Founded by Knut Kloster in 1966, Norwegian Cruise Line is a cruise company with its headquarters in Miami, Florida. With more than ten ships in its fleet and many more planned for launch in the future, NCL is quickly growing as a people’s favorite cruise line company. NCL has come a long way and has expanded its tours to various parts of the world like Europe, Alaska, Bermuda and Hawaii. It also has a sister company, NCL America, which was built to pay homage to the spirit and regions of America.
Known for their Freestyle cruise, which means that there are no timings for meals and passengers are exempted from any dress-codes, is especially appreciated by all the visitors. It is their innovative freestyle cruise that sets them apart from all the other cruises that insist on the meal-timing and dress codes, which sometimes can play spoil sport to the vacation mood.
Known in the trade market as an aggressive discounter it has in the past provided cruises for kids at an incredibly low price of $99 and for adults $25 before taxes.
Onboard Experience
The décor on the ship is pleasantly colorful and appealing with a warm ambience, making it a tourist haven. With its broad appeal, NCL cruise liners attract adults, teens and children alike. There is a wide variety of fun things to do which are specially designed for specific age-groups, and it is rare that anyone can get bored onboard NCL ships.
From Sushi, Steaks and French Bistros, the passengers can choose from an array of choices available for dining, but this does come with $10 to $25 cover charge. Their room service is available round the clock, so if going to the dining area is a problem, room service can be ordered irrespective of the time. There are more than ten dining venues available on the ship, offering gourmet cuisines which make the passenger spoilt for choice. Although there is wide variety as far as cuisine is concerned but NCL ships’ food has often been criticized for being somewhat expensive and not very great.
The entertainment scene onboard NCL ships, is something which makes the whole cruise experience as memorable. The variety of fun and entertaining activities onboard include:
- Lavish shows by dancers and singers which make you feel as if you are in Las Vegas. Some ships even have Chicago’s world-famous Second City comedy company. Comedians, jugglers, acrobats and magicians often are also part of the entertainment activities.
- Casinos are there on all of NCL ships except the Pride of America, and apart from casinos there are Bingo sessions, library, shuffle boards, ping pong, art auctions and seminars which keep the adults on board busy and happy.
- For young kids well-trained counselors design special itineraries which include fun learning lessons, video-arcades and theme parties. Teens also have a reason to rejoice with discos, pools and teen center.
- Luxury beauty treatments are also provided to the guests on the Mandara Spas which include exotic body massages, Botox treatments, and recently added Acupuncture sessions. All these of course come with an additional charge, which doesn’t come cheap.
- Just because you’re on a cruise doesn’t mean that fitness can take a backseat on NCL cruises. Although every ship has its own fitness program but they generally include volleyball, basketball, golf, jogging tracks and etc.
Overall Review
NCL’s innovative techniques, whether it is freestyle cruises or cheap cruises, has definitely given it an edge above the rest. First-time cruisers or cruisers on a tight budget prefer NCL’s cruises which offer them luxuries at a lower cost than the rest. The cruise ship have variety of activities and uniqueness to offer to its passengers, although when there is a big crowd onboard, people often miss out on enjoying everything if they don’t plan ahead.
Whether its people with kids, elderly people or teenagers on spring breaks, NCL offers a wide variety to keep everybody entertained. This is exactly what cruising is all about.
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