Was really good but a little too long. Definitely prefer 7-10 days instead. Didn't know before but now we do :) Overall good cruise
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Pretty smooth...pier 88 in Manhattan, really really busy and a little bit of a wait but that's to be expected. Employees were friendly and gave clear direction of where to go
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Norwegian does have a protocol for guests to follow if gluten free - they like for you to speak to the maitre d at the beginning of your cruise and they help you navigate through the food in whatever restaurant you choose but the enforcement of the policy was inconsistent throughout each of the restaurants. If you eat in Taste, Savor, or Manhattan Room, they want you to pre order the night before... however, many times they lose the pre order and you wait while they remake your food anyway. They do genuinely care about the safety of guests when it comes to eating gluten free, but it can be frustrating and disheartening at times. Buffet food was really good, especially Taste of India section. Vignesh on the Bliss is an awesome chef! No dedicated gluten free section but many gf options. Cagney's was AMAZING ( filet mignon, truffle mashed potatoes), and Ocean Blue was good as well.
Ocean Blue
4 out of 5
Very fresh fish (black grouper) and believe it or not and I know it sounds really silly but they had the best steamed vegetables I've ever eaten :)
Garden Café
4 out of 5
Lots of yummy gf options
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
So accommodating for gf diners, amazing filet mignon
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Tried the cycling class which was really great but totally killed me haha Did cost extra which was a bummer. Karaoke was fun and the art auctions was really informative...art team was so kind and good natured. Really good first experience at the auctions.
Fitness Center
4 out of 5
Great cycling class
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We went to Jersey Boys.... wonderful talent and great retelling about the history behind Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but the language is coarse ( lots of F bombs and SOB's) which to me was disappointing.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our room steward was so amazing. She took great care of us. 90% of the staff was friendly and accommodating but you could tell the other 10% didn't want to be there..... Generally speaking, if you treated them with respect and greeted them with a smile, everything was cool
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Holy cow is it a big ship. Designed pretty well. LOVED the observation lounge on Deck 15!! Common areas were always well tended and clean and always saw employees dusting and wiping down glass and handrails in the stairwells.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
It was great. We had an inside cabin. Awesome space under bed for luggage. Has a laundry line and plenty of hooks throughout the room. Decent size for two people.
Ship tip
It's a big ship so seriously, wear supportive and comfortable shoes.
My least favorite because of the relentless people wanting you to choose them for a tour, buy something, etc.. I know everyone has to make a living but after a firm and kind "no" they still wouldn't take no for an answer started following us until someone else tried vying for our attention. Amazing coffee though!! And drank my first coconut! 😝
Wanted to get key lime pie ( place was 5 miles away) but couldn't get a taxi for less than $20 each way.... We couldn't find a way to get out of the port that didn't cost a lot of money. Feel a little trapped.
Did a private Jeep tour of the island (not through the ship) and had an amazing time. Got back to the ship in time...stopped for a history tour, tequila tasting, saw the other side of the island...it was breathtaking. Lunch was included and also a cooler of water and beer. Open container laws don't apply in Cozumel (at least that's what our driver said 😏😉)
As good as Great Stirrup Caye was this island was even better!! The wildlife exhibits were amazing. Butterflies, parties, iguanas... You could see all that and more for free. This was by far one of my favorite ports. After seeing the animals we had the best beach day ever.... didn't do the zipline but totally would have if we had more time. Looked like so much fun. Took a dip in the pool and ordered a drink at the swim up bar which I have been wanting to do for forever!!
Beautiful private island. You're tendered to it, which can be a problem if you have motion sickness but totally worth it. They provide your food and you're able to use the drink package here as well.
No excursion, but walked to the museum for the islands and helped me appreciate the lifestyle and self sufficiency of the island and the people on it. Really great.
Surprisingly painless this time around lol If you are doing self assist disembarking and you're waiting forever at the elevators, pick an elevator that's going up instead of down.... It's bound to be empty or only have a few people in it :) I even forgot my room card (which you need to disembark) in the room and thought I'd have trouble getting off the ship, but they asked for my room number and to see my passport and I was through. Going through customs was a breeze. No paperwork anymore (with a few exceptions) and you go through by facial recognition... Took literally 30 seconds. Didn't look at my passport at all.
I'm expecting a lot of curse words in "Jersey Boys". If you look at the movie rating, I think it's rated R.
That says, I would kill for a 2 week cruise!
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