Anyone taken a cruise with NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line)?

[RitaZ.]

Please tell me your opinions. Thanks in advance!

 

[scarlett873]

i sailed on the Norwegian Sea a few years ago. this was before their renovations though.

i went with my now ex-husband...it was alright, but i didn't get to experience much of the ship. he wanted to stay holed up in the cabin READING the whole time. i did what i could on my own and had a good time! th eone thing i did notice about our particular cruise was that there were a lot of older passengers. there were people from all age groups on board, but the majority were much older than me.

norwegian's a great cruise line! it just wasn't right for me at that time...of course, it could have been the fuddy duddy i was married to at the time...

oooooooooooh the one amazing thing that i did on board...they have this chocolate buffet set up one night. i believe it's a midnight...anyway, if it could be made out of, dipped, or flavored with chocolate...it was there! it was amazing...ex-husband didn't want to go (go figure) so i went by myself! it was wonderful!!! it's the one thing that would make me go back and sail again!

 

[GoofItUp]

I haven't been on NCL myself, but have booked NCL for other people. They have enjoyed the cruises and found NCL to be a nice cruise line (good food, nice ship and cabins, good entertainment, etc.). Where are you thinking of going? To me, that would be a determination of which cruise line I would take. Also, are you really into partying/night life, want a more refined, pampering cruise, or something fun and entertaining but not too rowdy? All of these things would have a bearing on the cruise line I would choose. You might want to check out cruisecritic.com They have TONS of information regarding different cruise lines that might be of help to you.

 

[Poohbear123]

I am thinking of taking one next year too. Are we talking the Caribbean Seas?

 

[HoneyPooh]

I did the New York to Bermuda on the Dreamward (it was the Dreamward before they stretched it, now it's the Dream). As an above poster mentioned, we found a mostly over 50ish crowd. We enjoyed it even though we were only 32 and 36 at the time, but younger folks might find it bit tame. The ship was beautiful and the midnight snacks were the best! In fact all of the food we had was above average except the burgers, yuck. I would recommend NCL if you aren't looking for a "funship" kind of atmosphere.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

I sailed the Wind, loved it! It was my first Cruise and the first day out the stabilizers broke spent the first day the porclein god but OK after it was fixed, would go again in a heartbeat! The crew was wonderful, the food was great, I cant say enough nice things about them.

 

[yecats]

I sailed on the Norweign Wind to Alaska a few years ago. The crowd was older (I was in my late 20's at that time) around late 40's and early 50's. Truthfully, I loved the cruise. There were things scheduled for people to do but I just wanted to relax and did. Scenery to Alaska is beautiful though. That particular route can be a little off due to inclement weather so there weren't a lot of outside activities. I did like the shows and enjoyed the food and have to say we had an exceptional wait staff. I was even envited below ship to the general crew areas which was very interesting. Most of the officers would go into the nightclub at night but there really wasn't anyone else in there. I do agree with above poster, depends on your destination and age of the people heading there as well. This cruise we didn't have one child on the ship with us. We also had a convention of 200 Korean salesmen on board and we would only encountered the group once while outside looking at the glacier fields. It was a quiet, relaxing cruise.

 

[RitaZ.]

Originally posted by edcrbnsoul
I sailed the Wind, loved it! It was my first Cruise and the first day out the stabilizers broke spent the first day the porclein god but OK after it was fixed, would go again in a heartbeat! The crew was wonderful, the food was great, I cant say enough nice things about them.

LOL! Where did you get that smilie? I would have been doing the same thing too!

Brandy~ He spent most of the time reading in the cabin? BTW, how are you feeling?

Goofitup~ Thanks for the info! We are thinking about trying the one to Hawaii. We would have to fly out to CA. Since my brother is an NCL employee and is entitled to really good discounts, we figured we may do the cruise instead of taking our own trip to Hawaii. I want to go to Fanning Island (I think that's the name), the cruise takes you there. We are not party animals if that's what you are asking. We do like entertainment, trying out new things and places, looking for relaxation, but definitely NOT rowdy. The kids would be coming with us, so there would also have to be things for the kids to do and enjoy. If there were many older passengers, then maybe they're are not as family friendly?

 

[CamColt]

I havent been on NCL yet, but I will be sailing Boston to Bermuda in August on the Majesty.
My parents have done this cruise numerous times and my sister and her family did it once. They all really enjoyed it.
And yes, Ive seen pictures of the Chocoholic Buffet...OMG!!!!

 

[Jeafl]

I sailed on the Norway, exactly one year before the boiler explosion that killed the crew members.

I really liked NCL a lot. They did a great job of having the right balance of things to do without it being overwhelming. The chocolate buffet is not to be missed, even if you just go to look.

I would go again in a heartbeat.

 

[RUDisney]

We sailed on the Sky in October 2000 out of Miami through the Eastern Caribbean. We loved it! We were mid-30s and the balance of ages aboard ship was very nice. I met great people in the pool and we made friends with many other shipmates.

The best part of an NCL cruise is that you can eat whenever you want. You aren't relegated to an early or a late sitting. You can dine alone or with others.

One night, we decided to ask the maitre' d if he'd sit another couple with us. We figured that was a way to meet new people. He sat a German couple with us. The woman had just taken an English crash course and the man didn't speak English. They thought it was funny when I told them that all I knew in German was bier, wein, and how to say, "I don't know," and "I don't understand." Alright, so I remember how to count, the alphabet and how to say, "Come here," but those things don't come up in casual conversation. We had a great time with this couple. After dinner, we went to the karaoke and had some drinks while others sang.

A ship, or any other vacation, is what you make of it. We're looking forward to planning another NCL cruise with the kids.

 

[TeresaNJ]

The first and only cruise I've ever been on was on the Norway. That was 11 years ago, but we had a wonderful time. The ship was beautiful, food great, and the room was large and spacious. We went to St Thomas, St John and St Maarten I believe. Next cruise I hope to take is a Disney cruise.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

RitaZ we have a bunch of new smilies on the boards click get more and see them :space:

 

[littlegreydonkey]

Hi - we went to Hawaii on the Star last Easter, did Fanning Island (but sailed out of Honolulu). It was fabulous: we booked an ocean view cabin with balcony - which has now spoilt me for life. The restaurants are great, some have a cover charge but we didn't bother with those as the food was so good in the main restaurants. There's not a huge amount to do in Fanning Island, we hired bikes and cycled halfway round - then realised you can't go all the way round and cycled back - nice to have Kiribati in your passport though!, I couldn't recommend it enough - and we're in our thirties (but not big party types: come 10.30, it was off to the nearest buffet - grab cake, grab tea - go sit on balcony and watch the sea go past - sad eh!). PM me if you want more.