Help me decide what's wrong and what I can do about it?

[cruiseagona]

Am I spoiled, do I need to switch cruise lines or what? Just returned from 14 day BTB cruise on the Escape. We are about 70 yr. old, sedentary, and have been on 10 NCL cruises in the past 10 years (except missed the last 3 because of Covid) and are Platinum members. We do not drink. Everything was pretty good except for the fact that out of four room service breakfasts mistakes were made all four times. From lack of silverware, lack of salt, wrong juice, no juice, etc. But that's not really my problem. I am looking for more intellectual stimulation. I wish there were lectures onboard. I'm happy reading or doing my embroidery but doing BTB gets boring. Why can't they do two weeks worth of movies so we don't have to watch Top Gun every time. There has to be more to life than Bingo and Deal or No Deal. Trivia becomes boring when it's the same two weeks in a row. We are platinum and enjoy the perks. We absolutely love the freestyle way and the buffet. So many things we love about NCL but we've seen enough Caribbean churches to last a lifetime. Heard enough history too. I know that I may sound like a spoiled cruiser but I do need help. Any ideas? NCL is in our price range too and other cruises are often higher priced. What can we do? TIA.

[PTC DAWG]

Manage your expectations...that's my Wife's favorite saying.  🙂

[graphicguy]

You’re on the wrong cruise line.  I did have a lecture on my Alaska cruises on NCL that were done by a Naturalist who was familiar with the area.  But, that’s the only lecture I’ve recalled on NCL.

 

There are some of the other cruise lines that specialize in that sort of thing.  Viking comes immediately to mind.

 

But, NCL is known for their Broadway caliber shows and music in venues like Syd Normans or Cavern Club.  They also have rotating entertainment throughout the ship.  Some have dueling pianos…some are solo musicians who pop up everywhere.  I know they have some comedians and main show performers who show up at different venues, too.  

 

And, aside from the Spirit or Jewel class ships, they are big ships that you have to walk a good ways for dining and entertainment.

 

As far as room service breakfasts, I would have made a trek to Customer Service to rectify the situation of missing/wrong orders.

 

Good luck in your search.

[cruiseny4life]

NCL just ain't gonna give you the enrichment you want. It's not part of the NCL brand, except for specific cruises like the Panama Canal and Alaska cruises. Have you gone on those? They might be stimulating enough for you.

 

Otherwise, if you want to stick with NCL, why don't you bring a book with you about the place you're traveling to? I'm sure there are plenty of books about all the ports NCL goes to...except maybe Florida. Then you're just stuck with the latest "Florida man..." news headlines. 

 

Do you have a smartphone? Netflix? HBO? Hulu? Even if you don't, you could get subscribe for a month, download some series (again, maybe about the ports you're going to). You could get some stimulation and/or you could just download a few movies to enjoy. That's what we do. On our last cruise, we didn't even use the movies NCL provided (free of charge to Haven guests). We just used our smartphones to watch the entertainment we had downloaded prior to the cruise.

[acct1975]

Holland America is another option for you if you're looking to expand your ship options. They too have a more intellectual approach to their ships. No water slides or go carts. The do lectures about the places you visit, food demonstrations, music that's more classical, symphonic or jazz. There will be some families but on the whole, the demographic is older and might be more to your looking to experience.

 

 

[butterfly4108]

We recently had the same experience but also cruise with Celebrity and Princess.  The last one 2 months ago was even worse than our NCL experience. I've seen this same complaint across the board for all of the usual cruise lines so I think there's a problem with all of them honestly.  Cruising as we knew it seems to be gone, at least for awhile.  I'm with you, I have a budget and the luxury lines aren't included in it.  I'm just learning to "adapt" and look forward to our port days 😄. I DO bring travel books for our destinations that I spend some time using to plan and explore which has been helpful and enjoyable during down time....

Edited February 27, 2023 by butterfly4108

[Turtles06]

1 minute ago, cruiseny4life said:

NCL just ain't gonna give you the enrichment you want. It's not part of the NCL brand, except for specific cruises like the Panama Canal and Alaska cruises. Have you gone on those? They might be stimulating enough for you.

 

Having just returned from B2B Panama Canal cruises aboard the Gem (and having previously transited the Canal also on NCL), there's no "enrichment" about the Canal provided by NCL (no speakers or films in advance).  A Canal expert comes on board to provide narration during the transit, but that person is provided by Panama to all cruise lines.

 

The rest of the cruise (the non-Canal portion) was as the OP describes. NCL is not about lectures, enrichment, etc.  There were the usual activities like trivia, bingo, Deal or No Deal.

 

The OP needs to try other cruise lines, like Celebrity and HAL.

[Mrdell]

I was also going to suggest Holland American…. Unfortunately most back to back cruises are rinse and repeat 

[GALSews]

Entirely accidental as NCL had to reschedule him due to a hurricane, we landed up on the Escape to Canada with the artist who designed the hull painting for her, Dr, Guy Harvey. As I called him Dr., he is also a Ph.D. in Marine Biology. Throughout the week, he and his associates gave presentations on their research on sharks. He also completed a painting while on board.

 

We attended every lecture and landed up winning Guy Harvey t-shirts which he signed.

 

As I noted, it was entirely luck that we landed up on this particular cruise, but in the past, NCL had had him annually on one cruise a year in the Caribbean. So besides Alaska, they have been known to provide lecturers.

[BirdTravels]

16 minutes ago, cruiseagona said:

 I know that I may sound like a spoiled cruiser but I do need help. Any ideas? NCL is in our price range too and other cruises are often higher priced. What can we do? TIA.

I suppose, after 10 NCL cruises, there should have been no question on what you should expect on your cruise.

 

NCL caters to the contemporary cruiser,,, the millennials that will sustain their business for the years to come. Lectures are not what cruisers want today. We are platinum cruisers on Cunard and never really care for lectures there. 

 

There are arts and crafts classes. On our last cruise in December, we did some Diamond Art, and sewed a notebook. If Top Gun becomes boring, there were a few complimentary movies on demand in your stateroom. You could go to the art presentations and listen to lectures on the history of art and lectures on specific artists. You could go and listen to lectures on diamonds, watches, and jewelry.  

[cruiseny4life]

26 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

A Canal expert comes on board to provide narration during the transit, but that person is provided by Panama to all cruise lines.

That's exactly what I was referring to. 

[Turtles06]

1 minute ago, cruiseny4life said:

That's exactly what I was referring to. 

Right. It has nothing to do with NCL. 

[zzdoug]

I am all for lifetime learning, and  cruising, but a cruise is not where I would look to learn a lot of new things. Similarly, if I wanted to try a new kind of food, I would not go to McDonald's. I usually want to enjoy a cruise to relax and do nothing. If I want something more stimulating, I might go somewhere and stay on land. 

 

Have you considered some other type of vacation such as a visit to a university town or place of historic significance? There are all kinds of other vacation opportunities for people interested in lectures and tours. Some cruises might have educational shore excursions in places like Chichen Itza, Florence, etc. but nothing like spending a week on land in those places. 

 

I had an aunt who used to enjoy Elderhostel trips. I don't know much about them, or if it still exists, but I think she enjoyed lectures every day. Also, no homework!

Edited February 27, 2023 by zzdoug

[Crazy planning mom]

1 hour ago, cruiseagona said:

Am I spoiled, do I need to switch cruise lines or what? Just returned from 14 day BTB cruise on the Escape. We are about 70 yr. old, sedentary, and have been on 10 NCL cruises in the past 10 years (except missed the last 3 because of Covid) and are Platinum members. We do not drink. Everything was pretty good except for the fact that out of four room service breakfasts mistakes were made all four times. From lack of silverware, lack of salt, wrong juice, no juice, etc. But that's not really my problem. I am looking for more intellectual stimulation. I wish there were lectures onboard. I'm happy reading or doing my embroidery but doing BTB gets boring. Why can't they do two weeks worth of movies so we don't have to watch Top Gun every time. There has to be more to life than Bingo and Deal or No Deal. Trivia becomes boring when it's the same two weeks in a row. We are platinum and enjoy the perks. We absolutely love the freestyle way and the buffet. So many things we love about NCL but we've seen enough Caribbean churches to last a lifetime. Heard enough history too. I know that I may sound like a spoiled cruiser but I do need help. Any ideas? NCL is in our price range too and other cruises are often higher priced. What can we do? TIA.

Definitely check out Cunard.   They have cabins in different price levels 

[Ken the cruiser]

We lean towards Princess and Celebrity when it comes to enjoying their enrichment programs, especially on their longer cruises. Princess offered lectures on the three 7-day Med cruises we went on this past July. But they also offer more higher quality lectures on their longer cruises, mostly because of the older clientele. Celebrity usually offers 1-2 lectures on sea days on their longer 10+ day cruises.

 

But I will say the Jade entertainment staff did some fun port lectures on the second half of our recent 38-day B2B Africa cruise. But from what I hear those are few and far between onboard NCL ships.

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

Right. It has nothing to do with NCL. 

Yea, I bet those Panamanians and Park Service rangers storm the ship, with broad swords and daggers taking prisoner the crew that get in their way. You don't think NCL partners with Panama and NPS to provide the "enrichment?" 

[FLAHAM]

Elder hostels is now called Road Scholars.  I enjoy their trips.

 

Each sea day on transatlantic cruises, NCL provides a game director and instructor (usually a married couple) who offer a duplicate bridge beginner’s lesson, an intermediate lesson and a game (for other than beginners).  All are free and tend to attract about 50 participants.  They are an excellent way to pass time and meet fellow passengers.

[DorothyB]

I LOVE NCL's "freestyle" - I can wear nice jeans to dinner and I can eat whenever I want to and by myself if I want to.

 

You are looking for more to do - not really "intellectual", but you can often find others to play games with if you reach out on the roll call or go to a "meet & greet" set up by the roll call or any other group.

 

For my Panama Canal cruise, I checked out a book for my Kindle prior to leaving so that I could learn the history of the canal. 

 

For my next cruise (unless I do it on my week long vacation in March), I already have a spiritual growth type book on my Kindle Unlimited that I want to read through carefully and pay attention to.

[mking8288]

Spring is just around the corner, how about Amtrak across Ame-rica and/or Via Rail (Canada) with a bedroom, free WiFi onboard for a change - entirely different scenery.  Meals will not be the same, not even close but it might help you appreciate future cruises, regardless of which lines.  

[julig22]

4 hours ago, FLAHAM said:

Elder hostels is now called Road Scholars.  I enjoy their trips.

 

Each sea day on transatlantic cruises, NCL provides a game director and instructor (usually a married couple) who offer a duplicate bridge beginner’s lesson, an intermediate lesson and a game (for other than beginners).  All are free and tend to attract about 50 participants.  They are an excellent way to pass time and meet fellow passengers.

Was also going to suggest Road Scholars.

Lectures do depend on the itinerary, they happen on some trips. Sometimes arranged by NCL but I think sometimes they may also occur because there is an expert on the cruise and they volunteer.

Just off of the Star in Antarctica - and we had amazing lecture program.  Basically 2 lectures on sea days, about the geology, biology and history of the area.  It was wonderful!!!  It's been awhile but I seem to recall there were some lectures on a Norway cruise years ago.

[kitkat343]

Have you tried HAL, Cunard or Princess?  Princess is our favorite line (we need to switch over to RC/tried NCL because our kids like waterslides and other things you don't need) but maybe you'd be really happy on one of those lines?  You could try posting in their forums to see what the people who usually sail them think (I really liked my cruises on those lines, but because I'm chasing around little kids I can't comment on the quality of the lectures, just that I think nice libraries and lectures are available and hopefully someday I'll enjoy them too.

[Oakman58]

If you ask me, you sound like the perfect candidate for Princess or Holland cruises.  

[alanstarr]

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

 

Just off of the Star in Antarctica - and we had amazing lecture program.  Basically 2 lectures on sea days, about the geology, biology and history of the area.  It was wonderful!!!  

 

Was going to post the same thing, I was there as well. 3 different lecturers; Torre was an expert at wildlife, Joe was a geologist, and Liam was a historian. They also did live broadcasts all throughout the two days cruising Antarctica. They were one of the (many) highlights of the trip

 

[SunshineGal2022]

CC has an article on “Enrichment Cruises.”

 

that’s the category you are looking for. (for whatever reason, I can’t paste the link here at the moment.)

[cruiseagona]

Thanks for all the replies. We are seriously looking at HAL. Looks perfect for us.