Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 -Thoughts on the Cruise (01/13/26)

 

It was a nice 8-day cruise.  However, I wouldn't have wanted to take it alone due to the time of year and its itinerary: Port Canaveral, the Cruise Line's Private Island, and Nassau, Bahamas.  I've done this route a couple of times before (on different cruise lines) and it is one of the most boring routes one can cruise. But RQS pined to get away and warm up for a week, and I wanted to treat her to a cruise that I offered her a couple of years ago.  So, off we went - just after New Year's Day.

Both of us feel that we have outgrown NCL for most cruises.  NCL has lowered the quality of food served in its complementary restaurants.  It has reduced the quality of its main theater shows, cutting back on its adaptations of Broadway shows such as "Six" and "Footloose."  Additionally, it has shifted some of its entertainment focus to onboard versions of "Deal or No Deal," where the audience has to pay for a card to actively participate in the game.  Every chance NCL has to squeeze money from its cruisers, it does so.  Most of each day's activities listed in the Freestyle Daily newsletter seem to promote spa services, jewelry sales, casino games and other onboard products and services which are geared to extract money from cruisers' pockets.

NCL is more of a "Hit or Miss" line these days.  In the past, I could always count on having good dinners both in the specialty restaurants and in the complimentary restaurants.  Now, in the 5 specialty dinners we had, 2 of them were excellent, 1 was very good with excessively small portions, 1 was good with large portions, and 1 was mediocre at best.  Of the complementary dinners, 1 was decent, 1 was acceptable, and 1 was terrible.  NCL's food service misses the mark almost as much as it hits the mark - something that saddens me very much.

Cutbacks in the "hotel service" area (staterooms) have also reduced the quality of the onboard experience.  Due to the ship's cabins not being serviced before 2 pm, all areas where cruisers could eat, drink, and simply wait for their cabins to be made available were occupied.  We couldn't even enjoy lunch, as there was no place for us to sit down to eat it.  As a result, I left a dish filled with food on a pillar in the buffet area (I knew someone would knock it over and make a mess), simply because I was too frustrated to keep carrying this dish around after 15 minutes.

Often, when we went through the atrium, the entertainment was so loud, that we couldn't hear each other talk.  Whether there were singers in the stage area, or a game being played there, we had to avoid it because it was either too loud or too crowded to be comfortable.  When we walked to the dining rooms towards the back of the ship, we had to plan our routes carefully to avoid most of the areas with heavy tobacco odors.

Will I cruise NCL again?  Right now, I only plan to cruise with the line for trips to Bermuda and for the 7-day cruise on the Pride of America.  My partner and I feel much more at home now on Princess and Cunard.  We'll cruise with MSC (with all of its flaws) iif they ever cruise out of NYC again and sail to destinations we'd like to visit again.  But NCL is no longer a line I can count on, and I prefer those lines on which the only surprises I experience will be good ones.  

Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 - Disembarkation Day (01/12/26)

 

This would be our last morning on the ship.  Not having a balcony cabin, we weren't tempted to go outside and get pictures of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge and the Statue of Liberty as we cruised upriver to pier 88. The ship was a little late clearing customs, we were a little early clearing out our room, and we were finishing breakfast by 7:30 am.

Most people on the ship for a last breakfast gravitate to the buffet.  We gravitate to the main dining rooms, where fewer people go and where we're allowed to linger after breakfast is finished. Our scheduled exit time was 8:30 am, so we killed an hour on the ship before walking to the exit for our last card scan, And then, we were finally off the ship.

Our next step was to pick up our luggage at the pier.  This part of the trip is slightly less chaotic than on embarkation day, as our luggage is placed in areas on the pier based on luggage tag color.  We were able to find our bags relatively quickly, and then were able to walk outside.  In the past, this would require a stop where a customs official would check the cruiser's paperwork before the cruiser was allowed to leave the pier.  Now, with facial recognition, one walks to a scanner where one's image is matched to one on file, and upon a match, one is free to leave.

Now that both of us had cleared customs, it was time to catch a cab.  One hustler tried to get us to take his car for $65 - a ripoff, when the metered fare would be between $20 and $25 plus tip.  Of course, as native New Yorkers, we went to the official cab stand and got a nice driver who shared serious talk and jokes on the way to Grand Central.  

Roughly 90 minutes after our arrival at Grand Central, we were back in Croton, and finally able to rest.

Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #4 (01/11/26)

 

The day started off with us going to our last, non-rushed breakfast at the ship's main dining room.  Nothing special for me, as I ordered the usual: OJ, Eggs Benedict, a Fruit Cup, and Coffee.  (I'd order Scrambled Eggs off the ship, but I've been burnt before with powdered eggs - and I hate them, no matter where they are served.) 

On the way back from breakfast, we saw that the ship's atrium was packed with people enjoying a dumb entertainment - Twenty Questions, where someone from the ship is trying to figure out what is on screen in back of her.  I'm not knocking this, as much as the two of us have experienced better onboard activities on other lines, such as Princess and Cunard.  So, we headed back to the cabin to relax and watch the vidiot box (TV).

Yesterday, I sent out most of my dirty laundry to get cleaned.  Although it should be delivered by 6 pm, I was looking for it well before then, so that I could get a head start on packing - as RQS did before me.  While she was doing that, I kept working on my travel blog, editing pictures and moving them to my laptop for posting with the current entry.   

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We returned from our last lunch on the ship, and guess what?  Laundry had been delivered, and my trousers and shirts had been hung up in the closet.  I haven't yet seen any charges to my account, so I wonder - did the second bag cost me anything?  Well, several hours later, just before going to dinner, I checked again - and there was no charge!  Maybe I got lucky. 

On our way to dinner, we stopped by the Inch of Gold stand and had a nice char with a lady called KD (from Jamaica). We talked of our cruises, and how she gets to spend port days.  I noted that she must love it when the ship makes port in Bermuda, and then she noted how a stop in Quebec City is just as good for her.  And then, we went to the main dining room - and were surprised by a decent meal!  (Remember, when we ate here last, we were upset by everything.)  Although the meal was not as good as that in the specialty restaurants, we enjoyed it much more - and were glad to have eaten there.

Finally, it was time to go back to the room and finish potting out our bags for pickup tomorrow at the pier. This was the greatest reminder that we'll be back in the real world tomorrow morning. 

Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #3 (01/10/26)

 

Laundry!  I had enough laundry in my dirty laundry bag to take advantage of the free laundry bag service provided by NCL for Platinum level cruisers.  So, I put all the dirty underwear and socks into one bag (the free one) and then put my dirty shirts and trousers into another bag.  This way, I'll have burnt off $20 of my $50 non-refundable onboard credit.

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Both RQS and I got up early for two reasons - I had to put my laundry in the hall to be picked up, and we wanted to go for breakfast in the ship's pub restaurant.  While at breakfast, we met our "Birthday Boy" and his wife (from our dinner at the Hibachi restaurant), and she asked for the name of my cruise blog.  I figure that she plans to read it later on, and hopefully, she will like it.

Later on, we went to the main dining room for lunch.  This time, the food and the service were what we expected from this cruise line.  Again, RQS went out for a walk to get her blood sugar down, while I stayed in the cabin and worked on my blogs.  By the time she came back, I had taken care of a GI-Tract issue, and was ready to go to the buffet for something to drink.

Once at the buffet, we killed a couple of hours before going to the noodle bar.  If I had known how forgettable the food would be, I'd have said: "Let's take a chance on the main dining room for dinner."  But this was not to be.  Neither of were sated after this meal, so we went up to the buffet for something to drink and for something sweet

It wasn't much of a day, but it was pleasant for both of us. 

 

Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 - Nassau, Bahamas (01/09/26)

 

Nassau, Bahamas.  It's another of those "Almost No There, There" places which tend to be popular for beach related activities.  Unlike most islands in the Caribbean, this island has no fort.  Instead it has a shopping district near the piers, as well as beaches a short cab ride away.  Yet, it is one of the largest ports in the Western Hemisphere, being able to handle 7 cruise ships at the same time.  As long as there is a nice beach and good weather, people will love ports like Nassau.  And if I were a warm weather person, I might love this port as well.

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We both got up late, taking advantage of the port day by letting the mobs rush to eat and take their shore excursions.  Around 9:45 am, we went to the only open onboard restaurant to have breakfast, and it was there that I found that I forgot my room key.  Although breakfast was good, I couldn't help but think of the room key. So, we hoofed it back to the cabin after breakfast and found that my room key was not with my lanyard.  AARGH!  This meant another trek to guest services to get a new card key cut.

Eventually, both RQS and I made it back to the cabin, made sure that both of our cards worked and then RQS went out for her constitutional while I stayed inside and worked on this blog.  Sometimes, two people who care for each other need some alone time - and this was our time to be alone for the day.

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Lunchtime came, and we went back to the one restaurant open on the ship on port days, O'Sheehan's.  As we expected, lunch was forgettable.  Afterwards, we went back to the cabin so that RQS could pick up a few things for her alone time.  I stayed in the cabin to work on my blogs, and to experiment with multiple image displays on a single row in blogger.  Although I finally got things right, I still don't like what I'll have to do to make the blogs work right.

Once that was done, I started the check-in process for my next cruise.  Virgin Voyages doesn't make it easy for us geriatric old-timers - virtually everything has to be done via their mobile device app, and it's easy to screw up some of the data entry.  At least, I know what RQS will need to do when she starts her check-in process.

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Finally, it was time for dinner.  We went to the ship's Italian restaurant and were totally underwhelmed.  None of the dishes had any flavor.  The Calamari was forgettable, the Pork Scaloppini was missing something special, and the Italian Cheesecake tasted like it came from a boxed mix.  In the future, we will avoid this specialty restaurant on other NCL ships. 

 

Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 - Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas (01/08/26)

 

Great Stirrup Cay - NCL's private island.  The last time I was here, I declined to set foot on the island because it was a tender port.  And I did the right thing, as choppy weather was getting in the way of tenders returning people to the ship.

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We arrived at the island early in the morning.  The ship emptied out while we went to breakfast on the ship. That meant the ship was quiet and peaceful for a change, and we enjoyed it.  Breakfast was pleasant, as we didn't have to wait to be seated, nor did we have to be worried about overworked wait staff giving shoddy breakfast service.  Normally, we might not have roused ourselves out of bed until noon.  But we were hungry, and the mechanical staff had to visit our room again for a third time to fix the problem with our toilet not flushing correctly.  So, after breakfast, we killed time in the main atrium and gave staff a chance to make up our cabin, and fix the problem with the toilet without us getting in the way.

We came back to a room with a working toilet (Thank God!) and relaxed for a while before going to the buffet for a late lunch.  Again, we killed a little time, as we had an early dinner at the Hibachi restaurant. There's not much to say about this place, save that the food was tasty and plentiful.  I've seen the Hibachi show way too many times to be impressed by it, and I'm glad that we didn't get stuck eating 3 specialty meals in this place.

After dinner, it was off to the ship's theater to see a show we saw on one of our trips on this ship - the Broadway Cabaret.  Unlike the last show we saw in this theater, we enjoyed it - even though we had seen it before.   The ship's singers and musicians were at the top of their game, and we stayed to the closing number.  (We left during the number, as we both needed bio-breaks.)  And then we were done for the night. 

 

Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 - Port Canaveral, Florida (01/07/26)

 

 

Port Canaveral - a place where "there's no 'there' there."  It's a short distance to the Kennedy Space Center, and 90 minutes from Florida's theme parks.  But it's not a place to visit in its own right.

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We decided to get up late and go to the buffet for breakfast.  this would have not been an issue for us, save that there was an emergency drill starting, and that the Watertight Doors had to close for part of the drill.  So, when we started walking to the elevator bank (about 0.1 km away), we had to hurry up before the doors closed.  

Arriving at the buffet, only a small section was open to us both due to the closed watertight doors and due to the transition from breakfast to lunch service.  It was not the breakfast either of us would have wanted, but it was the one we got.  The omelet station was running out of eggs.  There was almost no bacon left for me to grab.  But the soda stations were open!  So, this wasn't a totally wasted meal.

Shortly after we got back to our cabin, the emergency drill ended.  RQS went outside to work on her art, while I decided to rest again.  (I had a bad sleep last night.)

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Around 6:30 pm, we went to dinner.  Sadly, it was one of the most disappointing dinners I've ever had on a cruise ship.  NCL's food and service quality has gone down since the last time we cruised this line.  We noted that even MSC's dinners were better than the dinner we had tonight.  Not only was the soup below the standard set by Progresso's canned Pasta and Bean Soup, but my local "red sauce joint" serves a better Cannoli.  To make things worse, the after dinner coffee was served lukewarm, so much so, that we had to go to the buffet to have a hot cup of decaf.