Has anyone been on a Norweigan Cruise? My Husband and I are looking to go in December to Mexico - and I am wondering if anyone has ever been on one of their cruises - did you like it?
2007-09-26 07:13:35 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ Cruise Travel
Yes, have been on about 8 Norwegian cruises and yes we did their Mexican Rivera cruise on the Norwegian Star in October 2004. It was a great cruise except that we missed one port stop because of bad weather. I liked the ship just fine, especially being able to sit on the back and watch the ocean go by and enjoy the barBque they had set up for us.
Our cruise did stop at Cabo, St Lucus and I loved it there. We did a tour of the city and to a tequila factory. The factory wasn't that big a deal, but the free samples were.
Then we stopped in Acapulco, did the tour of the city that included the cliff divers. That was good. And our other stop was Puerta Vallarta. It was OK but I thought a little over rated, gets press because it has celebrity status.
Anyway, the cruise and ship was good. The only thing I do not like about NCL cruises is their freestyle cruising, which basically means that you do not have to select a time to go to dinner but go when you want to. That can on some days lead to lines of folks waiting to get a table. That happens most often on the "at sea" days when there are no port stops.
2007-09-26 08:38:06 · answer #1 · answered by TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I went on the Norwegian Spirit out of New York to Bermuda, St. Thomas, and Tortola on June 2. I have also been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Clebrity Cruises so i have a lot to compare it to. Normally I go on cruises with my parents and do the whole family thing. I think if i had done this I wouldnt have liked NCL as much because the dining has to be planned in advance and if you arent careful you might get stuck waiting. This year however i went with my girlfriend and a couple of friends so it was alittle more laid back and relaxing. Under these circumstances the cruise was amazing. We tried going ot a couple of late dinner, but ultimately decided that if we go to earlier dinners we would have more time to do things afterwards (and also we could get free room service at midnight if we wanted). We were able to go to dinner right when the restaurants opened at 530 and still had time to see the show, go in the hot tub, and do everything else, so this worked out best for us. The specialty restaurants are great, but dont be fooled into thinking you have to try them. My favorite was the Windows restaurant which is at the back of the ship and over looks 3 multi-story windows looking at the back of the ship (this one was free and had a different set menu every night like a normal cruise dinner). The ship itself was very nice and compared to the other lines it was more of a family relaxed cruise line not the super elegant and fancy that you will see on Celebrity. Bottom line is that Norwegian is different, very different because the dining is such a huge part of a cruise, but this cruise WILL be as good as YOU make it. If you dont mind waiting in line for 3 minutes for dinner, are open to new ideas, enjoy a slightly different experience, etc....then you will LOVE IT!
Food, shows, pool areas, and everything else was just like any other cruise.
2007-09-27 02:18:54 · answer #2 · answered by njdevil 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have been on the Norwegian Spirit to the North Cape and the Norwegian Dream to the Baltic Capitals. Both cruises were fantastic. The ships were well maintained and in good condition. The crew on both were great, really helpful and couldn't do enough for you. The ship tours were expensive, but no more so that other cruise lines.
You will have a great time.
Have a look at the link.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107
Talk to people going on your cruise, ask anything you want to know, the members of the forum are really helpful.
2007-09-27 10:10:33 · answer #3 · answered by Lew 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I went on a NCL Hawaii cruise last year. Many people complain about the freestyle dining, but I liked it! The key is this: as soon as you get on the ship, make your reservations at all the nicer restaurants on the ship, for the week. That way you will be sure to get a decent reservation, all week long. I loved the food!
We cruised the Hawaiian islands. It was beautiful. They even took us past a live volcano one night; breathtaking!
The staff was always very nice, as well.
2007-09-28 11:57:17 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
HAL is definitely more upscale than both Carnival and NCL - several steps up. Several people have praised NCL's freestyle dining and for some people, it has real advantages. What hasn't been mentioned is the fact that HAL now offers BOTH traditional dining (early or late seating with assigned tables) and open seating dining - the best of both worlds. If you want to do something SPECIAL for a honeymoon - choose Holland America and enjoy exceptional service, more spacious ships, and gourmet dining. HAL also has extraordinary land tours of Alaska that allow you to see more than just the coast. If you are going to go that far, see what Alaska is all about.
2016-05-19 01:19:53 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I took the Norwegian Star to the Mexican Riviera in October 2005. I liked it. However, Norwegian's Freestyle method of dining is very different from the traditional dining that I am used to (notice I said different - I did not say better or worse). You can read my review of this trip by clicking on the link below. The review is about 19 type written pages long ...
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=13327
2007-09-26 08:45:09 · answer #6 · answered by Zef H 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I have been on NCL and did not like it at all. The food was horrible. The Free Style dining was terrible - you can't meet anybody. The staff was rude also. We went to Alaska on the STAR in May. I would never sail NCL again.
2007-09-26 08:43:37 · answer #7 · answered by kimmer727 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It all boils down to your attitude and your expectations. If you expect that the whole experience will be fantastic, you will make your vacation something special.
ncl.com
2007-09-26 15:26:30 · answer #8 · answered by Tivogal 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yea i've been on the norwegian wind and it was fantastic!
on which ship will you go?
have fun!
2007-09-26 08:31:16 · answer #9 · answered by yawm_pride 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋