Ships don’t dock at Great Stirrup Cay, it’s a tender port. Bringing your own towel is just a waste of luggage space. There is no charge to use towels or bringing them ashore with you. You would only be charged if the towels weren’t returned. No need for European adapters. Specialty restaurants do have a dress code, but it’s pretty casual.
Very comprehensive video. One update: I was on the Norwegian Dawn last month, January 2023. The state room outlets are mostly US-based. So I did not even have to pull out my adapters. Also, breakfast room service which I used quite a bit was only $4.95 for the service fee. Otherwise great video.😎
@ethancanin take a screenshot from broker account, block out the account number and they'll apply it to your cruise. They applied it to mines within 5 day's. You go to your cruise and you'll see free onboard credit.
@gwilli3272 I just became a stockholder. I have cruised with them for year's, so it does not. Also, every major cruiseline does the same thing. I own carnval and royal. So, if I do sail with them, I get free credits.
Whenever these cruise line specific vlogs are posted it always brings out the haters who watch for them so they can vent and keep their bitterness going. NCL isn’t perfect, no line is. Book through an experienced cruise agent for starts. If things really go south, they should be able to help with some resolution. All in all, I’ve found NCL very accommodating and helpful to me. One last tip……wait to eat dinner at 7:30-8pm when the crowds have died down…..so much better!
Thanks for your suggestions. However, I would never bring my own beach towel on a Norwegian cruise. Pool towels are readily available for beach excursions and they take up easy to much luggage space!
@@GODSWORD11 Interesting. Never thought telling someone to hush instead of addressing a valid point was spreading God's word. Learn something new every day.
This is an excellent video, especially for a relatively new Norwegian cruiser like myself. It might be much too much info for a first-timer, yet I was able to relate to everything you said. So far, after three cruises, I haven’t had to show my cabin card to get a towel, but, I have only cruised NCL’s smaller ships which might be a factor. That said, I am hoping people are honorable and return their towels before disembarkation day. Again however, great job with this vlog. The ships you included wow’d me for sure!! lol, hey, I just got my NCL credit card and own over 100 shares of the stock. Benefits pile up!
Breakfast can also be available in one of the smaller main dining rooms on disembarkation day. On the Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships, O'Sheehans or the Local have a menu available around the clock. There are no set dining times. Just show up as it's first come, first served. You can however make reservations for any of the main dining rooms or specialty restaurants if you want specific times. Show up early for any of the entertainment at the smaller venues as they fill up quick (karaoke, live bands, comedians, live bands, etc). If you are a solo traveler, you do not have to stay in the studio section, Regardless of what type of cabin you are in, you can join any of the solo activities. There will be a solo director specifically assigned to facilitate any solo group activities or meals.
On the dress code, yes, NCL is much more relaxed than other cruise lines. However, there is some dress code for specialty dining. Generally, pants, rather than shorts, are required in specialty dining (especially Le Bistro), and sometimes in MDR. Sure, probably not a problem for most people, but if you're on a Caribbean cruise and it's your first cruise, you may not plan on bringing pants and instead wearing only shorts.
Most cruise itineraries come with the Free at Sea package which offers the standard drinks package (unlimited alcoholic drinks $15 and under, but you have to pay the flat rate gratuities), partially paid excursions, one to two free specialty dining, potentially free wifi, and free 2nd person airfare. Not all are offered all the time and it is dependent on room type and the number of cruises you've taken with NCL, but minimum you will get the free standard drinks package (minimum age 21) and at least one specialty dining.
problem is it's free at sea. in port there are drink taxes, and they aint cheap. they do not stop at the great stirrup cay only on rare occasions, cancel your excursion due to bad seas on a beautiful sunny 80 degree day. the second guest airfare is a joke. they fly you into Ft Lauderdale and force you to pay 100.00 to get to port miami, then fly you out of port miami at midnight the debarkation day.
Frequent NCL cruiser with two tips ; Number 1 go Haven or stay home. Number 2 I just got off the Prima transatlantic and could not book the Azore Island excursion tour because it was sold out. The Haven Consigniers told me off the record that at the dock there would be tour taxis at the dock for half the price. He was wrong. The NCL bus tour cost was $260.00 for two pepple. The taxi tour cost was $ 80.00 for two and the driver took us to all the places the NCL bus tour visited plus 6 more locations that the NCL tour didnt visit. For 1/3rd the price. Friends that did use the NCL tour were herded on buses and given 5 minutes at each stop to see thd sights. Our taxi tour allowed us unlimited time to see each location.
In my very little experience I have noticed that booking excursions thru the app are much more expensive than doing it on your own. I think the price is escalated because they arrange the trip for you and they have vetted their excursion partners.
We paid NCL $500 for insurance in case anything happen to our trip. We were at the NZ airport when the weather went bad. 14 inches of rain fell that day. The airport was closed. We had to spend the night in the airport because they wouldn't let anybody leave. The next day we were threatened with jail time by the airport if we didn't leave so we left. NZ air offered no help. We arranged a hotel for two day hoping we would get help by any of the parties involved with no luck. We ended up staying for 5 day thinking we would be covered by the insurance that we purchased through NCL. The extra 5 days cost us $3k + $1400 to purchase new tickets through NZ air. We ended up with a $500 per person compensation for $1000 total and nothing from NZ air. Do NOT sail NCL. They hold no responsibility for anything that may go wrong and LIE about any kind of service they may have to provide. In the end it cost us $3400 for something that was not our fault. DON'T buy insurance it's a SCAM. Corporate Slobs.
Hey I have a question when the other guests in the room download the app did they use the same email and password as the main guest or do they make a new one
I usually go solo. Just book whichever is the lowest number available, whether 2, 4, or 6. When you arrive solo it is absolutely no big deal. Honestly, your server will be happy.
Wait was everyone’s experience on NCL really that bad? I am concerned for my friend now, who will be sailing Encore later this year! Any suggestions or tips that I can give to make sure embarkation and reservations for complimentary dining and booking shows easier? Any advice will help!
Cruised 5/21-5/28 the joy to NYC-Bermuda the cruise was a terrible experience completely disorganized and pourly run. Its been 5 months and they still owe us 3,500$ in refunds from group deposites and booking credits. From the very start the boarding experience was chaos. Just mobs of people being told the wrong information over and over. People being yelled at by staff for doing things other staff members told them to do. No organized line systems or anything. The food was not good at all. One of the main reasons we book Norwegian. The food at the buffet was mostly over cooked or mushy, a few people even got sick from the buffet. The main restaurants were not much better and only open form 12-1:30 for lunch. The specialty dinning was never available due to the fact people were making multiple reservations for the same day and then canceling the ones they don't want last minute. No regulation at all. We were never able to book things as a group. The one dinner we were able to book ahead of time, when we showed up they didn't know anything about our reservation. They told us we could only sit in tables of 8 and there were clearly other groups with tables of 12. All the tables were suppose to be together but they were separated by massive pillars and walls completely isolating 3 of the tables all together. The laser tag was only open for 2 hours per day and weather permitting. When I tried to book the group they said they needed the room number and the fact that I booked as a group didnt mean anything. I explained I was the group leader and asked for a list of the rooms in my group and they told me thats private information. They said they couldn't accommodate us at the go karts either. But doesn't seem like we missed out sine an electric shopping cart moves faster. The entertainment was really bad. Footloose felt like a high-school production. Most people were falling asleep or walking out after 20 minutes. They messed up several people's reservations in my group and kept sending them to talk to different people but no one ended up helping them. Several people told me I was gonna have a butler and when I went to set it up I was basically laughed at and told I only get a concierge. The "Concierge" that I was assigned was barley available and when they were they would direct me to talk to someone else. I talked to so many long time Norwegian cruisers and they said it was hands down the worst cruise they have ever been on. Some of them have been on more than 30 cruises. Even the staff was apologizing for how crappy it was. This was our wedding cruise. I am so embarrassed. I told all my people how great and fun it was going to be. I told the how great the food was going to be. I told them how great the entertainment was going to be. I told them all the stuff I was told and it was a lie. The ship was not intended to be a family cruise ship. Nor was is designed for that level of open water. The ride was so turbulent. It was designed to be a gambling boat. It is nothing more than a slightly refurbished casino boat with a few pourly thought out and designed "family fun features". We really feel scamed, cheated and lied to about this cruise it was definitely not as advertised. And we are not the only ones there are thousands of people on social media with similar or worse complaints.
Wow! That is an absolutely terrible experience!!! NCL is routinely ranked at the top for passenger experience, which is what you no doubt expected. I’d all of those things you mentioned happened to me I would feel the same. Thankfully, except for the occasional mushy food 😂 I haven’t experienced anything like your experience. Whether you choose NCL again or not, don’t give up on cruising. It’s great. And, congratulations on your marriage!!
BEWARE-NCL has really gone downhill!!! Customer service is extremely poor. They don't worn you that if you are using your passport, your name has to be registered the same as on your passport. They made all kinds of mistakes on our group's registrations. Females as "Mr". Names were wrong and/or spelled wrong-Laura as "Lura" "John" for Keith and the list goes on. They will charge $150 for each change that needs to be made on your registration. We were charged $1,200 for all the changes from their mistakes we needed to make. They advertise entertainment that doesn't exist. The nickel and diming is outrageous. I received an airfare deal through NCL so they booked my flights. That's another horror story. You can see other reviews here with the same problems. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NCL charges extra for everything. They were even testing charging $5 to play mini golf!!! Most expensive non luxury line gratuities, testing same MDR menu every night to push you into spending more $ on specially dining, if they miss a port they don't refund your port fees and taxes automatically nor your leftover balance on your card. You have to go to GS and stand in line and ask for the refund, or they just keep it SURPRISE!! And they reduced the salary of certain employees all in the name of PROFITS 📈 There's only 1 tip you'll ever need for NCL. NEVER BOOK NCL!!!
The biggest trick when dealing with NCL is to re-book on a better cruise line. Thanks, I said it. I felt like I was on a floating trailer park. Not for me.
Make this video 30 seconds. USE ANOTHER CRUISE LINE! Like we were cruising with gangsters and bullies and less intelligent individuals. Between the attempted stabbing in the KIDS ARCADE and the several passengers thrown into the brig for drunkenness and an adult (19 years old) "playing" with kids 11 years old and up.
![Twenty One Pilots - The Line (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XCz7WUotXs8/mqdefault.jpg)
We've only cruised on their smaller, older ships, but have enjoyed it every time. No issues at all.
Ships don’t dock at Great Stirrup Cay, it’s a tender port. Bringing your own towel is just a waste of luggage space. There is no charge to use towels or bringing them ashore with you. You would only be charged if the towels weren’t returned. No need for European adapters. Specialty restaurants do have a dress code, but it’s pretty casual.
Very comprehensive video. One update: I was on the Norwegian Dawn last month, January 2023. The state room outlets are mostly US-based. So I did not even have to pull out my adapters. Also, breakfast room service which I used quite a bit was only $4.95 for the service fee. Otherwise great video.😎
$4.95 for breakfast and $9.95 for lunch/dinner/late night deliveries. I just got off the NCL Breakaway and noticed that breakfast was less expensive.
Good to know
I only cruise ncl. When you buy ncl stocks, you get double points and free online credits. Great video
Where do you register that you own shares in order to benefit?
@ethancanin take a screenshot from broker account, block out the account number and they'll apply it to your cruise. They applied it to mines within 5 day's. You go to your cruise and you'll see free onboard credit.
you're a stock holder, your review means completely squat. NCL should not be allowed to operate.
@gwilli3272 I just became a stockholder. I have cruised with them for year's, so it does not. Also, every major cruiseline does the same thing. I own carnval and royal. So, if I do sail with them, I get free credits.
😂@@MeetTheSLAYER
Awesome tips, greatly informative and appreciated. My tip to everyone is just have fun. Keep it simple.
Whenever these cruise line specific vlogs are posted it always brings out the haters who watch for them so they can vent and keep their bitterness going. NCL isn’t perfect, no line is. Book through an experienced cruise agent for starts. If things really go south, they should be able to help with some resolution. All in all, I’ve found NCL very accommodating and helpful to me. One last tip……wait to eat dinner at 7:30-8pm when the crowds have died down…..so much better!
Thanks for your suggestions. However, I would never bring my own beach towel on a Norwegian cruise. Pool towels are readily available for beach excursions and they take up easy to much luggage space!
False information son
@@GODSWORD11 Some explanation of what's incorrect would be much more helpful. Just saying "you're wrong" doesn't help people new to cruises/NCL.
@@cermus hush 🤫 son
@@GODSWORD11 Interesting. Never thought telling someone to hush instead of addressing a valid point was spreading God's word. Learn something new every day.
@@cermus now you know, cupcake..
This is an excellent video, especially for a relatively new Norwegian cruiser like myself. It might be much too much info for a first-timer, yet I was able to relate to everything you said.
So far, after three cruises, I haven’t had to show my cabin card to get a towel, but, I have only cruised NCL’s smaller ships which might be a factor. That said, I am hoping people are honorable and return their towels before disembarkation day.
Again however, great job with this vlog. The ships you included wow’d me for sure!! lol, hey, I just got my NCL credit card and own over 100 shares of the stock. Benefits pile up!
Breakfast can also be available in one of the smaller main dining rooms on disembarkation day.
On the Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships, O'Sheehans or the Local have a menu available around the clock.
There are no set dining times. Just show up as it's first come, first served. You can however make reservations for any of the main dining rooms or specialty restaurants if you want specific times.
Show up early for any of the entertainment at the smaller venues as they fill up quick (karaoke, live bands, comedians, live bands, etc).
If you are a solo traveler, you do not have to stay in the studio section, Regardless of what type of cabin you are in, you can join any of the solo activities. There will be a solo director specifically assigned to facilitate any solo group activities or meals.
O'Sheehans was also open on Norwegian Pearl on disemparkation day.
Good tips going on the viva in August only because of the itinerary never knew it was the latest ship until later
In New Orleans arrive an Hour early as passage from parking to customs is difficult and takes time.
On the dress code, yes, NCL is much more relaxed than other cruise lines. However, there is some dress code for specialty dining. Generally, pants, rather than shorts, are required in specialty dining (especially Le Bistro), and sometimes in MDR. Sure, probably not a problem for most people, but if you're on a Caribbean cruise and it's your first cruise, you may not plan on bringing pants and instead wearing only shorts.
Very nice video…..informative….thank you…..💕
Great video. 1st NCL trip since 2007 on Majesty. This time on the Bliss 09/30 out of Seattle to Glacier Bay
Most cruise itineraries come with the Free at Sea package which offers the standard drinks package (unlimited alcoholic drinks $15 and under, but you have to pay the flat rate gratuities), partially paid excursions, one to two free specialty dining, potentially free wifi, and free 2nd person airfare.
Not all are offered all the time and it is dependent on room type and the number of cruises you've taken with NCL, but minimum you will get the free standard drinks package (minimum age 21) and at least one specialty dining.
problem is it's free at sea. in port there are drink taxes, and they aint cheap. they do not stop at the great stirrup cay only on rare occasions, cancel your excursion due to bad seas on a beautiful sunny 80 degree day. the second guest airfare is a joke. they fly you into Ft Lauderdale and force you to pay 100.00 to get to port miami, then fly you out of port miami at midnight the debarkation day.
@@kenschneider2100false information
Was on the Joy, 6/4……everything was free, COVID included!
Frequent NCL cruiser with two tips ;
Number 1 go Haven or stay home.
Number 2 I just got off the Prima transatlantic and could not book the Azore Island excursion tour because it was sold out. The Haven Consigniers told me off the record that at the dock there would be tour taxis at the dock for half the price. He was wrong. The NCL bus tour cost was $260.00 for two pepple. The taxi tour cost was $ 80.00 for two and the driver took us to all the places the NCL bus tour visited plus 6 more locations that the NCL tour didnt visit. For 1/3rd the price.
Friends that did use the NCL tour were herded on buses and given 5 minutes at each stop to see thd sights. Our taxi tour allowed us unlimited time to see each location.
In my very little experience I have noticed that booking excursions thru the app are much more expensive than doing it on your own. I think the price is escalated because they arrange the trip for you and they have vetted their excursion partners.
Great video! 🛳️💕
We paid NCL $500 for insurance in case anything happen to our trip. We were at the NZ airport when the weather went bad. 14 inches of rain fell that day. The airport was closed. We had to spend the night in the airport because they wouldn't let anybody leave. The next day we were threatened with jail time by the airport if we didn't leave so we left. NZ air offered no help. We arranged a hotel for two day hoping we would get help by any of the parties involved with no luck. We ended up staying for 5 day thinking we would be covered by the insurance that we purchased through NCL. The extra 5 days cost us $3k + $1400 to purchase new tickets through NZ air. We ended up with a $500 per person compensation for $1000 total and nothing from NZ air. Do NOT sail NCL. They hold no responsibility for anything that may go wrong and LIE about any kind of service they may have to provide. In the end it cost us $3400 for something that was not our fault. DON'T buy insurance it's a SCAM. Corporate Slobs.
Everyone already knows insurance is a scam .... Everyone except you ... Also, only a FOOL would let a cruise-line book a flight for them
I buy third party insurance through like Allianz. They cover more than just the cruise. I never use the cruise lines.
Hey I have a question when the other guests in the room download the app did they use the same email and password as the main guest or do they make a new one
Disagree about your own towel. When it gets wet or dirty, what do you do with it? Ship towels you turn in and get a fresh clean one!
Shake the sand off. Hang it on the bathroom line to dry. Don’t fret about a bit of dirt.
I will going Solo if I go and I am wondering how you book Specialty Dining?
I usually go solo. Just book whichever is the lowest number available, whether 2, 4, or 6. When you arrive solo it is absolutely no big deal. Honestly, your server will be happy.
thanks for this answer!
How do you communicate with other guests do you have the ability to call or txt.
DISEMBARCATION? just got off the epic ....had green tags on luggage....FOUND THEM IN RED BAGS!
Very informative
A great video
Thank you!
Wait was everyone’s experience on NCL really that bad? I am concerned for my friend now, who will be sailing Encore later this year! Any suggestions or tips that I can give to make sure embarkation and reservations for complimentary dining and booking shows easier? Any advice will help!
my husband and I travel ncl every year... it's wonderful... we love it... st. Thomas this year....
On line check in .
Dose they has a all white... night, like bthe msc
They call it something else now, like glow night I think. you know, saying all white anymore can lead to problems.
Thank you
There is a rental cost for towels?? WHAT??
It prevents towels being stolen or lost. No charge, but a refundable deposit.
is it allowed to pee and poo in the cabin corridors?
Unless you get Free up grade don’t spend the xtra money you will loose you choice of room.
Cruised 5/21-5/28 the joy to NYC-Bermuda the cruise was a terrible experience completely disorganized and pourly run. Its been 5 months and they still owe us 3,500$ in refunds from group deposites and booking credits. From the very start the boarding experience was chaos. Just mobs of people being told the wrong information over and over. People being yelled at by staff for doing things other staff members told them to do. No organized line systems or anything. The food was not good at all. One of the main reasons we book Norwegian. The food at the buffet was mostly over cooked or mushy, a few people even got sick from the buffet. The main restaurants were not much better and only open form 12-1:30 for lunch. The specialty dinning was never available due to the fact people were making multiple reservations for the same day and then canceling the ones they don't want last minute. No regulation at all. We were never able to book things as a group. The one dinner we were able to book ahead of time, when we showed up they didn't know anything about our reservation. They told us we could only sit in tables of 8 and there were clearly other groups with tables of 12. All the tables were suppose to be together but they were separated by massive pillars and walls completely isolating 3 of the tables all together. The laser tag was only open for 2 hours per day and weather permitting. When I tried to book the group they said they needed the room number and the fact that I booked as a group didnt mean anything. I explained I was the group leader and asked for a list of the rooms in my group and they told me thats private information. They said they couldn't accommodate us at the go karts either. But doesn't seem like we missed out sine an electric shopping cart moves faster. The entertainment was really bad. Footloose felt like a high-school production. Most people were falling asleep or walking out after 20 minutes. They messed up several people's reservations in my group and kept sending them to talk to different people but no one ended up helping them. Several people told me I was gonna have a butler and when I went to set it up I was basically laughed at and told I only get a concierge. The "Concierge" that I was assigned was barley available and when they were they would direct me to talk to someone else. I talked to so many long time Norwegian cruisers and they said it was hands down the worst cruise they have ever been on. Some of them have been on more than 30 cruises. Even the staff was apologizing for how crappy it was. This was our wedding cruise. I am so embarrassed. I told all my people how great and fun it was going to be. I told the how great the food was going to be. I told them how great the entertainment was going to be. I told them all the stuff I was told and it was a lie. The ship was not intended to be a family cruise ship. Nor was is designed for that level of open water. The ride was so turbulent. It was designed to be a gambling boat. It is nothing more than a slightly refurbished casino boat with a few pourly thought out and designed "family fun features". We really feel scamed, cheated and lied to about this cruise it was definitely not as advertised. And we are not the only ones there are thousands of people on social media with similar or worse complaints.
Wow! That is an absolutely terrible experience!!! NCL is routinely ranked at the top for passenger experience, which is what you no doubt expected. I’d all of those things you mentioned happened to me I would feel the same. Thankfully, except for the occasional mushy food 😂 I haven’t experienced anything like your experience. Whether you choose NCL again or not, don’t give up on cruising. It’s great. And, congratulations on your marriage!!
Been own ncl it was great. Don't believe a word of this.@@nowakezoneforever6021
Must be a pimp for NCL, I just got back from Alaska cruise, what are they not telling you, cost, cost, cost, extra.
Where did you have these extra costs?
Obvious
BEWARE-NCL has really gone downhill!!! Customer service is extremely poor. They don't worn you that if you are using your passport, your name has to be registered the same as on your passport. They made all kinds of mistakes on our group's registrations. Females as "Mr". Names were wrong and/or spelled wrong-Laura as "Lura" "John" for Keith and the list goes on. They will charge $150 for each change that needs to be made on your registration. We were charged $1,200 for all the changes from their mistakes we needed to make. They advertise entertainment that doesn't exist. The nickel and diming is outrageous.
I received an airfare deal through NCL so they booked my flights. That's another horror story. You can see other reviews here with the same problems.
NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t skip school kids. I’m _warning_ you.
If you need to be told that passports and names need to match, you must be simple!
Get out of here with your sarcasm. Most people don't use their middle name all the time.
A good idea is to use a Travel agent. Seriously ... Things like you mention are double and triple checked before the cruise. :-)
Keep your wallet out w/ NCL because they’ll charge extra for everything.
Most cruises do
It appears that way yeah..
NCL charges extra for everything. They were even testing charging $5 to play mini golf!!! Most expensive non luxury line gratuities, testing same MDR menu every night to push you into spending more $ on specially dining, if they miss a port they don't refund your port fees and taxes automatically nor your leftover balance on your card. You have to go to GS and stand in line and ask for the refund, or they just keep it SURPRISE!! And they reduced the salary of certain employees all in the name of PROFITS 📈 There's only 1 tip you'll ever need for NCL. NEVER BOOK NCL!!!
Agree total ripoff. never again.
@@kenschneider2100 👍👏
Gosh , I wish I saw this a few hours ago! 😢
Don’t listen to this just go and relax and enjoy yourself
😮W
The biggest trick when dealing with NCL is to re-book on a better cruise line. Thanks, I said it. I felt like I was on a floating trailer park. Not for me.
I completely agree. This past week was horrendous and we will never use NCL again
Oh gosh! 🤦🏼♂️
What ship did you go on.
@@decade19761which ship were you on?
@@AccordingToRobin we were on 2 separate cruises. 1 was the Breakaway in 2020. 1 was the Gem. That was the worst
A lot of really good information was available in this video. Two thumbs up.
Make this video 30 seconds. USE ANOTHER CRUISE LINE!
Like we were cruising with gangsters and bullies and less intelligent individuals. Between the attempted stabbing in the KIDS ARCADE and the several passengers thrown into the brig for drunkenness and an adult (19 years old) "playing" with kids 11 years old and up.
you musta went on carnival... you get what you pay for...
@scadutostudios1347 this was Norwegian. Never again
@@decade19761which cruise ship