NCL Cruises, Norwegian Crown, Panama Canal

Panama Canal Cruise, Santiago, Chile to Miami, Florida, USA Norwegian Crown April 8-21, 2007 My wife and I cruise about 60 days a year and have never had a “bad” cruise. However, we have had some cruises that are not as good as others and this was one of those. We have cruised with Norwegian a number of times, mostly on the Norwegian Dream and Wind and were looking forward to cruising on the smaller Crown. Since we had been to Santiago before, we flew in just one day early to get a good night’s sleep and be rested when we boarded the ship. We had pre-booked the Crowne Plaza and the airport transfer to the hotel. The overnight flight from Atlanta was uneventful and we arrived in Santiago at 7:30 in the morning. After paying $200 for the Chilean visa we arrived at our hotel a little past none o’clock and were pleasantly surprised to find our room was ready for us. We spent the rest of the day lounging around the pool, using the free Internet service to e-mail friends and relatives and have a nice quite dinner at the hotel restaurant. The next morning the hotel ordered us a taxi for the short trip to the port of Valparaiso to board the Crown. We negotiated a price of $100 that was added to our hotel bill. There were less expensive ways to get to Valparaiso but we thought that the extra money was worth the convenience of hotel to port transportation and being able to pay by credit card. We discovered that a new expressway had been completed since our last visit to Chile and the trip from Santiago to Valparaiso took less time than we had expected and we arrived at the dock almost an hour before the scheduled embarkation. However, embarkation started early and we were among the first on the ship. Our cabin was ready so we unpacked our hand luggage and started our tour of the ship. We discovered that every few yards there was an automatic hand disinfectant machine. I am sure that many passengers on this cruise had more alcohol on there hands than inside their body. The machines were well used and to my knowledge no one got sick. We had booked an inside cabin on deck six and had received a free upgrade to an outside cabin on the Lido deck (deck 8). The only problem was that the cabin (8045) was for four people and the two twin beds could not be made into a double bed because the nightstand was fixed and could not be moved. The flip side was that there were plenty of hangers and storage space. Another pleasant surprise was that there was a tub in the bathroom. It was small but nice for relaxing. In looking around the cabin, I got my first hint that Norwegian was not maintaining the ship as well as on other cruises. There was a lot of rust around the bathtub drain. The tie racks on the back of the closet doors were broken and the trim around the door under the bathroom sink was missing. Some white socks were in one of the closet drawers and it looked like no one had swept under the beds for a while. We later found out that the Crown had been sold and was leaving the fleet in November. This is a possible explanation for the less than excellent maintenance that we have observed on other cruises. A tour of the ship showed that it was laid out nicely and our cabin was very close to everything. The Yacht Club buffet, pool, Casino, Chop Sticks restaurant and Show lounge were all just one deck below us. The library, internet lounge, Lido bar and Le Bistro French Restaurant were just a few steps away while the hot tubs, Café Italia, Pasta Café, Seven Seas Restaurant and the Top of the Crown were only a few flights away. On the first day at sea, we arose bright and early for breakfast at the Yacht Club, a few minutes in the hot tub and our usual water aerobics in the pool. I found the hot oatmeal but the dried cranberries, blue berries and dates that I usually put on the oatmeal were nowhere to be found. I had to do with raisins and a little brown sugar. We found the hot tubs aft on deck ten that looked like a disaster area. Tables, lounges, chairs and umbrellas were strewn around the deck. We were to find the same disaster area every day. The only times that the deck was straightened up were the two times during the entire 13 day cruise that they opened the Italia Café for a luncheon barbeque. On those two days the tables with umbrellas, chairs and lounges were set up and really looked nice. It was a shame that more use was not made of the shade provided by the umbrellas since every shaded spot on all the outside decks were jammed with people during the hottest part of the days. Our first day in the pool was an eye opener. The cold Pacific water took some time to warm up and on the days that they drained the pool and replaced the water it was cold until in the morning. On the flip side, we always had the pool to ourselves on those days. I noticed a lot of soot on the surface of the water that evidently came from the ship’s smoke stack. When I got out of the water the same oily soot was on my jacket. Many days when I arose early to have a cup of coffee and watch the sun rise, I would get to the pool deck before the deck was washed down and the same soot was all over the white tables and lounge chairs. I never ate on deck and made sure that I sat under an overhang when having my morning coffee. The entertainment on board was outstanding. We enjoyed all of the performers and the Jean Ann Ryan Company was great. Especially good was Igor Portnoi, a Russian singer. He had an outstanding voice and sang all my favorite Broadway songs. Hilby, the “Skinny German Juggle Boy” put on a crowd-pleasing show and was funny in addition to being a good juggler. The entertainment was worth the price of the cruise. There was music everywhere on board. We would spend a part of every evening in the Lido Bar listening to the soothing melodies of Allen Roman or head to the Top of the Crown to listen and dance to the music Duo Alivestar. Every night between shows in the Stardust lounge the Amar Orchestra played some of the best dance music on the high seas. My wife even got me on the dance floor a couple of times. There were six restaurants on board counting the buffet in the Yacht Club. Since the Italia Café was closed most of the time, for all intents and purposes, there were only five eating venues available, three of which were only open in the evening. Le Bistro was the “nominal extra charge” restaurant. The Freestyle Daily advertised Le Bistro as “well worth the extra charge”. Personally, I could get a salad, steak and a baked potato at “Outback” for the nominal charge of $15 charged at Le Bistro. Then again, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Roasted Duck Flambé and Cream Brule were never my favorites so passing on Le Bistro was not a problem for me. The Chop Sticks and Pasta restaurants were good but had a limited menu and getting a reservation was hard. They advertised that you could make reservations, in person or by telephone, for the same night or the next night at the reservations desk that was open from 8:00 am until noon each day. In fact you could not make reservations for the same night because they had all been taken the day before. If you wanted a reservation on Monday you had better line up by eight o’clock (the line would start forming at 7:30 am) on Sunday. One day I arrived at the reservation desk at 7:30 am and was fourth in line. At eight o’clock on the dot the reservation clerk open the books only to be interrupted by the telephone. In a very nice voice she said “pardon me but can I take this call?’ The man in front of me verbalized my thoughts when he said, “no you may not"! He repeated himself in a louder more menacing tone as her hand continued towards the telephone. She did not answer the telephone until everyone in the line got reservations. As I was making my reservation I glanced at the reservation sheet where I counted at least eight reservations penciled in ahead of mine. Evidently, some people or groups could make reservations before the two-day limit. There was no extra charge for the Chop Sticks and Pasta restaurants and the service was a cut above the main dining room. Also and most importantly, the food was hot. The second day on board we decided to try lunch in the main dining room. All I wanted was a hamburger and french-fries with ice cream for dessert. I sat there for 45 minutes while my tablemates had their starter, soup and salad before my entrée arrived with all the rest. It was lunch at the Yacht Club after that. Several nights later we tried dinner in the main dining room. The young lady asked if we would like to share a table to which we agreed. We were lucky and sat with an English speaking couple that was really nice but it took forever to be served. We tried the main dining room on the last “dress-up” night at sea. This time we asked for a table for two only to be told that there were none available so we said that we would share. We were seated at a table for four and giving a menu. Then we proceeded to sit there for 15 minutes until another couple was seated at our table and the four of us could be served together. Most of our eating was done at the Yacht Club where at least you had a choice of the full meal side or the snack side. Both sides had the same salads, bread and assorted cheeses. However, on the full meal side you could get several mystery meats while on the snack side you could get warm hamburgers, hot dogs, and meatless pizza and dried out French fries. I opted for a hamburger and French fries. My wife, after trying several different mystery meats for a few days, chose to have soup and salad for lunch. A variety of desserts were available and the ones I had were all good. They had a choice of two ice cream flavors each day. They were served from two five-gallon containers that were sitting a few inches down in ice cubes. The top of the ice cream melted rapidly. On some days the warmest thing we had for lunch was the soup that they called chocolate ice cream. I still managed to gain about two pounds on the cruise. We have cruised on Norwegian six times in the last eight years and watched it devolve from one of the best to what I would called America’s first no-frills cruise line. On our first cruise on the Norwegian Dream there was a waiter waiting at the end of the buffet line to carry your tray to the table for you. Coffee was served in the buffet area and on deck everywhere and you did not have to walk across the eating area to get a refill. The main dining room menu had alternate selections that you could get any night when you did not want the main dishes offered that day. You could always get a steak and a baked potato for dinner. After the first night on an assigned seating cruise the wait staff knew what you liked and knew you by name. They never got your order wrong and they knew how well they had done when they got that envelope on the last night of cruising. We got to know and make friends with many passengers and staff alike. You tipped individuals who provided outstanding service. Then along came Freestyle Cruising. I don’t know who came up with the phrase because it is not free nor stylish. The only differences that I have observed between Freestyle cruising and traditional cruising are seat assignments in the main dining room for dinner, the tipping policy and to some extent, the dress code. Most cruise lines have enough eating alternate eating venues that you can eat where and when you want to. On a traditional cruise, I can be assigned early or late seating but if I want to change the time or table I am usually accommodated. If not I can always eat in an alternative restaurant. On Norwegian you are assigned seating when you arrive for dinner. In our case, we either get a table for two (if available) or share a table with total strangers who may or may not speak English. Norwegian may have a little more relaxed dress code than other cruise lines but the trend in society is far more casual dressing, even in churches. I like the suggested dress code of the day so that I do not stand out in a crowd. I stopped taking my “Tux” after my first cruise years ago. And so the biggest difference between Freestyle Cruising and traditional cruising is the tipping policy. Originally, part of “freestyle” was the automatic tip. However, you could still have the tip or part of it taken off the bill, if you requested it. Since my last Freestyle that policy has changed. Now there is no longer an optional tip. It is called a “service charge” or should I say a “no service charge” because you get less service than before. I would not mind a service charge if a no tipping policy went with it. However, Norwegian encourages tipping in addition to the service charge. Even your bar drinks have an “auto gratuity” (service charge) and a place on the tab for an additional tip. Why not just add the service to the price of the cruise? It is getting to be like some of the no-frills airlines where you pay extra for luggage, seat choice, food and drinks, including water. When they retire the Norwegian Crown, maybe they should change the name of the cruise line to “Easy Cruise”, or “Cruise Me” the no-frills cruise line.