disneygirl

This is such a fabulous review!   Thank you so much!  I haven't cruised on Carnival for a few years.  I became a bit of an NCL fan ( mainly because it sailed out of NYC ) I enjoyed the Freestyle cruising.  My new Husband has NEVER cruised so after some discussion we chose the Mardi Gras!  I have 2 questions for you: 

1) We aren't big drinkers, BUT when comparing the Drink packages the Cheers package includes everything including Coffee an we can drink 2-3 Iced Coffees a day, those are included correct?  Did you feel the cost was worth it?

2) How much was the Thermal Pass for the week?  I am VERY excited about that and while it does look smaller than other Cruise line spas, I must try it out!

Thank you and so glad for this review, it made my husband even MORE excited to Cruise!

I love the Thermal Suite on the Norwegian Gem, it is quite large and spacious, plus they have at least 10 heated stone chairs and they face the ocean, which makes the experience even better.

I have heard that this is a special Sailing for Military Families only, no Travel Agents. Is this true? I think its wonderful that Carnival does this. My brother is a Marine so it makes me feel good to know that a company of this magnitude gives back!

NCL created the "Freestyle" Cruising so that is completely theirs and as PP's noted, no one does it like NCL. That is one of the reasons I have cruised on them for the past 5 years.

For me however, I do enjoy Carnival and will be cruising on them next November. Other cruise lines offer a choice but again nothing like NCL especially with their Dress code, I do believe most of the other main stream lines do have formal nights on their cruises, if you want to dine in the Main Dining room, you will need to be dressed up.

That is what is so great about NCL, I wear a uniform every day to work and I enjoy dressing up the fact that NCL gives me the option to dress up or not is fantastic! Welcome to cruising!

$1899 for a 10 day cruise, seems quite reasonable in a Balcony cabin and that is during a popular timeframe, also if they only do a few of the 10 day cruises they will be on the more expensive side, but for 10 days in a Balcony that does not seem to expensive.

We did a 7 night cruise in August on the Gem and in a Balcony cabin it was about $1599 per person, but that is PRIME season during the summer and a Balcony.

Hubby is GF, so bringing bread would not help us out... :(

Maybe I can get them to bring us cornbread instead!

Not sure if anyone has answered this question for you. NCL is fantastic when it comes to dealing with GF ( Gluten Free ) Friends of mine have been sailing NCL for years now because of how amazing they are. She loves bread and literally she had it at every meal. WE were just on the NCL Gem end of August and they met with them at almost every meal and even said if they wanted to dine at one of the specialty restaurants that may not have been GF friendly they would bring whatever they wanted to them!

I have always liked that about NCL made it painless and they were truly able to enjoy their cruise!

The ship looks fine, apart from its lame thermal suite making the spa cabins not very good choices. Placing family harbor, low, back and under the galley. No tandoor :eek:

 

Still looks like a great ship despite these issues. ;)

You mentioned the Thermal Suite being "lame" could you elaborate on that for us please. I am looking to book next year for my mother's 60th birthday and this will be a big deal if its not what everyone is looking for. I have been in NCL and they have an amazing thermal Suite, I know that Carnival Vista's will be different but I have not been able to find any details on it. Such as the price for a week and what there for us to use.

Also I can understand the OP as to certain things will affect you and make you not want to cruise again on Carnival. This is their first few sailings, nothing ever goes as planned, they have to work out all the kinks and such. Then hopefully it will be smooth sailing. Don't give up on Carnival just yet!

bassmaster150

Thank you so much for sharing this great feedback! Sailing on the Vista Oct 2017 for my Mom's 60th birthday!

My question if you don't mind, any details on the Spa, not so much the Treatments, but I did read they have a thermal type suite. Do you know what the cost is for a week and what might happen to be included in that?

So glad you are enjoying your cruise! The itinerary sounds so lovely!

Just an FYI, most cruises now have that photo area. Was just on NCL Gem end of August and they have the same set up. So much nicer set up.

Thank you again!

Just trying to see if we can have an answer on this question.....Inquiring minds would like to know.

THANKS EVERYONE!

I am curious to know about this? Do they have one on this ship?

Cost for the week ?

Any details would be most appreciated as I did not see a link for the Harmony of the Seas and am looking to book in the very near future.

Thank you everyone!

As I only have a Debit Card, NCL strongly suggests you not use it because it will automatically put a $300 hold on your card, and then whatever else you use your Cruise Card for onboard will be put ON TOP of that amount. they highly discourage using Debit Cards. Cash would be better or if you have a regular Credit Card.

I used Cash, We got on first thing in the morning in NYC, as soon as we got on board went online at the Purser's Desk and put down cash, done and done. So then I if I needed to put more $$ down I could, but I luckily did not need to. They ended up owing me money back!!!

If you are concerned about the hold, put down cash instead.

I have to say that I have not sailed Carnival in a few years and have been sailing on NCL and I have to say that Carnival's prices are so much less than NCL and I am excited to get back and sail on Carnival again. It is all relative though, prices do go up every year, sometimes it is noticeable and sometimes it is not.

Thank you!!! Looking to book my Mother's 60th Birthday Cruise on the Carnival Vista and now it makes it even sweeter!!!

Hello everyone, looking to sail the Carnival Vista in Oct. 2017 for my mother's 60th birthday! Do we know exactly when this ship is set to debut? Any insight or details on this ship? Is this a new Class of Ship?

Any details would be most helpful.

Thank you!

WE tired to do this on our Cruise on the Gem Aug.19th Sailing.....it never worked, NCL refunded us the $9.99 to use it. That was just so we could unlimited Text each other while onboard. There were 6 of us traveling together.

WIFI different packages and well sometimes it was good other times it was slow.

I am a Carnival vet myself, however, the past 6 years I have only sailed NCL.

I fell in love with the Freestyle cruising style and their food and service.

However, Carnival is a very specific cruise and has A LOT going on, any given day. That for me took a bit of getting used to. They have Morning Trivia which is fun and then again something different in the afternoon. I enjoy their Night time parties. Now I have sailed the Jewel twice and the Gem 5 times and this last time the ship was totally renovated and looked lovely. Service was great and their Thermal Spa Suite is AH MAZING!

However, I am an entertainment type of lady and well their "Broadway" style shows at least on the Gem cannot hold a candle to Carnival. Plus they are usually only 1 show a night, so if you miss it, you miss it. Now on their Newer ships I am hoping they have some great shows, Not sure if that is your thing or not, but for me after sailing 20 times on several different Carnival ships that was a big difference.

I do miss having the same server every night in the main dining room, but I love being able to eat when you want and where you want!

IF you have any other questions please ask away, be happy to help.

It is the customer service by phone that has had terrible reviews. People who called with questions or complaints about various changes that were announced after they booked, people unable to get refunds or reimbursements for cancelled cruises, etc. Because a big part of my job is taking calls from frustrated clients, I am always as pleasant and patient as possible when I have to call for help. This may not be the case with all who report bad results. If I get a rude phone rep, that may color my future choices.

Whenever there is an issue no matter how large or small it may be, the company requires it to be in writing, so calling to complain about your cruise will get you nowhere. You have to either email NCL or write them an actual letter. EVERY SINGLE time that my clients did that, they received a timely response (depending on the situation) and if a refund was needed it was provided OR they gave some form of a future cruise credit and it wasn't $100, it was normally more.

But, I will agree with you that they need to train their people on the phones, I had called recently about Harvest Caye and they had zero information and that was quite disheartening. I sent them an email about it, got a response, but let's see what really happens.

That is on top of the regular daily service charge you (and everyone) will pay.

Not sure I understand this. We just sailed on the Norwegian Gem and we were never charged an additional Service Charge for our Meals or Drinks - The ONLY time we had to pay a tax was when we were in port in New York and then in the Bahamas. So for myself the Service charges for the Beverage Package and Meal plan were about $110 per person for the week.

The OTHER Service Charge they may be speaking of, is the Daily Gratuities that you can also PRE PAY as well. But those are 2 different things.

If you do not have the UBP - every time you purchase a beverage whether it be Soda, Bottle of water, or Alcoholic beverage they will charge you 18%.....that can sure add up to more than $110 a person for the week.

For us it was just easier to pre pay for everything that we could, and we had a couple with us that were much younger mid 20's never cruised before or been on any type of vacation such as this.

They could not believe the deal that we had gotten, the choice of going to different restaurants and having really amazing food and then getting a bill showing $0 - now at each of the specialty restaurants we had the best service and we tipped additionally because of how we were treated, La Cucuina we requested the same server twice because he was so good to us!

For them they did drink a lot more than we did and they kept adding things up saying wow, if they didn't take these packages, they could have never been able to afford it or have as much fun as they did.

Again, people like different things, but for us we will totally do this again as we enjoyed our cruise so much more because we had it and didn't have to worry.

So you are correct I apologize I called them and they told me its LIKE a private island experience however we will have to pay for our food and drinks! Disappointed big time! I asked if its a tender and he couldn't answer he said he doesn't know! So since we paid for the UBP and cruise I will be going back to the ship to eat and drink!!! So disappointed :-(

Wait a second....I was on the Norwegian Gem about a month ago (sigh) wish I was going back. We went to a few of the Discussions about what is next for NCL and about booking another cruise while on board HIGHLY recommend doing that. Super easy and you get a GREAT DEAL! However, this is THEIR Private Island, it is not "like a Private Island Experience" it is NCL's. There is no tendering as this is what makes this really great, you will be able to walk right off the ship.

Now, not sure whom you are speaking with, but I am quite surprised unless they are new and that could happen they did not read up on their homework.....but the drinks are included, now they are building a restaurant, not sure if it will be a Margaritaville or some form of a chain so THAT might not be included but all the other bars and such will be as it is similar to Great Stirrup Cay.

I actually started the thread and yes Thank you who advised to just give it to the Porter, he was fantastic and I tipped him quite well we had 2 very large suitcases....I totally overpacked, I made note NOT to do that again. Tipped him $20, yes I said $20, and he whistled over to someone and he said have a nice cruise see ya in a week and our 2 bags went directly to security and we had our bags by the time we went back from our Muster Drill. We also arrived early in the morning around 10am.

However, in regards to this whole water bottle thing. These were things I noticed, several people TRIED to bring on cases of water OR in their carry on - Guess what - nothing got in. Unless you have a Dr's note and have advised the cruise line beforehand which they did advise you could do, you are not getting anything on board.

Now while I was onboard their water was perfectly fine, the tap water if filtered, same thing as bottled water. NOW, what I also found was that some people had bought a bottle onboard the ship and went over to the "Soda Fountains" by the Buffet area and filled up their water bottles, I also saw people who brought their own, like something you would bring to the gym or have at work if you drink a LOT of water, they were filling them up also.

Now, I get it that the cost is crazy expensive, but their Water Bottles are quite large. There are signs that ask you NOT to do this but no one said anything to anyone who was filling them up at these stations. So not sure if this helps anyone, but this was what I observed on the Norwegian Gem.

I have been on over 43 cruises and my last 4 have been on NCL and all on the GEM. I happen to love the ship and truly love Cruising Freestyle. They have so many different options, you can do everything or nothing. You have the choice. I think they have a lot to offer and I can remember back in the day almost 20 years ago even 15 years ago NCL was not in the game, but now with all their new ships and the refurbishing of the older ones, I was so impressed and put my deposit down for 2 more cruises. Looking forward to their new Private Island in Belize and sailing the Escape.

As for the "mixed drinks" this must be ship wide because I just came off the Gem and they had Bahama Mama, LI Tea's, Painkillers and maybe Margherita's already mixed.

On the Gem we had Cesar, he was fantastic and similar to your Cowboy. He remembered us from day one and when he made drinks we actually had to ask him to add some juice or soda, because they were STRONG!

UBP is the best way to go and for us we went from New York down to the Bahamas and even when we were in port in the Bahamas we were also charged a tax for any of those beverages.

Thank you for a really great review! We sailed on the Norwegian Gem 8/19-8/27

Our next cruise will mostly likely be the breakaway.

I have to say I was quite excited when I read that Dan Dan was your Cruise Director! He was our on the Gem 2 years ago and that was one of the best cruises I have ever had!

His Cruise Staff team was amazing, on the Gem this time, they may have been new so that was a bit more disappointing.

I have a question about the smoking area on the ship, I do agree that they really need to crack down if there is only one or a few areas and if people are smoking where they should not be then they need to asked to go to that specific area.

Friends of our who want to sail with us on the Breakaway were curious about the Outdoor Seating for the Restaurants and if they each have their own smoking area OR if it is just one specific area at all. Would you happen to know this?

Also in regards to the Spa did you happen to use or see their Thermal Suite? We love the on The Gem and look forward to it every time we cruise.

Thank you!

Just got off there Gem on saturday and have to disagree about the shows, Having married a theater person, these shows can't be compared to high school production. Most of the dancers could do a show on broadway, the 70's style theme was a fun throwback, the swing show was a nice tribute to the sounds of yesterday. The only one i didn't love was the juggler/comedian, who i had trouble hearing.

Like they say, everyone has their own opinion, so what one likes, the other won't. I did feel the assistant cruise director Zach was not funny, but that is my opinion,

and yes, my son and daughter did say the DJ sucked.

The Dancers were fantastic, I was more referring to the quality of the productions, this having been my 45th cruise and sailed on everything from Carnival to Princess to Disney, I do feel NCL does lack in this department. So if someone has sailed on Carnival before their shows are better and they change them. I have sailed 5 times on the Norwegian Gem since it debuted - its been the same shows since......so for me and I LOVE SHOWS, it was disappointing. Even friends that came on this cruise ( it was their first ) they were even disappointed.

80's night for me was a big disappointment the DJ just did not have it this time.

So if they can switch up their shows that might help but the production quality does need to get a refurb.

Glad you and your family had fun!!!

We're just off Gem. There were only shows 4 nights or do. When they had them, they were generally presented twice at 7 and 9pm. I thought the entertainment was a great weakness of this ship. The two cast production Shows were pretty bad- high school caliber. There was some hypnotist act that wasn't my thing. And then an acrobatic duo- that was pretty good and worth seeing. The rest were a waste of time. The two lounge performers also weren't very good- piano player and female guitarist/vocalist. This ship needs to step up its game. Never waits for main dining but specialities did sell out so definitely plan those in advance.

I also just came off the Gem and while I had an AMAZING time I too was very disappointed with their entertainment. Same shows ( this was my 5th cruise on the Gem) No Comedian like they had last time. The other shows to me are like they said above High School quality. NCL is amazing in so many areas but they really need to step it up in this department. I was hoping for Leo at Magnum's whom I truly enjoyed very much. But again the 2 they had were very bad.

I was also disappointed with the Cruise Staff, hardly saw them about, not very friendly at all and the DJ was truly HORRID! He did a few of the Music Trivia Games and I literally wanted to put needles in my eyes!!

I may have been spoiled because on my last cruise on the Gem we had Cruise Director Dan Dan and his staff was OUTSTANDING!!! They were everywhere all the time, had excellent acts and shows. So not sure if that had anything to do with it, but this staff needs some improvement.