So very disappointed in NCL (sailing, reviews, best, Alaskan)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
After 10 cruises, I am absolutely certain that Carnival is the cruise line for us.
We often plan and get a stateroom last minute so we don't generally have unlimited choices and we have had aft, forward, middle, high decks and low decks, in the middle decks. We have had storms and hurricanes, high winds in the Med, and calm seas. Until this last cruise, I would have advised anyone to go ahead and get an inside cabin - no problem. Well, this last cruise, we planned it less than 2 months ago and got inside staterooms - 1 for us and 1 for his son and girlfriend. Oh no we didn't. We got closets. Give me Carnival! Heck, even give me Royal (which is still much smaller than Carnival), but NCL has to be out of their minds. Even the balcony rooms were only a fraction larger and the bathrooms were the same size - midgets would have a difficult time sitting on the pot.
3 cruise lines so far and we are far and away PRO-Carnival. Mind you, we are not younguns. I am now 62. Give me Carnival! Big ship, little ship, in the middle ship - if it's Carnival I'm ready to sail. Offer me another free cruise on NCL and I will REFUSE it. Seriously.
We have only cruised on Carnival and RCL and had mostly good success. We considered an NCLcruise but were reading mixed reviews. What else did you dislike/like about your NCL cruise besides the small inside cabins?
We have only cruised on Carnival and RCL and had mostly good success. We considered an NCLcruise but were reading mixed reviews. What else did you dislike/like about your NCL cruise besides the small inside cabins?
First, stay away from NYC sailings on every non-Atlantic crossing: too many kids with NYC parents who do not stop them from running through the self-service food area, running up and down stairs, in front of elevators, in the adults only hot-tubs, and generally being obnoxious. This was on both Carnival and RCL. Kids climbing under and around our table while the parents sit calmly chatting 2 tables away. Staff that does not stop this behavior.
NCL dislikes:
Lousiest coffee so far and no availability before 6 am. Are you kidding? We are early risers, 5 am - ever see the sunrise over the ocean? I spent summers watching it as a kid: I can NEVER get enough sunrises over the ocean. But no coffee. I brought along coffee sticks so we could get a decent cup of coffee - can't even get to the machines with the hot water. Nope, not even instant coffee (or tea) at 5 am.
Want room service? you'll pay on NCL and on RC for some hours as well as for the food you order.
Desserts: On the 3 lines, all chocolate flavor is removed from food - you can get brown colored, no chocolate flavor - not even on chocolate fest night. But on NCL, even the pies were made with gelatin - everything bounces! I would really expect to get at least home-made quality if not bakery quality -- but nope, not even stuff as good as my sons made as kids. Rice pudding, not to be found; vanilla pudding made with gelatin.
Ice cream - there was only ice milk and it wasn't very good - and it wasn't available except during mealtimes.
Food availability: on Carnival only, food is available 24/7 at no extra charge. It might be a delicious grilled cheese or tuna sandwich delivered to your stateroom at 3 am; or the pizza 24/7. Nope on NCL and RC.
I guess that might even be one of the reasons we were so very much disappointed - supposedly it is an "upscale" line and yet one cannot even sit square on the "pot". Not even our future daughter-in-law (maybe) who is a size 7 and average height - maybe 5'5".
143 sq ft which includes bathroom, closet space, everything. - We didn't realize how small it actually is - NCL
Compare that to Carnival which is 185 sq ft for an inside cabin.
I would think the size of the ship and when built makes a difference of the size of the cabins. I would like to know which ship you are refering to as we are thinking about taking NCL this summer to Alaska.
We were on the Norwegian Jewel. It actually doesn't make much difference in age/size of ship. We've been on all classes, from the Carnival Fantasy, Conquest, Triumph and Spirit classes and have found very little difference in cabin size, including inside, outside, balcony - we've had them all and sometimes on the same exact ship. The RC was the Radiance class - one of the larger ships, and the NCL was also one of the newer ships. It has to do more with the company. Barring us winning the lottery and moving up to Cunard, or being able to afford an owner's suite, we'll stick with Carnival where the cabins are comfy and I can sit in the theater.
Well that is discouraging since we would have been on the Norwegian Jewel for our Alaskan cruise. Does anyone one know about/have sailed Princess cruises?
Just returned from our Alaskan cruise on the NCL Jewel and agree with the above poster on the size of the cabins. We had a balcony cabin and it was fine for us but my nephew and his wife had an inside and complained about not being able to sit on the commode with legs in front of them and the entire room was bed (no joke). We also so thought the coffee was the worst I have ever tasted. It is supposed t0 be the best of Italy. Problem with that is most Americans don't drink Italian coffee (they drink much stronger coffee) Also the food was not what I have experienced on Carnival. Boring! I too will go back to Carnival for our next cruise. You can't beat the experience for the price point.
I've been on NCL, Carnival, RCL, Princess and Celebrity.
You can keep NCL - it's awful. Carnival was okay for what it is: A low cost discount line. Ships are a little tacky. RCL has amazing ships, but I have noticed their food quality is suffering.
I've been a fan of the newer ships on Princess and Celebrity. Top notch, upscale, but a little more expensive.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Which ship are you refering to?
