dismal --- so bad that we will not sail again on a Norwegian ship, though we will continue sailing each year
Embarkation
1 out of 5
even though we made reservations well-in-advance for and early transfer from airport to cruise ship, the transport company was so clueless, disorganized, that we feared we would not make it to the ship in time to sail.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
the venetian and aqua main food and service were not even equal to first day culinary student efforts --- even the maître d' in the venetian said the clam chowder looked like dirty water --- and the wait staff was unable to serve all at the table at the same time, and unable to serve all parts of the meal in a reasonable time and order --- despite the fact that only a few tables in the restaurant had diners.
the specialty restaurants, except for the Japanese steak house, were superb (though I wish that Cagney's hadn't discontinued the tomahawk). in the Japanese steak house, in addition to the fact that the experience was totally unspectacular and underwhelming, the chef at our table, put some of the food (the shrimp to be exact) on the wrong diner's plate (the diner had already started eating the other things on the plate); when we told him of the mistake, he attempted to take the food off the wrong plate and put it on the right plate --- totally unacceptable and unsanitary --- and completely ruined the dining experience
Impressions Italian Restaurant
5 out of 5
great food and superb service
Le Bistro
5 out of 5
excellent food, superb service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
superb food and service
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
atrium entertainment; sitting by the pool; hanging out in the lounges
Entertainment
3 out of 5
patti and jose were spectacular --- the twosome that replaced them were awful --- could not carry a tune, could not harmonize, and could not work with each other --- seemed like they hadn't met until they got on stage for the first time; and, did not improve over time
Children's Programs
no children with us --- we were 4 seniors
Service and Staff
1 out of 5
cabin stewards were never available, never seen, never greeted us --- seemed like they were being trained and were on a ship for the first time --- they didn't have a clue as to how things actually work on a ship
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
the cabin itself was very nice --- though we would go penthouse the next time as we did on our last cruise --- though it will not be on a Norwegian ship --- we tried Norwegian for the first time in 2016, and the experience was exceptional, way over-the-top! --- so good that we decided to cruise at least once a year on Norwegian. this cruise made it clear that something has changed in the Norwegian experience --- budget cuts, manpower turnover, I don't know what --- but this cruise made us change our minds about cruising at least once a year on Norwegian. the cabin service this time around was not-existent --- never saw our steward; yes, beds were made, but little else, if anything was done.
Ship tip
DON'T SAIL ON NORWEGIAN DAWN! Service, both restaurant and cabin, is inexcuseable terrible!
My husband and I have cruised with 3 different cruise lines and we prefer Norwegian over Princess and Carnival. It's not that it's a better cruise line we just feel that each cruise line is geared toward different age groups. Without you elaborating on your experience I don't see how anyone can read this and make a educated decision on whether to sail or not with Norwegian.
Dismal???? How so?? We are going in 110 Days and can’t wait We have always cruised NCL.Any vacation is very rarely “perfect”. It is what you make of it Examples as to why so dismal would have been nice.
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