Scandinavia Cruise Reviews

Only thing that went wrong was trying to get Taxi after disembarkation. REALLY BAD!!!

I recently went on a Holland America cruise which was fantastic, and I expected a similar quality on the NCL Jade.  Unfortunately, my expectations were severely crushed.  The service on the Jade was horrendous.  Truly awful.  Bartenders and servers did the bare minimum to get by without interacting with customers.  No "hi, how are you?" or "how was your day?"  or even a smile!  My husband and I started playing a drinking game to see how many NCL staff members we could get to smile.  Needless to say, it wasn't many.  The bartenders also did not know how to make a drink.  Or pour a beer correctly.  And the dining room staff refused (multiple times) to get me a cocktail... apparently because they don't have a full bar in the main dining room.  And they also refused to get my husband a beer that was offered in a lounge not too far from the main dining room.  So basically be prepared to only drink wine when eating!  The quality of the food was subpar when comparing it to Holland America.  Now, think of the quality of the cheapest restaurant you can eat at.  That's pretty much what the Garden Cafe is.  The main dining room is better, but the food is still hit or miss.  I would order the same dessert almost every day.  Sometimes it would turn out fine, others not so much.  Absolutely no consistency.  We scheduled all of our shore excursions through NCL.  On the first shore excursion I was told, "all of the guides in Norway are originally from a country other than Norway, so don't expect much."   If they are not confident in the quality of their guides, maybe they shouldn't hire them????  Or perhaps not charge so much????  The first guide we had in Alesund was bad--- she was very nice, but her English was poor and she basically read all of her information off of a piece of paper that was printed off.  Yes, basically like being driven around while reading Wikipedia.  The guide we had in Geiranger was surprisingly good!  He was from Germany, but was well read, able to speak English, and knew a lot about the country.  We were very pleased.  Then we went to Flam, and it all went downhill from there.  The guides were in over their head.   I don't know if they were college kids who were trying to make some quick cash and didn't know what they were doing.  But we had four buses show up to lunch, and the lunch place was only expecting one.  Huge commotion that lasted way longer than it should have.  Basically wasted a half hour of time.  When collecting us for the train, the guides had a very poor plan, and basically left someone behind.  And they didn't care.  They still had no idea what they were doing.  And the tour ended... but no one told us.  It was pathetic.  Surprisingly, the next day in Bergen was worse.  The guide told us about 5 times that she was too tired to remember names, dates, or information.  So unprofessional.  The tour was supposed to last 3- 3.5 hours, but only lasted half of that.  She took us to the top of Mount Floyen, and it was cloudy, so she said we would leave in 15 minutes.  Thinking we were leaving right away, we didn't wander off and explore.  After about 15 minutes came and went, she said that we would be up there another 20 minutes.  20 minutes came and went, and she said we would have to wait for another train.  So another 20 minutes.  All of this time we could have spent walking around and exploring, but we didn't want to go too far and be left there.  She didn't tell us that there were goats on top!  Or walking paths.  She just said, "there's a troll over there."  Maybe give us SOME information.  It was the worst tour I've ever been on.  I was embarrassed for her.  I finally decided to complain to NCL's shore excursion team and was dismissed.  They told me that she was probably just making jokes (about being tired?  and not knowing names, dates, or information?) and that I was wrong because the tour guide had been living in Bergen for 14 years.  They gave me 10% off in the end, which I thought was poor service.  If someone is giving me half a tour, shouldn't I get half off?  It ruined my entire day in Bergen.  I think the way the shore excursion team handled it was the nail in the coffin... definitely no more NCL cruises.  Ever.  Also, the cruise entertainment staff compared Michelle Obama to an ape.  And then laughed hysterically about it.  I was appalled.

There are a couple good things to say about the Jade.  The cabin was nice, although a mini suite is comparable to a regular room on Holland America.  Also, the nightly show was of decent quality.  Not a Vegas show, but that's not what people should expect on a cruise line.  

After two Alaskan cruises, we weren't sure we would be wowed by Norway. Couldn't have been more wrong! Norway is simply gorgeous in its own super special way. Loved the Jade; we had a mini-suite, and it was well worth the extra money. My husband and I enjoyed the extra space and the tub/shower in bath. There was some rough water in the North Atlantic, which I expected, but this ship felt very smooth and stable. Food was great all around, but especially in the specialty restaurants. Our cabin steward was wonderful; he just took very special care of us. Shore excursions were really good - something for everyone. Kayaking for my husband, stave churches and Edvard Grieg for me. We would recommend this cruise to anyone.

This itinerary was wonderful and the views splendid. Our all time favorite will always be the Geiranger Fjord with its steep sides and hundreds of waterfalls. While there, we also visited a self sufficient goat farm which produces delectable cheeses and traveled through beautiful countryside. Stavanger and Bergen were nice towns but the fjords, mountains, pastures, waterfalls, and nature in general were amazing.

We like the itinerary. The IT person was helpful in getting my onboard wifi minutes. 

We love the French Specialty Restaurant with good food and great services. The Shehannon Restaurant has a good menu for comfort food. 

The desserts are fair at best at all the restaurants. The Brazilian Specialty Restaurant has the worst desserts. Selection was poor and dessert we chose was

poor. 

The cooking demonstrations need need to improve. Not impressive at all. 

Camera/photo department provides good services and Mr Kumar is friendly and helpful. 

Staff at the the reception desk needs more training. They are helpful but give out wrong info at times. I have to ask two or more people to make sure I got the right info. 

NCL's food and entertainment were first class.  Norway's fjords were extremely scenic.  The ports were excellent, especially Geiranger.  Would definitely recommend this cruise and NCL.

my favorite part of this cruise was when it was over. There was nothing but long lines.All of the help did not know the correct answer to any question .We did not go to the Azores because they were unable to dock .When we got to France they put a 3 foot wide gang plank out for 4000 people to get off on after waiting for 3 hours we were finally at the gang plank they informed me they had no wheel chair i am handicapped  and had to walk down this rickety old gang plank .After getting to spend 3 hours in France back to the dredfull .ship  .Our next stop was England where we stood in line for 4 more hours waiting to get through customs. When we got back on we were informed that we were also not going to stop   Belgum because of a broken part. During the time on the ship my husband had to stand on line for 3 hours to purchase internet service he said you could have taken any high school student and they would have handled it better  why there was only one person there is far beyond me . Oh yes and did i mention that when we returned  from France we were locked out of our room for 3hours by the way 2 days later i did get a call from guest services to find out if i was still locked out.This cruise was to be a cruise of a lifetime I saved for a long time for it turned out to be a cruise from hell..............

We were fed like gladiators: macaroni and cheese, pasta, pasta pasta, bean soups and 500 varieties of chicken. We missed two ports (it's not my fault) continuously was announcing the captain. In one port -Brest- it took three hours to disembark and then another two to embark. We had only three hours in the city. One could not get a place in the only two good speciality restaurants. Anyway, my friends and we doubt that we'll ever set foot on a NCL vessel.

Seeing the Northern Lights, we were exstremely lucky to see this display

some people on our cruise this was their first views after their 3rd and 4th cruise.

I would not reccomend this particular cruise. As my accomodation was not what was ordered or promised by Cruise119. I had booked for a window cabin and     was allocated a cabiin with porthole and persudo window ledge. I am 6ft tall and I could not see outside the porthole, also I was heard the anchor  downed and raised, causing noise every time we berthered at port, as the cabin was very close to the equipment being used. BOW END of ship.

I found the vessel very confusing to find the different rooms, due to the layout of the ship.

Never enough seating when all passengers were on board, and a deck chair mentality with the seating.

Staff very helpful. Itinerary good and excursions efficient. The voyage was  lucky to see the Northern Lights.

The disembarkcation was very drawn out, and delayed.

 I expected better for a single paying double occupancy.

Miss C Campbell

My elderly mother and myself would certainly not recommend this cruise to anyone else. As this cruise was on my mother's bucket list, we are exceptionally disappointed. The best part of the cruise was leaving Tilbury dock on our return. The list of required improvements is indeed a long one but I will endeavour to outline them, as they will be outlined in our official complaint. Having endured a 6 hour delay, the embarkation was a complete shambles. My mother, who has issues with standing for long periods, was made to stand for 2 hours due to the vast number of people needing to be processed at the same time. The cabin was a double, not a twin as ordered. The food was plentiful, if bland. The majority of the staff were foreign with limited English language knowledge which made communication difficult, indeed impossible at times. The open decks were inaccessible at times due to no grit or sand being available-on a trip to see the Northern Lights, really??? Most passengers, including ourselves, came down with chest infections, flu etc. which signifies that something in the air conditioning was faulty. The seating areas (limited as they were, with noisy arcade machines next to them) often smelled of urine. So it goes on.............

All the ports we new for us and love all the excursions   Shetland islands were our favorite followed by Ireland and Iceland   Scenery was unbelievable and the people were so friendly. Lots to do in all ports 

NCL has slipped in Service, Ship cleanliness, Ship Maintentence, even the crew that sprays you hands when you renter the ship and the buffets missed over and over again. 

On on our first tour we even had the guide using the "F" bomb over and over again. 

hello again

at first: world class itineraries. very remote locations, we europeans would not see in 14 days....

besides the perfect crew, the captain,, mathias anderson, was the best lecture you can imagine...

his knowledge about scandinaviens and vikings is exceptional.

Dining service and selection was the best part of the cruise.  We chose MyTime dining and enjoyed the flexibility it provided. Our waiter, Ivo, and his assistant, Jakob, were pleasant and efficient. 

Our cabin steward, Miguel, was helpful.

The internet connection, sold by day rather than minutes as with other cruise lines, worked well.

In Bergan we chose the RC Bergan On Your Own tour.  Materials were passed out last minute.  The map had no street names.  I was under the impression, obviously wrong, that there would be some way to ask questions about Bergan (like where are the shops?) before we left the ship.  We went to the tour director's presentation the day before, but he didn't say anything about the specifics of the city.  He just repeated the online shore excursion info.

Departure of shore excursions in the theater was confusing at the beginning of the week and improved over time.  However, having only one person checking out (clicking the bar code on our Sea Passes) at the stop in Flam was ridiculous. 

Also, in Skjolden there was only one door open for returns.  People stood in line in the rain for anywhere from half an hour to a full hour.  Pitiful. When the buses dropped off those of us who booked shore excursions at the front of the line, those standing there got nasty and made ugly comments as we merged into the lines. I blame RC for not providing more entries into the ship and for having no personnel there to direct the returning bus traffic.  This failure in returning to the ship is the prime reason I only rated the cruise as good.

We enjoyed the "16 feet, 4 fiddles" show immensely. 

The last day's production number was a disappointment.  You could see that the cast was prepared and talented, but the choice of music was deficient...loud...no subtlety, no sweet melodies, just loud. "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" distorted the original version in a weird way. Even with the Momma Mia selection it was hard to hear familiar refrains; loud and flashy.  No class.  Costuming was strange and tacky.  It was a loud and gross show.  Yuk. 

We enjoyed nightly cocktails in the Pacific Lounge.  Panoramic views were wonderful.  We also like our minisuit, but thought the tub was quite dangerous to use.  Very difficult to get in and out of the tub.  Walk in shower would be preferred.

Stunning.

Britannia 6 out of 10;

Dining:

food and service was superb 100% recommend the limelight club well worth the supplement. Buffet  worst culprits people  for not washing their hands

Entertainment:

Theatre too smal.

Bergen, Flam and Geiranger are not to be missed! Beautiful fjords, hundreds of waterfalls, and pristine farming communities abound. This was our second cruise to this area and we were not disappointed.  Alesund and Stavanger were a couple of little towns that we would not have missed.

Celebrity dining has definitely gone down hill over the years. We were not impressed with the main dining menu or the Ocean View Café upstairs.

Norway is an amazing country with beautiful mountains, amazing fordj's and multiple waterfalls. Celebrity cruise line does an excellent job. This is a must do!

overall was worth it as we saw the Northern lights, enjoyed the snow, would be a different country to visit in summer