I have been on 16 consecutive NCL Cruises. Never a complaint or bad day with NCL! Highly recomend. Helpful hint...Be especially nice to the crew, and they will be especially extra nice to you! They are the best!

My wife and I love NCL, we are both retired and can usually stay Haven. We have been on the Dawn, Encore, Joy and the Sun. We are in our 60s and have achieved PLATINUM status. We are in our mid-60s and NCL just works for us. We really appreciate the Crew; on our 5 NCL cruises ALL have been EXTREMELY nice, helpful and polite.

Just came back from a trip on the Breakaway. Don’t try to use a portable WiFi repeter so everyone in ur cabin can shared one internet plan. It doesn’t work anymore. Tendering takes a long time. better to skip that day unless u can get an early allocation. Got #14 and only got to spend 2 hrs on island before having to leave. Self disembark if u can. We booked transportation with them and had to wait hours before our color was called to disembark. Couldn’t wait in room b/c they had to clean so people had to wait where ever u could find a seat which was kinda hard to find. When we did disembark it was like a cattle drive. Pro tip: if ur traveling as a family get matching shirts to disembark. Makes it easier to keep track of everyone especially kids. It also seemed to make other people respect the family unit trying to stay together so they would let us pass narrow sections together and not try to cut in

I think your video is very fair. There are good and bad points for every Cruise line.

PRO TIP: If you are on your very first NCL cruise, do not book a follow on cruise while onboard. Go ahead and buy Cruise Next certificates, but do not book or pay for any follow-on cruise. Reason being that if that follow-on was eligible for bonus loyalty points, NCL will not honor them. You have to have completed your first cruise before you gain any loyalty eligibility. Wait till you get home, then book. The sales folks at the Cruise Next desk took us for a ride!

One of my cruises was Mexican Riviera 10 day. "Huge Disappointment" as no real nightlife. Chatting with my new poolside bartender buddy he laughed at me. "Your going too early. It really kicks off between 11 and 12. Go tonight, I'm lead bartender and can point out the single women for you." (He received an additional tip as i had no clue)

Thank you for a fair and descriptive explanation. Been on lots of cruises but booking my first with NCL.

Tip for NCL...every ship I have been on has a Starbucks somewhere. Buy a Starbucks gift card BEFORE you board. Starbucks is expensive to begin with but add MORE to the cost on board (roughly 15-20%) I got one for Christmas and ran it dry.

Nice job. I've been in 15 NCL cruises and it's my favorite! 14 have been solo.

Great video. I agree with everything you stated except the embarkation and disembarkation. We’ve been on two NCL cruises in the last year (out of New York and Trieste Italy) and both were terrible to get on or off the ship - even at the ports of call. Really turned our whole family off of NCL. We’ve been on many cruises with other lines as well so we feel like we have the proper perspective to compare. Anyway, I am glad to hear you praising NCL. We have another cruise booked for 2025 and we’ll see if the third time is the charm. Other than this one point, I agree with all your other observations. Very nice ships. Very friendly staff. Lots of nickel and diming on board but overall enjoyable.

Thank you, I thought your video was a fair assessment and on point regarding the pros and cons of the Norwegian cruise line. I recently had my first 7 day Mediterranean cruise on the NCL Getaway as a solo traveller, and I had an amazing time. You made some valuable points, especially regarding the pre purchasing of WiFi, which I found that you have more options to purchase when you are on board the vessal, and can be better value for money. Also, two weeks before my departure. I managed to be upgraded from a solo cabin room to a state balcony cabin room for an extra £30 which absolutely made my cruise special. I am now planning my next cruise with NCL.

I like NCL. Done Hawaii, Mexico, Caribbean, Canada....fun. Service was always outstanding food was amazing and the people were fun. My only recommendation is DO NOT book a balcony cabin directly below the water slide! I goofed but first day at sea i realized what i had done. They moved me no questions asked

FYI - the dining options are limited to very tight time schedules when they are open. Most of the time we got back to the ship from NCL excursions at 2:30 or 3:00 pm, all dining venues are closed. We just sailed 19 days on the VIVA, April 2024. Vegetarian diet style food is almost non existent, same goes for gluten free, very limited. The Local Bar is open 24 / 7 but that is mostly deep fried pub food.

I sailed on NCL last month for the first time, I loved it!

I have been on a number of NCL cruises and agree with what you have said. I do think NCL has dropped a bit lately, cancelling some of their shows, without good back up plans. NCL has great staff and I love freestyle dining.

Actually, she’s very honest. Thank you for the video. But I think NCL is hands-down, the best cruise line in the industry

Definitely a pro! Who wants to have other people's brats around.

I have tried 1 time where NCL embarkation was complete chaos and took 3 hours to get on board. No information was given what so ever and we just sat waiting in the terminal, without knowing why. That was a very bad experience. Later it was revealed they had some IT issues, but still at least provide information to people. This experience still haunts me to this day

The newer ships have smaller venues. I was on the Prima a fantastic ship but smaller venues. I also been on the Jewel and Sun much bigger venues. I love NCL almost Ambassador.

Don't forget about the thermo spas on the breakaway class to me they are second to none

The pros all struck me well and the cons fell flat. I'm not interested in swimming, so crowded pools don't affect me. My children are grown adults now, with their own children, so the lack of children's activities isn't a concern. And I'm not into gaming, so the charges for the various gaming activities also don't affect me. I've always found on-board buffets to have excellent offerings, so the charges for specialty dining rooms don't bother me. And, lastly, one of the reasons I like cruising is getting away from the world. I rarely use wi-fi on cruises, so the charges for wi-fi aren't a worry. All in all, it looks like Norwegian is a good fit for me. Affordable cruises that go all over the world, great food, lots of bars and cheerful, helpful staff.

We had a great time sailing NCL in Europe and Hawaii. We have never sailed them in the Caribbean and I think I will stick with Royal and Celebrity due to the solarium, outdoor deck space and private islands.

I have missed Norwegian private island twice now. The ship could not tender in the weather. They do not have a pier, unlike RCCL. We could see the RCCL ships docked at Coco Key, enjoying the day when we could not.

We are big fans of NCL! Our disappointments are few- extra costs, lack of productions shows (wife) and staff cutbacks!

I like NCL, we have done 6 so far and all have been good

I sailed on Epic recently & there was the most amazing live band on board. All Dominican men who sang & played music all Latinos would love. It was my go to even though I really tried to enjoy other entertainment. The food was mostly great (skipped the buffet COMPLETELY after the 1st time), but I bought a seasoning kit as soon as I got home for my next cruise. I’ll be taking my own seasonings & hot sauces.

Yes! They nickel and dime the crap out of people… all cruise lines do it but NCl is the worst.

You should take a NCL in Puerto Rico and talk about it...I like to see that..

Helpful. Thank you

Getting ready for my first cruise and it’s NCL ;)

My Wife and I have only sailed on MSC in the last 10yrs. As a change we're sailing on the VIVA in June in the Mediterranean. We're looking forward to check out the difference. Thanks for such an informative video❤

Going on the Breakaway in April cannot wait to experience NCL for the first time. The hubs and I are trying out all the cruise line to see which one we like the best to build points with. MSC is out.

I have to disagree with some of the things that you say in this video. Il been on two NCL cruises this year and the entertainment other than the choir of man show was lacking. Yes, there are other venues with music but they’re tiny and accommodate 3 to 400 people. Meanwhile, there’s 4000 people on board the ship and not everybody can fit in. Also the Air program is not good and that they have split families up in order to get them on different airplanes when it was not requested. Finally, I have found the crew not to be extremely happy. I will suggest you sale and Princess or Holland America in compare the cruise friendliness, an attitude to what you see on Norwegian.

We travelled on the Escape last July and had a fantastic time. Is the drink package worth it? For my wife and I, yes, because we are drinkers and it's nice not having to think about each individual charge. When you're on a cruise, you kind of want to let loose and not worry about it. Having said that, if you price a similar cruise out with RCCL and include the cost of their drink package, the Norwegian package may offer minimal savings. You'll notice that every promotion they run is pretty similar. Do they nickel and dime you? On the Escape? No. On the newer ships? That's what I've heard. They definitely seem to have more games/activities that are extra on those ships. Overall though, I thought the food, drinks, and overall venues and activities were great. The waterfront deck 8, which seems to be exclusive to NCL's newer ships, was a fantastic venue and feature. I'll take that over any large promenade or park or whatever RCCL offers. There was just something about being able to hang out, have a drink, and get some fresh air on a comfortable couch. The ship also wasn't overwhelmingly large. We got accustomed to it pretty quickly and the kids were able to go off on their own more. At the end of the day, I think a lot of the criticisms I saw were largely unwarranted and personal. What one person experiences on the same cruise can vary wildly from what the person next door does. Is there a little less personal service? Yes, but I think you see that across most lines, especially post-Covid. You also find some awesome bartenders and servers as well, that make it all worth it. Bottom line is that NCL is definitely worth trying out, especially if you have kids. The flexibility and dining options are top notch and our kids enjoyed the various clubs that they attended.

Not having more kids around is a plus.

I don’t like how they jack the prices up the closer it gets to the date of the cruise. You’d think they’d lower a bit.

If you want to go to a specific place (eg the Panama Canal), you don't have a wide choice of ships

I hate 2 things about NCL, 1) The food is sub-par. Yes even Carnival is much better. 2) They nickel and dime you relentlessly. BUT, there are some pros! They are beautiful and fun ships, less of the "Smash & Grab" group onboard from profits selling their stolen loot on eBay. And a good ship for teenagers and young adults with great shows. Carnival is my overall go to line but I love NCL for the items they excel at and plan on sailing with them in the future. Did I mention Carnival gives free Lobster at dinner and NCL in the specialty restaurant still charges EXTRA for it?

I have been in a couple of NCL cruise line , the last time I went to Europe and the ports that use tenders its real mess unless you are platinum or above , waiting time in those ports for me was a nightmare looking at the port and waiting 3-4 hours just to get on the tender its a con and at least 1 hour for the tender on the way back . 10 or 8 hours on port and waiting 3-4 hours for tender will mean a lot less time on that port .I have been on other cruise line in Europe and in other parts of the world and never have that type of situation . I send email to the cruise line and still waiting for a response .

I only sail NCL. leaving for Vancouver end of March. Mexico in November. Both on Bliss. Solo studio. Love observation deck

Thank you so much for the information. Were any of the trips paid for or incentivized by NCL?

Good guide.

Agree with your views, have been a solo guest for over 15 years. Things have change but still good bank for the bucks

Going on my first ncl next year. So far I've noticed the have way to high a propensity to cancel cruises they cancel way more than typical. When you do longer cruises you tend to book further put makes me not want to do that with ncl

Most cruise ships charge for activities at times. I love just lounging and do not need so many activities. That’s kind of what I want to sail for and do not need lots of kids running around(they have Disney for that lol). I want to try Norwegian. Which ship do you recommend to start with and how is the food?

Hi, I have been on 4 N. C. L cruses two had a crew that was Rude People were allowed to stay for two shows and I could not get good seats and was even turned away. The service and food is better on other lines.

They have a good product onboard, but I will never sail or sell them again because of the absolute worst customer service in any industry. They either blame the passenger or are outright mean. Reservations department is great, but everyone else is horrible.

Thank You Very much. Great Info

We have done 3 NCL cruises and won't be doing any more, the new ships have super small pool areas and entertainment venues, ie Syd Normans on the new ships have a capacity of less than a hundred guests and you can never get in unless you feel like spending an hour standing in line. Everything on board seems to be geared to try an entice you to pay a fee to upgrade to a better area or dining option, even the deck games are mostly a paid option, the king of the nickel and dimes cruise lines has only cemented their position at the top of this category with their new ship design. Oh and btw "free at sea" is anything but and their flight options are terrible, always booking the cheapest flight that is scheduled to land the morning of the cruise does Not Work!!!! Do better NcL

Of all my cruises, would have to say NCL was my favorite. MSC was my least favorite

I'm still waiting for getting my cruise ride

NCL is the worst of the worst. I have cruised all the major cruise lines and NCL is garbage. Save your money and eat at Sizzler. The ships are just okay, ports suck, personal suck, food is garbage. Never again for me.

I keep hearing NCL nickle and dimes you but we are going on Royal in a few months and the fun activities are to pay for on there also. Seems they are all alike. And most of the cruise lines have flexible/any time dining so that isn't a pro for NCL anymore.

Having a great crew and staff is not rare. Many other cruise lines have great staff and crew. I have yet to experience anything less.

Right On !!!

You left out one destination, Antarctica. Oh, they won't go there but they will advertise it and take your money but cancel it after you sail then offer no explanation or compensation. Who knew the cruise contract covered them for any false advertising they might do?

What boat did u go on when u flew from flordia to England?

What is your favorite cruise and or cruise ship?

Booking flights through NCL are you flying in the day of the cruise?

The cruiseline is terrible. Don't do it. Terrible customer service.

Ughh.. we booked on NCL sun this summer and some reviews are freaking me out.

The entire fleet of ships in the NCL stable is about to be dramatically reduced. Including the removal and retirement of the NCL Escape.

Would never travel with them now. Evil company.

warning do not book ncl ever, they have the worst customer service period. all they care about is your money. stay away. i always go in the haven and they screwed me royally.never again

Let me give ncl some free advice. Stopping offering a a 'included beverage package' and then add a graduity to what they feel the package is worth. . That is a complete money grab ripping off your customer. The gratuity should be on the drinks consumed. It's not really ia difficult concept to understand🎉 unless you are determined on screwing over your customers with Nickle and diming polices. I refuse to support these Scammers until they stop this practice.