Norwegian does not just nickel and dime you, they $5 and $10 you. They need to be more up front about costs. Costs even surprised travel agent and I have forwarded info to her for future cruisers.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
I felt like cattle. I entered the terminal and felt like I had stepped back into a bad 70s institutional building. There was no natural light until you got up to where you were boarding. The lights seemed to be bare fluorescent bulbs and the colour scheme was institutional beige and hospital green. It did not excite me and put me in a good mindset for my cruise. I have had more to look at and waited in shorter lines at the DMV and we were one of the earliest boarding times. I longed for a terminal and efficiency like my Disney cruise experience. I was looking for embarkation photos and totally missed them. Arriving on the boat, I felt some guidance would have been nice. I stood in a line and then was told taken to a new line and did not feel my questions got answered or that I was given time to consult with my companion before being signed up for the ultimate beverage package. A very off putting start.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The best food that we had was in the garden cafe buffet. The restaurant tried really hard and presentation was nice but food quality fell short of expectations. I expect food to be better than usual but in all truth the food quality was Perkins level at best. One would think on a cruise to the tropics, you could get decent tropical fruit but it was underripe. We visited three specialty restaurants. The chefs at Teppenyaki needed more practice as they were dropping stuff. The meat at Moderno was dry and gristly and La cucina had really small portions. Portion size was also small at Shanghai's. O'Sheehan's charged us for beverages despite being on the package. Nobody told us we would be charged port tax at the bar our first day. The drinks tasted horrible. I tried several different ones and was not really impressed. The maitai tasted like moonshine. The pina coladas were very inconsistent but often had a chemical taste instead of being fruity. I would normally had gone with a mocktails beverage package but Norwegian did not offer one. I do not like straight water. I drink Coke products not pepsi so the pop package would only have offered me gingerale to drink. On past cruises, I had my mocktails and juices along with one alcoholic drink(maybe) per day. I ended up drinking more than usual and it was not even pleasant. My companion and I did not get any value for our money with the drink package and wish we had known we could have gotten flavoured water(any time) and juice(breakfast time) at the buffet. We would have just bought the individual drinks.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
We went to the spa and found them to be rough with the massage and pushy with the product afterwards. The pools were small and crowded. The chairs were taken by 7 am even though nobody was even in them only stuff. Area were cluttered and few good views.
Mandara Spa
1 out of 5
Massage was rough and left my back bruised. Therapist was pushy with product and using scare tactics like I will get arthritis and fibromyalga if I do not use the products.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Great stage shows. Felt it was ridiculous to have to pay extra for some shows. Reservation system was good idea.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
They answered questions but otherwise were not very attentive. Room had dirty glass cups in bathroom when we got on. Toothpaste spittle covered the bottom of one. We got clean ones but were always one short. Did not get folded animal one night.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship was slightly confusing layout with where stairs and elevators were. Common areas were tidy. Felt roccking of the ship despite lack of rough seas.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Supposedly this was a midship large oceanview cabin. Seemed more like an aft and not as large of view as the pics showed. Cabin was ok. Had I known the view was so much smaller than the pictures, I would have upgraded to balcony.
Ship tip
Say no to the pushiness or better yet, pick a different line.
Took an hour to self assist disembark. No announcement heard for clearance. At last checkpoint, was told to go back to guest services about an issue. fought to not have to walk the whole length of the boat a third time. Frustrating.
Wow, I guess this wasn't your cruise. I have been on this ship and the sister out of Miami numerous times last year without any trouble. I found the staff to be friendly and attentive. The food was great at all of the main restaurants. If you feel like there are any problems just bring it up IN WRITING to the hotel manager on board. I have done it and moved on with my vacation. Don't make the mistake of focusing in on the negative, if you do you are done for. Put it in writing and they will be happy to address the situation for you on this cruise, not the next one. Again sorry you had a bad time, it does happen across the board on lines, but please remember to make the complaint then and there. Happy cruising. PS: Remember the tips are based upon the performance of the staff, so you can ask that the tips be reversed. I have done this in times past OR reverse tips and pay out in cash to those who really wowed you.
Also if you read your cruise documents or ask your travel agent, they should always know about or tell you about the gratuities, port charges and any additional taxes on drinks or food packages. Again these things are clearly stated before you cruise if you do your research with the cruise line or travel agent b4 your cruise.
I'm not sure I understand why people are saying NCL nickel and dime you. With the exception of a few differences, I find that the extra charges that people complain about on NCL are quite comparable for similar charges on other cruise lines. I think people need to do more research on the fees associated with a particular cruise and find out exactly what is included before booking so that you can get exactly what you want/expect. The basic NCL fare includes most of the things you get on other cruise lines. Most other cruise lines are now charging for the lobster in the Main Dining Room. Speciality and drinks package are always extra.
You can pre pay your service charges b4 you leave also. That's what we do. That way everything is paid ahead. Go onto your ncl account and it will be under pre pay
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