We have been to all the ports in the itinerary except the Stirrup Cay Island but we wanted to escape the cold & celebrate my husband's birthday, so we booked this cruise. Compared to the many past cruises we've taken with NCL, this was a mistake, starting from the wrong cabin, down to the food & entertainment.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Having reached Platinum Level, we were ahead of the majority of passengers to board the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Comparing this cruise to the many NCL cruises we've taken: Meats were tough & chewy, including the lamb chops at Cagney's Steak House (specialty restaurant). The food at Orchid Garden (Asian) was below par. The skin of the roasted suckling pig (buffet on Asian night) was like leather instead of being crispy; the whole pig looked "deflated" instead of being plump & robust. They served excellent garlic fried rice (buffet) one day but when it was served again the next day, the grains were very hard. When I made a comment, the server removed the tray & replaced it with a new one. I love how cruiselines prepare oatmeal. The ship's oatmeal was great except one day when it was so watery and another day when the pot was almost empty at 6:30 am. We were one of the first ones at the buffet for breakfast because of an excursion that time; the oatmeal was so thick and the sides of the pot had hardened oatmeal. It's okay to serve the leftover, but it would have been more appetizing if the oatmeal was transferred to a new pot. The roast on embarkation day was excellent! The quality of the meats went downhill after that. The ribs served on Stirrup Cay Island were tender & delicious! The roast chicken (buffet) on the ship was great, too.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We enjoyed the pools.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Again comparing this cruise with the many past NCL cruises we've taken, the entertainment has deteriorated. There were only two performers at the Stardust Theater that were worth watching (the NCL singers & dancers and the husband & wife comedy magicians) and thank goodness they came back a second time. One night, instead of a live show, a movie was shown at the theater! Who does that? Tania (lounge singer) and Upgrade (band) were great!
Children's Programs
We didn't have children with us.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our cabin steward was friendly & thorough in her cleaning. The singing coffee server quartet that went around Garden Cafe was delightful!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Our cabin was clean but having an obstructed oceanview stateroom wasn't fun.
CASE NUMBER: 589191 In an attempt to save, we booked an oceanview cabin instead of a balcony. We relied on the picture of the deck plan on NCL's website that showed an unobstructed window view. Upon entering our cabin, we had an OBSTRUCTED WINDOW! I immediately went to the customer service desk to ask for a cabin change. Unfortunately, I was informed that there were no cabins available & that the Corporate Office would be informed of the issue & that we would get a response the next day. The next day, I was given a letter with a case number & asked to get in touch with the NCL Customer Relations & should be getting some kind of credit because of the error in the deck plan illustration. I did just that. Customer relations response: "For future reference, it may be helpful to know that our representatives are available to answer detailed questions regarding each stateroom. Therefore, this gives the passenger the option to always choose the one that may meet their personal requirements based on the available inventory." My response, "We have been on several cruises, on NCL as well as the competition, and at this stage, don't need to ask representatives about details regarding staterooms. Nowadays, we mostly rely on the cruiseline's deck map." Customer relations didn't own up to the mistake on the deck plan illustration on the web & I didn't receive any apology regarding this error. I don't believe NCL will do any corrections on their deck illustrations.
No announcements were made on the ship about bringing your own towels so we didn't. There were no towels on the gangway either, so we assumed that there would be some on the island, like other cruiseline-owned private islands. We learned later, that towels will be arriving from the ship later. We wasted 2 hours! The ribs were tender & delicious!
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