I'm just back from a semi-free trip via a certificate from NCL on
Alaska-bound Norweigan Star. Here are a few tips for those of you traveling on
NCL, and a couple tips/comments regarding Alaska.
If you have a choice between the itinerary for the Sawyer Glacier or
Glacier Bay - go to Glacier Bay. We've been on both the Star and the Pearl, and
definitely Glacier Bay is waaaayyyy more spectacular than Sawyer. Also
the city of Victoria is more interesting than Prince Rupert.
If you are going from Harrah's or another casino, you probably will find a
letter from the casino in your cabin, along with a slot card. You'll be
invited to an opening night get-together with some free drinks and food.
NCL is no longer giving out those nice coupon books to people from casinos,
which makes no sense to me, and even your guests won't get one. We received
complimentary cookies on the first night as well. Once you join the NCL
slot club on any ship, your points/status should be transferable, so if you
previously were on NCL and had some play, contact the host to transfer you
to higher status. The status may not do you very much good -- I was
upgraded to "Bronze Level" but only received the benefit of 1 pack of cigarettes
a day! (And I'm a non-smoker). Still, it can't hurt. Also if you play a
bit (probably over 2500 points), be sure to ask the host if she can comp
you to a specialty restaurant. I received comps for 3 people one night, and
later in the trip, comps for 3 people again. It can't hurt to ask, and if
you are playing, ask sooner rather than later, since you only have 7 nights
onboard. Unlike some previous trips we received on Royal Caribbean and
Carnival (courtesy of New Orleans), NCL did not send gifts to the room each
night. At the end of the trip, your points will be converted into either
credit toward your ship's bill or free play. The credit will be larger than
free play. However, the host can give you even more in the way of credit,
depending on your level of play and perhaps whether you won or loss. The
Star's host issued me about $270 in credit while my points were
theoretically only worth $70 in credit. (Yep, I lost $.)
You will also receive free drinks in the casino bar -- house brands only.
This can be a considerable savings if you drink or even just want soda or
bottled water. Starting the first night we asked for 2 cans of soda each
time we were at the bar, and by doing so, accumulated enough to last through
the trip without paying the extra "soda charge" (you buy a card for
unlimited soda costing about $7 a day). NCL only provides coffee, tea, and milk
at most meals (juice at breakfast), so if you want something else you have
to buy it, or get drinks from the casino. You can also get served drinks
while you play, all by showing a special card you get because of your
Harrah's affiliation. You can also get an alcoholic drink at the bar and take it
with you to dinner or elsewhere on the ship. We tipped $1 on occasion at
the bar or if served while playing, but not every single time we got soda,
so our total for tips was less than the cost of a soda card.
The Star (like most ships, but not all) has a refrigerator in the room,
which is a mini-bar. If you want to put your own soda in, ask the steward to
remove all the stuff on the first night, and he will, and then you can use
the fridge without worrying about the ship's stuff. They also filled our
ice bucket regularly. (I believe the NCL Spirit may not have
refrigerators.). There are also hairdryers onboard. The Star also had a coffee pot in
the room with coffee. Shampoo and soap are the liquid kind from
dispensers, so you may want to bring your own soap bar (or 2 - one for shower and 1
for sink) and shampoo/conditioner.
If you are on NCL because of Harrah's and don't receive a letter and card
in your room, go and speak to a host to get the benefits.
NCL rooms are very small. Handicapped rooms are about 1/3 larger, thank
goodness, but you may find an odd ramp leading to the bathroom -- I tripped
about 10 times and hurt my foot (you couldn't see the difference in height
of the ramp because it is covered in carpet and very subtle). The
handicapped rooms are generally large enough to hold a wheelchair or scooter. I
brought my scooter (most planes charge no fee) which was especially helpful
in the HUGE Seattle airport, and in several ports. Contact NCL's
handicapped services department if you are bringing a wheelchair or scooter.
When booking a room, avoid being too close to a public area or elevator
since announcements are loud and annoying. Actually the number of
announcements onboard the NCL Star seemed a bit less than on some ships (thank
goodness) but started at 10 a.m. on non-port days, and I like to sleep late.
Room TVs are small in size, but have a few news and other channels and show
some 2nd run movies, many suitable for children. Children onboard seem to
have a good time, and NCL has special programs for them. Traveling to
Alaska during the summer means you have more kids than usual, and our ship had
500!!!!!!! (Fortunately generally not a problem).
Food on NCL is generally good, and like on most ships, you can choose 1
entree or all of them! We found ourselves pigging out by choosing 2 or even
3 appetizers or salads, soup, 1 entree, and if we didn't like the entree,
we ordered another. There is 1 "lobster" night (grouper plus lobster tail).
Our group asked for extra lobster and more lobster. Often if you ask for
a 2nd entree or another lobster, you will get the entire plate with all
the veggies too, but you can try asking for them. Food is free in the 2 main
dining rooms, most room service (juice now seems to cost extra except at
breakfast), and the Blue Lagoon. We loved the Blue Lagoon on several NCL
vessels, which serves limited sit-down breakfast in the morning, and other
times snacks and burgers and wonton soup and fish and chips, etc. It is open
24-hours.
NCL's "freestyle" dining has its good and bad points. Service definitely
is not as good as on ships where you sit down at the same table on the same
time each night with the same waiters. Often service is extremely slow,
so ask for "fast" service, and it will be land-side "normal" service. If you
want to see a show, make sure you have left enough time before the show, or
tell your waiter what time you need to be finished. Despite NCL's
advertising that you can "eat wherever and whenever" you want - if you go to the
main dining room in the center of the ship anytime after it initially opens,
you may find a line and be told you must wait 45-60 minutes to eat. Avoid
problems by calling to make a reservation (though even this may not be
available at all times). We never had a problem on when we dined in the
larger, aft dining room as soon as it opened (around 5:30 pm), but dining in the
center of the ship at 6:15 pm posed a problem on two ships. One good
thing is that you don't have to dress up at all on NCL anymore. Even the
so-called "formal" nights are not formal at all - though some people do dress
up. Shorts are not allowed at dinner though.
We found the food quality in the main dining room generally excellent at
all 3 meals. We also ate at several specialty restaurants, including
Cagney's ($25 extra plus another $10 if you want lobster) and Ginzu (Asian - $15
extra for either all-you-can-eat sushi or Chinese), and service definitely
was better than the regular dining room, and the food was quite good too.
However, whether it is worth those extra fees is a matter of individual
taste. The best bet if you want to try a specialty restaurant is to check out
the menu for the night, and then decide whether you like the choices or
not, and go to the specialty restaurant if you didn't like the menu choices.
The regular (free) dining room gives a number of items each night, but also
serves salmon, steak, chicken, and vegetable each and every night, so you
can always choose those options, and the salmon was always excellent on all
3 NCL vessels we've been on. On the last day the Star also offered a
"best of the best" lunch for $15 with a number of items from the specialty
restaurants including steak, prime rib (best we had on the ship), sushi, BBQ
ribs, lo mein, escargot (excellent), onion soup, New England Clam Chowder,
etc. This meal was really really good, so of all the specialty menus,
probably was the most worth spending extra money on.
Despite NCL's brochures which seem to tout "lobster every day" - the
lobster is only free on that 1 day's meal. You can pay $10 extra on top of the
$25 charge and get lobster at Cagney's, but if you are a lobster lover,
don't expect it free from NCL. NCL also doesn't seem to go in for serving
local specialties, for example we were served "Atlantic Salmon" while in
Alaska, and no Alaska king crab. No baked Alaska either this trip.
If you have a problem onboard, complain immediately, and you may get a
surprisingly good result. When we had a food problem, the head of restaurant
services intervened, and even sent us a free bottle of wine and chocolate
covered strawberries.
NCL has slowly been cutting down on extras you might find on other cruise
lines, so don't look for the waiters to sing/dance, no midnight buffet with
carvings (though they have a 10 pm chocolate buffet that isn't all that
great and you are stuffed anyway....), no afternoon tea with white-gloved
waiters (though they have food in the buffet at 3 pm), and so on.
The buffet food is plentiful, but not all that varied. Quality generally
was good. One thing I loved - the pecan rolls at the buffet breakfast. My
husband got up early and brought me 6-8 of them every day! (No wonder I
gained weight!) (I'm a late sleeper.) Unlike buffets on other cruise line,
it seemed like the buffets on NCL serve mainly the same types of food each
day. The Star has a problem with a lack of vents in the buffet, so there
are no omelettes/fried eyes in the morning (you can get them in the main
dining room - or possibly by asking a cook at the buffet to make you a special
order). The eggs benedict in the buffet was very good, and there were
scrambled eggs and hard-boiled eggs. There is a fresh pasta station for lunch
and dinner. The Star had very good waiters in the buffet, who kept the
busy tables cleared and also offered to help handicapped people carry dishes.
Unfortunately this service was a lot less good on the NCL Pearl and Spirit.
Stewards on all NCL vessels we've been on did a good job of cleaning the
room, but they often appeared late in the day, so your newsletter about the
next day's activities might not appear until quite late at night (10 pm).
The ubiquitous "towel animals" appear in your rooms, but sometimes the
stewards would miss a day or two.
Gratuities for all crew members are billed to your room at the end of the
trip at $12 per person per day.
Beds on NCL vessels all seem to be quite quite hard. If you like a softer
bed, ask the room steward to provide a foam padding, which they can
generally do. It is thin, but it does help a lot. Most beds can be moved into
single or double configuration. On the Star, 3rd and 4th passengers
generally will be in pull-down bunk beds. (My friends with 3 in the room were able
to request a rollaway, since they were in a larger handicapped cabin.
Note 3 in a room is crowded because these rooms are extremely small.)
Bingo payouts seemed very low and prices high ($300 for 4 pots and costs
ranging from about $50-100, depending on what you got). Instead of bingo,
try putting that money on a single number at roulette and you'll have a
better chance for a higher payout. VP schedules on the ship were horrible -
generally 6/5 for all games, but a few 7/5. Better higher amounts did not
result in better paytables. Strangely, the reel slots didn't seem all that
bad. One lady playing a 2 cent "hot hot" machine hit a $10,000 jackpot and
several other jackpots in one day to net $17,000. On the Star, the Top
Dollar and machines on that wall (next to the hot-hot) seemed to do pretty
well. Tournaments generally are not worth playing, however Siona (who runs
the Atlantic City group) did well in a Poker Tournament, and won $1000 (after
paying $200 in fees). Obviously knowing how to play poker could give you
an advantage in poker-playing. Best bet on the ship, if you must gamble,
is probably Blackjack or craps.
My husband and I each had NCL certificates, so we took Siona and 2 of her
friends. Each person with a certificate MUST book the room in his/her
name, and be onboard (you cannot transfer a certificate). But there was no
problem once we were on board in switching rooms, so I and my husband ended in
one room, and Siona and friends in the other. This is the 2nd NCL cruise
where we've taken friends and had no problems switching rooms.
In Alaska (as in many port cities), there is no problem in getting off the
ship and then booking a tour. This can result in significant savings.
For example in Ketchikan, Alaska, Siona and I paid $190 for a flight-seeing
tour in a pontoon plane which we booked when we walked off the ship at a
non-NCL tour seller -- this would have cost about $265 from NCL. In Juneau
Siona bargained down the price of a non-ship tour of the city to $30, about
$20 or more less than a similar tour onboard.
Don't forget to try bargaining with any tour-sellers, this often lowers
your price, especially if you are a little late getting off the ship.
Bargaining at flea markets also is a must! (My hand carved bear cost $10 instead
of the sticker price of $12 in Port Rupert.)
As with many ports in the Caribbean, in Alaska you will find many of the
same souvenirs in each town, so you don't have to shop in each and every
port. You'll also find low-cost museums and things to see close to the
vessel, so you can save money by avoiding tours all-together if you want to. If
you are traveling to Alaska though, you probably should splurge on at least
1 tour that involves a helicopter or plane and see the beautiful scenery.
We loved the Taku-lodge flight (Juneau) on a previous trip, and
Ketchikan's flight was also very very good. Landing on a glacier is another
once-in-a-lifetime experience. So if you are going to spend money flying to
Alaska, and cruising, plan to spend $200-400 for a couple of good tours too. (per
person)
NCL also seems to be cutting down on the entertainment onboard its vessels,
partially I think, because they have converted so many lounges into
specialty restaurants. On the Star, entertainment was quite variable. The
singers/dancers were excellent in "Band on the Wild" show, and still good on the
final night's Cirque Pacific (or whatever they called it). But the Cirque
show itself had no singing and was not to my taste. The 2nd City improv
troup is on many NCL ships, and does a decent job of performing. On the
Star there was the World's Worst Ventriloquist however, Mr. Byrd -- avoid
him!!!!! A Frankie Valli Tribute Group, "Oh What a Night" - while no 'Jersey
Boys', proved entertaining and sang well (though they could have cut out
most of the comedy for my part). Four of the main show singers performed an
excellent Broadway Cabaret one night in a lounge -- this was one of the best
shows I've ever seen on a ship. There were also dance parties, a
harmonica/guitarist/country&western guy, a trio, a pianist (or two), etc., plus
audience participation games like "Not the Newlyweds" and "Men versus Women,"
trivia contests etc. However it seems as though the number of
entertainers, number of late night (adults only) shows, size of the bands, etc., is
going down.
Most entertainment during the day consists of lectures on buying watches or
diamonds, lectures about spa treatments, bingo, casino (when not in port),
etc. -- in other words, "lectures" to get you to spend money. For free
entertainment look to reading a book, watching TV, looking at scenery, or
eating eating eating. Shops on board have a few bargains, especially in
watches and duty-free booze (not to be drunk onboard). Booze in the bars is
pretty expensive. NCL no longer delivers the booze you've purchased to your
room on the last day - you must go back to the liquor store and pick it up
- so don't forget to do so. Internet is extremely expensive. If you have
a cell or iPad or computer that gets wifi or ATT you may be able to get
reception while in port and avoid costly internet costs. Also the shipboard
internet is slow. Despite claiming that the Star was 100% wi-fi
compatible, I couldn't get onto the ship's internet service from my room part of the
time. Another way to save money is to go to an internet cafe while you are
in port. Or just forget about the darn internet and your email for a week!
Beware of making cell calls or using the internet if your phone shows
"Cellular At Sea" - this service is quite expensive (maybe $6 per minute). If
you see AT&T or whatever on your phone, you are okay, but watch out for
Cellular at Sea.
Also NCL does very little in the way of providing "local" entertainers or
"talks about Alaska", which I've seen on other cruise lines (this was our
6th Alaskan cruise). They scheduled the one "talk about Alaska" while we
were in port, so not many people would have been able to attend. The Glacier
Bay cruise does have a Park Ranger on board to describe all the sites,
which was really nice.
Weather in Alaska is variable -- prepare for anything - rainy cold weather
or warm sunny skies. We had a bit of both when the clouds lifted after a
couple of days, giving us fantastic views of the mountains. Take
binoculars and look at the scenery and you will probably spot whales, dolphins, bald
eagles and maybe otters, seals, bears, and mountain goats. (Without even
trying I spotted 2 kinds of whales in groups, a group of dolphins, and 1
seal on this voyage.)
A balcony is always nice to have, and makes the tiny rooms a little larger,
but if you get an Oceanview with a big window (not portholes) you can see
out fine and save some money. If you are not claustrophobic, inside cabins
are a money-saver, but these rooms are SMALL! Open the door and dive
into the bed! If you can afford the big bucks, NCL has some larger suites,
and their new Epic ship has some really large ones (but right now that ship is
not available as a choice for any NCL certificates that I am aware of).
If you get a "nearly" free cruise certificate from NCL, remember to check
the internet and look at other cruise lines for bargains as well. If NCL's
Alaska cruise is costing you $650 in fees (plus gratuities) for a balcony,
maybe it is worthwhile to consider spending $1000 (plus gratuities) for an
Oceanview or Inside on Celebrity or Princess instead -- since the quality
of those ships in general is so much better than NCL. (Prices for 2 people
in 1 cabin.) But maybe not. If you have never been on a cruise, you will
enjoy NCL and you won't notice anything all that bad about the quality of
service or activities or room size. However, if you have been on 19
cruises as my husband and myself have, you may not like NCL all that much - even
for a "mostly" free cruise. If you gamble, remember there are other
opportunities for "almost" free cruises through the services of independent
casino hosts, or by going on another cruise line and gambling and getting on
their promotion list. Coachvee has been cruising on Celebrity and gambling,
and now is getting great offers for "almost" free cruises from Celebrity
(much better quality cruise line than NCL). Also some non-Harrah's casinos
give out cruises, sometimes with free airfare, so cruise-lovers may want to
shop around to different casinos who offer such extras.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]