How could NCL improve?

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I recently asked why some of you favored NCL as one of your favorite cruise lines, and the answers were very interesting. While still keeping it's unique experience (or umm, price), in what ways could NCL improve?

 

We haven't sailed on Norwegian yet, and I think the only drawback is the food in the buffet and MDR (at least from what I'm told). On the flip side, you can't argue with the price, highly rated shows, and entertainment. I've watched videos of every major cruise line, and Norwegian passengers are among the most enthusiastic!

Edited November 26, 2013 by Stateroom_Sailor

[champagne123]

Although there is ALWAYS room for improvement in ANY company, we were pleasantly surprised with our first NCL cruise on the Breakaway. No complaints on the food what-so-ever. We will eventually book another one with them..:o

[Molokai-Chuck]

The number one place I would like to see NCL improve ... the NCL web-site. It seems to just get worse over the years. Even when they "improve" it.

 

Chuck

[crystalspin]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What Chuck said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Bear in mind, I haven't yet sailed on NCL...

[NH Cruisers]

 

We haven't sailed on Norwegian yet, and I think the only drawback is the food in the buffet and MDR (at least from what I'm told). On the flip side, you can't argue with the price, highly rated shows, and entertainment. I've watched videos of every major cruise line, and Norwegian passengers are among the most enthusiastic!

 

 

The food in the buffet is on par with any other ship, what everline I have sailed. I have eaten once or twice in the MDR (I really dig all the NCL specialty resturants), it was not bad at all. I had the pork chops. I really liked them and the waiter could tell. He brought me a plate of 6 more. Oh boy were they good. Mind you they were the thin cut ones, carmelized and chared to perfection.

 

A cruise is sort of like an amusement park. They are all a bit different. some perfer Disney other Six Flags or what ever. I will have a great time regardless.

Edited November 26, 2013 by NH Cruisers

[bluesea777]

Seems like each time NCL builds a new ship the swimming pools get smaller - doesn't make sense when newer ships hold more passengers!

[nlsoftly]

Website

 

Trying to investigate booking and finding 'none of the requested suites are available" when the PCC and other website show almost all of them are open is frustrating (I especially feel bad for the PCC).

 

Once onboard...I love freestyle letting me plan each day as a unique whole (not revolving around a particular dinner time). I love the layout of each class of ships I have sailed. I have been repeated impressed by how hard everyone works to satisfy special orders and to make every cruise a happy success. I adore the 'washee washee happy happy' chant and the smiles that greet me everywhere I go.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

The food in the buffet is on par with any other ship, what everline I have sailed. I have eaten once or twice in the MDR (I really dig all the NCL specialty resturants), it was not bad at all. I had the pork chops. I really liked them and the waiter could tell. He brought me a plate of 6 more. Oh boy were they good. Mind you they were the thin cut ones, carmelized and chared to perfection.

 

A cruise is sort of like an amusement park. They are all a bit different. some perfer Disney other Six Flags or what ever. I will have a great time regardless.

 

I've heard nothing but good things about the specialty restaurants, and the choices of them. When I post these questionnaires, someone always complains about the food. Celebrity and Princess have gone downhill, Holland serves everything lukewarm, Carnival only has hamburgers and pizza, Royal has worse food than Carnival, etc.

 

Maybe it's better to approach cruising as "the glass is half full" ;)

Edited November 26, 2013 by Stateroom_Sailor

[pokerpro5]

I've heard nothing but good things about the specialty restaurants, and the choices of them. When I post these questionnaires, someone always complains about the food. Celebrity and Princess have gone downhill, Holland serves everything lukewarm, Carnival only has hamburgers and pizza, Royal has worse food than Carnival, etc.

 

Maybe it's better to approach cruising as "the glass is half full" ;)

 

Actually, reviews of the specialty restaurants are mixed. Some are great, and some aren't worth the cost of admission.

 

I do like that NCL has so many specialty restaurants, though.

 

One thing I would LOVE to see on NCL is a pizzeria. Princess has this, and it's great. The pizza is excellent, it's made to order, and it's fast. Room service pizza (for $5 each) just isn't the same. Why NCL didn't include this simple extra, I'll never know.

[deladypilot]

I would say they need to improve their new website by going back to the old. Easier to navigate and showed you so much more info.

[newmexicoNita]

Actually, reviews of the specialty restaurants are mixed. Some are great, and some aren't worth the cost of admission.

 

I do like that NCL has so many specialty restaurants, though.

 

One thing I would LOVE to see on NCL is a pizzeria. Princess has this, and it's great. The pizza is excellent, it's made to order, and it's fast. Room service pizza (for $5 each) just isn't the same. Why NCL didn't include this simple extra, I'll never know.

 

Anyone who thinks the food in most of the specialty restaurants on NCL isn't worth the cost is being very picky or just wants to rant about something. Maybe they haven't tried specialty dining on other lines. We have, for the price, NCL has the best specialty dining in my opinion. I used to love Sabastinis (spelling) on Princess but our last cruise it was not up to par, many said the same thing. I didn't care for the pizza either, but that was just me. We were not impressed with the specialty dining room on HAL and it was pricey, nor did we think it was anything special on Celebrity.

 

The one place I would like to see NCL improve or maybe two places: better room service menu and yes, the MDR could stand some improvement, plus the cost of drinks could be reduced a littel, but this isn't going to happen.

[nutley chick]

I would love to see all the customer service agents have the same answer. You could call 4 times with the same question and get a different answer every time. Thats why I come here. I get the right answer (usually) the first time.

 

Also, I would like them to do away with the black out date for the UBP.

[gra2172]

I like the way NCL is, and theres not much I would change. The things I would change are really just personal nitpicks..

Like Better quality tv channels. :p

 

In general, like others have said, the website needs some help.

[Sheils65]

I would love to see all the customer service agents have the same answer. You could call 4 times with the same question and get a different answer every time. Thats why I come here. I get the right answer (usually) the first time.

 

Also, I would like them to do away with the black out date for the UBP.

 

I have heard that they do the black out during spring break for college kids which I think is a great idea, not all college kids drink responsibly!! :rolleyes: If they didn't black it out, it could potentially be a serious safety issue.

 

On the subject at hand, I think they could be a bit less strict with using cash for OB account without attaching a CC. I am a cash person and they pretty much demanded even though I had cash for OB account they said that I was required to attach a CC to it. I have read lately that they have been less strict. I will find out soon enough!!

Edited November 26, 2013 by Sheils65

[polySeraph]

Here's the thing I love about NCL: if I want an "improved" experience, I can always pay a little more and have an improved experience. Best of all, I'm not subsidizing someone else's idea of an improved experience. If the lady at the table next to me thinks that eating escargot is part of an improved cruise experience, she can go to LeBistro and order it; my fare isn't subsidizing her escargot. That means I have more money in my pocket to improve my cruise my way.

 

One thing I can't do, however, is take an NCL cruise around Cape Horn in South America or to see the Fjords in New Zealand. NCL definitely needs to work on its itineraries. Yesterday I was on the HAL and Celebrity websites looking at itineraries and I became weary just thinking about packing the formalwear.

Edited November 26, 2013 by polySeraph

[Macadian]

Less pa announcements, tighten smoking policies to that of Celebrity etc. Other than the above our NCL cruises have been most enjoyable.

 

P.S....switch from Pepsi (ugh) to coca cola.😁😁:p😊

Edited November 26, 2013 by Macadian

[time2cruise1]

One simple change. Lock up the salt in the galleys ration the distribution. :D

[KateQ22003]

I agree with the posters about the website; it is terrible. I too would like to see an adults only pool (not the one in the spa area; one that is outside) or a bigger main pool. Enforce the dress code in the aft dining room.

[johnsak123]

I agree there is always room for improvement.

I got the impression from my last cruise that people working at the port inside the terminal are not always NCL employees.

We were on a wild goose chase trying to check in last time. We were sent from one end of the terminal to the other to only have to start again where we walked in

Although, we asked people with NCL badges, it seemed they didn't know what they were doing.

So I guess I am saying better communication with their staff at the terminal.

 

OOOPS Forgot Better TV. Yes folks I like to lay on the balcony and watch TV sometimes

Edited November 26, 2013 by johnsak123

[bamagrad92]

I wish they would allow parents in the kids zone. I'm not comfortable leaving my little ones with strangers. And neither are my kids. If they would open it up for just an hour a day that would work. The kids zones are wonderful. So I hear. I've never set foot in there because parents aren't allowed.

[newmexicoNita]

I like the way NCL is, and theres not much I would change. The things I would change are really just personal nitpicks..

Like Better quality tv channels. :p

 

In general, like others have said, the website needs some help.

 

that is pretty much how I feel. The few things that I would like to see improved on are really very minor. Yes, the TV thing would be nice, but we don't spend much time watching TV on a cruise so it isn't a biggy for us. Actually thinking about it: I guess the number one improvement I would like to see is itineraries. NCL is great at being port intensive, but oh how I wish they would add a few new ports. How many times can you visit St Thomas, St Maarten, Cozumel, etc without getting bored? We are looking at the repo cruise in April on the Dawn. Our only problem, same old ports and then after they start up the Atlantic coast they just keep going, until the end up in Boston. There are so many fun places they could dock...

Edited November 26, 2013 by newmexicoNita

[nutley chick]

 

P.S....switch from Pepsi (ugh) to coca cola.😁😁:p😊

 

 

YES!!! I agree :D

[opalinem]

My ideas for improvement:

- bring back the wrap-around promenade and the control room viewing area

- $150 (the original price) seemed right for the spa facilities. 200 is over the top

- bungee trampoline hours are too limited, it should open earlier in the afternoon.

- Ocean Blue take out window for lunch also has too limited hours. Open it on port days too. In general make the restaurants on the Waterfront (at least the outdoor area) available for lunch and brunch as well as dinner

- Bring back afternoon snack time in the buffet (it completely disappeared from the dailies :mad:)

- Make cabins and balconies a bit wider (not longer or deeper). Also a bigger room would be nicer than a bigger bathroom (think about privacy, don't make balconies that have a view on the balcony underneath. Awkward!!)

- Take it easy with the "privilege" system. Too many restricted areas: Haven, Vibe, Spice, spa lounge, studio lounge... A few is nice but that's starting to go overboard. Add more public areas for everyone instead.

- Teen/family pool: great but add a hot tub near it (some ncl ships have a hot tub adjacent to kids pool, which is fantastic for parents!)

- For shows: I prefer the "first come, first served" system (the one they've always had) to that new reservation business. You have to arrive way early anyway to get good seats, so what's the point?

- Give the mega-ships a breather. Get back to a more humane size. Too many people on a ship is not safe (that goes for all cruise lines obviously, not just ncl)

 

That's all for now! I'm sure I will think of more after I sail the Breakaway ;)

[jlacy1987]

I've only been on one cruise, but this is my opinion for improvements based on these forums and what research I've done.

 

1) Make all OBC combinable.

 

2) Lower the volume in the bars/lounges. My husband and I had to leave Henry's Pub on Spirit after only 10-15 minutes because the music was so loud it was hurting our ears and the guy was only singing and playing a guitar.

 

3) More tastings than just martini tastings. Every now and again I'll see a margarita tasting or a wine tasting in a freestyle daily. More often than not, though, it's always martini tastings and there are usually at least 2 during the cruise. I dislike martinis, but love margaritas. I'm also still trying to find wines that I like. So margarita and wine tasting would be fantastic.

 

4) More on the tastings. I wish they had smaller tastings. My husband's not a big drinker and wouldn't be able to share in a tasting with me even if he wanted to since he has Celiac disease. There really isn't a way I could do a tasting by myself and consume 5 strong drinks. I wouldn't be able to walk afterwards. I would be nice if they did 5 half-drinks versus 5 full drinks.

 

5) More to do during boarding. Whenever we boarded on Spirit it took about an hour and a half since we got there right at noon. It's kind of a boring process, so it would be nice if NCL would come up with a way to keep cruisers entertained even before they get on the ship.

[gooselover]

DH and I are going on our first NCL cruise next spring and we are so excited! For that reason, we can't comment on anything to improve - YET.

 

However, I just HATE this new website of theirs!