It was a great cruise. I am so glad we went to this part of the world. It was more than I realized and we will be back. All the ports are so different from the caribbean. It was not as cold as I thought it would be. Spend the money on the excursions on this cruise as in some cases you cannot really get to the really cool sites without it. It is much harder to book off ship as well as there is not nearly as much of a market for cruise except during season. Definitely spend extra time in Quebec and get to Peggy's Cove the first time.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Very efficient and very quick - but if you cruise this time of the year expect to be placed in a far away dock and embark from a tent!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
All the restaurants were excellent EXCEPT - we had a reservation for the Venetian for the first night and we could not get to the hostess due to a huge line of people that did not understand the definition of "reservation" - we had to wait in a line being ignored while the one's with NO reservation were offered a reservation and a free drink because they did not plan ahead. Then finally 20 minutes later we were seated with another couple that went through the same issue. This was not "freestyle" dining - way too close to Carnival. But then the service was terrible!!!!.. Over an two hours to eat from my reservation time... Missed the show!!! The food was very average on top of that - I am sure it was due to the overbooking of the room. Not sure why I was placed on a line for having a reservation????? The solution is --- we are full go to the buffet!!! We cancelled all the reservations for the Venetian. One other issue is that Bamboo requires reservations though you cannot make them.. We found this out by going there.. The hostess accommodated so not a problem, but if you are going there you have to make reservations and you cannot before the ship.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Stayed mostly inside due to weather and temps.. But all was good. The Spa is really good, but you have to decide whether you wish to pay for it and if you have time to use it. We were in the middle it was great when we had time but about 1/2 the cruise we were too busy to use it. Which is our fault.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The Jazz Band onboard is probably the best I have ever heard on a cruise. (I am a pro musician). The pianist is really good. The "karaoke band" with tracks and the duo that sings is MEH!! - nothing special that I would seek out. The comedian and Irish Singer were awesome!!! The magician really was incredible - these shows were the best I have seen on a Norwegian Cruise!. Missed one show due to the Venetian see above. We had seen one of the shows from another cruise - it was better on that one. The female singer could actually sing and perform. SAD!.
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Room Steward was awesome and quick - NO PROBLEMS! The Bar staff at Gatsby's and O'Sheehan's were the best I have ever had - great staff..... I Wayan, Leila and Kershav are Awesome!!!!! Will see then again soon!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Very clean - has a somewhat confusing design --- 3 towers for the upper decks means you cannot there there from here if you are on an upper deck. Just leave time if you need to find a restaurant. It may be an adventure.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I loved the cabin - the BEST shower ever on a cruise ship. I door NOT a curtain!!!!!!!! Very clean. The 8th deck balconies are slightly enclosed - but it didn't really matter - the ones above are more like traditional balconies.
Ship tip
Explore the ship with a map - it is a little confusing at first, but is easy once you figure out that the 3 elevators go to different upper destinations. O'sheehan's is a better place for breakfast unless you love fighting the massive crowds in a feeding frenzy. If you have to traverse the ship you will find that some decks are straight across and fast and other are like a labyrinth. Like deck 10 I believe. It is actually more important on this ship to be near the middle as it seems to take longer to move all the way across the ship in the hallways.
This is a beautiful city. You need to find time to spend extra time here. We went on the Combo Historical and Food Tour of the Old Quebec City from Marriott or Viator.. It was great - 6 courses in 6 different restaurants in the Old City with a walking tour going into the night. Carol was our guide and she was incredible. Quebec is an extremely walkable port - but be warned if in season you may be at the farthest away dock - ours was a tent - but its just an extra mile or so past a really nice marina. The negative is an industrial build blocks the view of the city from the ship.
Very nice stop - not a lot to do here off the ship though there is a few things and the small town of Sydney. We did the Bras D'or Lakes Grand Tour which was good EXCEPT the tour guide was insistent on rushing us and insisting we spent NO time anywhere except the Bell Museum. The scenery was stunning so worth the trip - he literally gave us 13 minutes on and off a bus to see the town of Baddock - it's small but I could have pushed that to 20 minutes easy. LOL
It is a pretty large port lot's to do here. We opted for Peggy's Cove - it was beautiful - DO NOT BUY THE LOBSTER LUNCH - it was a farce - too crowded - BAD service and a waitress that was a jerk. If you get there you can buy a lobster or roll off the street - fresh. Do that. It is worth the trip, but do not try to eat or even use the facilities in the restaurant/gift shop.. It is difficult to get to Peggy's Cove off the ship without an excursion as it is on the way to NO WHERE! But the scenery is a once in lifetime experience bring a camera--- the next trip I would do something else.
The nicest locals on the whole trip. We did an excursion to the back roads winery. It was truly backroads. Even had to do a ferry. The weather was overcast rainy and foggy but that can happen any day on this cruise. We only had one day - which was great. The guide searched hard and found us a tree that was changing colors - - It was small group tour off ship - Cruisesonly.
This is a great stop - the downtown is very quaint and walkable. We did the Acadian National Park carriage rides. I highly recommend this if you can book it. It was awesome and very informative. The downtown was really good for souvenir shopping - the best prices I have really ever seen on a cruise stop - except maybe Cozumel. If you look hard you can find Lobster Ice Cream - (it is actually good) Sweet and Salty.
Lots of stuff to do here!!! Spend another day if possible. We did a whale watch off ship on the 2nd day. It was from the aquarium. It guaranteed we would see whales and did not disappoint. We went north and off the coast found a spot where about 10 humpbacks were feeding and playing.. It was a surreal incredible experience. One even breached. Go to the Faneuil Hall Marketplace - it's walkable from the wharf. So much food!!! Try Chowdas - the chowder in a bread bowl or a lobster roll. The choices are endless.
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