Ho Hum

I guess everybody views things differently through different eyes. The Getaway was the best cruise I've ever taken and I've taken many---several on Carnival, 2 on Royal, and one on Regent. This was our first on NCL, and we rebooked the Getaway for next January as soon as we got home from that cruise! You first said the food was just "ok". I admit, we really were not thrilled with the MDR food. We actually enjoyed the buffet better, and felt it was the best buffet we have ever had on a cruise. We only went to one specialty, and that was Moderno. It was fabulous! You also said the entertainment was only "ok". Did you cruise the same ship?? It was fabulous entertainment!! As for price--this must be your first experience with cruising because any experienced cruiser knows there are port fees, taxes, gratuities, trip insurance, and excursions. Just a fact of life for cruising. Back in the day when we put gratuities in cash in envelopes, too many hard working staff got stiffed, so adding gratuities prevented that. If you don't think someone was worth your tip, you could have that reduced by going to guest services. You could avoid trip insurance cost, but then you could risk losing your whole costs if you had to cancel. That happened to me on my first cruise, and I make sure it won't happen again. As for the cost of excursions, that's simple--don't book any. There is always walking around and shopping. I witnessed the nightmare of debarkation of the self assist passengers. I was waiting in the theater to leave for a tour, which left orderly and easily. There were too many people trying to get off early with all their own bags. If I don't have a tour planned, I will wait as long as possible, claim my bags downstairs, and leave without hopefully the disaster the self assist passengers encountered. Debarkation is ALWAYS a pain, and the part of the cruise we all dislike. It is never a fun time. And your comment about costs compared to all inclusive resorts--I've done the pricing, also, and found that you cannot beat the value of a cruise. So sorry your experience was so poor.