Why so many negative comments about NCL?

[shoreless]

Everytime we were hungry we went looking for something to eat and had no problem finding it :) One sea day we were out on deck enjoying the sun, breeze and scenery (?) trying to decide if we wanted lunch and we watched them set up the outdoor bbq. The food came to us. :D

 

I love that, and it's exactly how we felt on the Star -- food everywhere.:)

[Jana]

Thank you, I think I will!!

 

 

I do totally agree that a cruise is what you make of it. I also like to know ahead of time what to expect, just to keep my expectations in line.

I know it's being said that NCL/NCLA has been making cuts but I think that is something being done across the board on all the mass market lines. You have to take into consideration that cruising today doesn't cost much more than it did 10 years ago, but we all know how much the cost of living has gone up in those 10 years. Fuel prices alone are so much higher that I'm surprised that the cruise lines haven't increased their prices dramatically.

 

Cruising today is about half the price of cruising 10 years ago, and you can get a balcony for that cost! It's the best value vacation you can possibly get; fleets are becoming younger and younger with more activities and embellishments.

 

I think it's funny when I see people talk about "cost cutting." The lines are throwing money into their fleets and ships. The fact is, there's a bigger return on investment for a large ship with three times the number of passengers than there is on a smaller ship where you get the more personalized service, including less banquet-style dining.

 

I don't think NCL is cutting ANY costs; they are just managing their product more efficiently.

I think it's very smart on their part to have the restaurants on board that you pay a surcharge for...this way, the basic cost of the cruise stays reasonable for those who can only budget so much, yet the option is there for those who can afford to kick it up a notch, to have a nicer dining experience.

 

That's true! But the extra cost for those restaurants are for capacity control and are not a revenue-generator for the company. It would certainly be less expensive to have one or two main kitchens, one buffet and maybe a Bistro than to operate the number of restaurants that they offer. The purpose of Freestyle and the surcharge restaurants is to give guests an enhanced experience, a more intimate and varied dining environment.

 

I love Freestyle. I love knowing that I can pay a little extra and dine in an intimate, quiet setting if I want to, or wait until after midnight and get a big bowl of chilli if I felt like it, or dine in a traditional restaurant and have a "typical" cruise experience with "typical" cruise food. (I wish NCL would ramp up their room-service breakfast menu, though, just a tiny bit. On Carnival I can get a bagel, cream cheese and smoked salmon, things I never have at home, and it's really elegant and luxurious to get that from room service.)

 

Since any ship's crew change out over a period of time, I don't hold much stock of any review more than three months in age. I also don't hold much stock of any person making statements of a cruise from a year ago either.

 

The hotel staff (everyone above-decks) change-over is standard on all ships, you're right, but if the ship is well-managed, it shouldn't be too noticeable or make much of a difference. But still, it's one of the reasons that resources like Cruise Critic and its boards are so invaluable.

 

The editorial reviews on Cruise Critic are updated when there's a major change or a need for one, and it cuts both ways, positive and negative. For example, the original review of Pride of Aloha reflected the abysmal service on the ship when it first launched in Hawaii, but the reviewer went back a year and a half later and reported on the positive changes onboard. Carnival's Paradise was not reviewed kindly when it first started service on the west coast, but was re-reviewed almost two years later and the positive changes were also noted; the ship had settled into its three/four night routine and was happy and well-run.

 

I think three months is too short a window, but you're right in that the more current the info, the better.

 

Jana

[chelseabell01]

We cruise at least twice a year, NCL and Princess being my favorites, I like princess more but you can't beat the price value of NCL and it is nice to not HAVE to dress up, although there is something about seeing my hubby in a tux :) On NCL he would look silly so we save that for princess.

[newmexicoNita]

Cruising today is about half the price of cruising 10 years ago, and you can get a balcony for that cost! It's the best value vacation you can possibly get; fleets are becoming younger and younger with more activities and embellishments.

 

I think it's funny when I see people talk about "cost cutting." The lines are throwing money into their fleets and ships. The fact is, there's a bigger return on investment for a large ship with three times the number of passengers than there is on a smaller ship where you get the more personalized service, including less banquet-style dining.

 

I don't think NCL is cutting ANY costs; they are just managing their product more efficiently.

 

 

That's true! But the extra cost for those restaurants are for capacity control and are not a revenue-generator for the company. It would certainly be less expensive to have one or two main kitchens, one buffet and maybe a Bistro than to operate the number of restaurants that they offer. The purpose of Freestyle and the surcharge restaurants is to give guests an enhanced experience, a more intimate and varied dining environment.

 

I love Freestyle. I love knowing that I can pay a little extra and dine in an intimate, quiet setting if I want to, or wait until after midnight and get a big bowl of chilli if I felt like it, or dine in a traditional restaurant and have a "typical" cruise experience with "typical" cruise food. (I wish NCL would ramp up their room-service breakfast menu, though, just a tiny bit. On Carnival I can get a bagel, cream cheese and smoked salmon, things I never have at home, and it's really elegant and luxurious to get that from room service.)

 

 

 

The hotel staff (everyone above-decks) change-over is standard on all ships, you're right, but if the ship is well-managed, it shouldn't be too noticeable or make much of a difference. But still, it's one of the reasons that resources like Cruise Critic and its boards are so invaluable.

 

The editorial reviews on Cruise Critic are updated when there's a major change or a need for one, and it cuts both ways, positive and negative. For example, the original review of Pride of Aloha reflected the abysmal service on the ship when it first launched in Hawaii, but the reviewer went back a year and a half later and reported on the positive changes onboard. Carnival's Paradise was not reviewed kindly when it first started service on the west coast, but was re-reviewed almost two years later and the positive changes were also noted; the ship had settled into its three/four night routine and was happy and well-run.

 

I think three months is too short a window, but you're right in that the more current the info, the better.

 

Jana

I agree 3 months is a pretty short window: I would say 6 months to a year. Yes, even more than a year some good advise can be given (the general layout of the ship, the cabins etc) but the more current information should be what carries the most weight. Even then I think some of us put too much importance on what others say: throw out the most negetive comments and those that can find no fault with the cruise or cruise line: then you should get a pretty good idea of what to expect. NMnita