Some friends just came back from a July 9 cruise in Hawaii on NCL. They reported that the housekeeping was just horrid, they even had to ask multiple times to get some bathroom tissue as they had run out. Food and entertainment was surperb and Hawaii was fabulus but the vacation was tainted by the housekeeping. They believe the cleaning team was mostly American and that was the root of the trouble. Any other experiences, especailly on that ship?
They didn't particularly like the "free style" cruising either. What it meant to them was standing in more lines to get a reservation for meals. Other thoughts on this?
Originally posted by RichC:
Because of stories like that is the reason I choose Princess for our Hawaii cruise last year & our next cruise this Nov.
Thanks for the input. I'll stick with Carnival for now. My daughter, who dances for Carnival has been thinking of trying another line, I will ask her to put NCL at the bottom of her preferences.
My brother in law is going on the Carnival Sprit this Sept to Hawaii & I'm awaiting his opinion of the cruise & ship. We haven't sailed Carnival yet because of the many reports of years past. Lately, I've been reading many good things about the line but we still haven't chosen them as we are mostly Princess & RCCL customers but sooner or later we'll give them a chance when the time & price are right.
I worked for NCLA for two Cruises. Firtsly the backroom deal that was struck was so, 3 US flagged vessels with SIU crews with a monapoly on the Hawaiian Islands until 2008. The ships would hire 900 US Crew ea. they would join the Seafears International Union So many lies had to be told to get Americans to get mixed up with NCLA, It would not be beleived. 5 months 12hrs a day 7 days aweek. Americans don't do slavery very well. If you got bad service on a cruise, the over worked underpaid, unrespected American doing the work, Wanted to stick it to NCLA.. In Jan 2008 Pride of Hawaii pulled out of service reflagged to the Bahamas and a Fillipino crew. what a surprise. Cruise ships are Slave ships for the crews.
Went on one NCL and that is enough. The ship wasn't kept that clean. Tables out on the deck dishes on them for hours. Had to move them ourselves. There didn't seem to be any help around. And the ice cream bar they had outside was dirty. Also that freestyling is not that great. We stood in line for quite a while outside the door waiting for it to open. There were people coming up the stairs and down the stairs, and there was an elevator where the people couldn't get off of it because the hall was full and the stairs were backed up. Not to mention it was hot. And the wait was for just so so food. Not to mention they were not friendly, in fact rude.
Utility Galley, you didn't know going in that you'd be expected to work a contract with such hours for a 5 month stretch? Slaves don't get to leave after 5 months of long hours in a service industry job. The crew members of the foreign flagged vessels don't seem to have the same attitude toward hard work and long hours. Small business owners don't seem to have negative attitudes toward long hours for years at a time until their businesses become successful enough that they can delegate some of that hard work and long hours. I guess I just think a work ethic that seems to be in danger of disappearing in western culture will be a great loss. A generation obsessed with the life of Paris Hilton and other spoiled silver spoon brats is amazing and sad. Video games, cell phones and 100+ channels of so called reality TV have replaced hard work and a sense of pride in that work, whatever the job. God help this country if American kids aspire to have the lifestyle of the people in pop culture instead of the their parents and grandparents who built this nation through sweat, long hours, hard work and pride in their work and their nation. I'd be ashamed to take that contract and let anyone say of me that Americans can't cut it. To any American who says hard work is beneath them, I say Butch up Sally or don't take the contract.
As a cruiser of many cruise lines, I have been a passenger on NCL ships & have been very satisfied with service , Freestyle enables one to be more flexible but still be able to fix time & request the same table by contacting reservations, we were with a group of seven on the Eastern Med cruise Athens to Istanbul and had the same table every night without standing in line, we just asked the station head waiter to book our table ahead. we had great service & food , I have owned hotels & restaurants all my working life.& consider I know a little of the industry. As regards to the Hawaiian based ships problem , this has been discussed & now hopefully addressed with N C L being able to hire non green card holders, if the US crew do not like the work etc well I am sure they have noticed that galley's don't have chains any more,!!! I am sure most of us have had some problems whichever line we use & have a preference for a certain line, but I always try to address the problem as soon as I can with the head of the department, and have been thanked for brining it to their attention,
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