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For my girlfriend's family's sake, I've taken cruises the last two years. One Royal Caribbean, and one Norwegian. Decades ago I took a couple of Carnival cruis

For my girlfriend's family's sake, I've taken cruises the last two years. One Royal Caribbean, and one Norwegian. Decades ago I took a couple of Carnival cruises. Things are not better now. What a shitshow. Royal Caribbean sucked, but Norwegian was a new low. The only word that describes both the en-route experience and the destinations is DISMAL. At least Royal Caribbean had a pleasant food-court type of dining area, with stations of verious kinds in a dispersed layout that was navigable. Norwegian had only a narrow "racetrack" going around a central core, with serving stations in the wall. It was only a few feet wide, which meant you couldn't move because it was blocked by scooters (a totally predictable situation given the demographics of cruise ships). Then there was the smoke. WTF. We had an upper cabin with a balcony. Doing 20 knots on the open ocean, we couldn't hang out out there because it was continually inundated with cigarette smoke... and not even from the immediate neighbor. It was mind-boggling. There was also a smoking area right next to a sushi restaurant. And you had to walk through the smoke-ridden casino area on every deck to get anywhere on the boat. At least Royal Caribbean kept that whole giant ashtray confined to a central area on the lower level. Totally fine. Cruises are absolute shit. You're way better off just going to an all-inclusive resort somewhere, even somewhere cheap.

jesterson 2y ago
Not sure where you have gotten your experience from. If there is a smoke just complain and it will be taken care of. Been cruising for many years and loving it.
- DidYaWipe 2y ago
  On Norwegian, the casino straddles the entire width of the ship on multiple decks. Which line do you prefer?
DiggyJohnson 2y ago
> Then there was the smoke. WTF. We had an upper cabin with a balcony. Doing 20 knots on the open ocean, we couldn't hang out out there because it was continually inundated with cigarette smoke... and not even from the immediate neighbor. Did you notify staff? This would almost certainly get remediated or result in reimbursement.
- DidYaWipe 2y ago
  It wasn't possible to identify the source. Now that you mention it, though, I wonder what they would have done. Late at night before bed, when you want to hang out and look at the ocean, isn't the time you want to call the steward and wait for someone to come up into your room.
  - DiggyJohnson 2y ago
    Yea I mean the best they can do is reassign your room but it's the same situation as if this happened in a elevator. My point being that "smells like human shit in my room" is just as unacceptable on a boat as it is in a hotel.
    - DidYaWipe 2y ago
      Hahaha, well it wasn't in the room; only outside on the side of the ship. And appeared to be widely dispersed. Thus it didn't seem as though a solution would be forthcoming anyway.

jesterson 2y ago

Not sure where you have gotten your experience from. If there is a smoke just complain and it will be taken care of. Been cruising for many years and loving it.

DidYaWipe 2y ago
On Norwegian, the casino straddles the entire width of the ship on multiple decks. Which line do you prefer?

DiggyJohnson 2y ago

> Then there was the smoke. WTF. We had an upper cabin with a balcony. Doing 20 knots on the open ocean, we couldn't hang out out there because it was continually inundated with cigarette smoke... and not even from the immediate neighbor. Did you notify staff? This would almost certainly get remediated or result in reimbursement.

DidYaWipe 2y ago
It wasn't possible to identify the source. Now that you mention it, though, I wonder what they would have done. Late at night before bed, when you want to hang out and look at the ocean, isn't the time you want to call the steward and wait for someone to come up into your room.
- DiggyJohnson 2y ago
  Yea I mean the best they can do is reassign your room but it's the same situation as if this happened in a elevator. My point being that "smells like human shit in my room" is just as unacceptable on a boat as it is in a hotel.
  - DidYaWipe 2y ago
    Hahaha, well it wasn't in the room; only outside on the side of the ship. And appeared to be widely dispersed. Thus it didn't seem as though a solution would be forthcoming anyway.