Seasoned NCL er Opinions Please

Hello,

I am interested in hearing from people that have cruised NCL at least 5 times in the last 5-6 years including a recent cruise for comparison.

We have cruised on NCL about 8 times over the last 8 years. We have always enjoyed our cruises. Our last cruise was just over a year ago. I check the board here periodically and have been alarmed with the negative comments of late.

My question to you is, would I be disappointed with NCL if we to cruise with them again?

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Hello,

I am interested in hearing from people that have cruised NCL at least 5 times in the last 5-6 years including a recent cruise for comparison.

 

We have cruised on NCL about 8 times over the last 8 years. We have always enjoyed our cruises. Our last cruise was just over a year ago. I check the board here periodically and have been alarmed with the negative comments of late.

 

My question to you is, would I be disappointed with NCL if we to cruise with them again?

 

Thanks in advance for your insight.

We have always enjoyed our cruises on NCL. Some more than others. Your vacation is what you make of it!

Hello,

I am interested in hearing from people that have cruised NCL at least 5 times in the last 5-6 years including a recent cruise for comparison.

 

We have cruised on NCL about 8 times over the last 8 years. We have always enjoyed our cruises. Our last cruise was just over a year ago. I check the board here periodically and have been alarmed with the negative comments of late.

 

My question to you is, would I be disappointed with NCL if we to cruise with them again?

 

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Don't put too much credence in all the negative comments lately. While there are a couple of issues that people have valid complaints about there is a core group of people here who make it look like those issues are a biblical sign on the Apocalypse.

Like SissasMom said your vacation is what you make of it. I would find it difficult NOT to have a great time on an NCL ship.

We have always enjoyed our cruises on NCL. Some more than others. Your vacation is what you make of it!

Agree!

If we felt that we would. It receive a great experience for our $$ we would not have 4 cruises booked right now. Last cruise was 6 months ago and we hVe always had a great time. Have cruised NCL for over 20+ years!

We sailed Dawn 15 times since 2011 when she came to Boston .

I have been disappointed recently and doubt that we will return . ( unless the price is just right ) ;)

I have never failed to enjoy any of the 28 previous NCL cruises I have taken in the past 13 years, and we are looking forward to our next in November.

We just returned on Saturday from the Gem, our 6th cruise on NCL, and our 4th on NCL since 2010. We had a terrific time. My comments about the cruise are posted here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2207953

Without knowing what matters to specific people, I can't say what will or won't make them happy or disappointed in a cruise. I will say that before this most recent sailing, we were already booked on the Gem for next February (in a suite, our second time treating ourselves), and are still very much looking forward to that cruise.

I will say, though, that some of the things NCL is doing in terms of cuts, fees, new prohibitions, etc., are troubling. The new rule about not bringing food back to your cabin seems petty, and as a customer, I don't want to be treated in that manner. It remains to be seen whether that will be enforced in terms of taking food from the buffet.

Cruised 4 times since November( 3 NCL, 1 HAL). Gem booked for May 30th, and the Escape for December 12th. The changes they're making now don't really impact the overall NCL cruise experience. Still the same ships, same food and entertainment, with the same staff. That being said, it's a slippery slope. They will get to the point where the nickel and diming will be too much of an irritant for some. Everything they've done, from the gratuities on specialty dining to the infamous $7.95 room service fee has been about money. The experience didn't change much at all, just the cost.

Hello,

I am interested in hearing from people that have cruised NCL at least 5 times in the last 5-6 years including a recent cruise for comparison.

 

We have cruised on NCL about 8 times over the last 8 years. We have always enjoyed our cruises. Our last cruise was just over a year ago. I check the board here periodically and have been alarmed with the negative comments of late.

 

My question to you is, would I be disappointed with NCL if we to cruise with them again?

 

Thanks in advance for your insight.

My next cruise will be my 9th. Two of them are Royal and the rest are NCL. I also have an NCL one booked for December.

Ive seen the negative comments and frankly don't care. We aren't the kind of people NCL makes money off of. We are frugal and don't use the items NCL has raised the price of.

Would I recommend NCL to someone? yes

Will you be disappointed? Probably not. As another poster said, you get what you make out of it.

Enjoy!:)

I have been disappointed recently and doubt that we will return . ( unless the price is just right ) ;)

Can you be more specific? Is it the additional price increases/fees? The experience on board? Family changes? We are new to NCL and cruising for the first time at the end of this month. I have a big family cruise for Thanksgiving 2016 and want to make sure it is a great experience.

I have been a frequent room service user (even in spite of the limited offerings). So if I (solo traveler) now have to pay $8 bucks to get a non-breakfast order delivered, this is something I can't just ignore. I'll have to think about it...which means I'll have to consider other cruise lines. Just sayin'. :-(

I have been on the Spirit, Pearl ,Epic, Breakaway ang Gem in the last 6 years. I am returning to the Breakaway in September. I have enjoyed every single trip with NCl. You can nitpick about various issues, from the size of the pools, to disembarkation in NYC, or anything else you want. I have been on other cruise lines and you can find something to quibble about. At the end of the day ,it's your vacation. Enjoy yourself and don't worry about the small stuff.

Hello,

I am interested in hearing from people that have cruised NCL at least 5 times in the last 5-6 years including a recent cruise for comparison.

 

We have cruised on NCL about 8 times over the last 8 years. We have always enjoyed our cruises. Our last cruise was just over a year ago. I check the board here periodically and have been alarmed with the negative comments of late.

 

My question to you is, would I be disappointed with NCL if we to cruise with them again?

 

Thanks in advance for your insight.

This is a very subjective question....

It is true that NCL has put some policies in place that depending on your utilization of said items might effect yours enjoyment when compared to previous trips.

If you are a frequent Room service user the $7.95 per order plus 18% might be a huge negative for you. If you like to go and pick up for breakfast and eat on your balcony in peace then the new policy banning this might effect your enjoyment when compared to previous cruises. If being forced to tip 18% on basically any food purchase is an issue for you then it might effect your enjoyment.

For me the biggest issue with all these changes have been the terrible way NCL had handled the roll out of them with no real announcements. The uncertainty of what will actually be included when my booked trips arrive has reduced my enjoyment by introducing the inability to really plan and know what to expect. Will the staff be as friendly and helpful now that all the tips are built in and they dont have to work for them? Who knows?

Other then this the rest of the cruise experience should be what you have come to know from NCL. They have dialed back on the freestyle a bit with the new restrictions, but the entertainment and everything else is still there.

Brass tax is there is no telling what other changes are coming. They have made major changes seemingly weekly for a few months now. Some people like to plan and know what they are buying. Other seem to enjoy having the trip they purchased changed weekly. The base NCL experience seems to be the same, but the number of hands reaching in your pocket has definitely increased over the last few months, and shows no sign of stopping. As long as you take this into account you should still enjoy your trip.

6&8

We cruise with NCL very frequently (2-3 times a year) and have ALWAYS enjoyed ourselves, the ships, the staff and everything else with NCL. Yes, there are a lot of changes here recently, most do not affect us, however we will be on the Dawn next month and we will see how things go and if it really does have an impact on our cruising. We still have 1 more future cruise certificate left and we are thinking about booking for November.

I honestly believe, as others have said, a cruise is what you make of it. It's definitely better than being at home and working and I enjoy every one of my cruises no matter what happens on them. :)

I cruised 4 times on NCL last year! I cruised once this year and have three more booked for this year! I already booked one for next year! I promise you, the food debate of bringing it back to your room or not, has no effect on me!!! I love NCL. In fact I am diamond on Royal Caribbean and since I have been cruising Norwegian, not sure if I will go back on RCCL. ;) I love freestyle cruising! I am on vacation and I want to dress casually!!!! I sure hope this helps! Janice

Hello,

I am interested in hearing from people that have cruised NCL at least 5 times in the last 5-6 years including a recent cruise for comparison.

 

We have cruised on NCL about 8 times over the last 8 years. We have always enjoyed our cruises. Our last cruise was just over a year ago. I check the board here periodically and have been alarmed with the negative comments of late.

 

My question to you is, would I be disappointed with NCL if we to cruise with them again?

 

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Hi! I don't fit your criteria. I just wanted to comment about your reference to the negative comments of late. In scanning the forum, I see lots of negative comments from people who aren't cruising. As far as those who have recently returned from cruises, I see overwhelmingly positive comments and reviews. Until people who are actually returning from cruises start making mostly negative comments, I'm choosing to take it with a grain of salt. If that happens, I might get alarmed. Right now, I'll just wait it out.

We've sailed NCL yearly since 2009, have 2 cruises booked this fall, one so far next year, and will book 2017 when it opens. Don't worry about the discussions you've read. It's an open forum and we all have our own opinions. But your cruise experience is what YOU make of it. Book your next cruise on NCL and have a great cruise.

14 cruises with Norwegian Cruise Line, 5 in the past 2 years and four more booked. Our most recent was Getaway in January - best cruise to date. Our next cruise is 14 day repo from Boston to New Orleans on the Dawn this October.

We enjoyed all our cruises and expect the same for our future cruises. I don't have a problem with most of the recent changes but don't appreciate the way they are being implemented. The one I'm most interested in seeing how it pans out is taking something from the buffet back to your stateroom. Want to continue to be able to enjoy cheese, fruit and bread on my balcony along with my glass of wine or drink of choice. Zip lock sandwich bags have already gone into our cruise supply box :)

I am sure that NCL will continue to offer a great cruise vacation for those sailing with them.

My only disappointment in NCL recently has been regarding price, which is preventing me from sailing. I'm not greatly concerned about most of the recent changes, but I'm mightily offended by Del Rio's public statements about his "New Deal". That doesn't seem to be a big deal to most folks, though. As far as I can tell, none of FDR's arrogance has trickled down to the actual cruise experience, despite his comments.

I've been on the Gem, Sky, Breakaway, Epic (twice) in the last 5 years and planning Getaway and Escape (twice). I've also been on Royal. Even with every single change factored in, I know I will still be happy on Norwegian. I love the freestyle aspect (even with maybe having to make dinner reservations). I love the entertainment. I love the crew (who truly make our vacation - such great people we've met along the way). Ultimately, we try to have fun no matter where we go or what we do. My most recent Norwegian cruise was December on the Sky and my expectations were low being that it was a 3-day weekend cruise. It was one of my favorites! Entertainment was fun, food was excellent (best Cagney's meal I've had fleetwide) and crew was spectacular.

So ultimately, I plan to have fun on my upcoming cruises because that's what I do - I think positive and know that everything isn't perfect (like my pork chop in Savor - Yuck). But overall, if you like the NCL experience, I think you'll still be happy with the product.

Hello,

I am interested in hearing from people that have cruised NCL at least 5 times in the last 5-6 years including a recent cruise for comparison.

 

We have cruised on NCL about 8 times over the last 8 years. We have always enjoyed our cruises. Our last cruise was just over a year ago. I check the board here periodically and have been alarmed with the negative comments of late.

 

My question to you is, would I be disappointed with NCL if we to cruise with them again?

 

Thanks in advance for your insight.

In spite of the negative nellies, very little if anything has changed. The only real impact, if there is any, is that there is now a delivery fee for room service, and they want food kept in the normal eating areas.

Everything else is nothing more than normal price adjustments.

You will not be disappointed, in fact unless you use room service a lot you won't notice any differences at all.

We sailed Dawn 15 times since 2011 when she came to Boston .

 

I have been disappointed recently and doubt that we will return . ( unless the price is just right ) ;)

Have you sailed her this year or is your disappointment based on what you have read, because as someone who was recently on the Dawn you will not notice any change except the delivery fee for room service.

I've got 1 booked for this fall and 1 booked for next. I have no intention of cancelling at this point and expect to enjoy them just as much as the ones I've already taken.

While the recent changes in policy and fees could have been presented and implemented in a way that would have not caused so much controversy, it isn't going to make a difference in how much we enjoy our cruises. FDR stated that more changes are to come and some are expecting more of the same but it's possible that there are plans to improve things. I'll wait and see what happens.