New Years Eve on NCL (as well as NCL in general)

[Avril]

Hi all!! It's almost Friday, WOO HOO!! :D

 

Mom and I love to sail on New Years Eve (NYE) cruises and want to try something different this year. I was just wondering, what is NYE like onboard an NCL ship? What kind(s) of parties/activities/events/etc do they have on board? Do they have a big party on the main pool deck? Do people dress up (semi formal/formal) for dinner and the evening? Do they have a special menu in the dining room? Tell me everything (please)!! :D

 

Also, this would be our 1st cruise on NCL (in the past, we've mostly sailed Carnival). I have a few questions (if you don't mind).

What are NCL cruises like in general? What sorts of activities/parties (such as deck parties)/midnight buffetts/games/shows/etc do they have onboard? Do they have all the wierd and crazy (but such a part of the cruise experiance) games like the Marrige Game and/or the Hairy Chest Contest (or ones similar)?

 

Do they have a daily newspaper delivered to your cabin with the next day's info? Does anyone have any daily newpapers from a typical NCL caribbean cruise that they could post? I'd love to take a look and see what's going on onboard!!

 

How does the dining work? Do you just show up when you want to eat or do you have to make a reservation? What kind(s) of restaurants are there? Is there a main dining room? What about the buffett? We've only ever had the traditional dining (and always have the late seating, 8:15pm) so have no idea how the whole "Freestyle" thing works. Are there "Formal Nights"? I love dressing up as I don't get to that often at home and would really miss it on a ship!!

 

Does anyone have any pictures from a recent caribbean cruise with NCL they could share?

 

I'm 27 and love to hang out, meet new people, and party. What's the nightlife/scoial environment like on NCL? Is it fun and very scoial like Carnival or RCI or is it more laid back, elegant/refined, with more old(er) people like Holland America or Princess? Mom's 59 and she likes to have a great time hanging out as well!!

 

What ship(s) would be good for someone going on their 1st NCL cruise? I don't really know anything about the ships (except they have really interesting and funky paint jobs) so any and all info (as well as pics - interior and exterior) would be great!!

Basicly, would someone who loves Carnival (but is unhappy with them at the moment) like NCL?

Sorry for the game of 20 questions :o and thanks for any and all answers!! :D

Thanks so much!!!! :D :D

[Sauer-kraut]

Hi all!! It's almost Friday, WOO HOO!! :D

 

Mom and I love to sail on New Years Eve (NYE) cruises and want to try something different this year. I was just wondering, what is NYE like onboard an NCL ship? What kind(s) of parties/activities/events/etc do they have on board? Do they have a big party on the main pool deck? Do people dress up (semi formal/formal) for dinner and the evening? Do they have a special menu in the dining room? Tell me everything (please)!! :D

 

Also, this would be our 1st cruise on NCL (in the past, we've mostly sailed Carnival). I have a few questions (if you don't mind).

What are NCL cruises like in general? What sorts of activities/parties (such as deck parties)/midnight buffetts/games/shows/etc do they have onboard? Do they have all the wierd and crazy (but such a part of the cruise experiance) games like the Marrige Game and/or the Hairy Chest Contest (or ones similar)?Yes, there are games. Newlywed/Not So Newly Wed game, no hairy chests or sexy legs. Lots of trivia, Deal or No Deal, Bingo, Liar's Club.

 

Do they have a daily newspaper delivered to your cabin with the next day's info? Does anyone have any daily newpapers from a typical NCL caribbean cruise that they could post? I'd love to take a look and see what's going on onboard!!Yes, its called the Freestyle Daily and is just like any other cruise 'paper' with all activities listed, what time the dining rooms are open, which ones have a surcharge. Do a forum search for recent ones, they are posted periodically.

 

How does the dining work? Do you just show up when you want to eat or do you have to make a reservation? What kind(s) of restaurants are there? Is there a main dining room? What about the buffett? We've only ever had the traditional dining (and always have the late seating, 8:15pm) so have no idea how the whole "Freestyle" thing works. Are there "Formal Nights"? I love dressing up as I don't get to that often at home and would really miss it on a ship!! You can dress up or not on ANY night on an NCL ship. There are two main dining rooms on the ship, and several other options such as a buffet, a comfort food restaurant and deck BBQ all at no charge. Then there are surcharge restaurants as well featuring Italian, Steakhouse, Asian, and French cuisine ranging in price from $10-$25 p/p.

 

Does anyone have any pictures from a recent caribbean cruise with NCL they could share?

 

I'm 27 and love to hang out, meet new people, and party. What's the nightlife/scoial environment like on NCL? Is it fun and very scoial like Carnival or RCI or is it more laid back, elegant/refined, with more old(er) people like Holland America or Princess? Mom's 59 and she likes to have a great time hanging out as well!!NCL is a very casual line, and very social. There is a Quest game, as well as a WHITE HOT PARTY and there is all kinds of music entertainment in various lounges in the evenings. Join the ROLL CALL for your cruise, NCL treats C.C. members well and senior staff will show up and speak at the Meet & Greet. Roll Callers also set up other activites and might have a slot pull, group meal, or cabin crawl so much better than what you might find on CCL.

 

What ship(s) would be good for someone going on their 1st NCL cruise? I don't really know anything about the ships (except they have really interesting and funky paint jobs) so any and all info (as well as pics - interior and exterior) would be great!!

Basicly, would someone who loves Carnival (but is unhappy with them at the moment) like NCL?

Sorry for the game of 20 questions :o and thanks for any and all answers!! :D

Thanks so much!!!! :D :D

 

The ships vary EPIC-new funky cabins, lots of shows and 4000+ passenger capacity.

 

SUN-smaller, older but a wonderful little ship with a great crew great promenade deck all the way around. Classic feel.

 

GEM, JEWEL-great ships, beautiful interiors and lots of things to do.

 

STAR, SKY, SPIRIT-more classic ships, one was built for the Asian market and has a very different feel and no fridges in the room.

 

The best thing is to read the reviews on this site, do a forum search and you'll be on your way.

[Avril]

Thanks a lot!! :D Does anyone have any pics and/or Freestyle Dailies they can post? I'd love to get a better idea of what it's like onboard!! :D

[Sauer-kraut]

Have you read through this thread?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1569159

[xenagurl]

Thanks a lot!! :D Does anyone have any pics and/or Freestyle Dailies they can post? I'd love to get a better idea of what it's like onboard!! :D

 

There are various pics in the links in my siggie.

 

Yes there is plenty to do but if you're looking for a party ship, the Gem is a blast. A lot of younger people will be on board for a NY Eve cruise. I've not been myself, but I sailed New Years day this year on the Gem and it was a so much fun! A friend of mine had her first cruise on the Jewel on New Year's Eve and she loved it!

 

I don't have any close up free style daily pics, but if you type that in the search some will come up.