Thread: Should we use NCL for another FREE curise for our daughters wedding????

Hi all,

We just got back yesterday 12/17/06 from a week long comped cruise on the NCL Jewel. They gave us a balcony cabin on deck 10. By the way we gambled no more then usual, but you must play more then 1 line on a nickle machine. We go comped and others are given the casino rate.

Anyway we were a group of 12 with a baby. The cruise was very nice as it started with our daughter asked the question and becoming engaged before the life boat drill, putting all in high spirits. So we went to MaMa's Italian restaurant to celebrate, they have tables for 12 and we stuck the baby on the end. Ok, so we waited 40 minutes for our order to be taken, we were all excited and talking about the wedding that would be coming up and decided that a wedding in Italy would be nice since this ship would be there in July for then for the wedding. By the way the restaurant was about 40% full. After giving our orders the waiter said the appetizer cart would be over soon. I saw the other tables getting their appetizers and bot carts were then parked at the top of our table for 13. After 15 minutes and the salid being served we asked about the appetizers which were served about another 10 minutes, there are no hot appetizers as it turned out ! OK give it another chance. Well then the main courses came and they were all pretty tasteless. Dessert was no better.

Being a large group we were told to made a reservation in the azuri dinning room when we boarded because they could handle a large group like us, so we did and it WAS CONFIRMED. Monday night we got there out our time and there was no table set up or any record of our reservation, the assistant matri "d" was of little helf as we finally showed him the empty tables that could be pushed together, he finally agreeded to do do that and told him we would all be eating together at 7pm here for the rest of the cruise, he said he was sorry and the table would be ready tommorrow, by the way the dinning room was about 50% empty. Here again the food was bland and not prepaired properly. The lobsters tails were dry and the pastry shell on the beff wellington was soggy, however the tenderloin was tasty and soft. Desserts here seam to be decorated very nicely but lack taste. Ice cream seams to be the best bet. Well the next night we get to the dinning room and are led to a table for 10 with several empty tables around us. Again we call for the matri "d" but only the assistant matri "d" shows up saying that they will only prepare tables for 10 stating it is to much for a waiter. We asked if the same waiter is handling the other table next to us for the 3 additional people and he said yes ! Let us think about that one. So once again we told him to push the tables together and as we were all becoming upset about our dinner reservation by brother-in-law said to the assistant matri "d" that if our table is not ready tommorrow when we come he will speak to the captin and call the home office from the next port. Well needless to say our table was ready every night therafter. By the way he said the table will be ready by 5:30 if we wanted to come early. I checked daily and it was ! Since we dinned at 7pm daily the dinning was usual 50% empty when we got there and about 90% empty when we left. Bus boy sevice was poor with the assistant matri "d" helping the waiter do the busy boy work. It appeared that this problem did not exist with other tables. Also dinner took between 2 - 2 1/2 hours to serve. A little long ?

We started thinking about these problems since we would be a group of approx. 60 in july, of course not at 1 table but we would be in large groups. Was this something we wanted our guests to endure for a week ? Un-kept table reservations, poor service and food quailtiy. We also noted that most of the better dishes have been moved to the specilty restaurants requirering an additional charge. These dishes are found on other cruise lines in their regular restaurants. By the way my wife and I are veterans of over 20 cruises on various lines.

Let me also say the ship is beautiful, clean, excellent cabin service, curtious staff and crew, free drinks in the casino when you are playing as long as you have a casino card, but let me say we go for the food and casino, we have been to most ports several times already as most in our group have been too. My daughter and fiance had a nice time but were frustrated too by the dinning experiance and did not think this would be good for 12 days on a Mediterranean cruise.

So all in all: Free curise for us, casino rate for other guests, beautiful ship and cabins with great service but an awful dinning experiance. Should we pass or hope its better ?????????????????

Originally Posted by captingary1

Let me also say the ship is beautiful, clean, excellent cabin service, curtious staff and crew, free drinks in the casino when you are playing as long as you have a casino card, but let me say we go for the food and casino, we have been to most ports several times already as most in our group have been too. My daughter and fiance had a nice time but were frustrated too by the dinning experiance and did not think this would be good for 12 days on a Mediterranean cruise.

Since it is for THEM and they don't want to do it ... I'd consider trying it again some other time -- not for their wedding.

Agree with LuLu -- not for their wedding.

How much do you have to gamble to get comp'ed on a cruise ship? I can't even get a free drink.

PE

This should be about what your daught and her fiance want, not you. Tell them that whatever they decide to do for their wedding, you are behind them 100 percent.

I would let my daughter choose.

Make the bridal couple happy. It's their wedding. To me, it's worth it to pay the money to be happy with the vacation that I've received, especially when you are looking at a 12 day cruise. Especially since you are the only person that would be receiving the free cruise and everybody else would be having to pay, I would be sorely upset if somebody chose a cruise based solely on the fact that they got it for free or at a discount.

With a group of 60 people, you should contact a travel agent specializing in groups. You might be surprised at the kind of deals that you could get for that large of a group, on a cruiseline that might make everybody happy (and I mean the bridal couple specifically).