This was our first cruise. We usually do high end all inclusives or condos in Hawaii every winter. We found this cruise lacked sophistication. It was noisy and crowded. The pool area was horrible, we wouldn't sit there at all. Kids everywhere , people eating and terrible. The gym was fair. They need to replace their rowing concept 2 machines as they are a wreck. I didn't find the gym busy at all which was nice. The prices at the spa were a joke. I have been to world class spas with better pricing and services. There was very little shopping available on the ship. Both my husband and I were terribly ill on two separate days with stomach ailments. Not sure how we contracted that and whether it was from the ship. We will consider cruising again but it will have to be a better cruiseline. We should have done better research prior to booking. I would recommend this trip to larger families with children. I like to dress up for dinner and there was little opportunity for that. They did not uphold the dress restrictions in the dining rooms so very casual. This is why we give it 2 stars. We will look at Oceania or Celebrity next time and likely the Mediterranean. We enjoy small amounts of excellent food, this ship seemed to cater to large portions of fair food. Just not the right fit for us.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
The upgrade restaurants were not worth it. The quality was lacking. The Cagney steakhouse served one over cooked tough tenderloin filet. When we complained they said they would cook a new one. We had waited 1.5 hours at that point and one of us had completed their meal, we didn't want another. They would not grant us a new meal another time, but paid for a $10 glass of wine which certainly does not equate to a meal. Very poor customer service. The main dining room was fair, similar to a large banquet food. The buffet was horrid, loud, crowded with large amounts of mediocre food. We could not eat there at all.
a cooked steak with an 1.5 hour wait. When we complained they offered to cook a new one but one of us were completely done their dinner and we had sat there long enough. They would not grant us another dinner at another time but paid for a $10 glass of wine. Very poor customer service. The main dining room was ok but nothing exceptional. We felt the food was much like banquet style certainly not fine dining we are accustomed to. The buffet was loud, people overcrowding and we would not eat there.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
It was good. The lounges had good entertainment, Leo especially. The nightly shows were well done.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Service was acceptable. The bars were very slow with service and would ignore you. The front desk was polite but didn't resolve our overcharges on our bill as they said they would. We were charged to put rum in our mini bar and then charged again when we took it out. So we were charged$17 for a tiny rum several times. We couldn't get them to correct it after numerous days of trying. We gave up.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
We liked the cabin. It was comfortable and clean. We enjoyed the balcony although noisy from the neighboring balconies. We slept well.
Ship tip
It seemed to cater to families and lots and lots of children and teenagers.
We enjoy New York. We took the city tour excursion the last day which also drops you at the airport. Fantastic! We thoroughly enjoyed that and the guide was great.
We took the walking cuisine tour and felt totally ripped off at the cost. It certainly was not worth it at all. Very crowded port with many ships and tourists.
My favorite port. Beautiful. We took a cab to Magen Bay Beach for the day and loved it. Don't book the tours. There are many cabs at $8 each way. You can rent chairs for cheap. We loved it.
So disappointed with our over priced excursion to Orient Bay Beach. Horrible little packed area on the beach reserved, the lunch was terrible. Don't pay the money.
I agree with pennpam we've been on many NCL cruises, we like the casualty of it. We were on royal Caribbean Anthem last Oct. we where not happy the ship was to big and there where not enough works to keep up with the guest. Dont get me wrong people are pigs they need use trash cans.I was very disappointed in RC. So we're going back to ncl, I hope to we enjoy our time.
It's funny how different people like different things. We do NCL specifically to avoid dressing up. We are on vacation and want to relax. Always been more than happy on NCL. To each his own. They do not book themselves as luxury cruises, which is what you should look for. Always check for dates that will have more chance of kids. School year is best for avoiding that!
Always check spring break dates.
Norwegian line is not shopping ships.
You pay less you get lots of free perks the trade off is You don't get gourmet food etc.
The different cruise lines cater to different needs and wants.
I believe you would enjoy Oceana. Princess etc. you will pay twice as much but you will have the things that are important to you.
You were on NCL Gem? We were on 2/17-2/27. I agree with you. Schools were closed that week so there were a ton of kids. We didn't like the food in the dining room. Specialty restaurants were fine. Every other cruise line I've been on had formal or elegant nights. We join the spa if we cruise when school is out. No kids allowed they have hot tubs, a steam room, sauna and these heated tile lounges. It was $200 each for the 10 days but well worth it.
You should try Princess or Celebrity cruise lines. Holland America is nice but a lot of very old people so things bang up early. This was our 12 cruise and probably will not cruise NCL again.
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