Are you sitting comfortably
Hello everyone. This lovely little lady is Sonia (aka Nanna) she is my fiance’s Nannan. Here she is on her recent trip to Karnak Temple.
Nanna has been with NCL cruises a few times now. I have never sailed with them myself but i have wanted to try them for a while now. When i was on board Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas a family told me i would like NCL and they actually preferred them over Royal Caribbean. I thought it would be nice to see what nanna thought on NCL and the ships she has sailed on. This may help you if you are thinking of going with NCL yourself.
“Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will start.
I have cruised five times with NCL twice on the Jade and three times with the Star, these ships were chosen for their itineraries in Europe, the smaller size of ship and their Freestyle cruising suited both our budget and lifestyle (smart casual). Both ships are almost identical in layout and facilities, food good with plenty of choice of venues, tea coffee drinks available 24hrs. We always did the Fly cruise and had inside cabin (stateroom) which was adequate as apart from morning and evening we were never in it, always too much to do. Beds were very comfortable and our steward kept things very clean and tidy and answered anything requested. A bonus was having tea delivered every morning (free), a nice way to start the day. Another good thing was the daily newspaper delivered the previous evening which gave a timetable with a review of events, activities, venues for that day. Plenty to choose from aside from the usual pool and sundeck, hot tubs etc games including the ping pong competitions, shuffleboard and the lighter competitions sexy knees ,limbo dancing etc. very funny too. There was walking and jogging tracks, tennis and golfing courts and indoors a gym, craft and art events and talks slide shows given by experts on various subjects and places. The ships have beautiful theaters a resident band and singers dance group who were really good plus visiting artists a good show to end the day. In fact the entertainment was good all around the ship. There were also quiet places such as the library and internet cafe, bridge club or sheltered spots around to escape the noise and sun. It is up to individual choice or just sit and chat over your drinks to other passengers from all around the world, swap life stories, sort out the worlds problems and have a good laugh at the same time. The NCL excursions are very expensive we always went outside the port gates and found plenty of local tour companies, taxis with guide to share or Hop on Hop off bus’s. We found cruiseexcursions.com doing same excursions as NCL a lot cheaper so booked with them and paid in Stirling which saved on exchange rate too. The Service charge was exorbitant $13.50 a day but we never paid it as it was not compulsory and we preferred to tip crew members personally.
Overall I would say the cruise like any holiday is what you personally make of it and if the provider fails to give value for money complain or do not go again. We fortunately have been happy and satisfied with NCL, the ships are well run, the whole crew from Captain down to cleaners work extremely hard, always smiling and polite and most of them are away from home and family for 8 months which must be hard. Talking to them was extremely interesting, as they mainly come from disadvantaged countries with little hope of work or security. NCL does give them opportunities and training to progress and seem to be a good employer. I must mention Safety – I never have liked the sea or heights but confess forgot my fears once aboard and could not feel the ship moving. The crew had drills every day, passengers were informed and instructions posted in cabins and security especially in ports was very strict. We have just come back from a cruise around the Gulf , The Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Somalia, Jordan, Israel, Suez Canal and into the Med. Sailing near Somalia and Yemen we had extra security with armed guards. The drill involved passengers and crew in which an unidentified vessel presumed to be pirates had drawn too near etc. The Captain had explained everything to us and also we had written instructions to follow, it was exciting for a few minutes and not taken too seriously by many except for the crew. Another cruise on the Star was up to Iceland from Copenhagen Sweden Norway to the Faroe Islands then Shetland Isles to Iceland .We were unable to land at the Faroes due to being caught on the edge of a hurricane. The ship was being tossed about and huge waves crashing on the decks. Most decks were locked down, very few passengers around but we were among the hearty few who managed to eat drink and be merry. The Captain and crew were really good keeping us informed and we never felt in danger only felt sorry at missing Faroe Isles, the rest of the cruise especially Iceland was terrific.
I must point out that all cruises we made were in September some were hot enough days for sun bathing varied of course to which area of Europe we were cruising through. But being British we always have a mac and brolly just in case!!. I would imagine in high season ships will have more of the younger families aboard and perhaps very lively nights at the bars.
A useful tip- Take everyday medicines such as paracetamol ,Imodium ,throat lozenges and prescribed medicines etc. Medical center only does basic treatments and even an exam costs a fortune in USA dollars too. In Europe you can obtain antibiotics from chemists without a prescription.”
So there we have it. If you have any questions for us regarding NCL please let me know i can always ask her if i don’t know the answer myself. Here is a link for NCL with more information on the brand and also current deals Click here. Please feel free to comment on your experiences if you have sailed with NCL before yourself.
Thank you.
About Me
My name is Ria and i have been working in Travel since August 2007. I first discovered how much i loved the industry when i did my work placement at age 15. I enjoyed getting to know people and talking to them about their favorite holidays. I then went on to study…
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