Transatlantic Cruise Reviews

While being an older ship in need of updates it was very comfortable. The people made it a great cruise. I loved our dining room staff, Tuty, Ryan and Tom were all great. And the idea of putting a dozen singles together at one shared table was BRILLIANT.

Liked the cruise. My wife likes sea days with their restful pace and I like playing bridge. Finding that the ship had bridge instruction and a daily game was unexpected but a great joy. What I like about cruising is the food and the entertainment. The Rotterdam cruise was great.

Overall the ship provided a great experience. The ship is spacious and offers much variety in decor and relaxation spaces. The first two Portugal stops were not close to town and required a lot of walking and in the case of Porto, a long bus ride.

The cruise would have been great if we did not loose some time while we were in Barcelona. The fueling barge came in late therefore losing time to visit Cannes France.

A transatlantic cruise is a long time to be on a ship, but it was a wonderful experience. As always, the NCL staff went above and beyond to ensure a delightful experience for all. I would recommend this cruise to anyone who wants to give it a try!

Wonderful……we were nervous about a longer cruise, but it was fine and we had no problem filling our relaxing days at sea. One very windy day with big waves on the fourth day at sea, but the ship was very stable and comfortable.

Paying for the Haven with all the perks is definitely worth it. The butler, concierge, restaurant and bar were phenomenal. When the weather got bad there was the courtyard swimming pool and hot tubs to enjoy.

Food was enjoyable. Could be a little better. Drinks were too weak. Captain needs to be more visible like on Celebrity. Many people had trouble with excursions. I, luckily, did not.

The ship was large but entertainment venues were small. Casino had a good variety of games & slots but the casino was closed at 2am two days before we docked due to an Italian law. "Quiet areas" were not enforced. Food variety & quality needs improvement.

Incredibly good cruce, good services, food and remarcable personal attention on all labels. The entertainment was of mediocre quality compared with several other cruce lines.

We did not take any NCL excursions (used private companies)....glad we did ...we avoided several problems. Smooth sailing...chilly weather. Lots of ports....loved the itinerary. Washed our hands frequently...didn't get sick.

Overall a very nice cruise. Stayed well and enjoyed every day.

The loss of the Gibraltar excursion and the lack of diversity of entertainment were the biggest negatives. The foot and service were the highlights. Overall I'd give the cruise a "good" rating.

The cruise was great. It was chilly and windy and the seas were a little rougher than I expected, but all was good. We missed Gibraltar due to a motor/engine issue, but it was okay. They do need more seats in the Atrium, or use the Theatre more for the "demos" and little shows they put on during the day because the microphone narrations can be heard far and wide on the ship .... not pleasant

Great staff. Party atmosphere during entire cruise. Food was very good. Cheaper than staying home.

I have been on numerous Holland America cruises and already have 2 more booked for 2025. I love the way you take care of us and the amazing staff I’ve encountered at every level. Your system is efficient, the crew is well trained, and they stay friendly and helpful no matter how hard they’ve worked or how tired they must be. I love the ship design, smaller ship size (but still with stabilizers), great services like acupuncturist for sea sickness and other issues, the spa services, the entertainment, etc.

A transatlantic crossing is a must do, and this particular crossing had two big advantages for us: It departed from our home port (San Juan), and had ports that are not generally included in most crossings. From that perspective, we enjoyed this cruise. However, due to the limitations of the Viva itself (mainly related to venues and hours of operation, see above) we will not consider another crossing in a Norwegian ship.

The food in the main dining room and speciality restaurants was very good. The buffet was too small and always crowded. The Indulge food hall was the best restaurant idea on a cruise ship I have ever seen. I wish every cruise line would copy this. Syd Norman's Pour House and the Improv at Sea comedy club are too small for this size ship. Always lines an hour before the show starts. The interior design of the ship is not very good causing crowdedness. Only one small swimming pool for a ship this size. A comment I heard from a number of passengers, was that the ship seemed to be designed by someone that had never been on a cruise ship before.

The extra long crossing was the appeal. Turns out this was to allow enough time for NCL to complete some upgrades to the entertainment options on the upper decks. This ship is clearly being positioned to serve Millennial families on 7-day cruises where the Kids must have plenty of experiences (that they could easily have on land at any amusement park.) There is feeling that this is the cruise product of the future - from smaller public venues to multiple opportunities to spend money on experiences. Not sure who thought the theater that converts to a disco was a good idea, but I believe time will prove that it is operationally a loser.

We sailed past Bermuda.....no stop....the Azores......no stop......Malarga.....no stop.....Gibraltar.... no stop......Corsica and Sardinia....no stop. Cold, rainy and rough Cruise with no stops.