r/NCL

Background

I'm a 54M solo traveler, and this was my first ever cruise. I'm also a bit of an introvert, fwiw.

Itinerary

Western Caribbean out of New Orleans: Cozumel > Roatan > Harvest Caye > Costa MayaWe had ~4500 passengers on this sailing + 1600 crew.

Boarding / First Impressions

These ships are big! Really impressive walking up Julia and thinking I saw the top of the ship above the outlet mall, realizing that much of the building I thought I saw was the top half of the ship.

I stayed in the warehouse district; easy enough walk to terminal for me - dropped bags early with a porter and went into the outlet to get beignets at Du Monde - little bit of a line, but I did the thing.

My boarding time was 1130a (I checked in the minute check-in opened), and by the time I walked into the terminal just after 11, they called all passengers - got my room key and stepped on board within about 10 minutes door to door. Easy peasy. Muster took just a few minutes, then we were free to explore.

Layout

For me, a bit overwhelming learning to get my bearings, but eventually I kind of worked out where everything was. I bought these little Escape deck guides but never used them. One weird wrinkle I learned was at the larger elevator banks there are separate call buttons, though I avoided elevators as much as possible. Definitely got in my steps!

678 Ocean Place felt like a good anchoring spot for me for navigating - I spent a lot of time on deck 8 and The Waterfront (easier to get fore/aft out there than through crowds inside).

I kind of wish there was another pool option, though it was a adequate. Most people would just lounge anyway - I don't mind cigarette smoke much, but it felt very weird to have a smoking bar/section directly over the pool area.

Over the week I kept "discovering" new parts of the ship that I might've enjoyed had I know about them earlier. That's on me, but also kind of speaks to maybe not having adequate orientation. For example, it took me several days to realize the "starbucks" was the Atrium Cafe.

Cabin (Solo)

I did one of the 95 sq ft solo cabins and it was perfectly fine for me. I did find myself longing for a balcony, but it had everything I needed - I did bring some magnetic hooks and that was helpful - wish I brought a collapsible hamper, and it would be nice to have a drawer or another clothing shelf, but I'm nitpicking.

I barely used the solo lounge; almost nobody was in there, and the coffee machine wasn't operating normally, so that wasn't the morning luxury I hoped for. Snack options weren't great either tbh - some grab and go fresh fruit would have been nice; I noticed the pound cake/cookies sat out for quite a long while.

Maybe my timing was off, but it wasn't clear about any kind of solo meetup times, and consequently I never visited one.

Entertainment / Spaces

Welcome aboard was kind of fun, but not exactly for me.
Choir of Man is as advertised; it was great
The Rumours show was also very good
(Both were in the main theater, and to a full house)

I never made it into Syd Normans, but it was packed/standing room many evenings. They had an overflow video feed on the waterfront outside which was also packed.

Atrium seemed to always have something going on; game shows, sushi making demo, informational seminar stuff, etc

Supper Club was booked up solid, so I missed on that.

I received a printed Freestyle Daily every evening for the upcoming day, and frankly the amount of stuff going on was overwhelming.

Dining / Food

Everyone's mileage is going to vary here greatly, and frankly I think even the timing of your visit to a particular spot would impact quality/experience too. Overall though, I was more than satisfied.

Buffet: Didn't visit much; literally learned it had a water fill station on my last sea day (was under the impression they were easy to find elsewhere on board but I never saw another). Took me a couple days to realize there was an omelette station, so that made buffet nicer - never visited after breakfast hours.

American Diner: Basically what you'd expect, though they had a couple options that were nice; the carrot cake was surprisingly good.

O'Sheehans: Open always and busy much of the time - only had an omelette once, and late night nachos; both totally decent.

Taste/Savor: These were okay for me; I only visited twice and both times (once for breakfast, once for lunch) were definitely nicer and better food than the buffet, but not particularly notable imo.

Manhattan Room: It has a much grander/nicer feel overall for me and the service was also a step up from T+S imo. Food was a little better, but kind of mixed; the fish mains were meh, and seasoning in general needed a kick imo but it's probably a huge challenge to meet everyone's palate on board. Having live music some evening was a nice addition.

Food Republic: Actually really good - not sure why it surprised me, but it did - sushi rolls were great, I had a really nice thai steak+noodle salad too. Also sat at the window and saw a flying fish, so I got a free show out of it. :-)

Cagneys: I got the filet - good temp, tender. Kind of sad plating; literally just a 5oz filet and sauce on a plate; sides on the side - I got truffle mashed potatoes and mushrooms - all good, but other than the service (which was good), it was kind of an average steakhouse visit for me.

Le Bistro: Very decent french spot; tartare could've used a bit more seasoning, but the lamb dish was nice. Cheese plate as desert went heavy on the cheese (yay!) but was a bit out of balance with the accoutrement ;) - I wasn't wowed, but it did feel special.

La Cucina: I surprisingly had my favorite meal of the trip here. I started with the capreze which had like a half ball worth of mozzarella, almost no basil - I would've liked a balsamic drizzle. The carbonara app was just the right size and delicious. The Osso Bucco was the best dish of the whole trip, and for me it wasn't close.

Staff / Service

1600 crew, 67 countries represented...everyone hustled and smiled and greeted you anywhere you saw them. Really made for a welcoming journey. I only spoke to my cabin steward on day 1 and just had my do-not-disturb up the whole time.

Restaurant staff: At Manhattan and every specialty I had several visits from the maitre d to check in which felt very nice. Almost every server was prompt and helpful and very friendly. Food came out pretty quickly; I didn't have long waits. Honestly a bit of a highlight over all.

I did the behind the scenes tour as well on our final day at sea, and it really added to my appreciation for everything that goes into a sailing like this - it's hard to overstate the amount of coordination and effort.

Overall

This has gotten lengthy so I'm going to skip ports/excursions (will definitely share if ppl are interested; I met a colobus monkey and her baby on Roatan!).

What an experience! I met friends on board, I danced for hours on end, ate really well, had lots of shore adventures, good amounts of relax time, and fun entertainment. I definitely would approach some aspects of another cruise a little differently; e.g. I have a much better sense of what I need and don't need to pack, how I'd better take advantage of entertainment offerings and such, but overall I can absolutely see how this can be addicting. What a treat to wake up in the morning in a new country, several days in a row and not have to pack/unpack/etc.

Open to any and all Q+A!

First time on the Jewel going 7 days and debating on getting the upgraded dining package...is it worth it or are the complimentary choices pretty decent?

Hi there, I am going on the NCL Joy to Alaska this summer and will be taking my 1 year old daughter with me, I am looking for any pro tips to cruising with a little one 😊

I'm debating on booking the Hawaii cruise package that includes Pearl Harbor, Kualoa Ranch, and Dole Plantation. Looking for helpful feedback on your experiences. Any suggested activities. We are not swimmers so water stuff would not be our thing.

Also, should I book the flight from NCL or book myself. There is a direct flight from DTW that I would prefer. If NCL books the flights, I'll probably be put on the flights with 2 stops. Thoughts on that?

Thank you in advance.

My parents will be sailing on NCL next week. Price dropped after final payment, they took the future cruise credit instead of an upgrade, cuz the upgrade wasn’t a big jump up. If they were so inclined, could they also purchase CFCs or Cruise Next credits, and use them in combination with the credit they got from this price drop, or is it only one or the other?

Hey everyone, we’re going on the NCL aqua in July to Bermuda and super excited! i haven’t gone on a cruise in over 10 years, so forgive for me stupid questions, but this is pretty new to me since I was a teenager on my first cruise and didn’t plan anything myself. I have read all over that only a certain amount of dining reservations are released 130 days prior for Haven and that we otherwise need to book once on board. We just booked this cruise a few days ago, so pretty last minute, and all the early reservations are of course gone on the app. Once we board, does everyone recommend going right to guest services to book or directly to the restaurant? or is this something that can be done on the app once on board? Which is better and will we have better luck with? I have read lines can be insanely long to book and just want to make sure we’re prepared for when we board. Thanks in advance!

We booked Haven on the Aqua going to Bermuda this summer. We plan to eat at Haven a few nights, booked the Than restaurant and may do one dinner in port. What’s the best specialty restaurant in your opinion and why? We’d like to book one more to cover our bases so we can be flexibility for some other nights.

Sailing on the Getaway in a few weeks and it’s my first time on Norwegian. What are the best spots for late night food?

I was recently on NCL Jade, and we had a nice time. I booked an unobstructed ocean view cabin, but the window was so badly damaged that you couldn't see out of it (see photos).

I spent over an hour in total waiting for the folks at the customer service desk. They offered me $50 OBC each for the "inconvenience". I pushed back and they said $100 per person was the best they could do, and only with a supervisor's approval, so I took that.

I still don't think the $200 covers the frustration and inconvenience of the issue, not to mention that the obstructed ocean view cabin was more than $200 cheaper.

I contacted NCL. They confirmed all that I just wrote, but said that because they gave me OBC, that was it and they wouldn't do anything more.

Would you push back further or just let it go?

https://preview.redd.it/knxj70dlkdwg1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3da71594e525fba2ed5d14ebd71ca7c83b7ec78b

https://preview.redd.it/xnxhq1dlkdwg1.jpg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60ea68100d89f017630631c1815ab80c05c954ab

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We will be sailing from NYC to Bermuda in October. We’ll be with our kids, 3 and 7, and our 7 year old especially loves the beach. So, I’ve been looking at the beach-day type excursions and was wondering if anyone had thoughts on the Clearwater Beach option or Horseshoe Bay option. Bonus points for sea shells. Based on other posts it seems Snorkel Park is overrated/overpriced so I’m ruling that one out but hopefully one of the others is good?

My last NCL cruise was a few years ago aboard the Prima and as soon as I boarded I had to get in line to make reservations for the show. I am going on the Breakaway next month and was wondering if I have to reserve seating in advance for shows or is it first come like other cruise lines?

Here's an interesting article about the state of the cruise industry, where it appears to be headed, and it's economic impact.

Does anyone know why inaugural sail and the transatlantic cruise are no longer listed on NCL's website? I am assuming they are sold out, but sold out cruises are still normally listed on NCL's page.

I called NCL and the rep had no idea and could not access either sailing.