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NCL ships are quite inovated


m steve

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We have sailed NCL twice in 10 years. What I don't like about them is the pay-for specialty restaurants, the huge lines and wait for dinner in the "free" restaurants, and the lack of public space -as they are renovating their ships, they are removing public space to put in revenue areas and they freely admit this. Yes, I realize crusie lines are there to make a profit. We prefer HAL's S and R class ships. Having said that we are going on the Pride of America around the Hawaiian Islands next month. Not expecting much from the ship but will enjoy the longer stays at the various islands and being with our best friends.

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I used to love NCL. Had a number of cruises on them - when they went to free style, our TA friend went to try them out. she hated it and won't sail NCL anymore. Said the food was not the same standard. Maybe she just had a bad cruise, not sure. doesn't mean we won't try them someday again, it's just that HAL has much better itineraries for us so far and we like the line:)

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and the new one oven more so. So why don't we like sailing with them? Is it the wine, liquor or dining policies?

 

One reason I wouldn't step foot on the the new on (Epic?) is that it is the ugliest ship I've ever seen. I like a ship that looks and feels like a ship.

 

We went on the Norwegian Sky maybe 11 years ago near the beginnings of freestyle and that was a very pretty ship with a lot of nice public areas, but the food was generally cold and bad. The entertainment was excellent, and they had a wonderful afternoon tea everyday in the French restaurant that we really enjoyed. I don't think they have that anymore.

 

I think NCL has done some innovative things like the single cabins they have on the newer ships, and they did start the freestyle dining concept that has been adopted by other lines since - and HAL does much better.

 

I wouldn't rule out an NCL cruise on one of their older ships if the price was right and I liked the itinerary, but I would go fully prepared to pay extra for all meals and with realistic expectations.

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I have only had one cruise on NCL. It was very good. The service, the food, and the entertainment were all comparable to what we have had on other lines, including HAL. We very much enjoyed the ship-it was the Sun.

 

I would cruise on NCL again. But, I would select the ship carefully and not assume that my experience on one NCL ship would be the same on all NCL ships. This is no different on how we go about selecting cruises on other lines...including HAL.

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We have sailed on the NCL Spirit two different times. We did really like the anytime dinning and we never waited more then 5 minutes for a table for two. However the food was not all that good. It passed but that was about all. NCL used to be fairly reasonable but their prices have gone up without the amenities that go with it. I love the old time cruise atmosphere on HAL and still do enjoy formal night, The service is also unbeatable. Out of our 17 cruises the most have been on Hal.. That is way I am sailing on the Maasdam for the 3rd time next month.

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They may be innovative with ship design, but they seem very ordinary in almost every other way, IMO.

 

We sail NCL every now and then, but only because of a particular itinerary or departure port, but we know what we're getting when we do it.

 

The best experience we've had on them lately was on the Norwegian Spirit out of New Orleans a couple of years ago. The Spirit is one of their smaller ships brought in from their company in the orient. Nice ship.

 

Food and food service was not good.

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I've never sailed on NCL, but have a friend who loves them. He says they can get cruises at a much lower cost, and says the food and service are very good. I have no idea, but have to believe him as he's an intelligent guy. :p

 

I've written these comments here many times, but IMHO, NCl compared to HAL it's like comparing Walmart and Bloomingdales. I first want to mention, your friends comments on cost are really no longer the case. Yes if you have a family in need of a suite HAL has nothing of the kind, but NCL does, so for family cruising, NCL is a better deal. But, for upscale suites in the Haven, or Spa suites, the cost is right up there with an SA, or PS with more amenities to offer, and more variety of each category. NCL as also addressed the single traveler with solo rooms. I cruise NCL for itinerary. I cruise HAL for tradition and elegance and finally itinerary. I like NCL, but I love HAL;)

 

Your comment about innovation is very accurate. If you look at the Epic, and then follow the changes made to the current new-build, the Breakaway (I hate that name), NCL has kept certain things that worked, and done away with things that haven', like open air cabin toilets, squirting sinks next to the bed, an Ice Bar that you book for 20 minutes and curved walls in some staterooms. I love the Vista ships because they are HAL, but you can get stuck in a rut while the rest of the pack passes you by. ;)

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Every line will have is haters.

 

Worst think about NCL to me is that they are ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS, hawking something in the pushiest fashion. They'd get 15% more sales if they scaled it back.

 

If the price and the itinerary were the same, it would be a tough choice 'tween HAL and NCL. Honestly, beyond the ceaseless and in your soul hawking of useless services, NCL has a good product in our eyes.

 

Derek

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and the new one oven more so. So why don't we like sailing with them? Is it the wine, liquor or dining policies?

 

I'm not part of the 'we' who doesn't like sailing them. I like NCL's casual 'no formal' evenings. I like that there is no assigned dining at all so there's more choices of seating during dining times. We are willing to share table with others so we've rarely had to wait.

 

Sure, there's things I don't like about NCL: the cost of bar setup, the corkage fee, the charge for cappucino at dinner in MDR. However, if the price and itinerary are good, then we cruise NCL and we enjoy it. The service and entertainment is good, even though the food isn't always as good as it is on HAL.

 

To us, cost and itinerary are more important than the cruise line. That is why we've sailed on so many different cruise lines.

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We have gone with NCL quite a lot and always had a great time. I love the freestyle, resort casual air, no dress police to duck. The thing I like about them the most is half the pass. Don!t think their better than the other half.

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Horribly - I don't consider them because they are a Pepsi line. LOL.

 

I know, it's insane, but on a vacation, I want my beverage of choice, and that is NOTHING from the Pepsi realm. I don't drink alcohol, I drink Coca Cola. LOL.

 

Sad, but true.

 

If they ever converted, then I'd consider them, but I think I'd still be partial to the higher end like HAL and X.

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I actually liked NCL and my DW loves the freestyle concept. They also have excellent suite perks. However, if one is sailing in a regular cabin, they are often smaller than the competition. They also tend to be cheaper largely because they're akin to alacarte cruising. While one doesn't have to dine in any of the specialty restaurants, I think one needs to consider doing so to have the full cruise experience one would have on one of the other lines.

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Cruiseline's alternative restaurant offerings are very different, each with it's own intrigue. I found the tepanyaki experience on NCL fantastic...but it is very small and you need to book in advance. The other specialty spots were a waste of money....including the one that boasted that caesar salad was to be prepared tableside. It wasn't because "we don't do that anymore".

As for the Pinnacle, it has been great and not so great but I appreciate having an option.

They recently started to do more tableside preparations, because Celebrity did.

David

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A lot of people like cruising with NCL including me. Although, I prefer HAL Vista class ships, because of better food, less public announcements, hydro pool, and thermal suite.

 

We have cruised NCL for years and, like you, enjoy the Vista class ships of HAL as well... Although we love NCL Dawn now that it is a 20 minute ride from our house here in Boston.:D We plan to take this cruise to Bermuda for the next 2 years (already booked aft balconies) and hope that the GEM eventually will be here.

HAL is an amazing line. We are on the Zuiderdam in 11 days...and so looking forward to the HAL experience again.:)

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and the new one oven more so. So why don't we like sailing with them? Is it the wine, liquor or dining policies?

 

We tried NCL once back in 2007. Older ship, the Wind, but it was fine. I didn't particularly like Main Dining Room for dinners. The ship had an Italian restaurant for no extra charge which was a nice alternative. If we went back to NCL, it would have to be one heck of a port lineup.

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We were on the Sun this year and last year, simply because it sailed from Canaveral and the other options didn't thrill us, i.e., RCCL, Carnival and Disney.

 

When we stepped off we knew we would never sail with them again. The food was not good. We ate in specialty restaurants every night because of it. When we did go in the dining room I could not get used to a "bare" table. Not a flower in sight. The tables (at night) looked like they had been set for dinner and forgotten. This is a very big deal to me.

 

On the other hand, their shows are excellent.

 

Now that the Sun is finding herself in Miami, there is no chance of ever sailing that line again. If we go to Miami, it will be Oceania; if we go to FLL, it will be HAL.

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We were on the Sun this year and last year, simply because it sailed from Canaveral and the other options didn't thrill us, i.e., RCCL, Carnival and Disney.

 

When we stepped off we knew we would never sail with them again. The food was not good. We ate in specialty restaurants every night because of it. When we did go in the dining room I could not get used to a "bare" table. Not a flower in sight. The tables (at night) looked like they had been set for dinner and forgotten. This is a very big deal to me.

 

On the other hand, their shows are excellent.

 

Now that the Sun is finding herself in Miami, there is no chance of ever sailing that line again. If we go to Miami, it will be Oceania; if we go to FLL, it will be HAL.

Have spent 23 nights on the Sun on two different sailings - South America and Baltic. I would not hesitate to sail on her again. The crew is wonderful. Have had no problems with food or service. LeBistro is something special but the regular room dining rooms were good also with no waits. We had flowers on our tables. Love The Great Outdoors as well as the full-ship promenade on Deck Six.

The Sun is currently sailing from Port Canaveral, not Miami. Then she summers in Copenhagen for a Baltic itinerary.

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I have been on NCL 5 times and selected them primarily because they offer more cruises and at lower costs than anyone else out of NYC.

I will admit that HAL is a more 'refined' cruise experience in general, but I still very much enjoyed my cruises on the Dawn, Jewel, and Gem. The MDR food is somewhat better on HAL, but as far as service goes, I have experienced excellent service on NCL. I enjoy the 'Freestyle' concept. We usually dine when the room opens, and get immediate seating for two.

And if we tell our server's that we would like to make the 'early show', no problem.

HAL standard cabins are roomier, but if you are into the 'suite life', NCL offers the largest ones at sea, along with great perks.

And NCL entertainment in general is up a notch from what HAL offers. And NCL still rewards passengers for participating in Organised Staff Activities...remember 'Dam Dollars' and 'Passport to Fitness'?

I too lament the fact that they eliminated the forward observation lounge on the Dawn and the Star, to install more cabins. The new location of their Spinnaker Lounge pales in comparison to the old, like the Crow's Nest.

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Have spent 23 nights on the Sun on two different sailings - South America and Baltic. I would not hesitate to sail on her again. The crew is wonderful. Have had no problems with food or service. LeBistro is something special but the regular room dining rooms were good also with no waits. We had flowers on our tables. Love The Great Outdoors as well as the full-ship promenade on Deck Six.

The Sun is currently sailing from Port Canaveral, not Miami. Then she summers in Copenhagen for a Baltic itinerary.

 

I'm curious when you sailed on the Sun, because both last March (2011) and January, 2012, there were no flowers at dinner. Lunch, yes. Dinner, not a one. I asked about it and got a tap dancing answer about flowers taking up more room than the fake candle.

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I'm curious when you sailed on the Sun, because both last March (2011) and January, 2012, there were no flowers at dinner. Lunch, yes. Dinner, not a one. I asked about it and got a tap dancing answer about flowers taking up more room than the fake candle.

The fake candle was there but we also had one little flower in vase when we dined at a quad table. We mostly at the Four Seasons but also did in Seven Seas.

We were on the Sun in June 2011 and again in April 2009. These were foreign itineraries. Maybe that had something to do with it that they do not provide on Caribbean excursions.

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