Hello All !!! Help !!!!! Tell me it isn't true !!

[Husney]

We actually bring some antibacterial wipes with us and when we get to our room wipe down all the surfaces, remote, phone, handles, etc. Have taken over 15 cruises on various lines and have never had the norovirus. I have never been on a "dirty" ship, nor have I ever had a long wait anywhere. Agree, with others. There are always people who will complain no matter what.

[canuckgal]

i think a lot of the complaints like "there was no place to eat late at night" or "there was nothing to do on sea days" etc. come from a lack of pre-cruise research. get to know your ship, the deck plans, read the dailies, the menus, once they are posted, ask questions when people start posting that they are back from epic. then you will be informed and have lots of options.

 

after i booked our first cruise, i started reading all these terrifying reviews, but then decided to only read the ones with high ratings (lots of stars), because i realized it was people's attitudes making all the difference. the great reviews got me excited for our trip, and low and behold, our trip was great.

[mom2tcdx2]

Personally I didn't find there to be all that much to do on the Star and I do my research. I don't have a problem with needing activities to do etc, but found that they just didn't have a lot to choose from. I spent more time in my cabin than on any other cruise I have been on. Having the AC suite at the front of the ship definately helped with staying there.

 

Main things were NCL U Drink tastings, which ultimately don't appeal to me and the only one that did was the Margarita tasting which I ended up not going to because of the problems with using my onboard account.

 

Bingo was way higher than Carnival or Princess, packages were $35-80, where Carnival starts at $10.

 

Lots of excursion seminars, I already had mine booked so I didn't need to use those. Also lots of seminars on port shopping, those type of things just don't appeal to me and were a waste of my time to go to.

 

Did the Cirque Pacific and Second City Show. There were a lot of people that lef the Second City show before it was done, heard many comments that they just weren't that good.

 

Trivia was always at 6 and progressive, so you couldn't even win anything if you didn't attend them all. Second night the murder mystery dinner conflicted with the game time so we didn't do any evenings after missing the second night. Did two early morning games at 10:15 for something to do. Did play bowling on the Wii one morning.

 

I am thinking perhaps they are focusing so much on the Epic that they are letting some things slip on the other ships.

[debnjoe1438]

We are booked on our first NCL Cruise on Epic for September on a 14 night back to back.

 

We've booked it because we like the idea of "Freestyle" dining and the fact that there are so many dining options onboard.

 

I know Epic hasn't sailed yet but I have just read a few reviews of other NCL Cruises and I am shocked at how some of them are.

 

Talks of filthy dirty ships, Norovirus, Restrictive dining ?????, No food available at certain times of the day, no food available after 9:30PM, impossible to get a table, having to wait up to an hour to get a table.

 

Please tell me this is all a load of nonsense.

 

Isn't it ??

 

I've been on the Jewel twice, beautiful ship, clean, crew/staff wonderful, food great, no problems getting food or a seat. (Well, first trip we used the fuffet alot and it was sometimes crowded.)

[debnjoe1438]

Hang on a minute it was a genuine question so don't get all chippy !

 

Jeez one of the reasons I am changing lines is to avoid cocky people like you.

 

Rest assured, you'll NEVER get away from the "cocky" people:rolleyes:

[newmexicoNita]

Personally I didn't find there to be all that much to do on the Star and I do my research. I don't have a problem with needing activities to do etc, but found that they just didn't have a lot to choose from. I spent more time in my cabin than on any other cruise I have been on. Having the AC suite at the front of the ship definately helped with staying there.

 

Main things were NCL U Drink tastings, which ultimately don't appeal to me and the only one that did was the Margarita tasting which I ended up not going to because of the problems with using my onboard account.

 

Bingo was way higher than Carnival or Princess, packages were $35-80, where Carnival starts at $10.

 

Lots of excursion seminars, I already had mine booked so I didn't need to use those. Also lots of seminars on port shopping, those type of things just don't appeal to me and were a waste of my time to go to.

 

Did the Cirque Pacific and Second City Show. There were a lot of people that lef the Second City show before it was done, heard many comments that they just weren't that good.

 

Trivia was always at 6 and progressive, so you couldn't even win anything if you didn't attend them all. Second night the murder mystery dinner conflicted with the game time so we didn't do any evenings after missing the second night. Did two early morning games at 10:15 for something to do. Did play bowling on the Wii one morning.

 

I am thinking perhaps they are focusing so much on the Epic that they are letting some things slip on the other ships.

 

now, I am going to question a little of what you said. I will add, I wish there were a few more activities, but we have cruised on so many NCL ships: I don't think I ever seen Trivia at 6pm. Think about it? that is the time the cruise line wants to see us in the bars. That is why they often have 2 for 1 drinks about 6pm. Add to that, trivia is usually 2 or 3 times a day, not just once. i have clients that just did progressive trivia on the Star, it was about 3pm I think they said, something like that.

 

We have seen second city 3 times on NCL ships, yes, once I didn't think it was particularly good, but no one walked out. The other 2 times it was great. Was in Vegas great? Of course not, I wouldn't expect it to be. The entertainers are not paid Vegas salaries.

 

Yes, there are overlaps, that is too bad, but the cruise line can't always help that. Just because we may want to do 2 activities that are the same time, doesn't mean everyone does.

 

What do you mean, you had trouble using your OBC? You can use them for anything, including gratuities..How many years ago did you sail the Star? We just sailed the pearl 5 weeks ago, we had a total of $225.00 OBC and used it anywhere we wanted.

 

I will agree about the cost of Bingo. It is out of line, but they seem to get players. I just wouldn't spend money on Bingo, but then again, Bingo isn't my thing. The drink tasting clinics are cheaper than other lines I will add.

 

Oh, I just read your first response, you just got off the Star. I wonder why you found progressive trivia to be at 6 and my clients didn't. Of course sometimes the ship has to adjust a day or two because of ports. Maybe that had something to do with the late timing. They won't have progressive trivia until after the ship has sailed..

[roger001]

Total bull! We've done 3 NCL cruises in the past year....all wonderful...and have two more already booked. I read reviews frequently.......because "I'd rather be cruising". Where in the world did you find all that negative and not any of the many.... many times more positive? You'll have a wonderful time......unless you are a totally negative person.

[BRENG]

Can only tell you that we had a great experience and are returning in September on the Dawn to Bermuda

[hamrag]

We are booked on our first NCL Cruise on Epic for September on a 14 night back to back.

 

We've booked it because we like the idea of "Freestyle" dining and the fact that there are so many dining options onboard.

 

I know Epic hasn't sailed yet but I have just read a few reviews of other NCL Cruises and I am shocked at how some of them are.

 

Talks of filthy dirty ships, Norovirus, Restrictive dining ?????, No food available at certain times of the day, no food available after 9:30PM, impossible to get a table, having to wait up to an hour to get a table.

 

Please tell me this is all a load of nonsense.

 

 

Isn't it ??

 

NCL are not perfect, despite what some of the cheerleaders say, but neither are any of the mainstream lines! Yes, it is all a load of nonsense!

We have sailed Jade 3 times, and are booked on Gem for later in year.

[Cruiser1978]

RE: Norovirus - Can happen anywhere. When I sailed on the Dawn last year, I was shocked (happily) how everyone was forced to sanitize before entering the buffet areas and found other sanitizers in many locations.

 

RE: Activities / Staff - Booked for a second NCL cruise (Jewel) this summer with friends AND next summer (Gem) with family. Last year, was in a group of 4 30-yr olds, found the entertainment GREAT - extremely funny comedian, great cruise director (Dawn), and hysterical actors / cruise staff who were always present and friendly whenever you ran into them. The servers, both in restaurants on on deck, were really lovely and truly made you feel as if they knew you by the end of the week. It was because of all this that we are sailing again this year AND next year with NCL.

 

RE: Pool - Pool decks did get crowded, but won't this happen on all ships?

 

RE: Food - It was not the BEST food I've ever eaten, but I was not disappointed with any meal or with the restaurant choices. We did pay for some of the specialty restaurants and they were well worth it.

[terrymtex01]

I have to say I feel the OP asked legit questions. I don't feel the OP meant that everything they read was negative, but they had read enough that it caused panic. I do also believe that if the OP were to look at all cruiselines boards or reviews, they would find very simular issues.

 

OP, I do have to say that with our NCL cruises we have not found the issues you stated to be the case. Quite the opposite in fact. Don't let folks that have nothing good to say ruin your cruise before it even began. As others have said.. the best rule of thumb for these boards is if a review or posting is all positive or all negative, skip it and go to the next one, because something isn't right. If someone can't say something positive about a cruise, that says more about them than it will ever say about the cruiseline.

 

NCL are not perfect, despite what some of the cheerleaders say, but neither are any of the mainstream lines! Yes, it is all a load of nonsense!

We have sailed Jade 3 times, and are booked on Gem for later in year.

 

I don't think it is unknown that we have a great affection for NCL, but I agree with you 100% as far as all cruiselines have their issues. Heck, I will even say all cruise ships have their issues. For us, the issues NCL has overall just aren't enough to get us to change cruiselines. For us, RCCL and NCL are as close to perfect as you can get, but I do not think anyone will ever find perfection anytime so many different personalities are involved. I HATED Carnival, but there were three factors that caused me to feel that way and none of them really were Carnivals fault. We were in the middle of a hurricane, I broke my foot in their casino, and on our cruise it was just a bunch of young drunk obnixious folks. With that said, any vacation with Doug is a good one and I would still probably try Carnival again for the right price and cruise.

[InverStone]

It's all true and not only that but I hear that 10 percent of the French shipyard workers have been diagnosed with Leprosy.

 

 

 

Hahaha...that made me laugh out loud (sorry, I refuse to use "LOL" because I am not twelve).

 

Inver

[DMH15]

OP-

 

My first reaction was to ask if you were serious. Since you have posted since your questions, i believe you were sincere.

 

Of the 4 lines I've tried, I've come back to NCL three in a row. Obviously, if I'd experienced some of the things you listed that might not be the case.

 

NCL isn't perfect. That would be unrealistic. Who could be all things to all people? So I will continue to sail with them. I hope you go on the Epic and come back and let us know how it went. I hope you have a great cruise.

[bcakes]

OP, I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by NCL, especially since you seem to have read a lot of negative reviews. Before I went to Hawaii on the POA last year, I read many negative reviews complaining about long wait times for dinner, rude staff and lack of cleanliness. What I actually wound up experiecing were attentive staff, a spotless ship and an enjoyable freestyle dining experience. (Our max wait time was so short that I didn't even make it to the bar to get a pre-dinner drink before my buzzer went off). I think I would have been very happy with our trip no matter what, but having read those poor reviews, the POA wound up far exceeding my expectations. I've already booked my next NCL cruise.

[gb58]

It's all true and not only that but I hear that 10 percent of the French shipyard workers have been diagnosed with Leprosy.

 

 

 

And scurvy !!!!:D

[sottovoce]

 

Please tell me this is all a load of nonsense.

 

Isn't it ??

Yes, it is.

[Sauer-kraut]

Guess your query has been answered.

[NMLady]

We are booked on our first NCL Cruise on Epic for September on a 14 night back to back.

 

We've booked it because we like the idea of "Freestyle" dining and the fact that there are so many dining options onboard.

 

I know Epic hasn't sailed yet but I have just read a few reviews of other NCL Cruises and I am shocked at how some of them are.

 

Talks of filthy dirty ships, Norovirus, Restrictive dining ?????, No food available at certain times of the day, no food available after 9:30PM, impossible to get a table, having to wait up to an hour to get a table.

 

Please tell me this is all a load of nonsense.

 

Isn't it ??

 

I did not experience any of that on our cruise on the Jewel. Nor have I experienced those problems on any other NCL cruise.

Although there might not be food available after 9:30pm in dining areas, there is food available 24 hours a day through room service, for no extra charge (although a tip to the server would be nice).

 

I'm not sure what you mean by restrictive dining, but I never felt restricted as to place or time.

[mousey]

We are booked on our first NCL Cruise on Epic for September on a 14 night back to back.

 

We've booked it because we like the idea of "Freestyle" dining and the fact that there are so many dining options onboard.

 

I know Epic hasn't sailed yet but I have just read a few reviews of other NCL Cruises and I am shocked at how some of them are.

 

Talks of filthy dirty ships, Norovirus, Restrictive dining ?????, No food available at certain times of the day, no food available after 9:30PM, impossible to get a table, having to wait up to an hour to get a table.

 

Please tell me this is all a load of nonsense.

 

Isn't it ??

 

It's not only a load of nonsense it's a bunch of BS!:mad: Can I say that here? Sorry if I bad. I have been on 4 NCL cruises. Every single one of them has been a blast. Things are never 100% perfect. I've never encountered any of the things you mentioned to any degree that it could have ruined any of our cruises. Having said that, your cruises, and your life in general, is what you make of it. I believe people that expect perfection are better off not traveling (not saying you are one of them;)). Things sometimes do go wrong, it's how you handle the situation that defines how badly it will affect you. I've sailed on the NCL Dream. Read it was an old ship and not much to do. We sailed her and found lots to do and had a wonderful time. We sailed on the Star twice, once to the Caribbean and once to Mexico. Again, we read lots of bad reviews, this was before she was refitted. Again, we had a fantastic time on each of those cruises. And finally, this past spring break we sailed on the Pride of America in Hawaii. We read nothing but horrendous things about her. The American crew was lazy, the food was worst than awful, there was nothing to do at night, etc., etc., etc. Well, guess what, we had one of the best times ever on a cruise. The POA has the best and friendliest of all crews on any of the ships we've ever sailed on. The food was more than good, and there were plenty of thin? Heck no! But it was an awesome cruise nevertheless. I highly recommend NCL to anyone. I've sailed on and I like many other cruiselines. We usually choose our cruises by itinerary first, and cost of cruise is our second criteria. NCL has met those two main necessities 4 times for us so far.

 

Go and have yourselves a wonderful cruise and take the stuff you read on the internet with a grain of salt. I once almost didn't take a Costa cruise because of all the bad reviews I had read. Had I not taken that cruise because of all the bad comments, I would have missed one of the best cruises I've ever taken!:eek: Whatever you decide, I hope your cruise is awesome!:D

[DrD]

OMG no food after 9:30pm?? how will we survive?!?

[WORKING-TO-CRUISE]

Well, my thougts are much more in line with mom2tcdx2 then those who only cruise NCL or then those who are 100% negative. Over 8 years we've done 9 cruises with 103 days total on 6 cruise lines. I'm really not enamored by any of them, yet...but I do LOVE to cruise. We are much more driven by itinerary and timing. However, it does seem that through the years some of the luxury has seeped out of the industry.

 

I will agree with "mom2" that the NCL cruise we just returned from had the least positively memorable (and lowest tipped by us) service staff of our 8 years. Fortunately for us, nothing down-right rude happened, just nothing special. For us, the freestyle dining was a disappointment, as we never learned about our wait staff and they never learned our preferences. Having the waiter deliver a scotch & water to my husband when we enter and having black coffee ready without having to ask after dinner is "a luxury" we enjoy when cruising. Freestyle just doesn't allow that to happen.

 

We met terrymtex01 and were able to discuss a few NCL items during our first few days. If you are ever with Terry & Doug on a cruise make sure to enjoy some time with them!!

 

And whatever you do, remember to enjoy your cruise experience!!

[can'twaittogoagain]

We've cruise with NCL 11 times on the Sun, Dawn, Jewel, and Pearl and have never experienced any of the concerns you are worried about. Enjoy your cruise. The Epic looks fabulous.

[Awwsnuffie]

I just got off of the Jewel today...

 

Yes, I agree that the level of "luxury" you are looking for from a server who gets to know your preferences based on organized dining times falls by the wayside as a result of the freestyle cruising. However, from what I experienced over the past week, this did not effect the high quality of service.

 

Case in point #1: There was this one particular beer that I liked and it was only served at this one bar on the ship. Not once did I sit at that bar to enjoy the beer. I walked up, ordered and went on my way. By the third time I ordered the beer, the bartender knew not only my name, he saw me coming and had my beer poured in the glass waiting for me.

 

Case in point #2: Our server in one restaurant one night happened to see us in an adjacent restaurant three nights later and asked us how we were doing and made sure that we were happy with our time in the dining room.

 

Even though you might not have the same server every night, the staff is extremely attentive and really goes out of their way to make you enjoy yourself and your time on their ship.

 

And it still beats serving yourself at home or at work!

[newmexicoNita]

I just got off of the Jewel today...

 

Yes, I agree that the level of "luxury" you are looking for from a server who gets to know your preferences based on organized dining times falls by the wayside as a result of the freestyle cruising. However, from what I experienced over the past week, this did not effect the high quality of service.

 

Case in point #1: There was this one particular beer that I liked and it was only served at this one bar on the ship. Not once did I sit at that bar to enjoy the beer. I walked up, ordered and went on my way. By the third time I ordered the beer, the bartender knew not only my name, he saw me coming and had my beer poured in the glass waiting for me.

 

Case in point #2: Our server in one restaurant one night happened to see us in an adjacent restaurant three nights later and asked us how we were doing and made sure that we were happy with our time in the dining room.

 

Even though you might not have the same server every night, the staff is extremely attentive and really goes out of their way to make you enjoy yourself and your time on their ship.

 

And it still beats serving yourself at home or at work!

 

my thoughts exactly. You do give up that personal touch which the servers provide with traditional cruising. Not that they really care about our likes and dislikes but it does help the tipping for sure. Sometimes I miss the attention, but the flexability makes up for any pampering I don't get.

 

Nita

[BIG_Steve]

This thread is a little odd

There are bad reviews of every cruise line and every ship but I think they are the minority except for one line (I wont mention). But NCL has high standards. I dont know what the OP means by so many negative reviews of NCL. There are the same amount for Carnival and Royal

 

I disagree. While I'm okay with NCL, when I read reviews, they seem to get more Negs than other lines. I also agree, NCL seems to get some of the most absurd/silly neg reviews too. Much of which have had obvious embellishment.