Last night on the Sun 12/28. EVER!!!!!

[CanadianTwosome]

Seems people get offended if you say anything negative on this site. This cruise is ok if you only spent money on an inside cabin and shore excursions. With airfare, overnight hotel in Miami, transfer to and from port, cost of balcony room for 2. Shore excursions. (spent very little on ship due to poor food and service) If you want to eat something good you have to go to the specialty restaurants. We ate in East meets West which was excellent. Thought we would get something decent paying almost double for a xmas cruise. Yes, you can get free coffee, hot or cold tea, hot chocolate, water but not real orange juice, it's orange juice cocktail. For spending close to 5,000.00 believe me do something else. Booked with NCL because Carnival had bad food reviews. Couldn't imagine food being any worse. Shore excursions fun. Did Tulum, canopy and beach party in Roatan. Embarkation, disembarktion and shore excursions well organized.

 

I agree with Salty Dingo, a balcony simply cannot make up for not liking the food. I have to ask, though... you decided against Carnival because it had bad food reviews... did you not check NCL's? I personally think the food we had on our last NCL cruise was great... but there have been tons of posts and reviews made by people who hated the food... I think you're going to have to be prepared to pay a lot more (based on category, of course) for food that will meet your standards. (that doesn't make your standards 'wrong', it just makes it difficult for you to enjoy something at the lower costs)

 

I think it is common for people to see contrary positive responses and think that the posters are somehow 'offended' by negative reviews. I don't believe this is the case. Rather than being offended, I see the people as simply stating their disagreement. Statements like 'That is not what I experienced' just don't sound to me like someone who is offended, or angry, or even bothered by a negative review... it's just someone who had a different experience and has taken the time to share it. :)

[clancy1]

I can understand how someone can drop 5 grand on a cruise and not feel like they got their money's worth. My advice is to spend less, and with the same food and service maybe you end up feeling differently.

 

A typical 7-day cruise for us, in an inside cabin, including airfare pre-cruise hotel, excursions, one meal in specialty restaurant, photo, souveniers, limited bar bill, tips, and all othe misc expenses is under $3,000. I think you can have a superb time for that kind of dough. Spending more on a better cabin likely won't impact your experience with the food and service. So I just cut back where I can.

 

Thank you for being so pleasant. (unlike others on this site). This was our first cruise so we got a balcony and we were celebrating a special occassion. It was a true learning experience.

[mbisson]

This cruise is ok if you only spent money on an inside cabin and shore excursions. With airfare, overnight hotel in Miami, transfer to and from port, cost of balcony room for 2. Shore excursions. (spent very little on ship due to poor food and service) If you want to eat something good you have to go to the specialty restaurants. We ate in East meets West which was excellent. Thought we would get something decent paying almost double for a xmas cruise. .

 

As you're probably now aware, balcony cabins get the same food as the rest of the folks (OK-if you get a suite there are a couple food perks). Also, you picked what may well be the most expensive week of the year to cruise.

 

Food quality seems to be your main concern...some I'm sure will agree with you on your analysis, others will disagree-so I'm gonna leave that alone, ( Except to say with freestyle 2.0 things might change)

[salty dingo]

Thank you for being so pleasant. (unlike others on this site). This was our first cruise so we got a balcony and we were celebrating a special occassion. It was a true learning experience.

 

I have to say that, while up to now, and our next cruise in May, we have had inside cabins, we also are going to splurge a bit on a mini-suite (which is a balcony cabin, not really a suite) on an Alaska cruise this August.

 

I think the Alaska location will make a balcony really useful, since there will be a lot of sightseeing opportunity from the ship. Plus, it's our anniversary and we're going with my parents, so a really special cruise!

 

On the other hand, the trip on Majesty to Bermuda will have three straight days in port. I don't think a balcony would be a plus on that trip (if Majesty had any balconies, which it does not.)

 

If you only cruise once every 5 years, it probably makes sense to splurge. But if you cruise once or twice a year, cutting back on expenses can make all the difference in affording to go in the first place.

[Fishbait17]

Hmmmm... We were on the same sailing as the OP, and things weren't so awful for us... Perhaps we were on the sunny side of the ship?

 

Robin

[bulgargirl]

I guess I see people getting really mean on here sometimes and I just try to avoid it. Everyone has been really nice to me.

 

But just as an FYI to the OP or people who have similar comments -

 

I know some people hate NCL. I have no problem with people who hate NCL. I just would like to say - I don't mind KMart. I don't mind Walmart either. Well, maybe in a sort of it's a big box company destroying small family owned businesses way, but still! Hey - some of us are rednecks! Some of us are downright broke! Some of us save and save and save for one vacation every couple of years and try really hard to make it special by taking a cruise. Just like we buy our "nice" sheets and bath towels at KMart.

 

I think it's snobby to imply that there is something inherently wrong with shopping at a place like KMart or cruising on a line that tries to be a bargain line. I don't know but I wonder is some (certainly not all) of the "flaming" responses might be a knee jerk reaction to some perceived and implied snobiness.

 

My two cents worth. I'm running for the hills now! :)

[DMRick]

Hmmmm... We were on the same sailing as the OP, and things weren't so awful for us... Perhaps we were on the sunny side of the ship?

 

Robin

 

Or maybe you didn't order the same food as him...

 

or tried to get off the ship in the morning and had to wait for all the people to sign out towels (I thought we have had to sign them out on most, if not all of the ships we've been on)...

 

been on the same tender that waited and waited, and someone barfed on, and you had to sit there and smell it (yuck)...

 

had the crew try to sell you over and over the lottery tickets (they do seem to ask me a lot if I want drinks, on all the ships, when I'd rather just sit and read my book. Unless I wanted something to drink..then I wouldn't mind :) ..

 

or had your reservations or your tour, or your spouse's birthday celebration messed up.

 

I've never had all those things happen to me..but if it had, and all on the same cruise, I prob wouldn't be a happy camper either. It's easy for us to be on the 'sunny' side, if everything or at least most everything, is going good. I feel bad for him, and wish his cruise had gone better. Personally, a lot of the stuff people post on these boards, I've seen on other lines. I just don't see a big difference in any of them (ok, other than the food..I have to admit the lobster and steak has been much better on HAL, than other lines..but the other lines have stuff I like better than HAL).

[Fishbait17]

Or maybe you didn't order the same food as him...

 

This could be true. We had a few less than terrific meals, and just chose to eat elsewhere afterwards.

or tried to get off the ship in the morning and had to wait for all the people to sign out towels (I thought we have had to sign them out on most, if not all of the ships we've been on)...

 

We didn't sign out towels, we brought our own.

 

been on the same tender that waited and waited, and someone barfed on, and you had to sit there and smell it (yuck)...

 

Nobody threw up, but we did wait for over 1/2 hour for some late boarders finishing their shopping on the last tender leaving Belize.

 

had the crew try to sell you over and over the lottery tickets (they do seem to ask me a lot if I want drinks, on all the ships, when I'd rather just sit and read my book. Unless I wanted something to drink..then I wouldn't mind :) ..

 

I simply said "No" and wasn't bothered again. My daughter bought $20 worth and won $14. It's like the lottery, you can't win if you don't buy, but just because you buy you can't expect to win.

 

or had your reservations or your tour, or your spouse's birthday celebration messed up.

 

We actually had 2 dinner reservations messed up, either by the concierge or by the restaurants, but we worked it out. One tour we had arranged was cut short by late anchoring on Christmas day, but we simply just ate in the car instead of the restaurant to make up so that our guide could get home to his family on Christmas earlier. And they did fail to supply our Anniversary Package, but we managed just fine.

 

I've never had all those things happen to me..but if it had, and all on the same cruise, I prob wouldn't be a happy camper either. It's easy for us to be on the 'sunny' side, if everything or at least most everything, is going good. I feel bad for him, and wish his cruise had gone better. Personally, a lot of the stuff people post on these boards, I've seen on other lines. I just don't see a big difference in any of them (ok, other than the food..I have to admit the lobster and steak has been much better on HAL, than other lines..but the other lines have stuff I like better than HAL).

 

I agree that I wish his cruise had gone better, but I have had worse things happen on much more expensive vacations (had a major messup on Celebrity once when they sold our cabin twice). I agree that things go wrong, but not just on NCL... If you can't take the bad with the good, your glass will be half empty no matter where you go. I just choose to enjoy the best parts and let the bad slide as best I can. If the OP had noted maybe some more of the "good", I would have a bit more sympathy. There was plenty of good on the ship that week, and I had a blast.

 

Robin

[newmexicoNita]

I guess I see people getting really mean on here sometimes and I just try to avoid it. Everyone has been really nice to me.

 

But just as an FYI to the OP or people who have similar comments -

 

I know some people hate NCL. I have no problem with people who hate NCL. I just would like to say - I don't mind KMart. I don't mind Walmart either. Well, maybe in a sort of it's a big box company destroying small family owned businesses way, but still! Hey - some of us are rednecks! Some of us are downright broke! Some of us save and save and save for one vacation every couple of years and try really hard to make it special by taking a cruise. Just like we buy our "nice" sheets and bath towels at KMart.

 

I think it's snobby to imply that there is something inherently wrong with shopping at a place like KMart or cruising on a line that tries to be a bargain line. I don't know but I wonder is some (certainly not all) of the "flaming" responses might be a knee jerk reaction to some perceived and implied snobiness.

 

My two cents worth. I'm running for the hills now! :)

and people from those hills are the true backbone of our country. Thanks for a message we should all think about...

 

Nita

[mbisson]

and people from those hills are the true backbone of our country. Thanks for a message we should all think about...

 

Nita

 

I'd say, "I hear someone strumming a banjo" but some probably wouldn't get the joke and think I'm insulting them ;)

[Gatorj]

Everybody has them, and generally, you can find two people who experience the exact same thing, and they will come away with different impressions. We've been on Celebrity, Carnival, and NCL, and have had different impressions of each. Our first cruise was Celebrity, and we vowed that we would cruise them from that point forward because it was so great. The food, the guests, the bars, the service, everything! Guess what? Haven't been back.

 

Cruised Carnival Inspiration and had a great time, but didn't really like the ship. We said we'd not cruise Carnival again. Then we tried NCL Sea. What a rust bucket - and didn't have that much fun. Vowed not to cruise NCL again.

 

Lo and behold, the next cruise was back to Carnival on the Destiny. Had a penthouse suite, took the kids, and had a great time. But - the food was not that good, and we did not care for many of the other passengers. So guess what? Now we've said we're done with Carnival. (Bet we'll be back).

 

And now finally, after swearing off NCL, we're sailing the Sun in a AE minisuite on Jan 12.

 

Who knew?

 

Opinions, Opinions. Take them all with a grain of salt (the good and the bad), and form your own opinions once you've experienced it yourself.

[hazz24]

Yes, according to a Platinun member who says he will never sail with RCCL again, same kind of post as this, he calls the towel deposit a revenue generator.

 

 

Only a charge for towels if you loose them on both RCI and NCL.

[CanadianTwosome]

Everybody has them, and generally, you can find two people who experience the exact same thing, and they will come away with different impressions. We've been on Celebrity, Carnival, and NCL, and have had different impressions of each. Our first cruise was Celebrity, and we vowed that we would cruise them from that point forward because it was so great. The food, the guests, the bars, the service, everything! Guess what? Haven't been back.

 

Cruised Carnival Inspiration and had a great time, but didn't really like the ship. We said we'd not cruise Carnival again. Then we tried NCL Sea. What a rust bucket - and didn't have that much fun. Vowed not to cruise NCL again.

 

Lo and behold, the next cruise was back to Carnival on the Destiny. Had a penthouse suite, took the kids, and had a great time. But - the food was not that good, and we did not care for many of the other passengers. So guess what? Now we've said we're done with Carnival. (Bet we'll be back).

 

And now finally, after swearing off NCL, we're sailing the Sun in a AE minisuite on Jan 12.

 

Who knew?

 

Opinions, Opinions. Take them all with a grain of salt (the good and the bad), and form your own opinions once you've experienced it yourself.

 

It is so true about two people experiencing the same thing and coming away with different opinions. Aside from identical twins, it's just not possible for two people to have exactly the same feelings about anything. It's not just opinions either... ask a cop what the hardest thing about getting witness statements is and they may well tell you that five eye witnesses means five different accounts of what happened. They might be very close, but no two are ever exactly alike. So... even just remembering facts is affected by us being different people, having different perspectives... how could we possibly expect our opinions to be all alike? :)

[HarpHarp]

I agree with this. For that reason I just don't like breakfast buffets. Eggs at any breakfast buffet I've been to no matter whether its been on North America, Europe and beyond, have ALWAYS been gross!

 

I personally like to sit and enjoy my food and not be rushed to eat it. That said, we never had to wait to be seated in the main dining room for breakfast, and we always had fresh fruit of some type. We always had a caraf of coffee, though I always brought my own (coffee snob that I am:cool: ) Food always arrived at the correct eating temperature. Servers were fantastic and paced our party accordingly. Rather than stand at a buffet for breakfast I'd rather have someone get my food for me. Yes I know, I'm lazy, but so be it.

 

There was only once where I bucked my own trend to eat at Ramblas. Sucked that I had to hunt down the rest of my breakfast but the omlets were very good.

 

 

-Q

Yes indeed Queen you have the solution. We never had to wait to be seated for breakfast, always had interesting dishes and as a fellow coffee snob, found the hot carafe of coffee to be just fine. We did eat at the buffet one day and found it to be ok, really a cut above the average breakfast buffet, but sit down or room service for breakfast is really the way to go.

[MeganSmiles]

my own family cruising video montage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvTbHZ-Klg

 

 

What a lovely family you have. Your little one has a smile as bright as the sun!...what a cutie.

[CanadianTwosome]

What a lovely family you have. Your little one has a smile as bright as the sun!...what a cutie.

 

I thought the same thing!! :)

[Cosmopolitan]

Only a charge for towels if you loose them on both RCI and NCL.

 

And, if passengers had the courtesy to return towels to the ship, this charge would never have been instated:eek:

[mcpepe]

 

The menus were boring and many items not recognizable. They served the same food every morning (water logged eggs and cold everything else).

 

 

 

Only tour complaint was that they held us on a tender at Cozumel for 45 min waiting for a family that overslept... Two fuddies got sick and barfed from the exhaust fumes and everyone was left sick from the posion air. The Tulum tour barely had time to drive out and back... no beach break and barely the tour... Tour staff was smug and did not give a damn about all the people they made ill...

 

 

The breakfast buffet was indeed the same, however, did you miss the create your own omelette stations at the Great Outdoors Cafe? Or how about the made to order waffles in the pacific heights restaurant? Or the eggs benedict in the Seven Seas dining room? :D

 

If you were on a tender at Cozumel.......you were the only once since that port was cancelled. LOL :rolleyes:

 

I'm sorry your cruise wasn't what you'd hoped. We were on the ship as well and had a great time.

[mcpepe]

Oh here we go again. I for one love Carnival. Yes, call me low class if you want. We know how to have fun. I haven't been on NCL yet but I will have fun too, I suspect. You know why? And this is what I tell my kids, you make your own fun. Don't expect anyone else to do it for you. You can have a good time anywhere you go. You control it...not the cruise lines. Snooty....is not a nice word but I don't like to judge, but perhaps a better attitude might have given you a nicer time. Just saying...

 

I too loved my Carnival cruises and am the first to say I loved every line I've sailed. I was on this new year's cruise and half the fun is watching the complainers hollering, yes hollering, at the shore excursion folks, the restaurant reservation folks. They obviously weren't having fun........but my family was! :-)