Mountaineer Casino has given me a 7 day "free" cruise to the destination of my choice (Bahamas, Alaska, Quebec, etc). I have to lock in by 9/21 (good for a year after confirmation) but wanted to check in here to see if anyone has had any good/bad/ugly experiences with Norwegian.

I've been on 2 Carnival Cruises and everything was inclusive except for booze. On the flyer with the destinations it says "select meals are paid for." I've heard that Norwegian has "extras" as far as costs go but have never dealt with them. Don't want to be stuck eating hot dogs & pizza on a luxury cruise. :laugh:

I'll also have to provide my own transportation (for 2) to get to the ship.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Norwegian should be as good or better than Carnival. Everything should be included on a cruise, other than drinks.

The Bahamas suck. Other parts of the Caribbean would be much better. Alaska would be cool, but expensive to get to.

Some meals can be every meal if you so choose. It's free in the main dining room every meal, but some restaurants are extra.

And go to Alaska. Well worth the price to get there.

laley is right. I've done 5 cruises now. All of mine have been Carnival, but I've met some people who have cruised a lot more than me and they all say the boats are about the only thing that's different. To your point about some meals not being included, the newest carnival boat i was on had a 5* steak joint on the top deck and it was like $125 for me and the wife to eat there. But I felt it was worth it.

I never understood why some people decide to go on so many cruises. I much rather just fly to a country and explore that country than sit on a boat and dock at a location for 24 hours. Only way I would take a cruise for a vacation is if it were free, which is the case for BR.

Flying internationally isn't cheap. Cruises are pretty reasonable for room and food. Plus no one wants to go to some of those shitty islands for more than 24 hours. This way you get to see a few sights and then move on. Now if you have to fly to the port, it makes the price a little less reasonable. Obviously traveling to Europe would be 100x better to explore, but that would also triple or quadruple the cost:


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like_that;1747193 wrote:I never understood why some people decide to go on so many cruises. I much rather just fly to a country and explore that country than sit on a boat and dock at a location for 24 hours. Only way I would take a cruise for a vacation is if it were free, which is the case for BR.

Totally Agree, but i'm a bumpkin from SEO. My first flight was when i was 22 years old. I had never left the country until my first cruise when i was 23. I go on cruises because it allows me to see 3-5 countries in a 5-7 day span. From my cruises i've learned that i would like to go spend significant time in St. Lucia, Cozumel/Mexico, Grand Cayman, Key West. I wouldn't have considered St. Lucia a great vacation destination, and wouldn't have spent the money to get to Grand Cayman not knowing what it was like. Conversely, I would have thought Barbados was a great place to spend a vacation but it rather sucked when i was there.

My next cruise will be an alaskan cruise, and i'm just doing that to see all the glaciers and coasts. I will go back sometime and do Denali NP and more of the inland sight seeing (hopefully a fly fishing trip on the Kenai)

I'd also like to do a mediterranean cruise at some point because i'm too chicken shit to book a vacation to istanbul or dubrovnik or greece because of the political bullshit going on there.

j_crazy;1747208 wrote:Totally Agree, but i'm a bumpkin from SEO. My first flight was when i was 22 years old. I had never left the country until my first cruise when i was 23. I go on cruises because it allows me to see 3-5 countries in a 5-7 day span. From my cruises i've learned that i would like to go spend significant time in St. Lucia, Cozumel/Mexico, Grand Cayman, Key West. I wouldn't have considered St. Lucia a great vacation destination, and wouldn't have spent the money to get to Grand Cayman not knowing what it was like. Conversely, I would have thought Barbados was a great place to spend a vacation but it rather sucked when i was there.

My next cruise will be an alaskan cruise, and i'm just doing that to see all the glaciers and coasts. I will go back sometime and do Denali NP and more of the inland sight seeing (hopefully a fly fishing trip on the Kenai)

I'd also like to do a mediterranean cruise at some point because i'm too chicken shit to book a vacation to istanbul or dubrovnik or greece because of the political bullshit going on there.

I was just in Istanbul a couple weeks ago. Fuck the cruise (the med cruise only stood there for a day) and just book your trip there. The dollar is so strong in turkey you will love like a king.

Cruises are great, especially for the Caribbean. Alaskan Cruise was one of the best trips ever...just amazing. There is ample entertainment and great food. Plenty of sun, and you get to do what you would do on any vacation...go to the beach during the day, and party at night.

But, why would I spend money to go to the Keys, Bahamas, Barbados, etc? Just shitty countries to vacation to. Ive been to the nicer places a few times (Cayman, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas). I would never go on a cruise in Europe. Those are trips I think you need to actually vacation to.

Laley23;1747220 wrote:Cruises are great, especially for the Caribbean. Alaskan Cruise was one of the best trips ever...just amazing. There is ample entertainment and great food. Plenty of sun, and you get to do what you would do on any vacation...go to the beach during the day, and party at night.

But, why would I spend money to go to the Keys, Bahamas, Barbados, etc? Just shitty countries to vacation to. Ive been to the nicer places a few times (Cayman, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas). I would never go on a cruise in Europe. Those are trips I think you need to actually vacation to.

That's my point. I rather just go to Europe than take a cruise to some islands that need tourism to survive.

like_that;1747226 wrote:That's my point. I rather just go to Europe than take a cruise to some islands that need tourism to survive.

You can't get to Europe and back for $500.

For those without rollover vacation days, or, more than 2 weeks vacation it is a great getaway. No cooking, everything taken care of for you, and fun...all for cheap.

Ive ve been on 3 cruises and am planning a 4th. I've also been all over the world. You can do both.

Laley23;1747247 wrote:You can't get to Europe and back for $500.

For those without rollover vacation days, or, more than 2 weeks vacation it is a great getaway. No cooking, everything taken care of for you, and fun...all for cheap.

Ive ve been on 3 cruises and am planning a 4th. I've also been all over the world. You can do both.

You're also not going to get the same experience at all, but to each his own. I rather immerse myself into a culture than sit on a boat all day.

like_that;1747252 wrote:You're also not going to get the same experience at all, but to each his own. I rather immerse myself into a culture than sit on a boat all day.

Not everyone has $10k (for 2) to spend 2 weeks in Europe every year. 1 week is pointless due to the price of flights. I've been there 3 times, and will continue going, but it isn't as simple as saying sure, let's drop 5 mortgage payments (or more) on a vacation every year.

I'm not really for or against cruises, and haven't been on any since college, but they really aren't that bad. Better than traveling to some of the crappy cities in the U.S. Much more relaxing than trying to see 6 cities in 12 days and see all the sites. Depends what you're looking for.

Edit: if I could find plane tix to Europe for < $700/$800 I'd go every year.


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iclfan2;1747256 wrote:Not everyone has $10k (for 2) to spend 2 weeks in Europe every year. 1 week is pointless due to the price of flights. I've been there 3 times, and will continue going, but it isn't as simple as saying sure, let's drop 5 mortgage payments (or more) on a vacation every year.

I'm not really for or against cruises, and haven't been on any since college, but they really aren't that bad. Better than traveling to some of the crappy cities in the U.S. Much more relaxing than trying to see 6 cities in 12 days and see all the sites. Depends what you're looking for.

Edit: if I could find plane tix to Europe for < $700/$800 I'd go every year.


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You definitely can find plane tickets to Europe for 700-800. You can also easily spend less than 10k (for 2) in Europe lol.

like_that;1747258 wrote:You definitely can find plane tickets to Europe for 700-800. You can also easily spend less than 10k (for 2) in Europe lol.

Most are between 12-1500. Then you have food, beer, hotels, and exchange loss on having to use Euro, even though it's decently favorable now. England you lose more. And then you have trains, museums, and other activities. And yea, you may spend less if you stay in one city, or in hostels, which I wouldn't do (I would, wife wouldn't). $10k may be high, maybe I should have said $7-$8k. I also stick to West of the Czech Republic.

Edit to add: my main point was Europe is expensive (comparatively), and your preaching going there to a forum whose state's main vacation spot is freaking myrtle beach.

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Make sure you include the Czech Republic. Prague is NOT to be missed, and the beer is cheaper than water.

iclfan2;1747263 wrote:Most are between 12-1500. Then you have food, beer, hotels, and exchange loss on having to use Euro, even though it's decently favorable now. England you lose more. And then you have trains, museums, and other activities. And yea, you may spend less if you stay in one city, or in hostels, which I wouldn't do (I would, wife wouldn't). $10k may be high, maybe I should have said $7-$8k. I also stick to West of the Czech Republic.

Edit to add: my main point was Europe is expensive (comparatively), and your preaching going there to a forum whose state's main vacation spot is freaking myrtle beach.

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LOL.

I am just giving my own preference, not really trying to diss anyone. If you like being on a boat, then so be it. Like I said, I am more into immersing myself into cultures, and it doesn't necessarily have to be Europe. You can't get a real feel for a city in another country when you are on a boat. It's just completely different. 99% of the people i saw in Istanbul who came off a cruise were just doing the touristy things. There are also ways to travel without spending 10k. That is a ridiculous price.


Just for future reference for all, this site is pretty legit depending on where you live http://www.theflightdeal.com/

I have friends who flew round trip to Thailand for $600 and also found a $450 roundtrip to Moscow. If you are able to snag a cheap trip to Thailand, you should, because other than the flight you won't be spending that much money based on the current exchange rate.

like_that;1747252 wrote:You're also not going to get the same experience at all, but to each his own. I rather immerse myself into a culture than sit on a boat all day.

My point is, you have Monday - Friday off, can't really to go Europe. I'd rather do a cruise, than a USA beach or sit on my ass. It's cheap, quick and a ton of fun.

Laley23;1747286 wrote:My point is, you have Monday - Friday off, can't really to go Europe. I'd rather do a cruise, than a USA beach or sit on my ass. It's cheap, quick and a ton of fun.

Cool, i rather just plan ahead to take more days off to have a better vacation (imo).

j_crazy;1747188 wrote:laley is right. I've done 5 cruises now. All of mine have been Carnival, but I've met some people who have cruised a lot more than me and they all say the boats are about the only thing that's different. To your point about some meals not being included, the newest carnival boat i was on had a 5* steak joint on the top deck and it was like $125 for me and the wife to eat there. But I felt it was worth it.

I have a VERY hard time buying there is a 5* restaurant on a cruise ship. I mean they have to freeze their food, and cook for a massive amount of ppl. I guess it depends on if you think Golden Corral is good or something?

Commander of Awesome;1747290 wrote:I have a VERY hard time buying there is a 5* restaurant on a cruise ship. I mean they have to freeze their food, and cook for a massive amount of ppl. I guess it depends on if you think Golden Corral is good or something?

I'm not sure there are 5 star restaraunts on cruise ships either, but what they are talking about are that a lot of the ships have small intimate restaurants seperate from the main dining room. These are available with reservations and additional charge. personally, I've found main dining room fare on cruise ships to be pretty good.....good enough that I don't want to pay extra. I've never had a problem getting an extra tray of escargot or even an extra entree if there are two things on the menu that I really want. We usually hit a Carribean cruise every other year as a winter getaway. I would like to do an Alaskan cruise, but just haven't got around to it.

But to the OP....Norwegian is a very good line....jump on the offer.

HitsRus;1747308 wrote:I'm not sure there are 5 star restaraunts on cruise ships either, but what they are talking about are that a lot of the ships have small intimate restaurants seperate from the main dining room. These are available with reservations and additional charge. personally, I've found main dining room fare on cruise ships to be pretty good.....good enough that I don't want to pay extra. I've never had a problem getting an extra tray of escargot or even an extra entree if there are two things on the menu that I really want. We usually hit a Carribean cruise every other year as a winter getaway. I would like to do an Alaskan cruise, but just haven't got around to it.

But to the OP....Norwegian is a very good line....jump on the offer.

When I went on Carnival cruises, in the past, when dining in the main dining room, if they had four specials for the evening, you could order one of each.

And I'm with Laley on his views on cruises. I'm a little different in that I'd take a cruise 9x's out of 10 over a regular vacation. You can relax, eat whatever you want, whenever you want, etc.

BR1986FB;1747324 wrote:When I went on Carnival cruises, in the past, when dining in the main dining room, if they had four specials for the evening, you could order one of each.

Off topic but holy commas!

BR1986FB;1747324 wrote:When I went on Carnival cruises, in the past, when dining in the main dining room, if they had four specials for the evening, you could order one of each.

And I'm with Laley on his views on cruises. I'm a little different in that I'd take a cruise 9x's out of 10 over a regular vacation. You can relax, eat whatever you want, whenever you want, etc.

You can't do that on vacations outside of a cruise?

SportsAndLady;1747325 wrote:Off topic but holy commas!

Haha...just noticed that.