I’m happy I was able to spend time with friends I hadn’t had the opportunity to enjoy since COVID. With weather and travel cancellations, I was happy to be a 45 minutes drive to the port. All in all, the trip was great because of who I shared it with, not the ports of call, not stateroom size, the food or the entertainment. In the scheme of things, in today’s environment I feel blessed to be able to cruise. Overall, I’m glad I went.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
With your proper documentation accessing the terminal was quick, however, completing process to access the ship was a little more time consuming. Overall, much more efficient than pre- COVID check - ins.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The main dining room food was a hit or miss most nights. The selections were good if you could find something you liked and it was cooked to your liking. When it was good, the food was excellent, however, you never knew what to expect. One night, the entire table of 4 ordered the red snapper and everyone had to re- order. The breakfast in the main dining room was like an assembly line. If you wanted to deviate, it caused confusion and your order would be missing something or it included something you didn’t order. The Windjammer buffet provided more flexibility and the food overall tasted better. Generally I had breakfast and lunch there, but getting your eggs ready to cook could be a timing issue. We were told that there were some crew quarantined, but not specifically who, ( except the orchestra ), but I assume some of the cook staff as well which may have impacted the dining experience. The wait staff was extremely pleasant, accommodating and helpful at all times. After over 25 cruises, this was the first time I’ve ever had the head chief in the Windjammer visit our table to asked if he had done his job and if we were happy with the food. I was impressed.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Cruising from Baltimore the week after a snow storm didn’t allow much for out door activities until we reached the tropics. Charleston, S C was 32% when we arrived and was thawing out from an ice storm. Orlando did warm a little for the pool lovers, didn’t see anyone using the rocking climbing wall, outdoor movies were offered, however, on cold night there should be the option to view the movie in your stateroom. Line dance classes and trivia and more and more trivia were offered daily. Table tennis was also available. No hairy man or splash contest.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
Loved the cruise director, Bobby ( Ya ). With so many of his staff in quarantine, he started recruiting passengers to fill positions. Overall, the entertainment was good and offered something for everyone. The orchestra was able to perform the last 2 nights of the cruise. There was no production show, but they did have 2 singing acts, a juggler and a comedian. The entertainment at local venues was also good. Lot of opportunities for those that enjoy good music and dancing.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I can’t say enough about how great the service staff were. Everyone we encountered was pleasant, very accommodating and genuinely invested in ensuring we had enjoyable cruise.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
To be an older and smaller ship, the ship was very well maintained. The decor was fresh and the public ares very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Because this is an older ship the rooms are smaller, but comfortable within reason. Storage was not a problem for 2 people that seriously over packed. The room was cleaned twice daily, however, the duvet cover wasn’t changed. Like all cruise lines, NCL needs to do a better job of retiring there towels and wash clothes before they are hard and can scratch your skin like sand paper. NCL also needs to upgrade the toilet paper they use to a softer brand. The package said 2 ply, but it felt extremely ruff on your bottom.
Ship tip
The ship is easy to maneuver, checkout everything. Deck 11 is a nice getaway area. The Diamond club is small, but very nice.
I had been to Charleston before and toured the historical areas, so this time I was looking forward to visiting the Open air Market place near the ship’s port. But because of the ice storm the night before, many of the vendors opened late or not at all. Understandable, but disappointing. Better luck next time.
Again, I have been to Nassau too many times to count. But this time the group decided to do a local tour and was able to see parts of the island we’ve never seen before and to hear about the history of the country. We were able to visit the new hotel and casino and be dropped off for 2 1/2 hours to play by our taxi driver and picked up later, prior to paying. Overall, the tour was approximately 4.5 hours. We visited a local rum cake factory and purchased cakes. There were several other local spots that were closing when we arrived so we didn’t get to purchase anything. I’m sure our taxi driver was getting kick backs for everyone he brings by. At no time did we feel unsafe or pressured. Overall, we enjoyed this port best of all.
I hadn’t been to Freeport in many years and was looking forward to some shopping and visiting the casino. Immediately after getting off the ship and passing through customs, we learned the hotel casino had been damaged during the hurricane and was closed. Since there was small shopping area near the ship we decided to shop there. The area was clean and offered a variety of shops and a spot for relaxing and people watching.
All numbers for disembarkation were called by 8:50 am. With only 750+ passengers, the process was very smooth, quick and easy. Because of the 4 ramps to access the ship, I do not recommend self assist for disembarking. Clearing customs was quick and easy and your luggage location was easy to identify. Once you got your luggage, you were on your way.
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