NCL Cruise

[Dsnymouse]

I'll place this on the budget board as that is what this trip is for us. I would love to do a Disney cruise, but wanted to test the waters with our Dd first trip out. Can anyone share their experience with Norweigian? We are sailing on the Sky, so any reviews I'm all ears..

Also for those who have done the Disney cruise to Nassau, can you do things at the Atlantis hotel without doing shore excursions? We would love to see The Dig, can you just purchase tickets for this?

Any help you can offer would be great. Thanks

 

[maslex]

I have sailed with both Disney and Norwegian. (have also been with Royal Caribbean) Out of the three, we enjoyed Norwegian the best. Don't get me wrong...Disney was great too. But it was WAY over priced in our opinion.

...Disney's ship was smaller than Norwegian

...We loved how on Disney, you had the same servers all week as opposed to Norwegian where you will have someone different everytime you dine

...Not sure if you're going with kids, but my boys enjoyed Disney's kid club better (even though Norwegian was great too)

...Food I think was a bit better on Norwegian

...On Norwegian we went to Nassau (did not go to Atlantis, but I do believe you can go over and purchase tickets for the Dig) We did a bus tour and Pirate Museum (boys were 9-11 at the time). It was okay but I don't think it was worth the money we paid. ***our opinion We also went to Bermuda on this itinerary and LOVED it. It was so beautiful. We went to Horseshoe Bay Beach. It was our favorite island.

***we sailed with Royal Caribbean in July of last year. It was an older ship (Monarch of the Seas) It was smaller than Norwegian and even though it was clean, it just didn't have much character??? I don't know. Again, this ship went to Nassau (that was it along with it's private island) we went to Blue Lagoon Beach (if you have the chance, go there. You had to take a water taxi over to the beach which was like 20 mins but well worth it) Our favorite beach yet. There wasn't many people there, food was good and all around beautiful!!!

You will have a blast on Norwegian. Have a great time!!!

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Go to CruiseCritic.com and you can find reviews about NCL and the ship

There are tons of reviews and they have an extrememly active message board

 

[Dsnymouse]

Maslex - Thank you for the great review. We are excited about our trip.
DisneyandRedSox - Thank you, I just found cruise critic and have been reading like crazy!!

 

[marcyinPA]

We sailed the NCL Spirit to Florida and the Bahamas for my 40th birthday (2 years ago). It was our first cruise ever. We loved it!! We have nothing else to compare it to, but:

...we loved freestyle dining. We really liked eating where and when we wanted to. We ate at two "extra fee" restaurants on our cruise, and the food was excellent. The food in the main dining room, the buffet, and the "fast food" place was great too! In fact, the food was soo good and plentiful that my DH gained 15 pounds in one week!

....my kids loved the kids' clubs. My youngest was in the 10-12 room, and my oldest was in the teen club. He had JUST turned 13, and I was not crazy about the lack of supervision (the Teens are very lightly supervised...but they can come and go as they please, which made me a little nervous). But he did fine. He actually made friends with two boys and they tried to meet up with each other every day.

....being that it was our first time cruising, we booked one excursion through the cruise line. In Port Canaveral, we did the Kennedy Space Center. It was a good trip, but be forewarned that they put quite a bit of travel time into the schedule, so you don't get a whole ton of time at your destination. In Nassau, we did our own thing. I had done some research on Cruise Critic, and found that you can go to some of the local hotels and pay a beach and pool usage rate for the day. We walked to the British Colonial Hilton, paid $20 for adults, $10 for kids, to use their beach, pool, bathrooms. They even had towels available for us to use, and beach toys. It was worth the money! The beach and facilities were very clean, and it was a very short walk through town back to port. It was MUCH cheaper than buying an excursion, and since we walked, we didn't need to worry about which bus to and from and all of that. I was a little paranoid about not getting back to the ship on time, so I was happy to just walk!

We also stopped in Freeport, but it was only for a few hours, so we decided just to stay on board. It was nice, because a lot of people left, so we had plenty of room in the pool, etc.

....my kids are asking when we can cruise again. I'm tempted to try Carnival, because their pool area with the slides looks great, but I REALLY liked Freestyle Cruising with NCL....

Any other ??, just ask!

 

[CTdiznymom]

My dd25 did her first cruise with NCL and loved it. Purchased a day at Atlantis and said it was $$ well spent. Thought it was amazing. Her and her friend liked the freestyle dining, and thought the food was first rate.

 

[mjkacmom]

We did the same itinerary to the Bahamas on NCL Spirit and DCL. Yes, DCL was nicer, as was the private island, but not worth the extra $, which was significant (and we loved driving 20 minutes to the port instead of spending hours in airports/airplanes). I'd love to do it again!

We booked a room at the Comfort Suites next door to Atlantis for about $200, which gave us bracelets for the day at Atlantis - MUCH cheaper this way! We took a jitney bus there, and a cab back.

 

[mjkacmom]

I had done some research on Cruise Critic, and found that you can go to some of the local hotels and pay a beach and pool usage rate for the day. We walked to the British Colonial Hilton, paid $20 for adults, $10 for kids, to use their beach, pool, bathrooms. They even had towels available for us to use, and beach toys. It was worth the money! The beach and facilities were very clean, and it was a very short walk through town back to port. It was MUCH cheaper than buying an excursion, and since we walked, we didn't need to worry about which bus to and from and all of that. I was a little paranoid about not getting back to the ship on time, so I was happy to just walk!

We also stopped in Freeport, but it was only for a few hours, so we decided just to stay on board. It was nice, because a lot of people left, so we had plenty of room in the pool, etc.

....my kids are asking when we can cruise again. I'm tempted to try Carnival, because their pool area with the slides looks great, but I REALLY liked Freestyle Cruising with NCL....

Any other ??, just ask!

We walked to the Hilton on our NCL cruise, and we had the beach to ourselves! We also prefer freestyle cruising - when we took our 2 oldest to Atlantis, it stunk having to hurry back to make our dinner seating.

 

[Dsnymouse]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback!
Can anyone tell me about tips on dining? We are going during spring break and I am sure the ship will be packed. I read somewhere not to eat after a show. Does anyone remember the times of the big stage shows? Such as 6pm and 9pm.. Trying to figure it all out. Marcy, the hotel you booked did that allow you to go to Atlantis or just the hotels beach? We really would like to do the aquarium at Atlantis and thought it would be cheaper to do on our own but I hear if the hotel is full they stop selling tickets.
Thanks for the heads up on the kids club too! Hope my Dd will take advantage of that..

 

[rockundergirl]

I"m sure you will have a great trip, but be prepared to be nickel-ed and dimed! My boyfriend and I did a cruise with them last year. the cruise its self was not much money , but our on board expense's were insane! Every drink auto adds a tip of 20%! I'm used to giving a dollar a drink, but when the drinks are 15 each you end up paying 20 per drink, then they act like you stole food out of their babies mouths when you say you would rather just tip a dollar. Everything costs extra! bingo, the hot tubs, soda. Then they added 275 dollars to our stateroom bill for gratuities at the end , after we had been tipping our servers and housekeeping all week! When I disputed the charge, they made me sign a waiver saying that I believe i have received the "worst service possible" before they would wave the fee! Keep in mind this is after we tipped 10 dollars every dinner , 5 every lunch, and 10 dollars a day for housekeeping. But the food tasted good, the shows were good, and getting on and off the ship was hassle free.

 

[mjkacmom]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback!
Can anyone tell me about tips on dining? We are going during spring break and I am sure the ship will be packed. I read somewhere not to eat after a show. Does anyone remember the times of the big stage shows? Such as 6pm and 9pm.. Trying to figure it all out. Marcy, the hotel you booked did that allow you to go to Atlantis or just the hotels beach? We really would like to do the aquarium at Atlantis and thought it would be cheaper to do on our own but I hear if the hotel is full they stop selling tickets.
Thanks for the heads up on the kids club too! Hope my Dd will take advantage of that..

I don't know about eating times, but if you want to eat at the special restaurants, you will want to make reservations when you board. The hotel Marcy got a day pass at was the Hilton, no where near Atlantis. If you book a room at CS, however, you will be able to get into everything at Atlantis - the dig, the beaches, the waterslides (which are amazing).

A PP mentioned paying for hot tubs - I don't remember doing this, since they're by the pool? You do have to pay for soda (which we don't drink), and I loved the fact that they just figured out the tip for you, just one payment - very easy! And I thought all ships charged for bingo.

 

[Twende]

I"m sure you will have a great trip, but be prepared to be nickel-ed and dimed! My boyfriend and I did a cruise with them last year. the cruise its self was not much money , but our on board expense's were insane! Every drink auto adds a tip of 20%! I'm used to giving a dollar a drink, but when the drinks are 15 each you end up paying 20 per drink, then they act like you stole food out of their babies mouths when you say you would rather just tip a dollar. Everything costs extra! bingo, the hot tubs, soda. Then they added 275 dollars to our stateroom bill for gratuities at the end , after we had been tipping our servers and housekeeping all week! When I disputed the charge, they made me sign a waiver saying that I believe i have received the "worst service possible" before they would wave the fee! Keep in mind this is after we tipped 10 dollars every dinner , 5 every lunch, and 10 dollars a day for housekeeping. But the food tasted good, the shows were good, and getting on and off the ship was hassle free.

This was not our experience at all. The tips were preset and well announced when you booked. There was a per person fee that covered all the tips. We never had to tip anywhere again the entire trip.

Yes, alcohol is expensive but you can pay a fee to bring your own wine on board. There are other ways to handle this problem. See the cruise message boards about it. Our TA sent wine to our room so we did not have to even pay the corking fee. I think it was about $10.

We never paid a penny to use any of the hot tubs. The one on the bow was delightful!

Yes, BINGO was extra but I believe it is that way on all cruises.

We loved the freestyle dining. The food was very good to great and servers were almost all excellent.

 

[pearlieq]

I agree that NCL is very nickel-and-dimey. Every little thing has a surcharge and the gratuities are out of control and pushed somewhat aggressively.

However, freestyle dining is nice and the upfront cost of the cruise is quite low. So it might even out in the end, but having to shell out for everything irritates me. I prefer cruises to all-inclusive where I can just pay once, forget about money (for the most part) and eat 26 meals a day.

 

[marcyinPA]

I see some interesting perspectives about NCL nickle and diming. This was our first cruise, but everything I had read to prepare for it suggested that all cruises are pretty much like that. NCL has set tips $10 per person per day but this information is given to you when you book. Instead of tipping everyone individually, they just tack on one big tip at the end. Personally, I found this to be much easier! Our service was incredible too...our cabin stewards knew us by name after the first time they saw us! Our servers, although we never had the same one twice, went above and beyond. They were GREAT with our kids. It was a fantastically spoiling experience for them! They'd never had a server put a napkin on their lap before!

As for other fees...we spent many times in the hot tubs and never once paid a fee...so I have no idea what that comment was about. The kids clubs were free unless you used the after hours babysitting. There are "fee" restaurants, but you don't have to eat in them. There are plenty of other free options on board.

Bingo was insanely expensive, but that's on every cruise line. They sold raffle tickets before every show, but you didn't HAVE to buy them. The adult beverages were pricey, but you'd pay that on other ships too. Sodas are expensive, but we don't really drink them. We bought our boys a "smoothie ticket book" which they could use for smoothies and sodas. It was $30 something for 20 coupons. They shared those, and still didn't use them all. You can buy a soda card and it gives you unlimited soda on board. We just chose not to do this. (We did buy a couple of "helmets" of beer...I forget how many bottles you got, on ice, for not too much money)

Excursions are pricey, but that's on every cruise line too.

So I really can't see where NCL would nickel and dime more than another cruise line??

 

[rockundergirl]

I see some interesting perspectives about NCL nickle and diming. This was our first cruise, but everything I had read to prepare for it suggested that all cruises are pretty much like that. NCL has set tips $10 per person per day but this information is given to you when you book. Instead of tipping everyone individually, they just tack on one big tip at the end. Personally, I found this to be much easier! Our service was incredible too...our cabin stewards knew us by name after the first time they saw us! Our servers, although we never had the same one twice, went above and beyond. They were GREAT with our kids. It was a fantastically spoiling experience for them! They'd never had a server put a napkin on their lap before!

As for other fees...we spent many times in the hot tubs and never once paid a fee...so I have no idea what that comment was about. The kids clubs were free unless you used the after hours babysitting. There are "fee" restaurants, but you don't have to eat in them. There are plenty of other free options on board.

Bingo was insanely expensive, but that's on every cruise line. They sold raffle tickets before every show, but you didn't HAVE to buy them. The adult beverages were pricey, but you'd pay that on other ships too. Sodas are expensive, but we don't really drink them. We bought our boys a "smoothie ticket book" which they could use for smoothies and sodas. It was $30 something for 20 coupons. They shared those, and still didn't use them all. You can buy a soda card and it gives you unlimited soda on board. We just chose not to do this. (We did buy a couple of "helmets" of beer...I forget how many bottles you got, on ice, for not too much money)

Excursions are pricey, but that's on every cruise line too.

So I really can't see where NCL would nickel and dime more than another cruise line??

I should clarify when i said "hot tub" i meant the really nice ones indoors by the spa, not the ones on deck by the pool, I'm sorry i should have been more specific. The ship i was one had a beatiful indoor hot tub/ suana / lounge area that was an extra 240 if you wanted to use it for the week. I guess my problem is I called to book and I don't feel like I was told in advance about the fee. So we went through the week being generous and tipping at each meal and leaving money out each night for housekeeping. Only to be treated like we are scum bags at the end of the trip when i explained we had been tipping all week and did not want to tip an additional x dollars a day. Also we on many occasions felt tricked by money making tactics.
For example after being on board for 10 min, we went to the top deck to find a spot to sit while the ship took off, A guy handed use a each a filled glass of champagne and said Welcome to the Norwegian dawn, we said " oh thank you " each took a sip and then he asked for payment ! lol. Each glass was 10 dollars ! with 20% tip. It wasn't just us because we talked about it with another couple about 15 min later still on the deck, they got the same impression.

 

[Byron13]

If you pay the soda package how to they add the tips to your final bill? Do they swipe your card every time you use it, so they know how much to tip?

 

[mjkacmom]

If you pay the soda package how to they add the tips to your final bill? Do they swipe your card every time you use it, so they know how much to tip?

The soda package is for getting soda outside the restaurants - it comes with your meal. And it's a flat fee for meals, not based on if you paid for the more expensive restaurants - everyone pays the same.

 

[mjkacmom]

I should clarify when i said "hot tub" i meant the really nice ones indoors by the spa, not the ones on deck by the pool, I'm sorry i should have been more specific. The ship i was one had a beatiful indoor hot tub/ suana / lounge area that was an extra 240 if you wanted to use it for the week. I guess my problem is I called to book and I don't feel like I was told in advance about the fee. So we went through the week being generous and tipping at each meal and leaving money out each night for housekeeping. Only to be treated like we are scum bags at the end of the trip when i explained we had been tipping all week and did not want to tip an additional x dollars a day. Also we on many occasions felt tricked by money making tactics.
For example after being on board for 10 min, we went to the top deck to find a spot to sit while the ship took off, A guy handed use a each a filled glass of champagne and said Welcome to the Norwegian dawn, we said " oh thank you " each took a sip and then he asked for payment ! lol. Each glass was 10 dollars ! with 20% tip. It wasn't just us because we talked about it with another couple about 15 min later still on the deck, they got the same impression.

I'm sorry you had that experience, but one of NCL, besides freestyle dining, is the fact that you don't have to worry about tips - they take care of it for you.

 

[marcyinPA]

I should clarify when i said "hot tub" i meant the really nice ones indoors by the spa, not the ones on deck by the pool, I'm sorry i should have been more specific. The ship i was one had a beatiful indoor hot tub/ suana / lounge area that was an extra 240 if you wanted to use it for the week. I guess my problem is I called to book and I don't feel like I was told in advance about the fee. So we went through the week being generous and tipping at each meal and leaving money out each night for housekeeping. Only to be treated like we are scum bags at the end of the trip when i explained we had been tipping all week and did not want to tip an additional x dollars a day. Also we on many occasions felt tricked by money making tactics.
For example after being on board for 10 min, we went to the top deck to find a spot to sit while the ship took off, A guy handed use a each a filled glass of champagne and said Welcome to the Norwegian dawn, we said " oh thank you " each took a sip and then he asked for payment ! lol. Each glass was 10 dollars ! with 20% tip. It wasn't just us because we talked about it with another couple about 15 min later still on the deck, they got the same impression.

I'm sorry about the tipping confusion...that's too bad.
I knew in advance from researching that the spa had extra fees. I didn't even bother to go there.
And I'm curious as to when you sailed, because when we sailed on the Spirit two years ago, there were servers all over the place when we boarded (first day) with complimentary champagne and mimosas. In fact, I had two glasses (from different servers) and never tipped or paid a dime (and it wasn't expected either.)

 

[marcyinPA]

If you pay the soda package how to they add the tips to your final bill? Do they swipe your card every time you use it, so they know how much to tip?

I'm pretty sure that when you buy the soda card, the tip is figured in. I know that we bought those smoothie coupons (they actually sell those as a "teen" perk, but anyone can use them), we didn't tip on top of the coupon. My DS's just ordered and then handed over the coupon to the bartender.