I think NCL is destroying itself with the free at sea promotions. The employees are simply not motivated to do a good job. I hate this . I have been loyal to NCL and this was my 7th cruise with them. Hopefully this was just a one time thing but I won't take the chance with my families money again. RCCL here I come.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Given the volume of people, I feel the NCL staff did a very good job of getting us all on the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The food was ok. Not on the level I'm used to on NCL. Further the staff was beyond rude and clearly annoyed at having to serve you . The bar staff was shockingly awful with few exceptions. I think the free at sea package is slowly killing their souls or something. Eye rolling, ignoring requests and all around " I'm doing you a favor" attitude. I guess because you are paying the tips ahead of time when the drinks are included they are not motivated to give good service. So sad. That's not even mentioning the 15 min wait on lines to get a drink at the pool bar. So just to spell this out for you. I paid 4200 dollars for a balcony stateroom that included the free at sea promotion. This included free open bar and 3 visits to specialty restaurants. It also included an 18% gratuity that NCL claims goes directly to the crew that operates the bar and restaurants. For this money you have to book dining 2 months in advance in order to take advantage of the dining. Once on the ship if you want a drink near any populated areas like the pool, you will wait on line for 15 min only to reach the counter and get eye rolls and a clearly annoyed staff member who looks like they wish they could throw the drink at you.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Fun stuff for the kids. Gym is nice.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Meh, if you could get into a show it was pretty good. But again you have to book everything in advance. It's actually hard to figure out how to get dinner reservations and a show reservation on the same night. sigh
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
Fantastic ! I have a 3 year old and he loved the club. The staff at the center went above and beyond to make him want to be their. This way the hubby and I could steal a few min alone! At the end they put on a little talent show with all the kids. Very cute.
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Splash Academy
5 out of 5
Great!
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
My room steward made this rating a 2 and not a one. He was good. With few exceptions the rest of the service staff was very rude. Guest services was good but not great. But I'm sure they are overwhelmed with complaints about everyone else. So sad.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Nice ship. Public areas where very clean. Even though the ship was packed you could find areas to hang out and find a seat.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
It was ok. Not as clean as I would have expected. Balcony is so small that my husbands knees hit the glass when he sat in the chair. The chair was as far back as possible. So we didn't use it much.
Ship tip
This was my last NCL cruise because of the rude service. I guess if someone is hell bent on cruising the Getaway they should just get the cheapest room and go in with low expectations. This trip was a cost to my family of about 7k. We regret spending the money.
i have been with NCL and the free at sea many times, i find rudeness begets rudeness.
ive never had a bad bar experience or otherwise. of course i tip accordingly and ask politely for the things i wish to have. just saying.
my general rule of thumb is $1 per drink ordered. they appreciate it and even remember what you prefer.
also "please" and "thank you" go a long way with someone required to be on their feet 14 hours a day.
Yes you can tip, which we did to one of the guys in the atrium area by the name of Award, he provided us great service, would always great us by name and was always on top if things , other ones there didn’t do quite so well with the service as he did.
Are the bartenders allowed to accept tips? I will gladly tip of the tree at see is affecting their pay, it it’s not the pay that is the problem I’m not sure what else you could mean my free at sea destroying NCL. I’ve been on this ship twice and never had any issues with rudeness.
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