ncl ----WHY

[momofmeg]

I'm not sure what it would take for me to try NCL again, (I was on Pearl 10 months ago) and it was my worst cruise ever. Keep in mind the people that only sailed once and sailed NCL, and loved it, have nothing to compare the cruise to. If they only knew what else was out there.

 

I was on the Pearl last November and liked her. Not as much as the Westerdam or the Constellation, but I liked her better than Mariner of the seas, and the Miracle. I found her about equal to Caribbean Princess.

[sjbdtz]

Maybe Carnival. I would not put them in the same price and category as Princess or Celebrity.

 

No...definately WAY better than Princess!!!! Princess' food was inedible, and the staff were overbearing "yes sir, no sir, 3 bags full" On NCL the staff are genuinely friendly, not subservient.

 

I'm not sure what it would take for me to try NCL again, (I was on Pearl 10 months ago) and it was my worst cruise ever. Keep in mind the people that only sailed once and sailed NCL, and loved it, have nothing to compare the cruise to. If they only knew what else was out there.

 

I know what else is out there...which is WHY I cruise on NCL.

 

There were still a lot of downsides: service, while better, was largely indifferent, and the push to get you out of the free dining rooms and into the admittedly better specialty restaraunts is barely masked. Drinks are also far more expensive on NCL than on Princess or RCI.

 

The push? What are you talking about? They put up menus and welcome all comers to eat without charge. What is this 'barely masked' push of which you speak?

 

Would I take them again? Yes, if it was a short voyage and the price was right, or if the itinerary was unique (some of NCL's South America cruises looked fantastic). Would I take them over Princess, HAL or RCI? No. They just don't offer a comparable product IMHO.

 

Haven't sailed on Hal, I hear is where I might find my great grandparents (who've been dead for 60+ years).....but Princess does not compare to NCL. Ships are older, more run-down...and worst of all....BEIGE!

 

Beige EVERYWHERE.

 

 

Like sleeping at a Holiday Inn, instead of a boutique hotel.

[lambs2]

For us, the itinerary plus value for price is the THING we most consider when picking a cruise! As our signature shows we have led an eclectic cruising life! We did our first HAL cruise when we were in our 30's with DH's parents and had a blast! Have done two more cruises since with HAL, 2 with RCCL, 2 with Celebrity, 2 with Costa, and will be taking our 5th with NCL in December (plus we've sailed a couple other random lines over the years). We have found there are more similarities between the lines than there are differences. The experience on all the lines is really what YOU make it. Attitude is EVERYTHING! So far, we have been very happy with our vacations on NCL. We were a bit sceptical prior our last B2B 21 day journey, although we had such an outstanding itinerary we totally got over any misgivings. We had not sailed with NCL since the abolishment of the free specialty restaurant venues which we had so enjoyed on our two previous NCL cruises, but we just learned to pre-budget the money for a few nights in them over the course of our cruise and we found we were very happy with the overall product NCL offers! The wide variety of dining venues makes it seem much more like we are at an exclusive resort on the high seas!

[WinnieinWA]

You may find this thread helpful;

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1038509

[coaster]

The Norway was the best cruise we have been on with NCL. The attention to detail in the dining room made our cruise special. You really looked forward to your evening meal. I agree the cabins were hit or miss, but you could get very large cabins for a low rate if you did your homework.

 

I am also in the camp that NCL has gone downhill since Star bought her out. The service and food quality went downhill after the Star purchase. The emphasis is getting folks to spend extra at specialty restaurants for what used to be included. The one option for spending a few bucks more at the one specialty restaurant 'Le Bistro' was enough. The added specialty restaurants under Star on newer ships is overkill and a waste of space as it degraded the main dining areas to the concept where you need to pay extra for decent service and food.

 

Ships are newer on NCL now with uniform cabin sizes and the extras that are available at extra cost. The variety of older ships that NCL used to have before freestyle was what set them apart from a 'cookie cutter' experience you get now. You actually looked forward to booking a different NCL ship as the ships were so different in layout and size. You could book the 25000 GRT of the Leeward or go big and book the 76000+ GRT Norway. It was the variety of NCL fleet and the great service received before freestyle that is missing now. The Majesty is the only sole survivor of the different ship options that NCL used to provide.

[Carey and Kerry]

Well said, lambs2. We also look for itinerary first, then timing and price. We have also sailed on other lines, but it seems that NCL keeps being the better match of our most important criteria.

 

Each to his own - as they say "that's what makes horse races"..

[coaster]

There is one common thing thing I have seen after my 9 years here on Cruise Critic. You either love freestyle or hate it. It is like the Norway, you either loved her for her history and the unique qualities of her or you hated the limitations of an older ship. It is all very personal. Having started my cruising with NCL back in the earlier 90's when they had older ships, I prefer the NCL of the past. There is no right or wrong in what is right for you. In regards to the OP, it sounds like the new NCL might be the best fit.

[mamasue]

We sailed NCL last April for the first time and had some serious misgivings due to bad reviews. The price was so great on the TA (Jewel) that we went anyway.

 

We had a great cruise with only a couple of caveats. We liked the freestyle concept, service and food was fine, the production shows were among the best we've seen; I know we will cruise them again.

 

A couple of people we talked to on this cruise who had sailed in their older ships warned us to stay with the newer ones. It sounds like most of these have been retired.

 

I thought NCL compared favorably with other mid-level lines such as Carnival, Princess and Celebrity. We're not very picky, critical people though, and in 15+ cruises have never found one we didn't enjoy.

 

We were on the same cruise as you.... it was also our first NCL cruise.... we loved it.... couldn't find a single fault with it, considering the price!!

[DMH15]

Well I have been on the Norway, three other NCL ships, Celebrity, Carnival and Royal. Big difference in old and new NCL, but I can tell from the tone of your post it's like getting a kid to try a new food and they have their face all scrunched up and have made up their mind. They may take a bite, but still hate it.

[theshireshihtzu]

I'm not sure what it would take for me to try NCL again, (I was on Pearl 10 months ago) and it was my worst cruise ever. Keep in mind the people that only sailed once and sailed NCL, and loved it, have nothing to compare the cruise to. If they only knew what else was out there.

 

I have been on 2 RCCL cruises, one Disney and 2 NCL .

We love the freestyle of NCL....the prices are more affordable and we have never had a bad cruise....on anyline.

To the OP..if you go into it thinking you will hate it, you will pick it apart and hate it. Maybe you should choose another line.

[cruzinnman]

I'm not sure what it would take for me to try NCL again, (I was on Pearl 10 months ago) and it was my worst cruise ever. Keep in mind the people that only sailed once and sailed NCL, and loved it, have nothing to compare the cruise to. If they only knew what else was out there.

 

I have sailed Carnival and RCCL multiple times, and with NCL I have been on the Sun , Spirit, and will be going on the Pearl in October.

 

I actually prefered NCL over the others based on Freestyle. The food on NCL was as good, or better than the food on Carnival and RCCL. I enjoyed all cruises immentely, but NCL has won me over. Now supposedly NCL has improved their dining with freestyle 2.0. The service was excellent!

[uneamie]

With all the different cruise lines and ships available out there why would you even bother booking on a line you already had a bad experience with? Does not make any sense to me. No one can tell you what you are looking to hear.....YOU are the only one who can judge what you like or do not like.

 

We have cruised on Carnival, Disney and NCL....all were great cruises in their own right.....but due to "Freestyle" we prefer NCL the most. Don't think we do another line unless they started "freestyle" too or we got a free cruise..LOL

 

Also...my husband loves to play poker and no other line that we know of has a poker table in the casino.

[beachchick]

I'm not sure what it would take for me to try NCL again, (I was on Pearl 10 months ago) and it was my worst cruise ever. Keep in mind the people that only sailed once and sailed NCL, and loved it, have nothing to compare the cruise to. If they only knew what else was out there.

 

I guess you simply dismiss the opinions of those of us who have cruised with other lines and yet still enjoyed/enjoy our NCL cruises? We do have something to compare it to and we know what else is out there. My DH and I did not think NCL was perfect, but it was perfectly enjoyable. We would cruise with them again, depending on itinerary, fare, which ship, and time of year. My mother felt the same way about her Star cruise a couple of years ago, and she has quite a lot to compare it to because she's cruised with 8 or 10 different lines (of all types) over the years.

 

beachchick

[Cell1919]

I'm not sure what it would take for me to try NCL again, (I was on Pearl 10 months ago) and it was my worst cruise ever. Keep in mind the people that only sailed once and sailed NCL, and loved it, have nothing to compare the cruise to. If they only knew what else was out there.

 

But if they loved it before they will still love it after. It would be a very strange person indeed who enjoyed something, tried a different version and then hated the original just because the new experience was better.

 

In fact I'd say they were very lucky to love something and then find something even better:D.

[jpcdds6]

I've sailed many lines and now only sail ncl and only in a suite. the price is right, the food is good, the cabins are beautiful, and the perks are head and shoulders above any other cruise line. and you don't need to reserve the grand villa to be treated well, any suite category will do.

[mpk218]

[quote name='jpcdds6']I've sailed many lines and now only sail ncl and only in a suite. the price is right, the food is good, the cabins are beautiful, and the perks are head and shoulders above any other cruise line. and you don't need to reserve the grand villa to be treated well, any suite category will do.[/quote]

You have that right . If you sail in suites , then NCL is far and above the others . We just came off Princess and we found it to be about equal in most categories with NCL except for the suite perks and the anytime dinning needs some work(way to slow). No comparison. I think we may sail with them again , but not if we can find the same ports with NCL..;)

[MrPete]

[quote name='phish tales']we have heard a lot of negativity about ncl's fleet. food, service. rooms,
staff, ships. etc. etc. we tried 1 ncl cruise and absolutely hated it. it was an older ship (Norway). but the food and crew were still ncl. food was bad, service terrible and we had money stolen from our safe deposit box behind the front desk...... a friend says "give ncl another try" and we said WHY ?????? has anything improved? we hate to spend the money and be disappointed again.
your thoughts.[/quote]

We did the same thing on their NEWEST ship at the time, and absolutely hated it. We have never been back. It's been SO long that the ship was retired from the fleet.

The stars would have to properly align for us to try NCL again.

[jpcdds6]

[quote name='MrPete']We did the same thing on their NEWEST ship at the time, and absolutely hated it. We have never been back. It's been SO long that the ship was retired from the fleet.

The stars would have to properly align for us to try NCL again.[/quote]
i'm assuming that you went on the cruise about ten to fifteen years ago? check out the stars tonight.

[MrPete]

[quote name='jpcdds6']check out the stars tonight.[/quote]

Actually was looking middle of last week. Shooting stars all over the place!

[johnritt]

[quote name='MrPete']We did the same thing on their NEWEST ship at the time, and absolutely hated it. We have never been back. It's been SO long that the ship was retired from the fleet.

The stars would have to properly align for us to try NCL again.[/quote]

I know a lady who hates the Red Cross. They did something that made her mad in WWII. Must make sense to you, I guess.

[MrPete]

[quote name='johnritt']I know a lady who hates the Red Cross. They did something that made her mad in WWII. Must make sense to you, I guess.[/quote]

OK:confused::confused:

[cruzinaway]

[quote name='MrPete'] It's been SO long that the ship was retired from the fleet.[/quote]

How long ago was that?! :confused:

[johnritt]

If you haven't sailed on NCL since they got rid of sails and went to steam, you might temper your expert and always negative opinion untill you can telegraph a somewhat more recent experience to us.:rolleyes:

[MrPete]

[quote name='cruzinaway']How long ago was that?! :confused:[/quote]

The sailing? 1989. The "retirement"? 2005

[MrPete]

[quote name='johnritt']If you haven't sailed on NCL since they got rid of sails and went to steam, you might temper your expert and always negative opinion untill you can telegraph a somewhat more recent experience to us.:rolleyes:[/quote]

Sorry? I hope you can read and accept my opinion, as I would do yours.