Christine Rathbun

Age: 38
Occupation: project manager
Number of Cruises: 3
Cruise Line: NCL
Ship: Norwegian Majesty
Sailing Date: July 11th, 2004
Itinerary: Bermuda

I cruised with NCL onboard the Norwegian Majesty from 7/11 to 7/18/2004 with my mother, aunt, and 9 year-old daughter. Boarding was painless, though the mandatory picture line was annoying. Luggage arrived to our room within two hours. The room was an obstructed-view stateroom – all we could see through our window was the orange underside of a lifeboat. The room itself was small, though comfortable, but in dire need of updating – the fold-down bunk beds were chipped and scratched and without ladders, and the carpeting, curtains and bedspreads did not match. The walls and ceilings needed to be cleaned – splatters and stains everywhere. The bathroom sink was chipped white enamel. Dingy. Cheap. The rest of the ship was stuck somewhere in the early 90’s – mirrors and chrome everywhere, fake plants, bad lighting.
 
The buffet on deck 10 was consistently awful – greasy, sloppy, unhealthy, unrecognizable, unpalatable. Same goes for the burger and pizza stations. Bad coffee, worse orange juice – again, cheaped out. Dining in the restaurants was much better, though the portions were small. We always felt rushed through each course, and the timing of the wine steward and waiter never quite jibed. In general, though, the service was excellent – friendly, smiling staff who worked hard. The entrees were fine, if occasionally overdressed with silly fancy-sounding names, and the desserts were either some version of cake with layers of icing or a flabby pudding…what I would have given for a crisp cookie and some fresh fruit. We ate in Le Bistro one night – worth the additional $15 charge if only for the improved atmosphere (all other dining rooms used harsh fluorescent lighting – sort of a cafeteria ambiance), and the opportunity to have something truly cooked to order – the filet was excellent. Room service was disappointing – much longer than the 30 minutes stated, and the roast beef on rye I ordered consisted of 3 slices of bread and 2 paper-thin (no exaggeration) slices of roast beef --- ?!?? Maybe the sandwich is a good analogy for this cruise line: no luxury, just a lot of filler. I wasn’t expecting gourmet on this trip, but certainly more than their stingy offerings.

My mother and aunt and daughter partook of many of the activities onboard – exercise, gambling, dance lessons, handwriting analysis, trivia, bingo, etc., and were quite pleased. My only objective for this trip was to find a quiet deck chair and read. Impossible. Too noisy and crowded on deck 10, and not enough chairs on deck 7…the library was always filled with rowdy, obnoxious teenagers, as was the internet café.

Far and away the worst aspect of this trip was the cigarette smoke: you could not escape it, even on deck. The non-smoking areas (if you can find them) are a joke, as they are polluted by the smokers seated at the table next door, who, by the way, have a better view than you. We returned home with suitcases full of clothes reeking of stale smoke.

Overall: attentive staff, mediocre food, dingy atmosphere. Noisy, smoky, crowded, unhealthy. I enjoyed the time onboard with my family, but not because of the amenities promised on NCL’s website – this was the Walmart of cruises: everything you’re looking for, but the cheapest version available. Bermuda was exquisite – as elegant and clean and lovely as NCL was not. We’ll be flying next time, and I will not be recommending NCL to anyone in future.

Ask a Question About NCL, Norwegian Cruise Lines