It was a nice experience but I think we overpaid for what we got in return. I have cuised with another cruiseline for the same length of time and paid half the price and had a comparable/ better experience.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Crowded but organized
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining rooms were nice and staff was great. Food was repetitive and bland.
Bars stayed crowded but the bartenders did a great job.
Going to the buffet felt like being in the hunger games. Way overcrowded and it was always hard to find a table. Buffet line was elbow to elbow and people seemed to forget all manners. Staff remained calm and pleasant during all of this. Food was decent at best.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Pools and hot tubs stayed crowded. Putt putt moved slowly due to unsupervised children playing around on the course.
There was so many activities on this ship that cost an extra fee. Arcade games, bowling, air hockey, wine tasting, etc. If you've already paid a couple thousand dollars to enjoy the cruise, I don't feel like you should have to pay to play onboard games.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The free shows were good. Comedians were funny. Once again, too many shows costed extra.
Also, there were a lot of shows held in the Atrium that should have been held in the theatre. There were never enough chairs and half of the audience had to stand to watch shows. Im not sure why these shows werent held in the theatre. It felt like musical chairs. As soon as someone would get out of a seat, other guests would race to sit in it.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Always very pleasant and helpful. Lawrence, the bartender in Spice H2O was entertaining and remembers names of guests.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Ship tip
Get to shows at least 30 minutes early if you want a chance at getting a seat.
Very crowded and seems to have a very high rate of homeless people in downtown. There were people sleeping in the streets in plain sight.
The boarding terminal for the ship was organized and efficient.
The port was pretty terrible actually. There was next to nothing there and you have about 5 people at a time in your face the entire time yelling about excursions and taxi rides. It was very uncomfortable. The prices were high in the shops. I wouldnt recommend getting off at this port unless you have an excursion here.
The excursion on the other hand was excellent. Our guide was great and gumbalimba was wonderful. We were able to see a variety of local plants and animals, learn about the culture and history, and play with adorable capuchin monkeys. Highly recommended.
Prices were high in shops. Although the resort style pool was beautiful, everything felt very fake and generic. You felt like you could have been at a resort in the US, instead of experiencing Belize.
Again, stay on the ship unless you have an excursion there. Prices for food was outrageous ($14 for guac & chips). Im not sure if it was the high amounts of seaweed surrounding the island at the time but the entire port had the rank smell of dead fish. Prices in the shops for souvenirs werent bad here.
They did have nice pools here.
A lot of shopping and bigger area to explore. Free tequila sampling in shops. Our excursion was wonderful. We did the fury catamaran and snorkeling with private beach day. Tour guides were great and the snorkeling stop and beach was beautiful and fun.
I again want to mention that a little preparation goes a long way. NCL website or cruise app gives full information on what's free and what's not. No surprises on board.
The pricing of Cruises has more to do with the time of year and age of the ship than anything else. It is very possible the cruise on the same ship for half the price in a slow time of year versus a high demand time of year such as summer or Christmas. Newer ships also have a higher demand and price than a ship that is a few years older
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