Poor Management-otherwise average

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 3

Review summary

My wife and I are experienced cruisers and have cruised with NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity and Holland America. We like Princess the most but have cruised NCL in the past and considered it “average”. We recently we cruised the NCL Gem out of Miami to see the Panama Canal in early March 2024. While NCL was still “average” and on par with the other previously mentioned cruiselines, the following incidents were concerning: 1. Embarkation/disembarkation-the worst experience of any cruise line to date. Lines so long they extended outside the port into a busy street. Other than the porters, not a single NCL staff member to help anybody. After 1-2 hours standing in the hot sun without the line moving, several elderly guests passed out, hit their heads and were bleeding. Luckily, several guests were MD’s/nurses and triaged those injured while other guests contacted the paramedics without any help or guidance from NCL. Getting off the ship was the same chaotic mess with no leadership from staff or management. Wow…… 2. The cocktails were the most water-downed/diluted I have ever had…….anywhere. 3. We had a 10th floor balcony midship just off the elevators. 1 ½ days prior to entering the Panama Canal, NCL parked a monstrous piece of window washing equipment in front of our balcony, significantly obscuring our balcony view. It was not removed until the day after we left the Panama Canal. We complained several times, but were generally dismissed and told to contact corporate after the cruise did. Once home and after many emails, we received a pro-rated refund for several thousand dollars for the several days we could not enjoy our balcony. However, SHAME on NCL for not disclosing prior to booking that “Panama Canal policy dictates certain ship equipment needs to be stored midship and not aft. I allege that action was negligent at best and deceptive at worst. 4. There was generally no management walking the decks and keeping the rank and file employees in-check. Because of this, the service was lacking and it felt like NCL and/or the Captain couldn’t be bothered to lead their employees and ensure the guests were well cared for. I do not recommend NCL moving forward and don’t see myself cruising with them again unless an itinerary pops up that other lines do not offer.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

George Town, Grand Cayman

Cartagena, Colombia

Panama Canal (Cruise Into Canal)

Colon, Panama

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Harvest Caye, Belize

Cozumel, Mexico

Disembarkation

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