Other (Asia/Africa/Middle East) Cruise Reviews

Probably the favorite parts of the trip was the friendly and helpful staff and the wonderful ports of call. The Christmas evening entertainment was disappointing. There were beautiful voices on board and a program of Christmas carols and popular Christmas songs perhaps with some sing-alongs interspersed would have been more much appropriate than the tacky skit. Cruise Director Erik is very talented but he needs to slow his presentations (particularly intercom announcements) down so the older passengers can comprehend the information he is imparting. Lastly, we questioned the scheduling of the White Night party - why not have it during a night at sea rather than competing with shore excursions during a night in port?

I ENJOYED WALKING ON DECK 3.FOOD WAS DONE RIGHT BUT BLASE.DININGROOM SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE.SHIP NEEDS DRY DOCK.MOVIES FOR LIVE SHOWS IS TERRIBLE.SINGERS WERE TOO LOUD.TOURS WERE EXPENSIVE & NOBODY TO HELP YOU..

This was a super fun cruise itinerary for anyone who loves Indonesia or wants to explore Indonesia. Highlights were Bogor, Komodo and Lombok. But we also had a lot of fun in Bali and eating all the wonderful food and experienceing the different large and bustling cities of Java. Singapore was icing on the cake. Loved all the festive activities they had onboard. 

I would like to attach a copy of a letter to Celebrity claiming a full refund of all our costs! But I can't find a means to do so!

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Good itinerary to witness SE Asia in a short period. Crew seemed somewhat disengaged. Some activities weakly organized. This cruise lacked the attentive professionalism we have experienced in the past 7-8 cruises. Food presentation disappointing and quality of food was marginal to basically good.Wait staff could use better training to eliminate wasted motion, order errors, etc. This ship needs a comprehensive audit.

The buffet needs to be kept clean.    It was so bad sometimes.  The spoons were so dirty at the end of the buffet.  They ran out of goof near the end. And it just needed a good wipe.   The tables were dirty at sometimes.   Yes when it was busy the buffet was a mess and the tables.   People walking around but not pivling or cleaning.   I am a vegan twice I ate food that mislabeled.     That really got me so sick. I been a Vegan 42 years.  Their was chicken in the soup. And meat in the tomatoe sales  most of all I got yelled at by a hairdresser in the spa.  She was so rude to me . The other staff heard it. I was offered a free massage but would not except it because I will never step in that spa again.  When we checked into the cruise.  The guest service lady was rude to me.  I asked for an icebox every hour because of my husband medical condition.   I was told 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm. Than after the drill I was so polite when I called.  She got upset st me.   They know all the staff that was rude but you know it is a shame.  I never got mad or raised my voice.  Why should a staff member be mad at me.  The hairdresser at the spa was just a mean human being. And believe the other staff heard her as well.   The lady at guest services just lost patience with me.  And no one cared when I told them on the cruise.  No one cared.  

It seems like there is a recurring problem with the Norwegian Star.  I've cruised on other Norwegian ships, but the Star is always broken.  I've never researched a ship before a cruise, but I will every time in the future.

The propeller broke on the first day of the cruise, we went back to port and then spent the next 7 days at sea.  Instead of visiting 5 interesting ports in Asia, we had 9 of 11 days at sea because we could only travel at about half speed.  It was awful.

I kind of like the Norwegian, laid back style, but this was the cruise from hell.

We've been on Azamara before and we like the smaller ship experience. There are no crowds, it's easy to get around the ship, and the food is excellent. The entertainment is more cabaret style than big productions, but equally entertaining. The Journey was recently refurbished so everything looked new and in good condition. The entry level suite far surpasses any mini suite we've had on other cruise lines.

We went to Hong Kong, Viet Nam, Thailand and Singapore. The life styles there are very different than western countries. We visited a lot of Buddhist temples and shrines. The local food is also good to try, as long as you have someone with you that can help you choose wisely. English is also not commonly spoken in Viet Nam and Thailand so having a guide fluent in English can be helpful. Singapore and Hong Kong are large modern cities where English is spoken everywhere and it is easy to get around on your own.

I am retire and this was my 6th cruise.The ship was old and not well maintained. There were no walk around track around the ship and the lower level walkway was closed most of the time. The remote ports were next to loading docks and far away from the cities of interested, 2 hours drive to Bangkok and Hochiminh city. Da Nang port was canceled due to bad weather, but there's no compensation other than a $7 credit. 2 shows were canceled due to crew sickness and weather. Food was below average. For no extra, there's only main dining and buffet. The main dinning menu was boring.The buffet place was clowded and food was not impressive.

The staff was very nice tho.

Holland America is not for those that want a hyped up Disney experience and it's not child friendly in the sense that others service families on cruises. But they do provide a top notch ship with on shore excursions that concentrate on the culture of the port being visited. Food is very good (especially in the buffet). 

This cruise was to be 5 star.  In reality it was a 4 star restaurant on a 2 star ship.  No AC in the room.  No AC in the gym.  Prehistoric gym equipment.  Missing tiles at the pool.  Green Astro turf from the 70's. No water filtration on board so the clothes went in dirty and came out dirtier. Thank God we never drank the water.  Service on-board however was great. Food was great.

We weren't sure what to expect with this new ship but for the most part it was great.  Of course there were a few glitches but nothing to ruin a good trip.  As always it is the staff that make all the difference.  We were spoiled as usual & felt we made new friends with the crew that we hope to see on our next voyage.  

Of all the places we visited we enjoyed Muscat the best.  That was a huge surprise.  

Bali was very special, very friendly people. The ship staff was awesome, the food, good, and entertainment was very good. Celebrity is a bit low key, if that's what you want.

Disembarking was unorganized, need more signs to get to the bus to airport transfer.

favourite part of cruise was sailing through Suez canal and visiting Dubai  Unique views when sailing through Canal of desert one side and green and fertile vegetation on the other.Also the unique skyline and architecture of modern Dubai plus all the designer shops .  

Quality of food not up to standard in any of the inclusive restaurants. Have travelled with various other cruise lines over the years and have never experienced this. Drinks prices extortionate so you're forced to buy a drinks package. Prices of excursions also extortionate. Continual very long queues at guest services too get any information. Paid for wi-fi which didn't work despite complaining. Again with relation to food, the Windjammer buffet resembled a zoo, Although staff were generally very polite they were in many cases ill trained. On the positive side, entertainment was excellent. I would never consider going on a Royal Caribbean cruise again.

Can't recommend this cruise highly enough. The crew on this detailed, clean, mid sized ship were so polite and helpful, a variety of delicious food, and the itinerary was amazing! We had informative lectures to gain information and a historical perspective before we arrived in ports. 

As was true for every co-passenger I asked, this cruise was chosen for the itinerary and it did not disappoint. From the elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka to the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the locations we visited were thrilling and I'm so happy to have had this experience3.

Norwegian got the job done. Got us there, fed us, slept us and counted us countless (!) times on tour busses. But that's pretty much all they did. Meals were mediocre (overcooked fish, institutional and limited buffet) public areas ok, entertainment was just something to fill the time and on-board activities were limited and motivated by profit.

The nickel and dimeing was incessant. (After three Viking River Cruises were everything is included, granted, I'm spoiled,)

I will sail Norwegian again only if they are the only line offering the itinerary I want. I will be back to Princess, gratefully!

The Star first time in middle east and Asia...Encounter some mechincal difficulty.

Comped the cruise for all guest  plus half off next cruise..

Some ports seemed to be more cargo ports than cruise ports.

Indian visa was difficult to attain..Many people paid agencies big $$ to attain them,,,Dont wait for last minute to attain.

The crew and entertain were outstanding overall.

countries visited were good

We loved the cruise, with excellent ports of call, marred only by the failure of an engine in Singapore meaning we missed both Bangkok and Saigon, but were well compensated by Norwegian immediately a major problem became apparent.

The crew on this cruise was exceptionally friendly.  Service was excellent.  However, the food was just mediocre.  The shows were so-so with a lot of dependence on Celebrity Singers & Dancers.  Activities were routine with nothing that stands out.

If you like sea days to relax, this may be the cruise for you.  Passage through the Suez Canal was interesting.  A tour of Petra in Jordan is always a highlight.