Are you going on a Norwegian cruise? We recently cruised on Norwegian Joy & share our honest thoughts about some of the things we didn’t like on our NCL cruise, as well as some of the things we loved! Every cruise has some positive & negative, but when you know what to expect on your cruise, it helps to prepare.
In this Norwegian cruise review video I share information about Norwegian’s Free at Sea, dining options, entertainment along with some Norwegian cruise line tips that can be helpful. I hope this video can help you to as you plan your Norwegian cruise, or give you some insights if you usually cruise with another cruise line. Norwegian compares in some ways to Carnival & Royal Caribbean, & if you are planning a family cruise or are a first time cruiser, there are some important things to know.
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ABOUT ME
Hi! I’m Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!
Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travellers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.
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22 Comments
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I would never use Norwegian or recommend it. Here is why. Some years ago when my daughter's twins were about 8 years old, they took a family cruise on Norwegian. It had been recommended, as you recommend it, as great for families. Two things happened on that cruise that didn't seem very family-friendly. The first was less important. My grandson swam in the pool and developed a bad rash, particularly in his swimsuit area. My daughter mentioned it to one of the pool attendants and asked them to check the water and see what might have caused the problem. The water was tested, but when the little boy went back into the pool a few days later after the rash had gone, the problem happened again. And no one seemed to really care.
The second problem was more serious, in my opinion. The children went to the organized children's activities every day. They soon reported that they were being taught how to do magic tricks and near the end of the cruise there would be a show for the parents. They were very excited about it, and carefully practiced when their parents were not looking so the show would be a surprise. The day of the show came. At the appointed time the parents took the kids to the theater and found a line of children and parents waiting for the stage doors to open and the kids go backstage so the parents could then go and sit in the theater. After they had been standing for some time, a representative came out and said, sorry, only the first 50 kids who arrived were going to be in the show because the number of people who could be backstage was limited. Sorry. You can watch the show if you like. Every child in that line started to cry. Every parent started to protest. But it did no good. Sorry.
In my opinion there is no excuse for this. It is simply cruelly bad planning. Whoever organized the children's activities should have know the theater's limitations and dealt with it without disappointing all those children. So any time anyone tells me about how great Norwegian is for kids I tell this story.
Why so many complaints on NCL, but ppl still buy their cruises?
Thank you for this much needed video! I am considering NCL for an Alaska cruise. I like the way you captured the pros and cons. A lot to consider and not sure if it is for me. I have preferred Royal Caribbean over Carnival and wanted to try another cruise line. Not sure NCL is a fit for me because entertainment is so important to me as well as good food options.
Loved the video never been on NCL but thinking about it.
Thank you for the information. We have our first NCL planned for Alaska next May. NCL offer some great discounts including military. I have been watching your videos the past month and really enjoy all your information. I'll let you know how our cruise goes…i just wish we were leaving next month not next year😂
I agree with the points about the lack of quality of main dining food and the constant up charging. I tried this line after being a loyal RCCL cruiser and I was highly disappointed. Great video
NCL sucks! Just came back from a 10 day cruise in Europe. What a joke. The food was subpar. Terrible at time. The crew for the most part were really nice. Great cabin steward. Horrible people at the excursion desk. Ripped off when the cost went down and they wouldn't do anything about it. I was stupid and didn't book with a travel agent. Constantly getting voice mails messages trying to sell me on another cruise. Getting spammed when I'm on a vacation I paid a lot for. Once again. What a joke NCL is.
If you look for something to dislike, you will find it. Been on 20+ cruises, 17 on Norwegian. Live in (fabulous) Las Vegas. Resort fees, parking and outrageous food prices, what can you do to chicken to make it worth $80.😮 and every one has their hand out. Cruising, in my humble opinion, is a bargain. Your hotel moves, your meals are included and the staff is great.
We recently sailed on NCL Joy in April and it's terrible that NCL charges for bottled water whereas Royal Caribbean gives away bottled water for free if you have a drink package!
Thanks for the video. The wife and I are headed on our first NCL cruise (JOY) in about 3 weeks.
👋 we just got off our first NCL cruise on The Norwegian Joy. I have to say overall, compared to Royal Caribbean we were disappointed. We felt NCL was above RC only in the area of food. As you indicated the buffet quality was far superior, the MDR was superior as a whole, and their other included food areas were more abundant. The Joy had snacks around the casino and in the observation lounge regularly. I would probaby also agree their cleanliness was a little better than our cruise on Anthem of the Seas in December. RC seemed a bit lax in that area. Beyond that it was disappointing. Footloose, was not a great show. Elements had some good moments in the last 1/2. The BEST entertainment was the Beatles tribute band, they were fabulous, but stuck in a teeny tiny packed club most of the week and only once was allowed in The Joy Theater. They should have been the main show! Unfortunately they are leaving for a tour in Europe. The comedians were good this cruise. They have reduced room stewards to once a day which was ok, but you never could find one in the afternoon of you needed anything like towels. Hates that rooms were controlled by your key, so everything went off when you were in room. Also AC even turned itself off when we were in room, after it determined it had reached the set temperature. It would not go back on when it warmed up, so you had to get up after you woke up hot to turn it back on! The worse thing about NCL which makes us doubt we would sail again is the nickel and dime game they play. Example we bought the premium drink package which included water, sparkling water, coffee etc. We had a refrigerator in room with one bottle of flat, one bottle of sparkling and one box style water. Thats it. When I used the sparking water which I get free for the package I paid an extra almost 700.00 for 2 people they added 7.95 to my bill. In the places we signed up for package at no time did it say “mini” bar not in lncluded! I would not have called 3 large bottles of water a mini bar. When I inquired and showed on my phone the fine details on NCL the customer service agent could not locate this “exception” and spent 10 minutes trying to find something on his computer which said this. When he finally found it with a lot of effort he kept that 7.95 on my bill. It was so petty. I had paid for the Vibe adult only section included normally on RC and additional 500.00. At every turn they wanted money. Even the beverage packages had tips included in the payment of the package, plus the daily tip fee, please asking for tips on every bill. It just got to be too much. Anyway RC is very clear to me. They have beverage packages, dining packages, play packages, where you can easily customize your vacation on affordability and needs. NCL was just not it for us overall.
Thank you for the review. We are going on the Joy, for the first time, in August. NCL is our main cruise company. Some of the extras are annoying. But I did notice when we went on cruised that were all inclusive, I did not use all the amenities that I already paid for. So I'm not sure how much money I really saved versus pay as you go. I guess having to pay extra onboard makes me less likely to pay for something I really am not interested in. I know a lot of people complain about the internet. But if you are not running a business (such as travel agent or blogger), why do you need to be online so much on vacation. My phone is only a camera when I'm on a cruise. Everything else can wait until I get home.
Aloha! I've been watching your videos for the last year and I just love them, they're so helpful!
My husband and I fly out this Sunday to Rome where we will board the Breakaway. This will be our 2nd NCL cruise, of which the 1st one was 10 yrs ago.
This video was extremely helpful! I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about the casualness on NCL, particularly for dinner in the dining rooms and specialty restaurants. I personally feel that if you're going "out" to dinner, you should dress properly. But that's just my opinion.
Mahalo nui, Ilana, for all that you share!!!😊
I love relaxed dress code
I never cruised norweign. I will be cruising from Greece in August 2024. Looking forward to the cruise
Planning on viva dec 2024. Excursion credit is only $50 per stateroom not person?
3rd cruise to Alaska (I know, kind of one note) taking my 8-year-old grandson. All on Norwegian, this trip and the last, a year ago, was on the Bliss. I totally agree about the cleanliness, the crew and the food, including poor texture and flavor of the beef in the MDR's. In spite of one bad experience, which was rapidly corrected by a NCL executive, Norwegian is my cruise line of choice.
The thing i diliked the most on my Norwegian cruise I went on in March was the lack of options for late night food. Who doesn't get munchies while drinking? The only late night food was room service that would cost extra or the sit down and order off a menu in the casual restaurant. I just wanted to grab a quick pizza slice or some simple quick buffet food, not wait in line to be seated and get a menu and then order and then wait for food to be cooked and brought. Who wants to do that when your tispy. I think if the bars are still serving alcohol and playing music to dance to then at very least a pizza buffet gas station grab and go type food should be available. 😅 but clearly it wasn't a deal breaker because I just booked another cruise with them tonight for October.
We have a NCL cruise coming up in ‘24. Would love to see a video about NCL’s Epic cruising to the Caribbean.
I like the old sea…being in a suite and tie at dinner.
I agree with all your assessments of NCL.