Beautiful sightseeing cruise. The ports are excellent overall and is a great way to get a first taste of Northern Europe. We didn't experience much of the "party" atmosphere, but we weren't looking for that anyway.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We arrived a little early and we walked right onto the ship without any wait.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We pre-purchased the coffee+soda drink plan and definitely got our money's worth. We each would have purchased (on average) 2 latte's and 2-3 sodas or non-alcoholic drinks each day, so we definitely saved money with the drink plan, and we got 2 travel tumblers each to take home.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We took advantage of the fitness center each morning and were pleased that it wasn't too crowded each day. In fact, I got to use the same exact machine each morning without having to wait.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The performers that we saw were all very nice. No big names of course, but everyone put on very entertaining shows.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
There were only a handful of children on our cruise (including our own child). Our child looked forward to the children's program each day and enjoyed the staff and the other kids. Most of the activities were not very energetic though, so we had to find other activities to release energy.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our waiters and room stewards were awesome! They took excellent care of us and really went the extra way to make our trip special. The other staff members, like at the cafe's and shops, just seemed "tired". They were all nice, but they all looked like they'd rather be doing something else. Also the "NextCruise" staff did nothing to give us any sort of deal regarding booking a future cruise, so we were disappointed with that experience.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I think we've been on fancier cruise ships, but I would say this middle-sized ship definitely met our needs and found it to be a wonderful experience.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Other than an excellent stateroom steward who went out of his way to give us a lovely experience, the cabin was pretty normal and as expected. We used a bunk bed for our child, and that worked well. The room was clean, but had some trouble with the sink getting clogged over-and-over again.
Ship tip
Very nice ship. Take some extra time to explore all the nooks and cranny special areas that the ship offers. There's really something for everyone.
We didn't do an excursion here, and elected just to walk around the city instead. Since it was Sunday, nothing was open! So there wasn't really anything to do except to look at the outside of some buildings.
Oslo was our favorite port by far. The fjords are stunningly beautiful, and the Oslo people that we met were very courteous and didn't seem to mind that we didn't speak Norwegian. We did a bus tour excursion, which was a great way to explore Oslo.
Amsterdam is a beautiful, but seedy town. We did a bus+canal excursion tour, which was a great way to get a feel for the city. You have to watch what you buy at coffee shops though. Some of the treats are cannabis infused.
This was another port to remember. The medieval architecture of the town was amazing to walk through. We did a walking+bus+canal excursion here, which was a great way to get oriented. Then the excursion provided some extra time to shop, where we enjoyed exploring all the chocolatiers and a coffee shop.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
