As an older cruiser, I found the overabundance of kids on this cruise to be a hindrance to my full enjoyment. I spent more time in my cabin that usual because of it. Also the inefficient bar staff also left a sour taste in my mouth for NCL. I suppose that is one way to decrease the use of the "free" beverage package! If the staff won't take drink orders, then they won't have to serve the free drinks!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
No problems one we got inside. went quickly and smoothly. However, there was much confusion around where we were to be dropped off, and the UBER driver ended up dropping us off away from the entrance, because the directions by the staff was very unclear. We ended up having to drag all our luggage, in the rain, over half a block, across rough roads, then there was no clear signage indicating where we were to drop our luggage. Once we got inside, after dropping off the luggage, it went very well.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Dining room was wonderful. Food excellent, service good. Did not partake of specialty restaurants, but the buffet and main and complementary dining rooms were good. Service in O'Shehans, however, was pathetic.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Everything I wanted to do was scheduled as the same time as everything else I wanted to do! The put-put golf course was pretty hoaky, but I guess for what it was and where it was, it was ok. The arcade/games in O'Shehan's bar was way noisy, because of the abundance of kids on this cruise. That was disappointing.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Too many of the entertainment choices required advanced reservations or extra cost. Another reason for avoiding larger ships. The entertainment that I DID get to see was not always family friendly. With this ship crawling with children, I felt much of the entertainment inappropriate. There was no restrictions posted about the rating of the entertainment, so there were many children at even the more bawdy sets.
Children's Programs
I had no children present, however, I would like to say that they did not keep the children busy enough and out of the hair of the other paying guests.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
This one was hard to rate because some of the staff were wonderful, but in order to get someone's attention, I decided to go with the lower rating. Our room steward was wonderful, and the dining room waitstaff were great! However, the staff in the bars and lounges was pathetic. It was nearly impossible to get waited on, even going up to the counter for a drink, we often felt totally invisible! In one instance we were told by the roaming waiter in the theater, 10 minutes before the show was to start, that he was not taking any more orders, then he proceeded up the room and took an order from another patron. When my travel companion called him on it, he finally relented, stating that was not what he said, however, there were other people in the area that also heard this. Overall, the bar/lounge wait service over the last several cruises on NCL has deteriorated to the extent that after my next cruise, which I will go on NCL only because I have already paid the CruiseNext deposit, will be my last on NCL.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The housekeeping staff did a great job, however, the ship is just too big.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was fine, however, there was less storage room in it that in previous cruises. there were no drawers, except the ones under the sofa, which one of them held linens, and one small drawer in the bathroom.
Ship tip
Don't go on this ship during spring break season, or summer time, unless you want to listen to the screams, banging and running of children all week.
It was nice, we sent snorkeling, though it is not my preference to snorkel from the shore, it was very nice. The excursion that we went on included a "guided" snorkel, which was too crowded, so after getting kicked in the head numerous time, I finally hung back away from the crowd, and missed most of the "guidance" though it was nearly impossible to hear him anyway with my face in the water. This caused me to miss some of the "attractions" that they were pointing out. The other activities that were scheduled for the excursion were a waste of time, in my opinion, I would have preferred to have been able to just spend a little time lounging on the beach. However, the sea lion show was enjoyable.
Went snorkeling on the reef. This was also enjoyable, the groups were smaller and it was easier to keep with the group, but still, I missed out on some of the stuff because I could not hear.
Went to the Mayan Ruins and LOVED it. It was a great excursion and I found it very interesting. It would have been nice to have had more history, or a pamphlet with a map and background information, but it was fascinating, anyway.
*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.
