We chose this specific cruise for the itinerary. NCL is barebones and overpriced cruise line that caters to DEI rather than focusing on quality customer service, skilled management, good quality or cleanliness. We don’t plan on booking with NCL again unless they are the only option for the itinerary we prefer.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Civitavecchia port officials made embarkation easy. Having a driver with the credentials to drop off at the actual NCL embarkation building was essential.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food quality and taste were a major disappointment overall, with the exception of Wasabi; however, had we not had the two free specialty dinners included in our fare, the cost could have been prohibitive. Expect to pay triple what you’d pay in the states for a similar sushi meal. The other specialty restaurant we chose was La Cucina. Overall, staff was attentive, but lasagna serving was about a fistful with no garnishes and was inedible due to high levels of sodium - we’re taking chunks of salt every bite! Noodle house was never open for lunch, as advertised, and when we tried to put our name on the waitlist, the hostess told us they serve the same food up at the buffet.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Pools are extremely small; fitness center was well-equipped with many treadmills, etc. Atrium entertainment was loud for a reason: to cover the unhappy customers dealing with the inept customer service staff! lol.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Musicians and DJs were good.
Service and Staff
1 out of 5
Unfortunately, staff is generally robotic, unhappy and quite rude, especially at the front desk, most bartenders, the excursion desk and the shops. Some exceptions include our stateroom attendant, the buffet help staff and one or two dining room wait staff. Front desk staff are poorly trained and do not listen, rather they will cut you off and interpret or regurgitate a reader’d digest version of your “complaint,” often incorrectly.
An outside party ordered champagne and party decor for our room (celebrating a milestone birthday). Multiple visits to front desk, still didn’t receive the items.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Needs serious refurbishment and general maintenance. Couldn’t see out of most “view” windows on deck 6. Toilet issue on deck 13 left our toilet unusable for most of one night. Shower curtain was disgusting with serious mold. Tiles and grout need repair. Layout was okay, but suggest more view seating in inside protected areas.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
We were assigned an accessible room due to our late booking. Room was large, had a great large balcony, great storage, but no table -room service had to put delivery on the floor. This was corrected as soon as we requested a table, albeit they delivered a side table with enough room for one. There is no bathroom storage or counter space. Shower water pressure was excellent. Our cabin door would randomly open, and the alarm went off twice for no apparent reason as we were both standing in the middle of the room not touching anything. Front desk called and blamed us for setting off the alarms, even though it occurred when a staff member rang our doorbell to deliver laundry. Officer did respond in a timely fashion by letting herself in the room unannounced, but if there was a real emergency, I’m sure this would be very beneficial.
We paid for priority disembarkation, so we were able to make a full day of this beautiful port. We walked down the steps at sunset with hundreds of our friends, lol. Was a great experience overall.
Loved how they have pride in their historic town center as they keep it clean for the most part. Beautiful views and incredible history at Fort Elmo as well.
Beautiful port. Went to Delos, so didn’t spend time in the main downtown area, just strolled through the port on the way back to the ship. Lots of shops and great restaurants. Cute bakery with wonderful food desserts.
We simply needed a quick taxi to drop us off at a local hotel, which we learned is almost nonexistent in the port town. They will only take you to Rome or the airport so they can make maximum $$$. Transfer bus had no NCL staff around to direct passengers to the “free” busses that drop you off at a central location- where again no local taxis were available. We ended up walking from the drop-off point to our hotel. Basically, it’s a cluster!
We purchased the upgraded drink package, so all taxes/service charges were covered, no additional charges. The package even covered the extras, like flavoring added to specialty coffees. On other cruise lines, this was an additional charge.
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