is DH first cruise and he is always running late, so freestyle should be great for him! Look forward to seeing you in New Orleans.

[Vyhanek]

I was on the Sun last year in February. I didn't like the food at all in the main dining rooms and I felt the buffet was on par with a Golden Corral type resteraunt. Now I say this because I have cruised on NCL for 15 years and have seen a consistent progressive decline in the food on these ships. So for me to say I am disappointed comes from me COMPARING NCL food now with NCL food over the last several years.

 

I also have dined in the best restaurants that pp have listed here. And heck, I don't even consider myself a food snob. I love the Olive Garden and Chili's type places as much as anyone could but the food in the main dining rooms isn't even up to the level of those chains. IMO of course!

 

One of my biggest problems is how the menu will describe a dish and then when you are served it is so NOT what you expect. For example, last year or maybe the year before I ordered "White Chocololate Fondue with berries" in the main dining room for dessert. OK, this is what came out a small bowl of whipped cream with a few very small slices of berries sprinkled on top.

 

I still will cruise NCL but will dine in the specialty resteraunts probably 5 of the 7 evenings. We work too hard for vacations to be eating at the Golden Corral so we happily pay the extra fee to dine better.

 

On the Sun, my favorite was East Meets West. I had the BEST lobster I have ever had there and I live in New England. The food was interesting and different (but not the White Chocolate Fondue different!). On the Sun I also loved Le Bistro. Everything I ordered was great except for the chocolate fondue. It was served to me in a pot I would boil water in at home and the chocolate was the exact stuff you can find in the grocery store in the produce aisle that you heat in the microwave and dunk your strawberries in. It was OK but not this fabulous dessert that you hear about on this board. Everything else at Le Bistro was great though!

 

I loved the Sun. Its a beautiful ship. We were in an AC on the back of the ship and I enjoyed the balcony so much. It was a great vacation and I think you will really enjoy it.

[mkadovitz]

I cruised on the Sun a few years ago. Since It was my first cruise, i had nothing to compare it to. It was of couse excellent.

 

My second cruise was on the Pride of America (Hawaii) in July. I will say say that it was a small step down in service. They have an all American crew, are terribly understaffed and over worked. This is due to post 9/11 - Coast Gaurd regulations. All their crew must have all their work and security credentials screened and approved by the TSA and the Coast Gaurd. Sometimes it takes as much as 3 -4 months to process. Several times the response from staff memebers was " I am new here and don't know, or can't help you" instead of finding someone to help. Turndown service was also hit and miss. Food/service in the free restaruants was OK, but we got better service when we paid the cover in the other ones. So it was a bit disappointing. We also had an awful shore excursion on "the Road to Hana" - the van stalled 8 times and there was no A/C and we were rushed the entire time. I am still waiting for my refund/credit.

 

We are going on the Star next month and although we are looking forward to it, the only set back I have had in advance was learning how NCL works in cahoots with some of the shore excursion companies, making it harder or impossible to save money by booking our shore excursions on our own to bypass NCL's ad-on fees (see post: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=432930 )

 

Nonetheless, you should have an enjoyable cruise on the Sun. It was enjoyable for me and I hope you have as much pleasure as I did 4 years ago.

[msd760]

DRZ2, My wife and I would enjoy meeting. I also am a first timer and am panicy about what to expect.

We will sign up where you said.

[sneakerstud]

You will all have a great time, and even in the best retaurant something can be not to your taste! Just order something else..you are on a cruise!!!! On the other hand it is no wonder, that the quality of food (not only NCL) is going down. Nobody wants to pay anything anymore. Just think...most people pay for a 7 night cruise under $ 500.00. Do you actually know, how much it is to run a operation like this??? I think NCL is doing a great job, by giving you the choice to eat with good quality in a pay restaurant (it is included anyhow, if you are sailing in top suites)...there we go again...you get what you pay for!

[newmexicoNita]

You will all have a great time, and even in the best retaurant something can be not to your taste! Just order something else..you are on a cruise!!!! On the other hand it is no wonder, that the quality of food (not only NCL) is going down. Nobody wants to pay anything anymore. Just think...most people pay for a 7 night cruise under $ 500.00. Do you actually know, how much it is to run a operation like this??? I think NCL is doing a great job, by giving you the choice to eat with good quality in a pay restaurant (it is included anyhow, if you are sailing in top suites)...there we go again...you get what you pay for!

i agree, NCL and other lines are doing their best to keep prices down and qualtiy as high as they can, as for the $500.00 part, no most people do not cruise on a 7 dayer for $500 per person. Those rates are rare to be honest. It is still a good value and yet, it is more like $100 to $150 per day plus what is put on the ship account.

 

Nita

[Atomica]

I sailed the Sun last year and had pretty good luck with the food, save for one night in the Seven Seas dining room that was just awful. That being said, the rest were great, and they had some outstanding chilled soups - I wish I could have had those every night!

 

Il Adagio was very good - well worth the cover charge. The one restaraunt we wished we'd discovered earlier was Pacific Heights - it's tucked away on the pool deck, and the food and service were spectacular, and there's no cover charge, though they do recommend you make a reservation.

[karfest]

We have enjoyed all of our cruises, regardless of ship or cruiseline. I'm sure if I went loooking, I could find something to complain about, but when you look at the big picture--all of our cruises were a great way to vacation.

 

If you spend time on ANY of the forums, not just NCL, there are cheerleaders and there are detractors. Some people love everything the cruise line does, some hate everything and will never cruise them again. The rest of us take the good with the bad and go on with our lives.

 

That being said, as much as we loved cruising, we decided to purchase a home in Mexico and are giving up cruising. I think the constant complaints from passengers on board the ship and on message boards finally convinced me to give it up. I don't want to end up on a "riot" cruise where overfed, overpriviledged Americans scream about the injustice of missing a meal or a port.

 

I'll get off my soap box now--happy cruisinig- I firmly believe it's all in the attiude you take with you.:)

[samtig]

You're certainly entitled to your opinion. Complainers & people who behave badly are everywhere & in my experiences are in the minority on cruises. Some people just have to get attention & don't care how they get it. I don't let them ruin my day to day life & certainly don't allow them to ruin my vacations. We can usually distinguish the true reports of real problems on cc. To me cruising is the best vacation going & we continue to meet some wonderful people. Hope you enjoy Mexico.

[Zeno]

I don't want to end up on a "riot" cruise where overfed, overpriviledged Americans scream about the injustice of missing a meal or a port.

 

 

I have to agree - that's one of the few things that turn me off about cruising. Until I started cruising I had no idea how whiney people can get over minor vacation disruptions. We have travelled for years and always adjusted to any inconvenience we encountered. Yet for some people, anything that makes a cruise less than perfect is a "disaster" for which they are "entitled" to major compensation. I will continue to cruise but probably not as frequently.

[samtig]

I've been on 3 cruises during hurricane season & we missed ports outrunning tropical storms. There weren't any problems with passengers creating a disturbance over it or at least none big enough to notice. Luck of the draw, I guess. All of our cruises have left from either New Orleans, Galveston, or Houston & no passenger uprisings. Having never encountered any of the problems you guys are referring to, I'll continue to cruise as often as I can afford to.

[M&D]

We just returned from The Dream on 10/28/2006 and I'll have a review going in a little while. This was our second cruise with NCL (9th cruise in total) and it won't be our last. They are slowly turning into our cruiseline of choice. The food was outstanding in the restauants and quite good in the buffets. The soups are my favorite--jalapeno/watermelon, apricot/peach, and other flavors you would never think of putting together are all wonderful--don't miss them!

 

If you find a waiter you enjoy, follow him to his stations each night. That's what we did and by the 2nd night, iced tea was delievered to our table before we even had a menu in our hands--amazing! Mauricio and his assistant Ramil were the best waiters we have ever had on any cruiseline.

[CRUISEinTIME]

Currently on the ship (10-29-06 sailing) - Nothing but great things to report !!!!

 

HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME, WE ARE !!!!!!

 

Regards,

 

CruiseInTime

 

:D :D :D

[GROOVERS]

Pay no attention to the WHINERS, go and have a great time! You must realize, a lot of folks that get finished with their cruise are disgruntled, they have to go back to work, so, I had to also, till I retired...Ignore them, NCL is a good Company and will do everything in their power to see to it you have a good time, it's impossible to please all the people, all the time!:)

As far as the Americans waiting on you, on POH, they can wait on me, just as good as the people from foreign countries do, after all, how much service does a person need? That is probably where the whiners, really key in! :D

[ndrtn]

We were on the Star, Mexican Riveria cruise and the food was terrible. Worst of my three cruises and my wife's 6.

[electricron]

We were on the Star, Mexican Riveria cruise and the food was terrible. Worst of my three cruises and my wife's 6.

 

So, you thought the food was terrible. How terrible was it? Was it too hot or too cold? Was the food rare? Was the food overcooked? Was the food fresh? Did you get food poisoning? Were the lines long? Or was it you didn't like the selections?

 

How was the rest of your cruise? Did the ship arrive on time to every port? Did the ship miss a port? Was the ship clean? Was your cabin clean? Were the drinks flowing? Was the pool crowded? Were the shows good or bad? did you win or lose at the casino?

 

Did you take any shore excursions? Which one do you recommend? Which ones should we avoid? How was the shopping?

 

If this cruise was your worse, which one was your favorite? Why was it your favorite? Which one was your wife's favorite, and why?

Which meals did you and your wife like the best?

 

Thanks for your small input. It added much to this conversation.

[Zeno]

We were on the Star, Mexican Riveria cruise and the food was terrible. Worst of my three cruises and my wife's 6.

 

An opinion without detail is pretty useless.