Disappointing

Having cruised a number of times with Disney and RCL and also have a couple more booked (Wonder and Oasis!) We decided to try NCL .........Now although it's hard to put a finger on what it's missing it is definitely missing something! The foods not AMAZING!!!! The ambience is average and the staff are adequate! I shall stay with Disney and RCL in future as they are guaranteed AMAZING!!! Albeit in different ways!!!! We met a couple who had cruised 15+ times with NCL and loved it but wouldn't try the competition.......sad as they are missing out on something very special!

Having cruised a number of times with Disney and RCL and also have a couple more booked (Wonder and Oasis!) We decided to try NCL .........Now although it's hard to put a finger on what it's missing it is definitely missing something! The foods not AMAZING!!!! The ambience is average and the staff are adequate! I shall stay with Disney and RCL in future as they are guaranteed AMAZING!!! Albeit in different ways!!!! We met a couple who had cruised 15+ times with NCL and loved it but wouldn't try the competition.......sad as they are missing out on something very special!

Welcome to CC. Which ship did you sail?

That's why there are so many cruise lines. Not everyone likes the same things.

Welcome to CC. Which ship did you sail?

We sailed on the Epic..

What is good and special to one person, doesn't mean it is good and special to the next. We all have different likes, dislikes, expectations, etc. That is probably why there are so many different cruise lines to pick from.

We sailed on the Epic..

The Epic is a strange one. People either love her or hate her. I loved my first cruise on the Epic. I liked my second - there was an obvious difference in the clientele on my second cruise, and the service was not like the first one. We sailed the Getaway when she was brand new, with the "start up crew" on board. It made a HUGE difference in terms of service.

I really couldn't point to one specific thing, it just didn't have the WOW factor! It's a shame as its got huge potential and could be AMAZING!

I am an admitted NCL Cheerleader and I would never sail on the Epic again, probably the only ship on the fleet I would not go on. While the entertainment was awesome the layout of the ship and the disconnect from the ocean and just like the OP said something I could not put my finger on did not do it for me.

To the Op. I would try another NCL ship before deciding a no go on the future. You won't be disappointed

We sailed on the Epic..

Interesting. We've tried a lot of the major lines. We always sail in suites and in comparison to RCCL, NCL does suites waaaaaaaay better! We sailed in an Owner's Suite on RCCL Allure of the Seas last November and thought it was just OK and the service was, at best only average. I also thought the RCCL buffet was very mediocre. The Spa on Epic is drastically better than the spa on RCCL Allure of the Seas. In fact, having now experienced owner suites on both lines, I would never pay extra to be in an Owner's Suite on RCCL again as they don't do anything special for their suite guests: no flower arrangement, no butler service, no bottles of alcohol, no welcome aboard champagne, no afternoon hors d'ouerves, no special breakfast area for suite guests. There was nothing special at all. We just had a bigger cabin. The concierge lounge on Alllure was a zoo at cocktail time and the white wine they served was awful - so bad, after trying it the first night and finding nowhere to sit, we never went back! Very disappointing experience in terms of the suite. We liked the entertainment on the ship and the specialty restaurants. But if I went on RCCL again, I would never get more than a Grand Suite as the larger suites are not worth the extra money.

We just got off the NCL Getaway Saturday morning and were in a Haven Spa Suite. We had a beautiful rose and orchid flower arrangement, champagne on ice, nightly hors d'ouerves, butler service, concierge service, The Haven Restaurant, The Haven bar and lounge, access to the spa. The employees we encountered were excellent, our cabin was beautiful. It was a WONDERFUL experience and worth the extra money!

Having cruised a number of times with Disney and RCL and also have a couple more booked (Wonder and Oasis!) We decided to try NCL .........Now although it's hard to put a finger on what it's missing it is definitely missing something! The foods not AMAZING!!!! The ambience is average and the staff are adequate! I shall stay with Disney and RCL in future as they are guaranteed AMAZING!!! Albeit in different ways!!!! We met a couple who had cruised 15+ times with NCL and loved it but wouldn't try the competition.......sad as they are missing out on something very special!

And we feel just the opposite. But we prefer eating in specialty restaurants to dining rooms, and Disney and Royal did not have enough choices for us.

When we sailed on RCI last year, the MDR was not open for embarkation lunch, and the crew did not hand out cold washcloths when we returned from excursions in hot climates.

NCL does these things. Little things mean a lot.

I always have to question one's creditability when they have just joined CC and yet say they have done many cruises in the past and start posting on a negative note.

And yes I'm a NCL cheerleader but also have and continue to do other cruise lines minus the line that caters to ankle bitters.

You don't have to question my credibility and if you knew me you would know I'm a very POSITIVE person but if my experience was better it would have stared on a positive note! Oh and the ankle biters Cruise line rocks!!!! Even more so without children with us!

Having cruised a number of times with Disney and RCL and also have a couple more booked (Wonder and Oasis!) We decided to try NCL .........Now although it's hard to put a finger on what it's missing it is definitely missing something! The foods not AMAZING!!!! The ambience is average and the staff are adequate! I shall stay with Disney and RCL in future as they are guaranteed AMAZING!!! Albeit in different ways!!!! We met a couple who had cruised 15+ times with NCL and loved it but wouldn't try the competition.......sad as they are missing out on something very special!

So sad that they had 15+ cruises that they loved and get to go on more. I wish we were all as miserable as them...

Having cruised a number of times with Disney and RCL and also have a couple more booked (Wonder and Oasis!) We decided to try NCL .........Now although it's hard to put a finger on what it's missing it is definitely missing something! The foods not AMAZING!!!! The ambience is average and the staff are adequate! I shall stay with Disney and RCL in future as they are guaranteed AMAZING!!! Albeit in different ways!!!! We met a couple who had cruised 15+ times with NCL and loved it but wouldn't try the competition.......sad as they are missing out on something very special!

To each his own. I've tried both your competitions and I'll stick with NCL. IMO you miss a lot on DCL and RCCL.

Having cruised a number of times with Disney and RCL and also have a couple more booked (Wonder and Oasis!) We decided to try NCL .........Now although it's hard to put a finger on what it's missing it is definitely missing something! The foods not AMAZING!!!! The ambience is average and the staff are adequate! I shall stay with Disney and RCL in future as they are guaranteed AMAZING!!! Albeit in different ways!!!! We met a couple who had cruised 15+ times with NCL and loved it but wouldn't try the competition.......sad as they are missing out on something very special!

My first cruise with NCL was my worst cruise ever. I mean, it was okay, but just okay. Tried NCL again a few years later on a different ship, and it was the best cruise I'd had. One single experience on one single ship hardly defines a cruise line. I'd say give it another shot if there is an itinerary that appeals to you and if the price is right. You might have a completely different experience.

I love, love love, DCL by the way, but they have priced themselves out of sight, and our kid prefers NCL, so no need to pay for DCL again.

To recap you sailed once on NCl joined CC posted in the NCl board that NCl sucks? What exactly are you expecting from this post?

I always have to question one's creditability when they have just joined CC and yet say they have done many cruises in the past and start posting on a negative note.

 

And yes I'm a NCL cheerleader but also have and continue to do other cruise lines minus the line that caters to ankle bitters.

Wow. I think I had 5 cruises completed before I joined CC. Now I have to go back and find my 1st post and see if it was "negative." I wonder if the moderators can post a "sticky" thread saying "if your first post is negative, your integrity may be questioned. "

Wow. Speaking about a less-than-positive experience = questionable credibility?

To the OP, thanks. I've wanted to try Disney cruise line and I'm pretty sure that I'm missing out :( the people I travel with love the casino and from what I understand Disney ships don't have casinos.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm sure you paid almost double for the AMAZING cruises on Disney, sorry you didn't like the EPIC. Perhaps choosing a different line for a Mediterranean cruise would be more suitable, the EPIC is such a polarizing ship.

Hi!, I am another newby to cruise critic. I have just returned from my first NCL cruise on the Jade and we really had a wonderful time. We previously cruised with Disney twice. While Disney was wonderful and we really loved it the only thing I found missing on the Jade were the rude guests. We found NCL cruisers to be so much nicer. All of the guests on the Jade were so much nicer to staff and other cruisers alike. Its the one thing that marred our Disney cruises. We constantly heard people moaning and bitching and berating staff. That didn't happen once on our cruise last week. I will definately be cruising with NCL again.

L

Well, I'll find out for myself in October, after 16 cruises on Disney (I do love the mouse), I am Just. Burned. Out. Same menus, same shows, same comedians, jugglers, deck parties etc after 13 years gets old. Don't get me wrong, the DCL ships are decorated beautifully, the crew is friendly and works so hard to make things perfect.

We cruise with no kids so I feel so much of DCLs programming is wasted on us. We do love the adult venues in the evenings, but those too have become been there, done that. We are cruising on the Getaway in October and so excited to have new restaurants, entertainment and several things the disney ships don't have: anytime dining, upper deck items like the rope course and slides. Casino is nice to have too although we have those at home and probably won't bother once onboard.

I am going with lower expectations and hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

Bye Felicia!

You don't have to question my credibility and if you knew me you would know I'm a very POSITIVE person but if my experience was better it would have stared on a positive note! Oh and the ankle biters Cruise line rocks!!!! Even more so without children with us!

Very interesting.

You are a "very POSITIVE person" (as you yourself stated), so you joined Cruise Critic and with your very first post you went to the Disney Cruise Line board to tell everyone that you thought Disney was AMAZING, right? No? :(

OK, then with your very first post you went to the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line board to tell everyone that you thought Royal Caribbean was AMAZING, right? No? Again? :mad:

OK wait...with your very first post you went to the Norwegian Cruise Line board to tell everyone how DISAPPOINTED you were with NCL, right? :rolleyes:

Now be honest, does that sound like something that a very POSITIVE person would do?

If you're going to be positive, act positive.

I think it is great that everyone likes something different. Could you imagine what it would be like if everyone liked the same cruise line. One, there would be a huge waiting list to sail on them and most likely none of us could afford to cruise on that line.

Well, I'll find out for myself in October, after 16 cruises on Disney (I do love the mouse), I am Just. Burned. Out. Same menus, same shows, same comedians, jugglers, deck parties etc after 13 years gets old. Don't get me wrong, the DCL ships are decorated beautifully, the crew is friendly and works so hard to make things perfect.

We cruise with no kids so I feel so much of DCLs programming is wasted on us. We do love the adult venues in the evenings, but those too have become been there, done that. We are cruising on the Getaway in October and so excited to have new restaurants, entertainment and several things the disney ships don't have: anytime dining, upper deck items like the rope course and slides. Casino is nice to have too although we have those at home and probably won't bother once onboard.

I am going with lower expectations and hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

You sound like us. We have done 11 on DCL and now we are just tired of it. Plus I have felt like the quality is going down (and, of course, the price is going up. But that's across the board with all cruise lines).

I think you will like NCL. Our getaway cruise had tons to do and we loved all the shows and lounges. Our favorites were the mojito bar (and when it was too crowded inside it was usually pretty empty outside) and the Key west bar. Have a great time! :)