NCL Newbie...everything you need to know

My husband and I love cruising! We've both gone on cruises separately and in January went on our first cruise together. We've been on both Carnival and RCI but neither of us have been on NCL nor do we know anyone that has cruised NCL. As of right now, his company is doing a cruise at the beginning of 2015 on the Dawn out of NOLA and we're planning on going (as long as he keeps up his hard work and is eligible).

Tell me anything that you think I need to know about NCL any tips, tricks, what to expect. Anything that we've experienced on Carnival and/or RCI that we should expect or should not expect on NCL. I'm really excited about trying NCL!!!

Having been on both RC and Holland my preference is NCL with six adventures. My preference with NCL is simply the Free-style meal accommodation with no dress-up. I dress-up daily and do not want to during my vacation time. I also do not like the fact that other lines have an early and late seating schedule and may put you with other passengers during meal time. I had a terrible experience with RC in this regard. I do not want to be told when, which dinning area, and with whom I will have my leisurely no stress meals. One of the criticisms of this type of arrangement is that since you do not have a regular assigned waiter, the service is not good. This is due to you not giving a tip directly to the waiter at the conclusion of the cruise. As you already know, a daily charge is added to your invoice which covers your wait dinning room staff and cabin steward. This is, in my opinion, further from the truth. Of the six cruises with NCL, service has always been excellent. In fact I always give extra to my steward. As with all lines, they make their money on gambling and drinks. A final note. I gave been on the Dawn. Nice ship. Happy travels!

My husband and I love cruising! We've both gone on cruises separately and in January went on our first cruise together. We've been on both Carnival and RCI but neither of us have been on NCL nor do we know anyone that has cruised NCL. As of right now, his company is doing a cruise at the beginning of 2015 on the Dawn out of NOLA and we're planning on going (as long as he keeps up his hard work and is eligible).

 

Tell me anything that you think I need to know about NCL any tips, tricks, what to expect. Anything that we've experienced on Carnival and/or RCI that we should expect or should not expect on NCL. I'm really excited about trying NCL!!!

Welcome to the Norwegian World. I have done several cruises out of New Orleans and will be doing my first Dawn cruise on the 18th of January 2015. Depending on how The Dawn is docked in New Orleans facing up or down stream, if She is facing upstream She will make a U Turn in the River and head downstream. It is interesting to be on an outside deck to watch the process. I can not speak about other cruise lines because I only sail Norwegian and this one will be my 21st cruise with the Company.

I've sailed Carnival, RCI, Princess and NCL. DH and I have sailed RCI, Carnival and NCL together.

We both consider NCL as one of our favorites for the following reason:

The restaurants don't have set timing (similar to the My Time Dining on other lines) however on NCL all restaurants are any-time dining. Think of it more like a land-based restaurant where you may have to wait for a table. And if the line is long there are other restaurants on the ship, or grab a drink.

The dress code is casual. No need to bring formal wear if you don't want to. There is a "dress up or not" night but it's not required. Nice jeans and a shirt can be worn in most dining rooms. DH usually wears khaki's and a polo shirt. Shorts are OK in some dining rooms for dinner.

Activities are numerous and run throughout the day like you'd find on other cruise lines. NCL has some good entertainment shows and musicians.

DH and I enjoy the food, I wouldn't consider it four-star cuisine but I find it to be pretty good. And if you prefer specialty restaurants for an extra charge NCL has plenty of those too - just like you'd find on RCI or Carnival.

The staff on NCL have always been responsive and pleasant. If I've had a problem it was handled quickly and with a smile.

In general NCL provides opportunities for you do do what you want, when you want. You can pay extra for activities or food but they also have plenty of included activities and dining. DH and I usually pick a cruise for the itinerary and price and if it happens to be an NCL ship that makes us happy.

Enjoy the new experience!

www3traveler, that is the same date of our tentative sailing! So, if things stay on track it looks like we'll be sailing on the Dawn for the first time together! This past January was my first time sailing out of New Orleans and we loved it. We live just over the state line in Mississippi so we are in N.O. quite often but we've never been down the river until the January cruise. Wow! We saw the river both at night and day and it's an interesting trip, there's nothing quite like it anywhere else, especially not when you're embarking on a cruise. We are very excited about trying NCL, I think it will really fit both us well. We both like to plan out our days and such but not with other people telling us where to be and when, so I think the freestyle cruising is going to be right up our alley.

We love the group we travel with and absolutely had a blast this past January so we're looking forward to it again. I told the hubby that he had a choice, he could either qualify for the cruise or pay for it but one way or another we were going...he agreed!

Nets33, thank you for addressing the dress code. I'm one of those girls who live in jeans and t-shirts so every once in a while it's fun to dress up but I don't like being snubbed if I don't want to dress up on a specific night. Since this is a company event I would definitely bring some nicer jeans or maybe a comfortable dress but nothing fancy! Have you tried the brazilian steakhouse on NCL ships? I'm wondering how it is. My brother-in-law constantly raves about Texas de Brazil and we've never tried it but I saw where the Dawn has the brazilian steakhouse and considered adding that to our to-do list.

first2travel, thank you! From all of the pictures and youtube videos (I like to do my research and get myself excited about trips so I keep the hubby motivated and on a roll with his business) she looks gorgeous! I can't wait to see her in person!

Nets33, thank you for addressing the dress code. I'm one of those girls who live in jeans and t-shirts so every once in a while it's fun to dress up but I don't like being snubbed if I don't want to dress up on a specific night. Since this is a company event I would definitely bring some nicer jeans or maybe a comfortable dress but nothing fancy! Have you tried the brazilian steakhouse on NCL ships? I'm wondering how it is. My brother-in-law constantly raves about Texas de Brazil and we've never tried it but I saw where the Dawn has the brazilian steakhouse and considered adding that to our to-do list.

DH and I did Moderno (the brazillian steakhouse) on the Pearl. We both loved the food. If you do decide to try it out go hungry. The salad bar was amazing and then you have choice after choice of the different meats that they bring by. We enjoyed the experience and had a great time.

We love the grilled pineapple at Moderno-be sure and try it!