Worst Norwegian ship?

[ozscotart]

We hated the Epiic, very crowded, strange bathroom arrangements and not enough outdoor space. We loved the Jade, the Jewel and the Star. 

[trivimp]

On 10/25/2021 at 7:26 AM, The Traveling Man said:

As for the shower controls, the handle on the left controls water flow, while the one on the right sets the mix of hot and cold.  Just set that one once and then don’t touch it again.  Just use the left handle to turn the water on and off.  Yes, it will start out cold then warm up to your selected temperature.  

Hello, THIS ^^^

 

we just got off the Gem a couple weeks ago, my boyfriend's third time on NCL.  He apparently still didn't know how the shower knobs worked.  He came out of the bathroom on the third day swearing.  "I have a ****ing master's degree and I still can't figure out the ****ing shower"  So, we had a little shower tutorial 🙂

 

I don't know why NCL doesn't put a little sign up in the bathroom explaining this, they have a little sign for every other thing 

[The Traveling Man]

8 minutes ago, trivimp said:

Hello, THIS ^^^

 

we just got off the Gem a couple weeks ago, my boyfriend's third time on NCL.  He apparently still didn't know how the shower knobs worked.  He came out of the bathroom on the third day swearing.  "I have a ****ing master's degree and I still can't figure out the ****ing shower"  So, we had a little shower tutorial 🙂

 

I don't know why NCL doesn't put a little sign up in the bathroom explaining this, they have a little sign for every other thing 

This seems to be a European practice.  We have encountered similar setups in hotels in France, Germany, Italy, and Poland.

[CruizinKittie40]

2 hours ago, trivimp said:

Hello, THIS ^^^

 

we just got off the Gem a couple weeks ago, my boyfriend's third time on NCL.  He apparently still didn't know how the shower knobs worked.  He came out of the bathroom on the third day swearing.  "I have a ****ing master's degree and I still can't figure out the ****ing shower"  So, we had a little shower tutorial 🙂

 

I don't know why NCL doesn't put a little sign up in the bathroom explaining this, they have a little sign for every other thing 

I'm booked for the Escape next month and hope their controls are different.  It was one of the most annoying parts of our cruise

[_Mr.G_]

7 hours ago, CruizinKittie40 said:

I'm booked for the Escape next month and hope their controls are different.  It was one of the most annoying parts of our cruise

 

As it was said before: These shower controls are very common in Europe. The idea behind it is that you have to adjust the water temperature just once and then never touch it again. You just have to control the water flow and you will always automatically get your preferred temperature. (Also it usually has a maximum temperature limit that prevents too hot water and burns. It can be exceeded by pressing that little red button on the temperature control). Also, I'm from Europe and don't like these either 🙄😁

[The Traveling Man]

On 11/1/2021 at 12:04 PM, CruizinKittie40 said:

I'm booked for the Escape next month and hope their controls are different.  It was one of the most annoying parts of our cruise

It's a fairly standard setup on most all NCL ships.

[Turtles06]

34 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

It's a fairly standard setup on most all NCL ships.

And pretty simple to use. 

[complawyer]

at the risk of sounding redundant, i believe there is no such concept as "the worst ship" in the ncl fleet. some are just better than others, but i believe each one has it's own charm as well as its own peculiarities.  i've been on about 8 different ncl ships, and don thave a major gripe about any of them.

 

minor complaints on the initial southeast asia cruise the star had mechanical problems and we couldnt land in some ports i really wanted to see, but the compensation more than made up for it, and the aft haven  penthouse suite on the epic, i've mentioned before the round bed took up almost the entire cabin, and the bathroom/tub & shower were extremely awkward, but the cruise itself was fine. 

[craig01020]

10 hours ago, complawyer said:

believe there is no such concept as "the worst ship" in the ncl fleet.

Then you don't have to reply.

[complawyer]

sure i do. what cruise (or cruises ) have  you been on that you had a truly bad experience for the entire vacation, not just little annoyances that couldnt be fixed.

 

this forum is designed for people to give there opinions, and answer questions. if you really think  you have a "worst ship" in mind in the ncl fleet, that's your opinion. your response to me, however, was completely irrelevant, and added absolutely nothing to this discussion. 

 

in the end, if you have a "worst ncl ship" dont book it. really simple. there are many other lines, and i see you have already booked with them

[KeithJenner]

Depends what you mean by worst.

 

Which is worse, being given $50,000 or $100,000? Clearly receiving $50,000 is the worst of those options, but I think we’d all like it.

 

As I stated earlier, for me the Epic is the worst NCL ship. It has some issues that mean it isn’t as good as the others I’ve been on, but that hasn’t stopped us booking our 5th trip on it (would have been 6th if one hadn’t been cancelled).

 

I think the discussion is valid, as it raises issues that could cause people not to enjoy their cruise as much. Still likely very enjoyable but there may be better options available.

[trivimp]

On 11/1/2021 at 7:19 PM, _Mr.G_ said:

 

As it was said before: These shower controls are very common in Europe. The idea behind it is that you have to adjust the water temperature just once and then never touch it again. You just have to control the water flow and you will always automatically get your preferred temperature. (Also it usually has a maximum temperature limit that prevents too hot water and burns. It can be exceeded by pressing that little red button on the temperature control). Also, I'm from Europe and don't like these either 🙄😁

On my very first NCL cruise, the comedian did a routine during the Welcome Aboard show: all about how to use the shower knobs.  He had the whole audience roaring "HOT!!!"  "COLD!!!" as he made the downward- or upward-twisting motions.  It definitely was easy to remember after that, but it kind of tells you something about the unfamiliarity of the controls (at least to a mostly-North American audience) that he could make a whole routine out of it.

[complawyer]

keithjenner

 

that's exactly my point. even on the so called "worst"  there are many things to enjoy and appreciate.

 

means it's not the best, doesnt make it the worst.

[The Traveling Man]

We have sailed 28 times on 14 different NCL ships for a total of 282 days.  The only NCL ships we have not yet sailed are the Jade, Pearl, and Sky, but we have been on other ships in those same classes.  I honestly cannot say that we ever have had a "NEVER AGAIN" cruise.  Each ship offers a different experience, some more enjoyable than others, but none were so intolerable as to absolutely, positively NEVER sail them again.  Well, maybe the Star, which went dead in the water off the coast of Australia and caused us to miss all but one of the intermediate ports on a 12 day cruise,  but I might even consider that one again if the itinerary and price were attractive.  As expressed by many contributors to this thread, you can find fun and have a good time on any ship, to any destination, if you are willing to accept that there may be a few hiccups along the way.

[HowardK]

I didn't like the Jewel ever- liked the megaships better. Seemed really outdated even in 2010.

I'd rather not be on a cruise then go on the Jewel again. Had a horrible time. Yes, it was my fault for not going on the Epic instead and I have to live with it.

 

[Oakman58]

The Jewel class ships are my favorites for Caribbean cruises.  I love having breakfast at the Great Outdoors at the back of deck 12.  I love that the theater is large enough that you don’t need reservations.  I love the wrap-around promenade deck on those ships with great views of the ocean.  I love the ease of getting an elevator.  I love the forward facing Spinnaker Lounge with the great views.  I prefer ships with a passenger capacity between 2000 to 2500.

 

Here's a picture showing a section of The Great Outdoors on the Jade.

 

[complawyer]

howardk: ok, what specifically didnt you like about the jewel that caused you to have a "horrible time"

 

are you really saying that throughout your entire cruise, there wasnt anything positive, the ports, the restaurants, the shows? surely there must have been at least one positive experience.

 

i had what i believed was a bad cabin on  the epic, it was a haven aft penthouse suite, but the round bed took  up almost the entire cabin space, two people couldnt comfortably pass each other, and the toilet/tub/shower was  a horrible setup. still we enjoyed our cruise

 

remember in t he immortal works of sly stone: "different strokes for different folks"

[ArtInMotionPersians]

Such an interesting thread!  Thank you to those that took the time to explain the "why"s so the listener can decide if it applies to them or not.  😘

 

We love the older ships.  Small, less crowds.  Cheaper fares.  Less kids activities = less kids.  (I know others don't agree, but we vacation to relax, those excited children tend to be a bit wild and loud - not that I can blame them!)  Promenade deck was a big thing when they were built and we really enjoy walking and sipping at all hours, just enjoying the amazing weather and views.  With that, the Great Outdoors area is a must, breakfast on the back deck feel.  Outdoor top deck bars are a treat.  The heavy woodwork screams old school glamour and wealth.  Quick on/off at ports.  Smaller crew, you get to know them quickly.  Pop up grilling on the pool deck on sea days.  

 

We just took an Alaska trip on the Encore, and while we enjoyed ourselves, it just doesn't have the charm.  No heavy ornate woodwork, cheap white wallboard instead, institution-ish.  No full ship promenade.  In fact. little outdoor places to gather unless you were paying to eat at a specialty restaurant.  There were outdoor areas for kids activities, seemed those took the open top sunning deck space on other ships.  It seemed we were trapped indoors all week, just like at work.  🤔

[HowardK]

4 hours ago, complawyer said:

howardk: ok, what specifically didnt you like about the jewel that caused you to have a "horrible time"

 

are you really saying that throughout your entire cruise, there wasnt anything positive, the ports, the restaurants, the shows? surely there must have been at least one positive experience.

 

i had what i believed was a bad cabin on  the epic, it was a haven aft penthouse suite, but the round bed took  up almost the entire cabin space, two people couldnt comfortably pass each other, and the toilet/tub/shower was  a horrible setup. still we enjoyed our cruise

 

remember in t he immortal works of sly stone: "different strokes for different folks"

The best part of the ship was when it docked and I never looked  back and learned from my mistake and went on the Epic, Escape and Breakaway for my next 5 cruises.  However, the Epic was the best vacation I ever took despite meeting people who didn't like the ship. So it depends on the person of course.

I liked the tour to Port Canveral. They did have $5 covers at the specialty restaurants some nights. I didn't like the entertainment compared to the other ships that had dueling pianos, fat cats, the district etc. I was able to play the piano at all these places.

On the Jewel there was one place they let me play at. 

[mjcatlvr]

On 11/4/2021 at 12:44 PM, Oakman58 said:

The Jewel class ships are my favorites for Caribbean cruises.  I love having breakfast at the Great Outdoors at the back of deck 12.  I love that the theater is large enough that you don’t need reservations.  I love the wrap-around promenade deck on those ships with great views of the ocean.  I love the ease of getting an elevator.  I love the forward facing Spinnaker Lounge with the great views.  I prefer ships with a passenger capacity between 2000 to 2500.

 

Here's a picture showing a section of The Great Outdoors on the Jade.

 

Yes, The Great Outdoors is such a wonderful spot to have a drink, snacks and to enjoy the scenery. We cruised Alaska, Inside passage with both of our boys and the In-Laws on The NCL Jewel. Yes, not a "Mega Ship", but very classy and beautiful and easy to get around.

[scootersdad]

On 8/31/2021 at 1:53 PM, The Traveling Man said:

The Star.  It has absolutely the worst record for propulsion maintenance.  It has missed more ports than all the other NCL ships combined because it was running at half-speed with one of it's Azipods offline.  It has had more cruises cancelled because of propulsion problems than all the other NCL ships combined.  So far as I know, it is the only NCL ship to have ever lost power and end up adrift in the ocean.  We were on it in the Tasman Sea when it just simply stopped.  Two days later, we finally were towed back into Melbourne, where we spent another three days for them to fix the Azipods.  NEVER AGAIN!

We were on that ship and treatedlike it was Our Fault we were displeased.

[The Traveling Man]

11 minutes ago, scootersdad said:

We were on that ship and treatedlike it was Our Fault we were displeased.

You were on the Star in Australia in 2017?  Yeah, the officers, staff, and crew caught a lot of flak for that one.  We did get our money back, even though NCL tried to weasel out of a full refund and just issue credit for the cruise fare portion of the total.  It took a lot of jawing with them to get the refund for the taxes, etc.  As I recall, there were several crew members who did get a bit snippy with passengers.  I imagine their patience had been pushed to the limit.  Remember that during the weeks prior to the "dead in the water off Melbourne" incident there had been a near mutiny as the ship approached Australia.  Some of the instigators of that near-riot had been put off the ship in Darwin as a result of their protests.  There were not a lot of happy campers on that cruise.

[complawyer]

i dont think  that would necessarily make the star ncl's "worst ship". maybe least reliable, or that would constitute the "worst cruise" experience, but that doesnt make it  the worst ship.

 

as an aside, i hope i'm wrong as we are booked on the star nov 2022 trans-atlantic. 

 

we were also on the star  between 12/2016-1/2017 from hong kong to singapore when the azipods flaked out. while we missed some ports i really wanted to see, they refunded 50% of our money, and a 50% discount on a future cruise,  or a complete refund. since we were already in hong kong   and we were planning on staying in singapore for a few days after the cruise ended, it was kind of a no-brainer. we continued on with the cruise, so i didnt have much to complain about.

 

we had a forward penthouse, and a 14 day cruise for $3750 for 3 people. how can i complain over that?

[scootersdad]

10 hours ago, complawyer said:

i dont think  that would necessarily make the star ncl's "worst ship". maybe least reliable, or that would constitute the "worst cruise" experience, but that doesnt make it  the worst ship.

 

as an aside, i hope i'm wrong as we are booked on the star nov 2022 trans-atlantic. 

 

we were also on the star  between 12/2016-1/2017 from hong kong to singapore when the azipods flaked out. while we missed some ports i really wanted to see, they refunded 50% of our money, and a 50% discount on a future cruise,  or a complete refund. since we were already in hong kong   and we were planning on staying in singapore for a few days after the cruise ended, it was kind of a no-brainer. we continued on with the cruise, so i didnt have much to complain about.

 

we had a forward penthouse, and a 14 day cruise for $3750 for 3 people. how can i complain over that?

The Star had been having similiar issues from the previous April and know for missing ports.  It was  supposed to be the cruise of lifetime(33 days) for us and many people.  The ship should have been repaired properly or taken off the schedule. 

The Hotel Manager and even the Captain were rude and lacked concern.  You may remember the Hotel Manager telling  guests "What do you want Me to do; get out and Row"  

I hope its repaired for your sake.  I'll continue to avoid that ship.

 

[Oakman58]

We did two Panama Canal full transit cruises on the Star (2014 & 2017) and loved the ship and her crew.  Since then they did renovations on her and added a Spice H2O aft on deck 12 making her an even better ship.  The only negative about the Star for me was the lack of a forward facing Spinnaker Lounge.