Nice Trip, Stable New Ship, Too Crowded and Competitive For Reservations / Events

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 24

Review summary

We chose this cruise because it was one of the newest ships, and with kids 10 and 12, has new things such as a Racetrack and Laser Tag on board. We've been to Alaska several times by cruise before (Disney Wonder being the last cruise 2 years ago). We were not thrilled that not only were there so many people (4800 plus 1700 crew), everything got booked up literally within hours of getting on board. Our kids only could find one time slot for the race track (10:30 PM) and none for Laser Tag because of the number of people and availability. The same went for shows and the comedy club - too many people trying to get seats so we never did! Then there aren't enough elevators for all these people so you wait 10 minutes to get to another floor. Yes, no exaggeration. They definitely could be more organized - for instance telling you to go to the Theater to meet for an excursion off the ship at 7am, you walk down the stairs to the stage, they tell you to go back up now and walk around the theater and outside. This kept happening. Our daughter has many severe food allergies. We made arrangements a month in advance with their "Access Desk" which handles special requests for food, etc. We told them by email, fax, and phone of her list of allergies and they said it wouldn't be a problem. I called and confirmed the list two days prior to sailing. Again, said it's not a problem - just check with the restaurant supervisor before ordering. We did, and they didn't know of the list! They knew there "was a list", just didn't know what the allergies were. UGH! So frustrating. The first morning (Sunday) we went to the restaurant, spoke with the supervisor, and my daugher asked about a gluten, dairy, and egg free waffle. He went in the back, said he read the ingredients on the frozen packaging and it had no egg, wheat, or dairy. She ate the waffle, and within 15 minutes was in the bathroom throwing up with an allergic reaction. My wife had to give her allergy medication. She ended up seeing the ship's doctor, and the Assistant Maitre D came to the room and said all the waffles have Egg! From then forward, he said he would take care of her food orders personally, and he did! He saved the cruise for sure. Every meal - he asked her what she wanted, and they had it ready. He was great - his name is Koray. Definitely a great asset to NCL. As for the rooms, we had two - a balcony and an inside stateroom. They were both about the same in size - although the balcony room has a couch that can flip down to another bed, and a bunk can be lowered above it. Rooms are quiet and well appointed. Three US Plugs are located at the desk area by the phone - not by the bed so we brought extension cords for us to use. Storage under beds and under couch. Beds can be a queen or two twins divided, as we had in the interior room for our kids. Housekeeping is on point. They don't use the iConceirge texting system on this ship, so we couldnt' communicate with other family even if connected to ship WiFi. Had to purchase WiFi if you want it. That bummed us out. Even tried two way radios but didn't work due to ship size and steel. Restaurants are good, but as I say busy. Specialty ones get booked fast. Room service is free, but charges $7 to deliver. During the cruise they offered a discount on laundry of $20 for a big bag so that helps. Because the elevators are so busy, you really need to take stairs if it's only a couple flights. Overall, we had a good trip. Ship is more stable than others because of size. We liked the stop in Victoria - defintely a good itinerary and one we hadn't done before (this is our fifth Alaska Cruise). I'd say for famlies Disney is better. Less crowded, more to do for families, and better choices. Better kids club and solid staff. Disney has far less staff turnover than NCL from what everyone said. This ship was geared for the 55+ crowd with 26 bars, 17 restaurants and its own smoking room.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

Ketchikan, Alaska

Juneau, Alaska

Skagway, Alaska

Victoria, British Columbia

Disembarkation

Other reviews of this sailing