Europe - Northern Europe Cruise Reviews

The free style dining, and the excursions to St. Petersburg and Stockholm were the favorite parts of the cruise. The most dissappointing were the omission of Tallin and the Helsinki walking tour. I think by now the wind patterns in Warnemunda must be known and another port should be chosen to avoid excluding Tallin again from any future cruise. It was unclear why we had to navigate in circles for 24 hours, you have been doing this cruise for a while and should have prepared better.The Helsinki walking tour should be taken out of your list of tours, it is good if you want to walk but did not provide any information that cannot be found on line, we were not able to see the rock Church, one of the main attractions, because of how the tour was organized; there were no bathroom breaks and I had to go in a filthy and smelly public bathroom. I think the tour is very long to just see 2 Baltic Capitals. We flew to Copenhagen and did not find it an attractive city.

The worst restaurant was Savor as far as food and service is concerned, Taste was average; and Le Bistro and Ocean Blue the best. La Cucina had great food and service but the oso buco entree was so huge that it made me think of how much food gets wasted And felt bad about all the hungry people of the world. It is not possible to appreciate the quality of food when the quantities served are so large. The Garden Cafe was always good with healthy choices available.

I would not recommend this cruise to my friends.

The ship has too many narrow areas causing congestion, way too many people, some ports and destinations promised then failed to meet (Berlin, Estonia, Stockholm port),  I have sailed on many cruises on NCL and other ship lines for a dozen years, and this ship is by far one of the worst.

The bright spot was that St. Petersburg was awesome!! 

The staff is wonderful and very attentive to making a very large number of passengers engaged and entertained. All of the performances in the main theater were outstanding! Burn the Floor and Million Dollar Quartet were fantastic.

unfortunately the Ship personnel failed miserably in regards to port experiences. In warnemunde 3000 passengers waited over an hour to re-board the ship. The port of Tallinn was skipped entirely due to alleged bad weather but smaller cruise ships got into all the ports on the schedule. The cruise line failed to advise the 4000 passengers about the 1 hour 20 minute wait time to pass through Russian passport control. The cruise line, without explanation, changed the Stockholm port to Nydaham port, which is over 1 hour away from Stockholm by bus. The Hop On Hop Off excursion promoted by the cruise ship was a nightmare due to horrendous traffic throughout Stockholm.

The food was very good in all three main dining rooms, as well as the Garden Cafe buffet. The specialty restaurants were all outstanding, and Le Bistro, the French restaurant magnificent.

The ship, staff, and food were quite good.  First issue is the choice of ports.  Warnemunde port is so tight that a decent wind prevented us from docking, so we were not able to see Berlin or Tallinn,Estonia.  Perhaps there's an alternative Germany port with less risk?  The Sweden port was moved much further from Stockholm (for the same reason?), so we only got to spend 4 hours in Stockholm due to the drive.  I recommend that they change this to a single day in Russia... would prefer more time in Sweden or Germany.

NCL is not much for activities and entertainment compared to some other lines, but there was a good magic show on final night, and some funny dance competitions with cruisers.

The Fjords, cities and Norwegian countryside are beautiful.  This is the best of Norway on a fantastic, new ship. 

Being a new ship, the climate control in the cabin works well and the rooms are well insulated so there are few noises other than the toilet flushing.  The television could use more development.  The initial volume level is scary and the channel selection is sparse.

My favorite part was being able to see and do so many things in so many countries.    Favorite excursions included light house tour in Denmark, kayaking in Norway, Hermitage Museum Impressionist art in St. Petersburg, and cycling in Estonia.   I would not recommend the Famous Helsinki Ice Bar in Helsinki.

The service on the ship was phenomenal!  It never felt like there were 900 people on board.   There is plenty of space for relaxing alone-- it never felt crowded.   Excursions were well planned.   

I would definitely recommend Viking.

My favorite part of the cruise was probably the ship itself.  The crew and the entertainment were great.   The food was good everywhere - who could complain with sushi and crablegs on the buffet every single night.   Some of the tours were not up to expectations - especially The Hermitage in St. Petersburg.   Not sure where they took us but it was NOT the main part of the Hermitage and was extremely disappointing.   A few of the tours had no free time for shopping or exploring on your own and some were a little unorganized.  Overall the cruise was wonderful, but I would not recommend it to anyone under the age of 60.  The average age was older than I expected.

Service was very good as was food. Would have been nice to stay in Estonia overnight. Seemed because of time of year perhaps, that tour sites were very crowded.

Calculating the sun's lowest point, elevation and direction at the time of the Vernal Equinox was the most interesting activity for me.   Experiencing the vast network of fjords of Norway was the most geographically and geologically interesting..

The piano quintet performances were outstanding entertainment.

The people working on board were extremely pleasant to deal with...

Some of the food was a little too salty for my taste.

Ship was neat and clean all the time we were onboard...

The ports visited were very interesting especially, St. Petersburg,Tallin, Stockholm and Brugge

However, the rating is low because of 5 days of toilet problems where we actually had to find a toilet in the night. Sometimes we didn't get it fixed until after midnight.

Princess did have some compensation but not nearly enough to make up for the first part of the trip. Sorry Princess, you failed on this one

This wasn't our first w/ NCL, and it never disappoints. We always buy the food package, LOVE the specialty restaurants...and buffet.  O'Sheehan's was not up to our past ships.  Our suite....had a beautiful large bathroom, difference on this ship, NO SLEEPER SOFA.  It is a hard couch they convert, not good.  And the worst part is be warned...the balcony is SMALL compared to other ships.  We were told due to how large the ship is.  My only criticism would be that I realize the ships are used in different parts of the world, but the overall decor really should be changed w/ the ports, such as many change the pictures over from Caribbean theme to European feel.  It would be an easy fix...but I know it won't happen.  But when you are in Russia...and look in your suite & the pictures are beaches it really is silly.  Otherwise...great excursions by NCL, great value, organized, and the ports couldn't be better.  Already have the Singapore Cruise booked.

I was a bit wary to be on such a large ship with so many passengers. I decided to put itinerary over ship size and hope for the best. I thought I would spend the cruise in endless queues throughout the trip. That did not happen. In fact, I spent less time in lines and felt less crowded in the Getaway than on other ships with half the passengers. Well done NCL. 

We arrived at 1300. Boarding was completed quickly. We went straight to our cabin without delay. Our cabin steward was in the hall and welcomed us and demonstrated where everything was and how it all operated. Thank you, Ms. Sheila. 

The cabin was spotless and kept that way throughout the trip by our cabin steward. Bathroom was spacious for a ship and well stocked with all the necessities. Our luggage was at our cabin door within less than 45 minutes. 

How the crew crew keeps the ship with so many passengers roaming around at all hours so clean and spotless is amazing. Clearly they are constantly at work yet the process is so unobtrusive that it is almost invisible. The first class NCL Getaway experience is provided by the (literally) thousands of crew members working 24 hours each day on the front lines and behind the scenes.

The ship is huge but we never felt crowded. The crew keeps everything in order and moving but we never felt rushed. Food, of course, was plentiful as well as consistently delicious. The dining rooms each have lovely views of the surroundings.. Each meal was an excellent experience. 

The shows on the ship are worth watching. I suggest making time to see them. The Freestyle dining allows for scheduling dinner and a show at your favorite time; early or later is up to you. Nice. 

The leaving and returning to the ship at each port was clearly explained and went according to schedule. Upon arrival back to the ship on a rather cold and blustery day, we were greeted by crew members offering hot tea or broth. What a nice touch that was. Every time we came back to the ship we were offered warm towels to clean our hands and then had the opportunity to use waterless hand cleaner to further remove possible germs. It was obvious that the crew was intent on keeping contact transferred microorganisms to a minimum. We appreciated their efforts.

Our cabin was located to take advantage of some of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen. The ship’s size minimizes wave movement providing smooth sailing. The ship is also very quiet. We heard nothing from the ship’s engines or our neighbors. 

Leaving the ship at our final port was organized by time and whether you chose to take your luggage off the ship yourself (independent) or preferred to have the crew take your bags to the staging area in the port. We chose independent at 0920. We walked right off the ship. No queue. This was the easiest and quickest disembarking process I have experienced. 

Be aware that the taxi line to return to Copenhagen is very long although well organized and moves quicker than you would expect. Free wifi is available so the waiting is less tedious. This, of course, is not under NCL control but something to know when choosing between the options for returning to the city or the airport. 

This ship and its crew provide a wonderful cruising experience. They live up to and go beyond expectations. Well done NCL. 

Dartmouth was our favorite port.  I highly recommend the River Ferry and Steam Train shore excursion in Dartmouth!

Overall, the itinerary was excellent!  The Explorer was the most beautiful ship I have ever been on! Great restaurants and great staff!

Tender service was not good.  They only use 3 small tenders from the ship and do not hire any extras from the port authority.  This results in up to one hour plus waits for tender service.  This is especially bad when it is raining!

We missed the port of Cobh, Ireland because the captain did not order enough tugs to get us away from the dock in Liverpool, England.  This resulted in an extra sea day.  Disappointing!

Try it you will like it. People were friendly at all stops. Yes, there were lines. They were only really long getting off the boat in Russia. Stop in Sweden was an unexpected pleasure. Town was magnificent

Enjoyed every minute of the cruise. Staff was great and friendly. Service outstanding. No problem ever finding a table at the buffet. Getting on and off on the different ports was quick and easy.

The cruise was more then expected.  The Artic circle crossing event was a real surprise and a joy to participate in. One disappointment was the King Crab Safari which was booked on the website as having the opportunity to view take photos of a king crab, and wild life followed by a trip to a Sami experience of fresh caught and cooked King Crab.  The excursion turned out to be only photo.  

ports and dinner were tops. food service during day needs work and need a longer stay in Stockholm. Breakfast in Concerto Room was horrid with slow service and poorly cooked food. Lunch time was a disaster when in port. They even ran out of clean plates. Entertainment was below average at best. dinner was great  with great service and  excellent food

Over all, this was the best of six cruises with four different lines.  Shore excursions and evening shows were by far superior to any others we've seen. 

The cruise was great except not being able to stop at one destination due to adverse weather conditions.  The onboard staff was amazing, extremely friendly and accommodating.  The food has greatly improved in the past couple of years even though the menu choices are less.  Keep up the great work MSC!