Why the dislike of Freestyle/NCL

[JWestShuh]

I have been on several other boards lately to try to choose my 2009 vacation and I have noticed a common trend. So many people immediately put NCL down as well as freestyle down as soon as anyone mentions it. I have never seen others attack another cruise line so quickly. Any thoughts as to why?

[salty dingo]

Well, freestyle is very different, and those who prefer the traditional dining experience are understandably turned off.

 

However, freestyle has a lot of fervent fans, and you will see here.

 

My advice is to read up on the pros and cons of traditiona versus freestyle and choose what works best for you.

 

DW and I can take either model, and are usually looking for a combination of itinerary and price. If freestyle happens in the mix, that's OK, but it won't make or break a cruise decision for us.

[old sole]

Many people have a favorite cruise line and get emotionally invested in having made the "right" choice. My guess is they see the success of Norwegian with freestyle, and see many elements of it creeping into "their" cruiseline, and feel threatened.

[smeyer418]

actually there is a thread on RC that cites NCL's policy and freestyle as a model..

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=12745560#post12745560

 

so you are getting a minor sample.

 

In cruising there are a lot of traditionalist....but they are a distinct minority. Look some people complain if someone wears a dark suit on instead of a tux on formal night on some of the cruises or wears a white dinner jacket after labor day...take the complaints with a grain of salt....Freestyle rocks even Cunard has a form of it on the Queen M 2....

 

and people have prejudices against many cruiselines...

 

Carnival=carnivore party line

Cunard Stuffy British

HAL= Holland Assisted Living(ie,e old age home),

I am sure there are more....

[ce2000]

Some people really love Freestyle, and others really dislike Freestyle. You have to try it for yourself to know if it is for you. Freestyle did not work for me and my family on the Jewel in Dec. of 2005. It was very difficult to make reservations in the specialty restaurants as a party of 10. We were able to make reservations in Cagney's, but we had to split up into two separate tables on opposite ends of the dinning room. We were able to eat together in the Mexican Restaurant one evening. We also had to wait for a table in the main dinning room a couple of times. The food quality in the main dinning rooms for lunch and dinner was very poor, however the food in the specialty restaurants was very good. Breakfast in the main dinning room was very good.

Before boarding I just assumed that when NCL states that with Freestyle you can eat when you want, where you want and with who you want, they would have the facilities to seat a party of 10 at 7:00 at any of the restaurants, in real life, that just ain't going to happen. I can see that if you are a party of 2 Freestyle may work better than what we experienced.

I think that you need to give NCL Freestyle a try, you may love it, many do.

[zqvol]

I have been on several other boards lately to try to choose my 2009 vacation and I have noticed a common trend. So many people immediately put NCL down as well as freestyle down as soon as anyone mentions it. I have never seen others attack another cruise line so quickly. Any thoughts as to why?

 

It really has to do with a stuffiness factor. Freestyle means that formality is greatly reduced and traditional cruisers like nothing better than sitting in a dining room eating mediocre food while wearing formal clothes while on vacation.

 

The look down your nose attitude about freestyle is getting worse because a number of other lines are starting to adopt variations of it, and the traditionalists are not happy.

 

There is also a misconception that service suffers. Service has never been that good on any mass market line and some people believe that freestyle makes it worse because there is no tipping but mandatory service charges instead. Most crew members work with the same zeal whether or not they are getting tipped or are part of a pooling.

 

The bottom line is that it is a change and the traditionalists just don't like it.

[PA Cruisers2]

I am surprised by the level of dislike for the NCL line and Freestyle Cruising. Five years ago my DW and I were given a cruise and I was not in favor of it. I had heard of traveling with suits, dresses and assigned meal times. I was very happy when a TA pointed out the NCL option. This January will be our 6th cruise. They have all been on NCL. We have been on 4 different ships. It has always been a very relaxing, renewing time. I could not imagine cruising any other way. Friends of ours love the more formal styles. I love them but we will probably not cruise together. I am very happy there are several styles of cruising. The human race needs choices.

We also have been cruising only to the Caribbean in the winter. We live in the NE and it is great to get a 7 to 12 day break. I guess I am a live and let live guy. I do not worry about what I can not change but Freestyle is a style and if it is your style do it...if not do something else. Life is a prescious gift that I do not choose to waste time on complaining about the joy of cruising when the world has truly serious problems. Ut Oh...I got on my soap box sorry.

Do stuff...cruise when you can...love your family...care for the world...:)

[CanadianTwosome]

Hmmmmm... why don't some people like blondes? Why, when I was working my way through a math/cs degree as a cashier, did so many men 'help' me make change? Why, why, why? People make assumptions. People see something that they might know a little about, and decide that any assumptions they might make must be true because they believe them.

 

There are two kinds of people who are viciously negative about NCL and Freestyle. (people who have decided that they don't like it and are rational and polite about it are not either, just to be clear - I interpret this thread to be about the 'viciously negative')

 

First, there are people who have actually tried NCL/Freestyle and have not liked it. Their inability to adjust to freestyle and make the best of it and enjoy all the other aspects of their cruise 'ruined' their vacation (they blame freestyle, of course :cool: ). This group seems to have taken it upon themselves to 'protect' all future or current cruisers who may be considering NCL, and to prevent them from making the huge mistake of exposing themselves to the 'horrors' of NCL and Freestyle. **Again, I am not talking about people who simply share their opinions without getting nasty or going to extremes.)

 

Second, there are people who have no first hand experience with NCL or Freestyle, but KNOW that their assumptions - all negative - are absolutely right. As experienced traditional cruisers, they appear to feel that their opinions are 'expert' and since anything that is NOT traditional MUST be terrible, they are obligated to pass on the 'gospel truth' about NCL and Freestyle.

 

Yeah, my perceptions may seem a bit harsh, but so do some of the posts I see denouncing NCL. The truth is, it's ALL about personal opinion. Whether you like or dislike freestyle, traditional, this line, that line, it's all about what YOU like, not anyone else. If only everyone who offered their opinion did so based on personal experience rather than assumption and conjecture, and by simply expressing their opinions without emotion or malice. I guess we'll have to wait on that until they stop letting humans join the boards. :)

[beachchick]

Well, freestyle is very different, and those who prefer the traditional dining experience are understandably turned off.

 

However, freestyle has a lot of fervent fans, and you will see here.

 

My advice is to read up on the pros and cons of traditiona versus freestyle and choose what works best for you.

DW and I can take either model, and are usually looking for a combination of itinerary and price. If freestyle happens in the mix, that's OK, but it won't make or break a cruise decision for us.

 

Ditto (only substitute DH for DW);) That's it exactly; I've said it before: My DH and I cruise line sluts who'll go with whichever has the itinerary, fare, and features that we're looking for on a specific trip. We would never put down freestyle (or similar) without even trying it. In fact, we really enjoyed it.

 

beachchick

[deepnite10]

understand ..you can blame the entire freestyle experience on NCL..

 

so much so other cruise line s are now adopting some form of alternative

dining..much along the same line s as NCL..the only differance being

the number of choice s and cost..

 

NCL offer s a number of non-surcharge dining alternative s in addition to several venue s that require a small fee..and the cost of the

specialty restraunt s that do charge are far below those being offer d

on the other cruise lines..

 

maybe it s the confusion caused by the number of alternative s..if that s

the case perhap s sailing on another cruise line is more suited for them..

 

there is a large number of CC member s who love the experience for one reason or another..yet, there are those who could nt adapt..then those who would nt be happy under any circumstance..:confused:

[Retired not Expired]

Many people have a favorite cruise line and get emotionally invested in having made the "right" choice. My guess is they see the success of Norwegian with freestyle, and see many elements of it creeping into "their" cruiseline, and feel threatened.

BINGO. Fear of change is a big part of it.

[flamingos]

It really has to do with a stuffiness factor. Freestyle means that formality is greatly reduced and traditional cruisers like nothing better than sitting in a dining room eating mediocre food while wearing formal clothes while on vacation.

 

The look down your nose attitude about freestyle is getting worse because a number of other lines are starting to adopt variations of it, and the traditionalists are not happy.

 

There is also a misconception that service suffers. Service has never been that good on any mass market line and some people believe that freestyle makes it worse because there is no tipping but mandatory service charges instead. Most crew members work with the same zeal whether or not they are getting tipped or are part of a pooling.

 

The bottom line is that it is a change and the traditionalists just don't like it.

 

This is exactly the opinion that I find so amusing. I tried freestyle, didn't care for it and won't sail NCL again. According to you, that makes me 'stuffy' and having 'nothing better to do than sitting in a dining room'.

 

My problem with it was that the waiters never got to know me and what I wanted, but the larger problem was the discontent, frustration and downright anger I saw in so many people who could not get the reservations they wanted, or had to stand in a long line to wait for a table. The sit-down restaurants had ridiculously short breakfast and lunch hours, which herded people to the buffet (which had much of the same food and blessedly, most of the same desserts!)

 

It's a matter of personal opinion - invectives and insults are unnecessary. :)

[cynbar]

I don't think that being "stuffy" has anything to do with it, at least for most cruisers!! We are booked on the Gem next June after several Princess cruises in a row, where Anytime Dining works pretty well . But from what I read on these boards, the issue with freestyle is when it causes a lot of headaches --- people can't get reservations or the suites take all the good ones, they have to wait a long time for the regular DRs, they have to get up early to try and get reservations, and all of this causes a lot of stress which is the antithesis of what a vacation should be. If "freestyle" really meant you could walk up to a restaurant when you are ready (even if it meant a short wait with a beeper so you don't have to stand outside the door), I'll bet it would have a lot more devoted fans. Some people either seem to have good luck or aren't stressed by all this ----I'm reserving judgment until after my cruise. Some cruises will always prefer the traditional way, but there are lines that offer that and would be a better fit.

[chaps612]

Just came off of the DAWN and loved freestyle. I never had an issue getting reservations for the three of us. We had a small child and can't imagine anything but freestyle. We were on our cruise to enjoy being together and had no interest in getting to know any one waiter. We enjoyed all who served us and never had major issues with anyone treating us bad. I still can't figure out why people make such big issues out of small things. Freetyle=freedom of choice!!

[ChaCha54]

Why do some people choose one car over another? It's personal preference. My family and I are leaving Sunday on the Jewel. The reason we chose NCL was specifically Freestyle dining. When we are on vacation we don't enjoy structure. We eat when we are hungry not because we have a specific seating. I have cruised on Carnival and that was a great time, but my DH prefers to dine when and where he wants. So, choose your cruise because it's something that you would enjoy and forget all those out there who just want to complain. Happy sailing.

[Seago2]

I think the thing that gets people crazy is the waiting in line. I have never had to do it for more than a few minutes- I just watch the monitors and don't go anywhere when they are in the middle of yellow. I have seen huge lines going up the stairs, however. That would make me INSANE with frustration and if I had to experience it more than once or twice on a cruise it would probably sour me against Freestyle forever.

[Queen_Of_Natick]

I think some people don't like other people's preferences?

 

We don't take formal vacations anywhere because for us its not relaxing. We do enough formal gatherings in our regular lives that its great to get away from all the pomp and crap.

 

Its the reason why we choose places where formal wear isn't needed....like trecking through Iceland for instance.

 

We've been asked by friends who love Celebrity to go to Alaska with them and I'm like umm.. love you guys but no thanks. They love Celebrity, and I'm more than happy to let them keep loving it without dragging me on the ship with them. Its a formal dining ship, I don't want to spend my vacation time trying to plan around that kind of fluff but hey if they want to thats on them.

 

A vacation is what you make of it but at the same time, if I don't like something, its not going to take me twice to find out how much I really don't like it. I dress up more than enough in my regular life and don't want to take it on vacation with me.

 

I get really weirded out by people who go on NCL knowing its freestyle, have been on it more then once, going, then saying how much they hate it...its like some type of masochism for folks like that.

 

-Q

[Seago2]

Hi Queen! Just want to say that as I sit at my desk reviewing a really bad domestic violence case for trial next week I am getting freaked out looking at your FIGHT thing at the bottom of your signature. Don't like it! :(

[WinnieinWA]

I just got off the Dawn and my DD and I love Freestyle. We never had a problem getting reservations in any specialty restaurant but we liked the Venetian dining room so much we took most of our meals there. We found the food to be great! I'm planning a family reunion on the Sun in August and chose it because of Freestyle. Everyone in my family can be happy and eat wherever they want.

 

Soo many cruise ships.....so little time.

 

Winnie

[mbisson]

I have been on several other boards lately to try to choose my 2009 vacation and I have noticed a common trend. So many people immediately put NCL down as well as freestyle down as soon as anyone mentions it. I have never seen others attack another cruise line so quickly. Any thoughts as to why?

 

 

Well---since you asked ;) (and I've noticed exactly what you have)

 

We've done 7 "traditional" and 5 freestyle cruises. Enjoyed each & every one but we prefer freestyle. A couple of common links among those who don't like freestyle I've seen:

 

"I get better service in a dining room where the waiter gets to know my preferences". While that may be true for those who say it, the service I've received on freestyle is just as good as the other cruises we've done. And to me, it's not difficult after dinner to say "I'd like a cappuccino please" instead of having the waiter automatically bring it. Besides, I might not want it every night so wouldn't especially want one automatically brought to me.

 

"I don't want to have to make plans of when to eat". To me it's not a difficult decision to go when I'm hungry and not when the cruise line says I'm gonna be hungry. If there's a show or some other event I want to take part in at a certain time, I adjust when I eat. No biggie to me.

 

"It's not freestyle if you can't just walk into any dining room you want"--Well, since all dining rooms are finite in space and staff, I guess some things I just have to adjust to and take a little responsibility and plan (IE: make reservations when necessary). And if I want to just walk up there is still a possibility I'll be seated (It's happened to me in the past) and there is always the buffet and the main rooms (and usually some other options as well). Besides, NCL ships usually have several more choices than other lines ships do-and that's a good thing.

 

"Auto tipping means the service is worse"--Well, with more & more lines doing it, I guess we better get use to it. BUT--IMO again, I haven't found the service to be noticeably different between NCL and the other lines we've cruised (RCCL, Carnival, Imperial Majesty). They've all been good! :D

 

And I've also noticed that many who say they dislike freestyle, have never cruised freestyle (which I would say shows a possible fear of change). But if they're really happy with the cruise experience they're getting-that's fine as well

 

But to each his own. I'm sure I'll cruise both traditional & freestyle in the future & I'll still have good times every time.

 

Now what I don't understand are those who post that they've done freestyle and prefer traditional and then come back every few months to say, oops, I did it again and still don't like it---over & over & over again. I don't like a lot of things, so I don't usually do them again--not into pain, but I guess some are ;)

[hazeleyez3]

It really has to do with a stuffiness factor. Freestyle means that formality is greatly reduced and traditional cruisers like nothing better than sitting in a dining room eating mediocre food while wearing formal clothes while on vacation.

 

The look down your nose attitude about freestyle is getting worse because a number of other lines are starting to adopt variations of it, and the traditionalists are not happy.

 

There is also a misconception that service suffers. Service has never been that good on any mass market line and some people believe that freestyle makes it worse because there is no tipping but mandatory service charges instead. Most crew members work with the same zeal whether or not they are getting tipped or are part of a pooling.

 

The bottom line is that it is a change and the traditionalists just don't like it.

 

This is exactly the opinion that I find so amusing. I tried freestyle, didn't care for it and won't sail NCL again. According to you, that makes me 'stuffy' and having 'nothing better to do than sitting in a dining room'.

 

My problem with it was that the waiters never got to know me and what I wanted, but the larger problem was the discontent, frustration and downright anger I saw in so many people who could not get the reservations they wanted, or had to stand in a long line to wait for a table. The sit-down restaurants had ridiculously short breakfast and lunch hours, which herded people to the buffet (which had much of the same food and blessedly, most of the same desserts!)

 

It's a matter of personal opinion - invectives and insults are unnecessary. :)

I have to agree with your entire post.

 

I am one who is not a fan of the freestyle concept, but it has nothing to do with the clothes we wear.

 

I enjoy having one waiter for dinner who gets to know my likes/dislikes etc. You can't find that on NCL (you can try and request the waiter, but you can't be guaranteed it will happen).

 

I don't like that I have to wake up early in the morning to get a restaurant reservation at my desired time, and then possibly paying an additional $15 or $20/person for the meal. (Part of the appeal is that food is included in the base cost). Having the option of making reservations for the entire week doesn't help much either - you don't know what the menus are each night in the main dining room, which could ultimately mean you go to a specialty restaurant on a night the dining room has multiple dishes you would like. Conversely, you eat in the main dining room one night when you don't see anything appealing on the menu.

 

I also don't enjoy the waits I've experienced.

 

I think there are two reasons regarding passengers and the "freestyle" concept.

 

The legitimate reasons are from those that prefer another line but don't mind the freestyle concept. By this I mean most specialty restaurants on other lines are typically an extra charge (whereas NCL has some non-surcharge specialty restaurants). Also, lines like Princess have "anytime dining" which does allow you to eat when you want at no added cost, but the menu is the same as the main dining room. Those that have only experienced such concepts do not see benefits to "freestyle", and therefore argue its not any good. They don't realize that NCL is completely different in their dining aspects.

 

The illegimate reason is that many "traditionalists" fear that the traditional dining will completely disappear. What they don't seem to realize is that, while many lines are adopting freestlye concepts, they understand that the traditional dining is still liked, and therefore, will not be completely eliminated anytime soon.

 

If you would like the ability to choose Mexican one night, French another, etc etc, as well as be able to choose when you go down to the dining room you should try NCL.

[Queen_Of_Natick]

Hi Queen! Just want to say that as I sit at my desk reviewing a really bad domestic violence case for trial next week I am getting freaked out looking at your FIGHT thing at the bottom of your signature. Don't like it! :(

 

Carla, there's lots of things I don't like in this world. Definilty I've seen some avatars and some siglines that I don't like, but I'm the type that lives and let live. Ive seen some ugly ass siglines but hey whatever.

 

When I'm working I don't come to boards like this. Matter of fact, If I have to work, I don't browse any boards for pure entertainment value at all. As a consultant I'm paid to make sure my client gets their job done on time an on budget. I'm sure if you're a lawyer or paralegal, you also have to make sure you do that too.

 

That said, maybe you shouldn't be here during your working hours.

 

Considering how some people will go after others on this board and have an all out thrashing, its pretty tame.

 

With that, back to the regularly scheduled program....

 

 

-Q

[Seago2]

 

When I'm working I don't come to boards like this. Matter of fact, If I have to work, I don't browse any boards for pure entertainment value at all. As a consultant I'm paid to make sure my client gets their job done on time an on budget. I'm sure if you're a lawyer or paralegal, you also have to make sure you do that too.

 

That said, maybe you shouldn't be here during your working hours.

 

-Q

 

I am a lawyer. In my full time job I am paid a set salary every month to represent children. I do not bill by time. Courts are pretty much shut down this week and next.

 

Who are you to suggest when I should be on CC?

 

Go ahead and leave your violent thingie up if it means that much to you.

[Retired not Expired]

I am a lawyer. In my full time job I am paid a set salary every month to represent children. I do not bill by time. Courts are pretty much shut down this week and next.

 

Who are you to suggest when I should be on CC?

 

Go ahead and leave your violent thingie up if it means that much to you.

I'm not trying to take sides, just an opinion. I had to go look as I have sigs turned off. I watched it to the end and what it says to me is, resort to violence, no one wins. i.e., the roof caves in.

 

I don't know if I'm right, that's just how I see it.

[Retired not Expired]

Sorry, the dreaded double.