I'm quite disappointed in this cruise experience. I've cruised multiple times before, and would describe myself as a cruise-lover. I took someone with me on this cruise who had never cruised before, and I so wanted him to love it as much as I do. Instead, I found myself saying "it's not normally like this" over and over. From the long waits to the mediocre food, it was just not the wonderful experience I have had on prior cruises, and I started worrying about whether I would be able to get my guest to ever go on a cruise again. The pluses--it was warm, sunny, and the water and beaches were beautiful. But we can get that by traveling to a destination without dealing with the disappointments we experienced on this cruise ship. I hope I can get him to try again, but if so, it will probably be on a different cruise line.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
The embarkation experience was horrific. We were in lines out the door and all the way down a city block. It took more than two hours of waiting in line before we made it onto the ship. And then, because everyone was in the same situation, we waited another hour just to get a drink once we were on the ship because the lines were so long.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
In all fairness, it has been 4 years (pre-COVID) since I last cruised. I can't say with certainty whether the lower food quality is due to inflation across all cruises, or that this one is the exception. In any event, the food has always been a highlight on cruises I have taken in the past. This time, it was very underwhelming. As an example, one of the desserts in the main dining room was listed as a "bread pudding." That's not expensive or hard to make, but what we got seemed like a pre-packaged flan. Across the board, it just seemed like quality had been cut in order to save money. As another example, while I don't mind tilapia, when it is the nicest seafood that is being offered as a main dish, it leaves you feeling like you're not having the nicest dining experience.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
This ship is older and smaller, and doesn't have many activities. It has the main pool, and a hot tub near the front of the ship. But no rock-climbing walls, waterslides, or other activities.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The entertainment was good. One of the better aspects of the cruise.
Children's Programs
We didn't travel with children.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
I would like to rate the service as 5-star, because generally each person was working hard and was pleasant, as is another trademark of good cruises. Unfortunately, it just seemed like they may have been understaffed, because even though they were working hard, the waits were abnormally long (at least in comparison to prior cruises). Especially at the bars around the pool, it was routine to wait 30-45 minutes to order a drink because people were lined up so far.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
While I have indicated that the ship was smaller and older, the ship was still very well-maintained and clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was comfortable and clean. The bathroom had a nice layout, with the shower separate from the toilet area, with the sink in between. That's a convenient layout, and I thought it felt roomier than other layouts that I have had in my cabins.
Ship tip
Pay for the upgraded dining. The one meal that we had in the specialty restaurant was by far better than any other meal options.
One thing that we didn't realize is that by cruising out of Tampa, you are limiting the size of the ship you'll be on. There is a bridge that spans the bay that the ship has to make it under.
The port itself is beautiful, with a great pool and nice beach. The prices for food and drinks feel a little like you're being gouged, especially since Norwegian owns the island, and food and drinks are included on the cruise.
We would have liked to be able to just explore on our own, but there didn't seem to be a way out of the developed shopping area unless you paid for an excursion.
This process seemed to be made more unwieldy by the smaller size of the ship, but once again, the wait was much longer than on any other cruise I've taken.
You don't realize that the Skyway ship size limit is a blessing. The mega ships have even worse reviews than this one. Checkout out the Getaway reviews. We loved the Celebrity Connie. We did December and February in the last three months.
I heard Harvest Caye is a private area for NCL passengers, but the services on the island are handled locally, so they are not included with the cruise fare.
That's a shame. Both times I cruised out of Tampa, the embarkation and disembarkation process was very quick and easy. However, both times I was on RCL so I wonder if this is an NCL problem.
Appreciate your very detailed and informative review. Sadly, cruising is not back (and may never be) to pre-Covid standards. Sorry you needed keep apologizing to your friend. There are still good cruises out there, but it is hard to know which ones.
None of the older, smaller NCL ships have the latest activities such as rock climbing or race tracks. That's why some of us like them as we don't care about those things nor the higher capacity. It behooves cruisers to research any ship before booking which is extremely easy to do these days.
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