Norwegian Cruise Lines...

Never had a really great experience on NCL ships, but decided to try one
more time... Just got back from the Bahamas on the Norwegian Gem. It was
awful... Shows were terrible....Food even worse and the rooms were so, so
tiny. We had a veranda and felt it was a waste of money... A table couldn't
fit on it to be able to really enjoy a nice breakfast on there..

Have been on many cruise lines, and this is the worse... Never again...

Helen

On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 19:31:29 -0500, "Gaga6"
wrote:

Never had a really great experience on NCL ships, but decided to try one
more time... Just got back from the Bahamas on the Norwegian Gem. It was
awful... Shows were terrible....Food even worse and the rooms were so, so
tiny. We had a veranda and felt it was a waste of money... A table couldn't
fit on it to be able to really enjoy a nice breakfast on there..

Have been on many cruise lines, and this is the worse... Never again...

Carnival is my worst, but Norwegian isn't far above, primarily for the
reasons you gave. Sometimes I'm tempted by their prices, though.

--
"This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids;
to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental
truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt,
and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can." President-elect Barack Obama, November, 4, 2008
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 19:31:29 -0500, "Gaga6"
wrote:

Never had a really great experience on NCL ships, but decided to try one
more time... Just got back from the Bahamas on the Norwegian Gem.

Sorry to hear that - we're considering the Gem for a trip next year.

It was
awful... Shows were terrible....Food even worse and the rooms were so, so
tiny. We had a veranda and felt it was a waste of money... A table couldn't
fit on it to be able to really enjoy a nice breakfast on there..

On our last NCL trip, the food was uneven - sometimes excellent,
sometimes barely acceptable (of course, you can always try again in a
different dining room, but we never actually did that). Our veranda
table was about the same size as on Celebrity (large enough or coffee
but not for food), and the room seemed a bit larger. Which line have
you been on that had larger tables?

HELEN:
We could not agree with you more,sine our last NCL cruise we will never
sail on them again, no lounges on the pool deck,and with 3 bars,only had
2 uni-sex rest rooms,and 1 toilet in each,and most of the time they were
out of order,and you had to go to another deck to use a res room. This
line should go out of business.





cruise lover(~~~~~)






..

JACK:
Do not go on ncl you will be wasting your good money try another cruise
line,personally after 43 cruises we prefer,princess,hal,& celebrity





cruise lover(~~~~~)






..

On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:36:26 -0500, (Surfer E2468)
wrote:

JACK:
Do not go on ncl you will be wasting your good money try another cruise
line,personally after 43 cruises we prefer,princess,hal,& celebrity

I've been on 4 NCL cruises (2 around Hawaii and 1 to Los Angeles on
the Pride of Hawaii, and 1 to the Mexican Riviera on the Norwegian
Sun).

Regarding the Sun: I wouldn't say that my money was wasted. The Sun
cost less than a similar cruise on other lines would have cost. I
like the informal atmosphere. Everything about the ship was good
except for two things: there was no thermal suite or thalassatherapy
pool, and the food was not consistent. But in general the service was
good (the Italian restaurant and steak restaurant were excellent in
both food and service, the others varied), the crew was friendly, the
ship was well maintained, there was enough to do, the rooms were
soundproof, and the mattresses were very comfortable (I think they had
been replaced recently). On the bad side, I would not have wanted to
eat lunch or dinner at the buffet, which was small and crowded. The
"prime rib" in the main restaurant was not good. I was not pleased by
my experiences at the spa (expensive and not high quality). The
casino was extremely smoky, and the only way around was to go up or
down a deck.

Would I go on Norwegian again? Yes, but only on one of the newer
ships built for Freestyle. I had planned to go on the Jade
(originally the Pride of Hawaii) this month, but they decided to leave
it Europe. I am considering a trip on the Gem next year, which is why
I was concerned by the negative comment about it.

I was unhappy with my experience on the Gem. First of all, the
itinerary wasn't good (florida and bahamas). Secondly, unless you were
in one of the suites with concierge perks, there was alot of
difficulty getting a reservation. This might have changed since then,
since I was on the ship when it was her second or third trip or
something like that.

What really turned me off was how I felt I was nickeled and dimed to
death. They charged to shoot pool. They had air hockey and foosball
tables in the kids room and charged for that. On the private island,
the buffet was closed at EXACTLY 2 pm, and you could not so much as
get a glass of water after that time unless you were willing to buy a
bottle of water. The private island facilities were kind of ratty too.
When we went rock climbing, they only had 1 person manning the wall
(who came 15 minutes late) and it took him over half an hour to get
all the release forms etc, so it was a 45 minute wait for the first
kid to get onto the wall - in the meantime they were blasting very
nasty hip hop music with extremely inappropriate lyrics for a 'family
friendly cruise'. The Gem also had no movie theater, and the TV in the
stateroom was very intermittent (except for the channels promoting
things on the Gem). If you wanted to rent a movie in cabin they
charged a ridiculous price - I think maybe $12.

The buffet was poorly designed - not enough space to handle the crowds
and no trays. The food was okay. One night I ate in the steakhouse and
tried Bananas foster for the first time - that was really excellent,
but that's the only food that was standout. The food in the chocolate
buffet was disappointing, plus several people I know were sick the
next day.

I would probably try NCL again if they had a different itinerary
during President's week, which is when I like to sail with my teen,
but I will not do that itinerary on that ship again. I don't know if I
would go back on that ship again either, but since my main activities
on a ship are drinking mai tais and relaxing in the spa, I might
consider the ship with a different itinerary. I did enjoy my cruise
on the Dawn.

Surfer E2468 wrote:
JACK:
Do not go on ncl you will be wasting your good money try another cruise
line,personally after 43 cruises we prefer,princess,hal,& celebrity





cruise lover(~~~~~)






.

In that order?

Jack Hamilton wrote:

On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:36:26 -0500, (Surfer E2468)
wrote:

JACK:
Do not go on ncl you will be wasting your good money try another cruise
line,personally after 43 cruises we prefer,princess,hal,& celebrity

I've been on 4 NCL cruises (2 around Hawaii and 1 to Los Angeles on
the Pride of Hawaii, and 1 to the Mexican Riviera on the Norwegian
Sun).

Regarding the Sun: I wouldn't say that my money was wasted. The Sun
cost less than a similar cruise on other lines would have cost. I
like the informal atmosphere. Everything about the ship was good
except for two things: there was no thermal suite or thalassatherapy
pool, and the food was not consistent. But in general the service was
good (the Italian restaurant and steak restaurant were excellent in
both food and service, the others varied), the crew was friendly, the
ship was well maintained, there was enough to do, the rooms were
soundproof, and the mattresses were very comfortable (I think they had
been replaced recently). On the bad side, I would not have wanted to
eat lunch or dinner at the buffet, which was small and crowded.

What I did not like at the buffet (and this goes for Grandeur of the
Seas also) was that there were no trays. It was hard to keep food
from slipping off the plate. I do feel that the food is sometimes
inconsistent, but I have found that on other lines too.

The
"prime rib" in the main restaurant was not good. I was not pleased by
my experiences at the spa (expensive and not high quality). The
casino was extremely smoky, and the only way around was to go up or
down a deck.

Would I go on Norwegian again? Yes, but only on one of the newer
ships built for Freestyle. I had planned to go on the Jade
(originally the Pride of Hawaii) this month, but they decided to leave
it Europe. I am considering a trip on the Gem next year, which is why
I was concerned by the negative comment about it.

There are some people who repeat their negative comments each time
someone asks about NCL.

I've been on four NCL cruises - two on the Crown, one on the Pearl and
one on the Jade. I enjoyed all of them but - I don't care whether
there is a spa, I don't like jacuzzi tubs, I don't care about the
shows, my husband will NOT dance and I'm not really able to do much
with it either, I don't climb the rock wall, I don't sit in deck
chairs and read, etc.

As far as smoke in the casino - they seem to put casinos so that you
have to walk through them.

wrote:

I was unhappy with my experience on the Gem. First of all, the
itinerary wasn't good (florida and bahamas).

That isn't the cruise line's fault. It's your fault for booking an
itinerary you didn't like. If you are unhappy with the itinerary you
will be unhappy whichever cruise line you book.

Secondly, unless you were
in one of the suites with concierge perks, there was alot of
difficulty getting a reservation. This might have changed since then,
since I was on the ship when it was her second or third trip or
something like that.

What really turned me off was how I felt I was nickeled and dimed to
death. They charged to shoot pool. They had air hockey and foosball

What I like about NCL is that I don't have to shoot pool or play air
hockey or rent movies or even go ashore at the private island, and
since I don't do those things, I don't have to pay for other people to
be able to do them for free. I was with my grandson on the Jade and
he did play video games, and paid for them, but it was his money so he
could do with it as he wished.

tables in the kids room and charged for that. On the private island,
the buffet was closed at EXACTLY 2 pm, and you could not so much as
get a glass of water after that time unless you were willing to buy a
bottle of water. The private island facilities were kind of ratty too.
When we went rock climbing, they only had 1 person manning the wall
(who came 15 minutes late) and it took him over half an hour to get
all the release forms etc, so it was a 45 minute wait for the first
kid to get onto the wall - in the meantime they were blasting very
nasty hip hop music with extremely inappropriate lyrics for a 'family
friendly cruise'. The Gem also had no movie theater, and the TV in the
stateroom was very intermittent (except for the channels promoting
things on the Gem). If you wanted to rent a movie in cabin they
charged a ridiculous price - I think maybe $12.

The buffet was poorly designed - not enough space to handle the crowds
and no trays. The food was okay. One night I ate in the steakhouse and
tried Bananas foster for the first time - that was really excellent,
but that's the only food that was standout. The food in the chocolate
buffet was disappointing, plus several people I know were sick the
next day.

Most buffets aren't designed very well but I don't like the no trays
either. I can't stay up late enough for the chocolate buffet - have
never been to one.

I would probably try NCL again if they had a different itinerary
during President's week, which is when I like to sail with my teen,
but I will not do that itinerary on that ship again. I don't know if I
would go back on that ship again either, but since my main activities
on a ship are drinking mai tais and relaxing in the spa, I might
consider the ship with a different itinerary. I did enjoy my cruise
on the Dawn.

I took my grandson on his spring break. He only had a week (plus the
two weekends), so we went to Europe and took the Jade on what was a
longer cruise. We just got off early and flew back. You can do that
in Europe because you don't leave from a US port.