We are considering cruising on the new NCL Sun this winter to Belize. We have only cruised on RCCL(Royal Carribean) and we love them. We are concerned about how NCL rates as a cruise line, food, ports, ships, etc and we are wondering about how this Free Style Cruising works. Any and all information would be helpful. Thank you.
The food quality is good, but RCI is slightly better (IMHO). Regarding freestyle, I didn't like it on the Norwegian Sea (5/27/01). Trying to get a table for two was impossible, unless you were at the dining rooms with a 1/2 hour of opening. The concecept is good, but the practice on this ship wasn't good. With that said, the Sun is designed specifically for freestyle cruising, with 10 ( I think) different venues for dinner. With that many options, along with better crew/pax ratio and space, it should work great on the Sun. NCL offers a decent product for the cost, but RCI is a higher quality line. If you adjust your expectations to the product, you'll have a great time. I know we did, even though there were a few disappointments.
We were on the Wind in march, and we did not like the freestyle at all. With everyone trying to eat pretty much at the same time, there were long lines and the food just did not justify the long waits. Maybe with the bigger ship it will work, but we did not enjoy it at all.
I have never tried a free-style cruise before. The concept in itself seems attractive, however I am wondering about the automated tips, and the potential for long lines at the restaurants.
Also, this CruiseMates websites has a nice review on NCL.. click on the Ship Reviews link..
I just returned from the Wind Trip to Alaska. I traveled with a group of 8, but we all had differing agendas for the trip. We all loved free style cruising - we never had to wait for a table in any of the dining rooms except at the chocoholic buffet where everyone lined up at midnight for the event. We ate in groups of two (one pair of us always ate at a table for 2 and never had to wait to be seated) - three -four- and six. I am accustomed to dining very well and had no complaints about the quality of the food or of the selection - we expecially liked the Terraces dining room and had great service there - we ate about 2/3 of our meals there. sandra
There's a few specialty restaurants that will have a charge, plus the Le Bistro. Most of the restaurants will be free. Freestyle should, at least in theory, work quite well on the Star.
I was on the Norwegian Wind in Alaska 6/11-6/18. My sister-in-law (traveling companion) and I truly enjoyed the Freestyle cruise and found only one time that we had to wait for a table for a meal (which was resolved by going to another restaurant). There are always other options (Le Bistro or the Sports Bar, the Trattoria or the buffet in the Observatory Lounge), so I thought it was great. I enjoyed getting a table for two towards the end of the cruise (tired of meeting new people at that point) and never had a problem doing so. Our ship was fully booked, too, so that isn't the difference.
Hi Sandra! Don't know who you were but I'm sure I saw you in AK! My sister-in-law and I were the look-alike twenty-something girls always in the Internet Cafe or the Coffee Bar (and sometimes on the deck). Sounds like you had as great a time as we did. Can you say "G'day"? ;-)
I was on the Sky transcanal in April. My husband and I dined most nights alone and never had to wait to be seated. I loved being able to eat when I wanted, not when assigned. In my opinion, the food on NCL was superior to RCI. However, my experiences on RCI were both older ships, the Nordic Prince and Viking Serenade. I prefer NCL's ship design, clean and minimalist, to some of the newer glitzy ships.
No - the only restaurant with any charges is the Bistro at $10 per personjoschmo wrote:
>
> I'll be cruising on the Star in May to Hawaii; do you have
> to pay additional for each of those 10 restaurants?
>
> joanne
We're booked on the Sun for the December 1 sailing. I, too, am worried about freestyle dining, but by travel agent says that it has become very popular. Princess has followed suit, and she suspects that other lines will go that way eventually. The Sun does have sushi, and that sold me on going!
Connect with Facebook
NCL Cruise Line and Free Style Information
Linear Mode
