NCL Spirt out of New Orleans BEWARE

[greywillow]

Here in New Orleans its all about the food, hospitality, and the PARTY and NCL missied the boat on all three. GO Carnival!!! I learned my lesson.

Oh, give us a break with this baloney about "I'm from New Orleans." I'm from New York where great food is served without the need to overpower it with spices and we've found the food on NCL to be on par with other mass-market cruise lines. Wah wah wah. Enough.

 

And, by the way, now that Uglesitch's is closed, you'd pay about as much for a good dinner in New Orleans as you would for one night on NCL, including three meals, room, transportation, and entertainment.

[AuntieBarb]

 

Say G'day to Barb for me.

 

 

cheers

 

 

KC

 

G'day back at ya girl! Have fun! (not like anyone has to tell you to!) ;)

[kcwingwalker]

Who Is mschuchu?

 

On 11/24 or 25/07 I read the posts from mschuchu with interest, after all we are leaving on Sunday for our cruise on the Spirit. Found the remarks somewhat upsetting. Spoke with my husband and wondered if we should reconsider. But lots of CC members jumped in and we were soon reassured that all would be well.

 

It seemed that the original message was sent from the Spirit prior to docking, please correct me if I'm wrong here. She didn't like the crew, the food, had a problem with the cabin, etc. At the time, I thought well this is certainly one unhappy customer. It does cost quite a bit to send a message via email onboard. And, mschuchu also took the time to sign up to become a CC member. Why not wait until she was home in New Orleans?

 

I followed the first discussion into the evening and by morning found the posts were gone. I assumed that things just got a little too heated.

Today, I find mschuchu is back with pretty much the same story. But here's where I begin to wonder about a few things. And, I would not be surprised if more than a few of you have thought this too.

 

1. mschuchu writes like a man. It doesn't matter if this is a she or a he, but I do find this interesting.

 

2. Why come back a second time "BEWARE" over a dislike of food? Your like or dislike of food is mostly your opinion. Does mschuchu like keep thing stirred up and receiving attention or

 

3. mschuchu got a look at her onboard bill and is looking for some sort monetary compensation to reduce her costs or

 

4. Perhaps mschuchu was on board, but not as a passenger.

 

Usually I wouldn't go this far to respond to this type of post, but we are really looking forward to this cruise. It's for our 25th anniversary and this has been a rough year. We need a break and these posts have created some doubts for us. Then "light dawned on Marblehead" and I realized that it's just possible that someone is simply holding a grudge and using this board for retaliation.

 

I may be very wrong, but I do feel better now. Have put on my flame retardant suit and fire extinguisher is ready.

 

kcwingwalker

[AuntieBarb]

Oh, give us a break with this baloney about "I'm from New Orleans." I'm from New York where great food is served without the need to overpower it with spices and we've found the food on NCL to be on par with other mass-market cruise lines. Wah wah wah. Enough.

 

And, by the way, now that Uglesitch's is closed, you'd pay about as much for a good dinner in New Orleans as you would for one night on NCL, including three meals, room, transportation, and entertainment.

 

<and the crowd roars with applause>

 

Plain and simple, just because the Spirit's home is presently New Orleans, it's still "international cuisine"; not "New Orleans" cuisine. The food is very good and there's sufficient variety in the free restaurants. If you don't like that night's menu, you can still go to Raffles or the Blue Lagoon and ultimately the specialty restaurants will fill in the gap. (Although over 15 days, we only opted for them 3 times. Not because we're cheap, but because we knew we'd enjoy the offerings in the main dining rooms.)

 

Food portions not big enough? I say if you have all the courses and 3 squares a day, you will NOT go hungry by any means. If you doubt that, order more than one; they will oblige!

 

Salad dressings too thin; watery? Being Blue Cheese fans, I'll agree they were thin, but the salad dressings are for those following the "eating lite" options too. Their Blue Cheese dressing was far from lacking flavor, IMO!

 

Desserts? Loverboy explained that very well! No need for a repeat! ;)

[sonadom]

We took a freestyle cruise Thanksgiving week and had to wait every night for a table. On Thanksgiving night, we had to wait 1.5 hrs to get a table for 4, when we really had 6 in our party. The other 2 waited just as long for a table for 2. We decided freestyle dining and holiday weeks don't work, especially on that ship.

 

We were on that 2004 Thanksgiving week cruise on the Dream also. There were 7 of us then and we waited the 2 hours for a table on Thanksgiving night (but we had real turkey then :) )

 

Just to let you know NCL has made great improvements in the freestyle and wait. This time around, they publicized the fact you could make reservations in advance (Wed morning you could make for Thursday dinner, etc.) They put this in all the Dailys and also publicized on the ship.

 

Also a big improvement over that 2004 cruise is that they have widescreen tvs everywhere with the status of each dining room and if they are accommodating large groups,etc.

 

This time, your freestyle experience should be better. Our food on the 2004 cruise was fine (the wait for food is what was bad then). This time the wait was fine; we just found the food not up to par with other ships, including the 2004 NCL Dream cruise.

 

-Sona.

[sonadom]

:D

(do you have any idea what a 2 oz strip steak looks like?)

 

Actually, yes - esp. since the member of our party who ordered that entree worked in a steak restaurant for many years.

 

But in all fairness, we had not eaten lunch when we arrived to embark. We had planned on eating something light once aboard. Embarking wasn't bad but it took lots longer than the last time. By the time we got to the room, read the Daily and realized the lifeboat drill was in 45 minutes, food was not an option. So, yes, we were pretty hungry by dinner time.

[mbisson]

Oh, give us a break with this baloney about "I'm from New Orleans." I'm from New York where great food is served without the need to overpower it with spices and we've found the food on NCL to be on par with other mass-market cruise lines. Wah wah wah. Enough.

 

.

 

ROTFL-I'm from rural town Washington. Our food sucks but being from the North, I wouldn't know good food anyhow (according to some threads)!-I like any cruise food!

[swampfox28]

Usually I wouldn't go this far to respond to this type of post, but we are really looking forward to this cruise. It's for our 25th anniversary and this has been a rough year. We need a break and these posts have created some doubts for us.

 

I agree!

 

Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but c'mon! I'm really looking forward to this cruise! (I'm on it, too!) My husband and I NEED a break - and are looking forward to a GOOD time on a beautiful ship going to interesting places...!

 

It does seem this person has a chip on his/her shoulder with the "BEWARE"; that seemed a little overdone.

 

-Sarah

[grumpycajun]

Here's my take... We were on the Sun last February and while I assume there may be some little differences in the food it will be mostly the same on the Spirit. I thought the food on the Sun was good to very good and in a few cases, excellent. Not all New Orleans food is spicy, but it should be flavorful, not bland. I didn't find the food on the Sun bland, nor did I see any jello and whipped cream. I enjoyed most everything I ate and that includes the buffet, the one time we tried it. I spent over 20 years in the restaurant business, some of it in N.O. and some of it in other parts of the country. I was a chef in "middle of the road" establishments and in Fine Dining restaurants, as well. I know food. I also know what it takes to serve so many people 3+ meals daily and it can be a challenge. IMO Norwegian does a very respectable job and I am looking forward to going on the Spirit in February. Boy, am I going to eat! Having said all of this food is a very subjective subject and everyone has their own opinion.;)

[Toyz711]

that's why i don't like posts, like the one that started this....you are right, they can have their opinion. BUT do they have the right to take away someone else's joy? any travel is an adventure, never perfect...accept that and you can still enjoy lots of great trips.

none of these reports do anything to lower my expectations of a great trip. but if anyone did take this report to heart, they could be in tears by now. it's sad that it's that important to a poster.

people have heard this before, but 2 weeks after my cruise around athens/istanbul, i over heard this young couple blasting their last trip. hated everything about the ship, it smelled, no one spoke english, they only served greek food (if was a greek ship crusing the geek islands), all the ports had were old ruins to see.....this was the exact same ship i had just been on, they were on it a month before i was. i loved this cruise, the ports were exciting and full of history!!! the food was excellent, only greek if you asked for the greek menu, the crew was very friendly.

it's all in the eyes of the beholder.....

express your opinons, but be weary...what you hated (especially with food) could be the best i ever had. because you hated it, do you have the right to take away the excitement of the others going after you?

if the ship didn't sink, no one got hurt or sick, you made it back to port...then anything else could have been handled on the ship and doesn't need to be reported as some type of "sky is falling" review.

i am open to all types of food (except too spicy), and plan to try some new things next week. mostly, DH lost his dad this year..work has been tough..he needs a vacation and he is going to get it!!!

[luv2cruise123]

I was also on the Spirit Thanksgiving Week and was MOST disappointed with the food AND entertainment overall.

Sure it had a great itinerary and the ship's public rooms were nice - but I will not be rebooking the Spirit personally for myself. If I had to go from New Orleans, I would certainly choose the older Fantasy over the Spirit any day!

 

We have been on the Sun out of Houston and I didn;t remember the food being as bad as it was on the Spirit. Cagney's saved us! You MUST go there - grea crabe cakes as appetizers, great new England Clam chowder and great chhesecake! Le Bistro was worse than the dining room!

 

I don't think the locals are going to be repeat guests - they expect (and rightly so) good food on a cruise and the Spirit did not deliver on that Thanksgiving week for us. I truly HOPE it will improve though!

Debbie in MS

[mschuchu]

Oh Thank God !!!!!! I just knew it just was'nt me , talked to way to many people on the cruise and they felt the same way I did. Cagneys and shogun saved us. We ate their and the food was awesome Wow and I'm from New Orleans. I know I can't compare food to the N.O. but it sure would have been nice to have the food EDIBLE!!

[cruizinwithkids]

Oh Thank God !!!!!! I just knew it just was'nt me , talked to way to many people on the cruise and they felt the same way I did. Cagneys and shogun saved us. We ate their and the food was awesome Wow and I'm from New Orleans. I know I can't compare food to the N.O. but it sure would have been nice to have the food EDIBLE!!

 

An interesting point. While I don't agree with her and I do realize she is in the minority. My SIL will never go to New Orleans again as she hated EVERYTHING she ate.

[KarmaElectra]

I'm from New Orleans. I know I can't compare food to the N.O. but it sure would have been nice to have the food EDIBLE!!

 

And your point is.....?? :rolleyes:

 

Cruise food is more or less subjective....there will be good and bad opinions on almost anything. But I really don't like your attitude that New Orleans food is superior...it seems like you're saying that YOU are superior.

 

I personally have no desire to eat NO food...give me a NYC restaurant anyday!! But I am not going to keep beating a dead horse if others don't agree with me.

[mschuchu]

Well, thats very understandable if you are not from southern louisiana

[THA BIG EASY]. Alligator sauce picante and crawfish ettouffee can be a little intimidating to plain food.

[Rowan555]

Well, thats very understandable if you are not from southern louisiana

[THA BIG EASY]. Alligator sauce picante and crawfish ettouffee can be a little intimidating to plain food.

 

 

As someone born and raised in NOLA, I can say you are most certainly not exemplifying the BIG EASY spirit in your posts, particularly this one.

[mschuchu]

Youre right! I guess I should ignore thier bashing and move on.

[CC Help Michell]

Well, thats very understandable if you are not from southern louisiana

[THA BIG EASY]. Alligator sauce picante and crawfishettouffee can be a little intimidating to plain food.

 

You know, I've followed this thread (and the one that preceded it) from afar... mostly because I thought the housekeeping issues the OP originally raised did pose a question of concern for future cruisers. The food thing I consider to be totally subjective. I wouldn't trust the OP's "beware" any more than I would trust someone else's "must try" -- food is personal and unique. But the above post finally led me to post here -- believe it or not, not everyone on your ship is from Southern Louisiana. Not everyone on your ship agrees with you that the food there is so all that... and that would be me. I love seafood more than Howard Hughes loved money... but I've had seafood dishes in NO that made me gag. That's fine -- it's personal preference.

 

I happen to love chilled fruit soups on cruise ships -- it's the only place I've ever seen them and I was so happy to see NCL reinstating them. I also like oxtail soup (both these items were in OP's vanished first post), as it's NOT something you see every day.

 

If you are taking a cruise and will judge whether it was a good one according to whether that line serves you the same food you can get at any restaurant near your home, you will be disappointed. If being served the same food you can get at any restaurant near your home is unsatisfactory, you will be disappointed. That's not a contradiction. Mainstream cruiselines these days truly do not offer dining too much different from local mainstream restaurants across the US -- they don't offer specialty items from any part of the country. There are exceptions here and there (oxtail soup, fruit soup), but for the most part mainstream cruise lines offer mainstream food to mainstream travelers for a mainstream price.

 

To the OP, I'm glad you've found out that apparently this approach isn't for you. Since it seems that the food selections will determine whether you have a good cruise, you might want to look at the higher end cruiselines, and if/when a company begins to sail from NO offering local Cajun/Creole cuisine, you'll be ready to book again! :)

[JenDalessan]

still not understanding why you felt you should post AGAIN about this?

 

Food is subjective. I was not a huge fan of the food on the Spirit either but I still had a fantastic time on the cruise.

[mschuchu]

Its not all about the food...read all the post. The Cruise was not a great cruise and I have a right to say so and that's it.

[halos]

ROTFL

 

It's not funny. I sail and love both lines now and would prefer if the OP were sailing on...say.... X.

yes, Celebrity would be better for her!! :D

[newmexicoNita]

I was also on the Spirit Thanksgiving Week and was MOST disappointed with the food AND entertainment overall.

Sure it had a great itinerary and the ship's public rooms were nice - but I will not be rebooking the Spirit personally for myself. If I had to go from New Orleans, I would certainly choose the older Fantasy over the Spirit any day!

 

We have been on the Sun out of Houston and I didn;t remember the food being as bad as it was on the Spirit. Cagney's saved us! You MUST go there - grea crabe cakes as appetizers, great new England Clam chowder and great chhesecake! Le Bistro was worse than the dining room!

 

I don't think the locals are going to be repeat guests - they expect (and rightly so) good food on a cruise and the Spirit did not deliver on that Thanksgiving week for us. I truly HOPE it will improve though!

Debbie in MS

Debbie, if you can honestly say the Fantasy is better than the Spirit and have been on the FAntasy in the past year or so, the Spirit must have been the worst ship in the water right now. I am not comparing Carnival to NCL as this is a personal preferance and a very subjective thing, but there is no way the Fantasy could be better than the Spirit unless it has gone down hill big time. When were you on the Fantasy?

 

Nita

[loverboy]

It's not funny. I sail and love both lines now and would prefer if the OP were sailing on...say.... X.

yes, Celebrity would be better for her!! :D

 

 

FTLOGROFLMAOPMP:)

[Rowan555]

Debbie, if you can honestly say the Fantasy is better than the Spirit and have been on the FAntasy in the past year or so, the Spirit must have been the worst ship in the water right now. I am not comparing Carnival to NCL as this is a personal preferance and a very subjective thing, but there is no way the Fantasy could be better than the Spirit unless it has gone down hill big time. When were you on the Fantasy?

 

Nita

 

 

I haven't yet been on the Spirit, but we were on the Fantasy in September and loved it as much as ever. No problems with anything the entire 5 days - great food, superb service, and everything was wonderful. We've got 3 cruises booked on the Fantasy next year - we love it that much. I assume you feel differently, lol!

[halos]

edited out of restraint