NCL – What are they doing so right?

Every year since 2008 Norwegian Cruise Lines have won a leading cruise line award. Whether it be best cruise line in Europe or Best cruise line in the World, they have managed to bag an award for 6 consecutive years.  As well as recognition for being a leading cruise line they have also been rewarded for responsible tourism  and user friendly technology. As this is a cruise line I have yet to sail on I wanted to find out what they were doing so well to claim these prestigious awards.

Here is a list of some of their accolades since 2008

2014 Europe’s Leading Cruise Line
2013 World’s Leading Large Ship Cruise Line
2013 Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Line
2013 Europe’s Leading Cruise Line
2012 World’s Leading Large Ship Cruise Line
2012 Europe’s Leading Cruise Line
2011 Europe’s Leading Cruise Line
2011 Europe’s Responsible Tourism Award
2011 World’s Leading Cruise Line Website
2010 Europe’s Leading Cruise Line
2010 Europe’s Responsible Tourism Award
2010 World’s Leading Cruise Line Website
2009 Europe’s Leading Cruise Line
2008 Europe’s Leading Cruise Line

So is it the ‘freestyle cruising’ concept that has helped them to success and what do they mean by this term?

Freestyle dining is offered on every ship and this was introduced back in the year 2000. This concept means that there are no restaurants with set dining times as is traditional on cruise holidays. Depending on the size of the ship there are up to 29 dining options which means guests could dine in a different restaurant every night of their cruise if they so desired and the dining times are from 5.30pm until midnight.

Norwegian’s ships feature a Restaurant Reservation and Table Management system. Flat-screen TVs placed in key, high-traffic areas around the ship show each restaurant’s current availability status. Indicator bars reflect when each restaurant is full, short wait, filling up or empty. Screens also show an estimated wait time in each restaurant. If a restaurant is full and guests would like to wait for an opening, the hostess will quote a wait time and issue a pager that works all over the ship. This allows passengers to sit down in a bar, enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail, and listen to one of the ship’s many entertainers until their table is ready.

It all sounds great, but be advised that although ‘up to 29 dining options’ are available, unless you have upgraded to ‘The Haven’ section of the ship there may only be as few as 4 or 5  restaurants available without paying a supplement.  

‘Freestyle attire’ means that  ttraditional dress codes are out of the window. Casual clothes are the norm across the fleet. Norwegian has relaxed dress codes in the evening. Cruise Casual is suggested for all except one dining venue per night (which will have a dress code that requires a sports coat or jacket).  Yes, jeans are fine on NCL. Wearing a pair of nice shorts (pressed & longer in length) is not entirely inappropriate with proper footwear, however, you are likely to be in the minority. A polo shirt or a button-down shirt is appropriate. For the ladies, casual dresses, casual skirts or pants and blouses, summer dresses, Capri pants, and smart jeans are all appropriate. The only item that NCL does not recommend in the main dining areas is shorts.

How does freestyle cruising sound so far?

In all honesty their description of freestyle accommodation and entertainment reads no different to any other cruise line. You choose the cabin type you want and you visit the entertainment venues that you wish to visit.

So what else could it be that NCL does to attract such high praise from the travel experts?

Visually, the ships are certainly eye-catching and individual. Back in 2002 the Norwegian Dawn was the first ship in the fleet to have a hull adorned with its signature brightly coloured paint which has led to specially commissioned artwork  on the hulls of subsequent ships to join the fleet.

NCL have extensive childrens facilities for ages 6 months to 17 years. For the younger children there are educational but fun activities, arts and crafts sessions, interactive workshops & kids can also learn circus tricks such as juggling and tumbling. For the teens there are organised sporting activities, film nights, pool parties and of course the teen lounge with flat screen tv’s, air hockey, games consoles and a video jukebox.

Another concept that this cruise line are famous for are the waterslides on board. Indeed the newest ship, the Norwegian Breakaway has a self-proclaimed aqua park boasting 5 adrenaline pumping multi storey slides 17 decks above the sea as well as a more sedate version for tots.

But what about the grown ups? Every ship has the Mandara spa where you can escape the hustle and bustle and for a fee have a hot stone massage or a spot of botox as well as many other treatments.

The casinos on the NCL fleet have also been voted the best casinos at sea for 12 years running by readers of Casino Player magazine. They take their gambling very seriously with over 2000 of your favorite slots and nearly 200 table games including live poker.

The Entertainment on board is something the cruise line also invest heavily in to try and accommodate different tastes with Broadway style shows, comedy troupes and the very individual Blue Man Group who’s shows involve comedy. techno music & flying paint. I guess you have to witness it to get the concept.

There are up to 20 bars and lounges on board, again this number will vary from ship to ship, but the offerings include Mojito bars, Champagne bars, Martini bars, Blues clubs as well as nightclubs. On the Epic there is even an actual ice bar! Warm clothing is provided as you warm up on vodka shots.

So what is next for NCL? How can they keep improving to ensure they retain the accolades they have received so far?

Although they boast that they are the youngest fleet at sea NCL are still revitalising their ships with the Gem, the Star and the Epic all going in to dry dock within the next 18 months.

They are looking at the food offerings – redesigning menus and partnering with celebrity chefs to keep things fresh in the culinary department.

In the bars they are introducing the mixology concept of cocktail making to shake things up.

For the kids they are expanding their Nickelodian entertainment program with new activities, themed dinners and more character meet and greet sessions.

Digital signage is being expanded throughout the ships so you can navigate your way from deck to deck without getting lost and wifi hotspots are also being added so that you should get connectivity in almost all parts of the ships.

So the future looks pretty rosy for NCL and I think that one of the reasons that they are winning so many awards is their investment in the fleet. Recently there has been much talk about standards on certain cruise lines slipping and people put this down to financial cut-backs.  Maybe these cruise lines should re-assess their priorities and take a leaf out of NCL’s book?

What do you think?