Let me start by saying...this will be a long review. This has got to be our 7th or 8th cruise with Norwegian. We have been on Royal, Holland, Princess, Carnival (for a total of about 15/16 cruises).

We started with Norwegian so long ago that we use to receive the envelopes at the end of the cruise to pay who WE thought were giving us exceptional service...now, cruise ships are dictating that we pay a daily gratuity (in this case it was $14.50 per day for 4 people, which totaled $406 dollars for the week)...on top of the thousands of dollars you have paid just to get on the ship...let's think about this for a moment, you pretty much have an 'alliance' - for lack of a better word, with your cabin steward. Unless you request the same table, in the same restaurant, every morning, afternoon and evening, you WILL NOT get the same person waiting on you, which means you are dealing with quite a few personalities. The bartenders are automatically tipped and now the beverage prices are so far off the chain ($8.10 for a beer, in some cases it was $8.57, this includes tax and gratuity). Soooo, we had 4 in our party (they had the 3rd and 4th passenger FREE option) so we bought two of our younger children. The cabin was obviously small (we got an Inside. Since we have cruised so many times before (we learned after the fact on this cruise that a few things had changed). Upon entering our cabin, they had not allocated the room to accommodate 4 people...one large bed was setup...we also had not yet received our 'free bottle of wine'...in the past, these things were already done upon arrival...in any case, my husband and i were heading out of our cabin to head up to the deck, we happen to see a cabin steward walking towards us so we asked do you know who will be having our cabin, to which she replied, me...my husband said, the bed hasn't been adjusted...she stated, in frankly a disposition I felt was 'icy' - it will be done between 6p and 9p...I said oh, also we didn't have the bottle of wine and she repeated the same thing...no, HI, I'm going to be your steward, my name is...welcome on board, not so much as a smile...now I'm salty because i felt like we were 'bothering her' and if we just let her do what she has to do, we'll be done (between 6p and 9p)...let me state, in the 15 or 16 cruises we have been on, I've never had that 'disposition' from someone (and to me, here in lies the problem with this damn - PRE-PAID gratuity nonsense. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET THAT STELLAR STATE OF THE ART SERVICE BECAUSE WE ARE PRE-PAYING FOR IT...as they say when people live together and are not married...why pay for the milk when i already have the cow? Why on earth should we pre-pay for services not yet rendered when we don't know what the service will entail.

So, fast forward, we go out, come back later and sure nuff...room has been setup, wine is there...next day...we see her again (still don't know her name), and my husband asks her for a corkscrew...reply, call room service...some will say, what's the problem with that, really, there is no problem...it was the TONE and DISPOSITION...so, I'm really starting to feel some kinda way about her and don't really want her in my space. I'm on vacation...we pay goo gabs of money to HAVE A GOOD TIME, not feel like we are intruding on THEIR time...so now, we all leave the room, put (MAKE UP ROOM) on the outside, return mid-afternoon...room not done...hubby and i start to have a few words about it...he wants me to be patient, i'm feeling snubbed...so as he and i are having this not so quiet discussion, I open the door and she is literally across the hall at the other room, door open and has the audacity to say IS THERE A PROBLEM? LOL, I SNAPPED! Are you freaking kidding me, how is that YOUR place? Who are you to listen in on our conversation...OMG, I was not happy..I PUT THE DO NOT DISTURB sign on our room because I DID NOT WANT HER IN OUR SPACE...my husband is trying to calm me down, I leave, go around to the elevator, only to come back and find her telling my husband (I've never had a problem with anyone before), as though I WAS A PROBLEM, I stated the same thing, in all my cruises, I have never had anyone like you before...so we even. Again, I leave and go to the elevator, my husband and son meet up with me there to calm me down...my daughter (19), remains in cabin. I return later in the evening and my daughter tells me that the steward enters the room and proceeds to have a 5 minute conversation with my daughter on how (I AM WRONG), how she is going to REPORT ME etc., etc....so much so that my daughter has to say to her (you are talking about my mom). First of all...had this been a male steward, entering our cabin with my nineteen year old daughter in there (door closed), it would have been unacceptable. What on earth made her think she could enter my cabin, door closed, and bash me in front of my child? AND REPORT ME FOR WHAT - HER MINDING MY BUSINESS? Read more