Before you book a Cruse or a room

Author Message   Jim H Intermediate Member Username: Jim_h Post Number: 104 Registered: 06-2003 Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 02:01 pm:    We took NCL from Dover last May and enjoyed the cruise. We walked into Copenhagen and Helsinki, but took tours in St Petersburg, Stockholm and Tallin.   JEB Senior Member Username: Wingrider Post Number: 463 Registered: 12-2003 Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 03:40 pm:    We sailed with NCL the 1st week of Feb 2010 (yes, 2 weeks ago) and I also have no complaints with NCL. This was the Spirit out of New Orleans and we have been on that same ship and the same cruise several lines. We have also been on several of their other ships, including the SS Norway, one of their oldest ships that was taken out of service a few years ago. While onboard I did hear that the Spirit had just been sold to a Chinese company and was to be used as a casino. With the new NCL Epic coming on in a couple of months they "supposedly" are repositioning some of their ships and selling the older ones. If anyone is interested in the pics from the cruise you can see them here: http://braddyfamily.shutterfly.com/276?size=All&startIndex=0 Click on slideshow, then on the page that opens, click Full screen.   Larry Campbell Senior Member Username: Czeezo Post Number: 855 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 02:07 pm:    I think that NCL was bought by Carnival Cruse Line - but not too sure. I know that a few years ago that NCL sold the Crown (that was the name of the ship) to the Chinese. We were on its last trip around the Horn (So. America) - it at that time was the smallest ship that they had.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 258 Registered: 03-2007 Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 08:34 am:    While we were in Hawaii last year, we heard the same negative comments about NCL as we considered taking their 7 day cruise of the Islands which leaves from Honolulu. I heard, and I don't know if this is correct, that they had been sold to a Chinese company and that the service had deteriorated after that time. Does anyone know about this issue?   Larry Campbell Senior Member Username: Czeezo Post Number: 854 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 03:55 am:    NORWEGIN CRUSE LINE   Garland Summerall Advanced Member Username: Garland Post Number: 224 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 02:22 am:    What is NCL? Garland   Larry Campbell Senior Member Username: Czeezo Post Number: 853 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 12:25 am:    Gary - I think that you and I will be on the same ship - we have the NCL Sun on April 26th going thru the Canal. We start in Chili and end up in Miami. In Aug. 26th we pick up the NCL Sun (again) in England - we are doing the Baltic to Russia and back to England. Drop me a note and we can touch base with each other. Larry (czeezo@gmail.com)   Gary W. Anderson Intermediate Member Username: Navyvet Post Number: 65 Registered: 03-2004 Posted on Monday, February 15, 2010 - 11:40 pm:    Gee, all these negative comments about NCL come as a complete surprise to me. I've sailed with NCL and had a wonderful time and would sail with them again in a heartbeat. In fact, I've got a Panama Canal cruise with NCL later this year.   Elliott Manning New member Username: Elliott Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2008 Posted on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 - 02:32 pm:    Have also made four cruises on NCL; One was fabulous!, one was so so, and two were really the pits... Never again on NCL, unless they are free or nearly free.   Dalton Hanks Member Username: Dhanks0001 Post Number: 26 Registered: 06-2003 Posted on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 - 01:34 am:    My wife and I have also taken NCL again on our last cruise. It was for 14 days . We tried it many years ago and it wasn't very good but the last one was even worse. We have taken 7 cruises in the last 2 years but will never sail NCL again. It was a very bad experience.   Jesse Hinson Advanced Member Username: Seagull Post Number: 231 Registered: 08-2007 Posted on Sunday, February 07, 2010 - 12:17 pm:    If you really want to see Russia, call Vantage and check out the Volga River Cruise. A river barge takes you from St Petersburg to Moscow or vice versa. We took a 16 day cruise and throughly enjoy the thousands of onion dome churches(ok, so only a few hundred), we saw along the banks. The travel guides were above excellent, the food was good and I would so much like to do the same cruise again. Someday maybe. There were 214 Americans aboard, some 15 boats docked, all with people from different countries. All our excursions were by bus and all the bus drivers were extrememly courteous. And most of all the price was reasonable. Elaine   Jeffrey G. Carlen Advanced Member Username: Jcarlen Post Number: 282 Registered: 06-2003 Posted on Sunday, February 07, 2010 - 03:00 am:    Zeezo, beware of NCL. We booked that same cruise a few years ago but it was in late April. NCL changed the itinerary omitting Tallin, St. Petersburg and Helsinki and only told us that as we boarded in Dover. Extremely poor service, surly staff and a no-nothing cruise director. Will never ever sail NCL again. Sorry, didnt mean to rain on your parade. Hope you have a great trip   DeeDee Clarke Senior Member Username: Deedee Post Number: 532 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 06:29 pm:    Well I'm jealous. We were suppose to take a cruise to Russia from England last summer, but I had to cancel it because of the uncertainty of our PCS. And now it will be quite awhile before we are able to take a cruise.   Larry Campbell Senior Member Username: Czeezo Post Number: 850 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 04:42 pm:    DeeDee - we dropped down one Deck and still have the very same cabin on the 9th in lieu of the 10 deck. But even after they charge me a $500 cancellation fee - I'm still saving $2,000. We lost 3 nights in London - 3 breakfast - bus ride from ship to London. Our full price is $3,123 Cat. B/C with a balcony.   DeeDee Clarke Senior Member Username: Deedee Post Number: 531 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 04:16 pm:    Larry, Is it the exact same dates and the exact same level of cabin? If so, Best Price Cruises may have blocked off a number of cabins on that cruise so they are offering a group rate. Still hard to believe it is that big of a difference pricewise.   Larry Campbell Senior Member Username: Czeezo Post Number: 847 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 02:30 pm:    Just got off the phone and there is a lady (Lynn) at Best Price Cruises that has just saved our friends about $4,000. We book NCL in Aug. to go to Russia from England and went thru Vantage it cost us $6,400 and my friends got it for $3,350. They check with Grand Circle and it was $7,100. They always use Grand Circle. We are trying to get a Cabin from Lynn - will be canceling the Vantage Cabin. They are going to charge us $500 just to cancel. But we will still be about $2,000 a head of the game. We only lose 2 nights in a hotel in London in the deal. And a bus ride from the ship to the hotel. Called Lynn and ask for a room at a hotel outside of Heathrow Air Port and she got us the Holiday Inn for $105.00 per night (and that is really cheap - I check room rates out). Here is her (Lynn) number 800-672-7485 ext. 14 LYNNB@bestpricecruises.com We are very disappointed with Grand Circle and Vantage. We have been on many many of their trips. After booking a Cruse from Chili to Miami in this coming April - I got Lynn's number from one of the people on this web sight and called her. She canceled the NCL and re booked it for me - saving me about $300 and gave us a ship board credit of $250. I don't know how she does it. If you do give her a call (just to compare prices) tell ZEEZO the Clown says hi! Keep a smile, Larry But for my money is has really come thru for us.