New To Cruising?: Testimonials

"Best holiday ever!"

We had never been on a cruise before so we didn't know what to expect. I can say that the Epic was amazing, amazing, amazing! There was so much to do for my entire family, kids 4&7, busy 24/7. We saw the Blue Man Group, Circus de Solei, and others below. Everything was AWESOME. We couldn't have asked for more. The Aqua Park on board was tremendous. The Recess club for the kids was great, they asked to go most nights. We couldn't have taken a better trip, ever!

Username: cajunlady | Destination: Eastern Bahamas | Cruise Date: August 2009

"As for ocean sickness I had none"

As my title says I never wanted to cruise (afraid of sea sickness, Bad stomach!) Well I am getting ready for my 4th in 3 years in a few weeks. I have been on The Spirit, The Dawn and The Gem ALL NCL and although I can't compare to others I see NO need. When you have found something good why change it? I have more stories to share but not enough space to do it in and most would think me long winded. Every ship had its own wonderful memories. But I have to say The Dawn and trip to Bermuda was the most outstanding!! My profession is customer service and because of that it is difficult to impress me. But the staff on the Dawn did that in spades!! From remembering your name, to your preferences and helping you in any way they could was amazing. The food was outstanding in the speciality restaurants and the entertainment was above average. The room service was impeccable and the wait staff from restaurants, to lounges, to casino couldn't do enough for you. I thought about going on the Epic this summer and I will eventually but for now in a few weeks I will be going to Bermuda on the Dawn again and believe me I can't wait !!!! As for ocean sickness I had none. I used sea bands and after 1st day didn't seem to need them also for those concerned they have a complete medical staff that can assist you and I found a few cocktails is a wonderful remedy ;)

Username: Monrat | Destination: Bermuda/Bahamas | Cruise Date: April 2009

"An Epic Experience"

For our first cruise we could not have asked for anything better. We had been planning for this cruise since October of 2009 and the anticipation rose everyday that it came closer. Finally, the day was here and we boarded for the holiday of a lifetime. The ship itself was and is magnificent. It is the second largest passenger ship at sea, and the tallest passenger ship in the world having 19 decks, 16 of them being passenger decks. For three people our stateroom fit us quite well, and was very comfortable. With our stateroom we also had private access to the spa stateroom complex which was amazing to say the least. The food had to have been some of the best we have ever tasted. To all cruisers on this ship I highly recommend Teppanyaki. The entertainment was some of the best in the cruising industry to date. I have so much more I could say but that would just be ruining the experience for you. To know what I mean you need to choose the Norwegian Epic as your cruise ship. All in all it was every hing and more including a memorable experience that we will never forget.

Username: Lormatnik | Cruise Date: July 2010

"A Fantastic Time"

Just recently (May 2-9) returned from my first (but not last!!) cruise on the Dawn to Bermuda. From the moment we boarded till the time we disembarked in NY everything was great. The staff, the food, the music, the shows....all crazy fun. The only complaint I would make is that the poolside restrooms were out of order for a couple of days. The ship was big enough but not overwhelming. Special thanks to Paul (bar server) can't wait to book my next!!

Username: Parrothead | Destination: Bermuda

"Our first-ever cruise"

We sailed on the Dawn for our first-ever cruise on the February 7 Western Caribbean Cruise out of Miami. Have to say, it was a blast! The best holiday we've had in 10 years and we will definitely sail with NCL again. The balcony room (9592) was MUCH more than we anticipated and the crew & staff were superior. We were treated like royalty, spoilt almost rotten. The food was terrific, the entertainment first-rate, and the ship itself was beautiful. The shore excursions we went on were very nice. 7 Mile Beach was a bit crowded, but to walk through the powdery sand and swim in the warm Caribbean was the best. The Mayan Ruins were beautiful, but left a bit to be desired as it was a busy day there and the area was a tad "touristy" compared to what we had hoped. All in all, though, the trip rated a 9.5 out of 10 easily. We really did not want to leave the ship when we got back to Miami!

Username: Dfdpiper | Destination: Western Caribbean | Cruise Date: February 2010

"Makes your experience one you will never forget"

This was a second cruise, but first on NCL, there is no comparison to the way NCL presents their product. From the time you arrive on the ship to your last moments before heading home NCL makes your experience one you will never forget. Our cruise in Dec. 2009 was a special occasion it was my wife's 50th birthday and we were going to celebrate it on a marvellous ship. The crew did an excellent job in decorating our stateroom even had a cake made up for her birthday. The entire experience is one for the books from the staff to the food it was perfect. The experience has prompted us to take another cruise on the Gem in Dec. 2010 and on the Gem again in 2011. It was a great experience compared to our first cruise on another cruise line.

Username: FirsttimeFreestyler | Cruise Date: December 2009

"Amazing!!!"

To start, I was a first time cruiser. Reading some reviews on other websites kind of scared me a bit, but I can honestly say, I am HOOKED. And not just on cruising, but on NCL and their Freestyle ways!!! The staff aboard the Gem, ever single one of them, was extremely friendly, well groomed and genuinely happy all the time!! The cruise director staff (Iain was my favourite no offense Brett)was funny, friendly, and had the trip planned out great! The food at the included restaurants was very good, but the speciality restaurants are totally worth every $$. The Gem and NCL have certainly created the best holiday experience I have ever had and I can promise that they will see us "Out and About" again very soon!! Thank you NCL and all of the wonderful staff of the Norwegian Gem!!

Username: spanglerjason | Cruise Date: February 2010

"Fabulous First Cruise"

My husband and I have recently returned home to Scotland after our first ever cruise. I had always wanted to cruise but thought the holiday would be spoilt by seasickness. I am delighted to say from the moment I stepped on board I was absolutely fine, I didn't take any tablets, and suffered no ill effects at all. The Norwegian Gem is a fantastic ship that made our first ever Mediterranean cruise so much more enjoyable. Our Balcony Stateroom on the 9th deck was superb, bed was exceptionally comfortable, and the balcony just made it for me. We spent many early mornings on the balcony just watching the ship arrive in ports such as Malta, Naples, Rome and Livorno, and thoroughly enjoyed the views from our balcony as the tenders were trying to dock with the ship in Cannes. Our favourite part of the day was around 7pm when the ship was usually getting ready to sail out of port, we would go up to the Great Outdoors Bar, order a bottle of chilled wine, listen to the live music, and watch the sun go down as we sailed out of port. The most spectacular was sundowners over the Bay of Naples. Perfection. Just thinking now of the next cruise and where we might go.

Username: TartanWanderer | Destination: Europe | Cruise Date: September 2009

"We loved the convenience and flexibility"

My wife and I just returned from a 7 day cruise out of Barcelona to ports of Italy and Spain. The Jade was an amazing ship and was in excellent condition. It looked almost brand new. Our balcony state room was comfortable, well decorated, and the cabin steward did a great job keeping the cabin straight and stocked. We had never "free-style" cruised before but found that we loved the convenience and flexibility of choosing restaurant times, styles, and menus. I'll definitely cruise NCL again. Great Job!!!

The ports were great and relaxing, but be careful in Nassau. A lot of locales who try to get you to buy everything. Overall, the ship was beautiful, clean, friendly staff, and many things to do. My only complaint is that I wish the pool and hot tubs stayed open past 10pm. There were many nights I would have loved to sit in the hot tub with a nice glass of wine.

Username: KevinK | Destination: Europe | Cruise Date: June 2010

"The freestyle concept really made us happy"

This was the first cruise that I had ever been on. There were several reasons why I chose this particular cruise. I asked all of my friends who had travelled to other countries and found out that all of them agreed that Belize was the most beautiful and romantic place they had travelled to. Also, my husband and I change our minds about what we want to do all the time. We don't like to have a set time when we need to eat because of this. The freestyle concept really made us happy. We were also going during spring break and even though we are young we did not want to have a wild and crazy spring break holiday. We wanted to choose the line that was most likely to have the least rowdy young people. We did have some problems with noise when we were trying to sleep at night, however, our concerns about this issue were very important to the ncl staff. They were very caring and very willing to try to make up for the problems we had. We also enjoyed our stateroom staff who told us "good morning" every day as though they genuinely meant it and who also took every opportunity to ask us how our day was. NCL to my knowledge so far is the best priced line out there. The entertainment on this ship is OUTSTANDING!!!

Username: Jandy | Destination: Caribbean | Cruise Date: April 2010

"Best trip ever!"

This was my first cruise, but certainly not my last! My whole family (19 of us ranging from 13-75) met up in Miami from 3 different provinces in Canada to travel to BEAUTIFUL Costa Maya, Roatan, Belize and Bahamas. Even in such a large group we were able to all have an amazing week, without a moment of boredom or stress. We fell in love with a bartender named Ricardo, who took care of us for the whole week, and made sure that our only worry was deciding between the Mojito of the day or a helmet full of ice cold corona. The staff are perfect, and will go out of there way to make sure that you ALWAYS feel like the most special person on board. Leaving the ship felt like a breakup (haha), we never wanted to leave! However, the next cruise is booked (to Bermuda) and I can't wait to get on board with the amazing NCL staff!

Username: whirl47 | Destination: Caribbean | Cruise Date: April 2010