NCL is no Royal Caribbean or Princess: The Pros and Cons

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 7

Review summary

This cruise was a great value for drinkers.

 

Maybe I shouldn't have been ordering fish, but all of my dinners were sub-par. The desserts were better. Dinner staff was nice, we loved our waiter Oliver. He was attentive, funny, and genuinely cared we were enjoying our meal. The buffets seemed like a potluck dinner without a unifying theme. But I guess there is bound to be at least one thing on the buffet you would like. The omelet station almost always had a long line (we aren't early risers on cruise time), but looked delicious! We never tried the sit down breakfast, but heard good things.

 

The beds were terribly uncomfortable and would un-make every time that I rolled over (multiple times a night, leaving the knotted corners in the middle of my shoulders). Although they do service the rooms twice a day, maintaining a fresh and full ice bucket. 

 

The staff around the ship were very nice. We had a great time at karaoke and the diverse crowd made it a great time. The bar staff at The Plantation Room (where karaoke is held) was also very kind. I didn't read until the end of the cruise that the bar staff aren't given a portion of the tip/fees we paid. I would have had some dollars with me to tip appropriately, had I known. Not many other people seemed to be tipping either. 

 

Can't comment on off-boat excursions, we stayed on ship because island time meant no lines for drinks and empty hot tubs! Our cruise was in early May, so we had a lot of college kids on our boat. Not sure if this is typical, but it did seem to draw a larger younger crowd on the ship than other cruises I've been on in the past. 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

Nassau, Bahamas

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

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