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A cruise holiday with NCL is all about choice and convenience. Think flexible dining, no formal dress codes, a great range of things to do and an easy-going atmosphere and none of the assigned dining or other traditions associated with cruise holidays of the past. Dress code is smart casual throughout and you can plan your day and night as you wish with all restaurants operating open seating for you to pre-reserve or turn-up and dine as you wish.
Start your cruise in one of the 31 global ports of embarkation, from far-away Sydney, Buenos Aires & Vancouver to closer-to-home Barcelona, Venice and Southampton. NCL are still the only cruise line to offer year-round embarkations from Honolulu on their 7-night inter-island cruises on Pride of America. Winners of 'Europe's Leading Cruise Line' every year since 2008, Norwegian has up to 7 ships of their total of 19 sailing in European waters offering holidays across the continent. Globally, they sail to 122 countries and over 300 ports of call.
NCL's ships offer a unique range of places to stay, including innovative Studios for the solo traveller to the 'ship-within-ship' concept 'The Haven' offering suites guests privacy and upgraded services and amenities associated with small-ship cruising combined with the large-ship entertainment & dining choices. If you can tear yourself away from your stateroom, you’ll find up to 29 dining options, theatres hosting dazzling West End-style shows and even circus tents & comedy clubs. Their largest ships pack even more activities in, including aqua parks, ropes courses and go-karting! Children and teens can join in activities designed just for them and lucky grown-ups can feel their worries float away in the amazing spas. With so much to see and do, Feel Free to spend your time with NCL exactly as you wish.
Norwegian cruise ships draw a diverse crowd, though the majority of passengers on ships sailing to the Caribbean and in Alaska and Hawaii hail from North America. You'll find a decent number of people from other English-speaking countries, and smaller numbers from South America and Europe. On European cruises, North Americans still dominate but you'll find more people from the United Kingdom and other European countries. You'll find plenty of young families onboard Norwegian ships, especially during holidays and school breaks. However, the line's newest ship, Norwegian Bliss, is less family-friendly than the line's other ships, with all the kids clubs on the lowest levels of the ship and onboard entertainment that is decidedly adult. Generally speaking, Norwegian Cruise Line attracts mostly middle-aged and older couples, as well as groups of friends of all ages.
Norwegian Cruise Line maintains a casual atmosphere onboard; during the day, casual wear is the norm. There's no formal dress code at night either, though most people do change into something slightly less casual for dinner. Additionally, some of the speciality extra-fee restaurants do require long pants, collared shirts and closed-toe shoes. Most evenings you'll see men in dark jeans or khakis and collared shirts, and women in blouses with slacks or skirts, or sundresses. Don't be surprised if you see people in shorts in the main dining rooms. Norwegian doesn't have any formal nights, but there is an optional Norwegian's Night Out at least once per sailing, for which passengers are encouraged to dress up. You'll rarely see a tux or gown, but suits and cocktail dresses are not unheard of. Norwegian ships also typically hold several themed nights (glow party, '70s or '80s, etc.) during a typical sailing. You might want to bring a few appropriate items, such as white clothing for the glow and white parties or bell bottoms for '70s night.
No. Unless you have an all-inclusive dining or beverage package (which you can buy), you'll have to pay extra for most gratuities, speciality dining, room service, all drinks (alcoholic and non, except water, select juices at breakfast, and coffee and tea), shore excursions, visits to the spa and any retail purchases, including photos. On the newest ships, you'll also have to pay for some of the entertainment options and even some of the top-deck fun: On Norwegian Bliss, for example, the laser tag and go-karts cost extra.
On warm-weather cruises, the main pool is the line's most popular spot onboard. On ships with water slides, ropes courses, go-kart tracks and laser tag, these are also popular and often require a wait of up to 30 minutes or more. Inside, you'll find activities that range from trivia, bingo and Deal or No Deal during the day to song-and-dance revues or Broadway shows in the theatre and live music or cabaret shows in the evening. Norwegian ships also have a lively bar nightlife. There's also an always-busy casino, which opens when the ship is out to sea.
Active families, picky eaters, and couples/groups who love to bar hop
People who can't stand crowds, or those seeking a relaxed onboard environment
