Will definitely consider sailing on Norwegian Cruises Line again. Especially now that we know more of the ins and outs of this cruise line. We prefer it to Princess and Carnival.
We will not use as our travel agent again. We expected better from them and were very disappointed in the service.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Waited in line over an hour even after we paid for priority Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Great food, wonderful staff, lots of variety
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Pool deck was fun even though it was crowded. Lots of fun activities Virtual Reality Games, Water Slides, Laser Tag, and Go Cart racing. Lots of quiet nooks to relax too. Love the Encore.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My grandkids loved the Swim Academy and asked to go back every night.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Excellent Service. Wonderful staff. Everyone was great.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Large ship with a great layout. My only suggestion would be to have more basic pharmacy type items & kids toys in the shopping areas. It was 99% watches, jewelry and handbags.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Very comfortable beds and pillows. While the room was small it was laid out really well. Loved the balcony for stargazing. I liked that our suitcases fit under the bed.
Ship tip
Make dining reservations before you board. So many different dining experience to try. Don't think you will be able to purchase much in the way of basic pharmacy items. The ship has tooth brushes and tooth paste and not much more. Also the wifi is very spotty even if you pay for the premium wifi package.
Loved Aruba but had a Horrible experience with a Cruises Only Excursion to the Antilla Shipwreck. It was extremely dangerous to let a group of people off in the middle of the ocean with a strong current. Especially after freely handing out rum punch on the way to the shipwreck. There was no safety guide from the boat in the water with us. I am an experience swimmer and I thought it was very dangerous. Thankfully everyone who chose to swim made it back to the boat safely but I saw quite a few people struggle.
Highly recommend the Samur Sail & Beach Snorkel. Very professionally run. The captain & crew were lots of fun and imformative. The water is crystal clear and the reef was just amazing to snorkel. The whole day was wonderful. I can't say enough good things about this excursion Definitely a 5 star experience.
St Lucia is beautiful BUT Whatever you do DO NOT book the Volcanic Mud Bath tour. A horrible 2 hour drive through a windy, bumpy mountain pass with one stop to use the bathroom and we had to pay $1.00 each for a toilet. We were told we be having lunch but that never happened. We finally made it to the volcano mud baths which were actually pools of muddy water. There were buckets of actual mud to smear on your body. The worst part is that we were only allowed to stay for less than 30 minutes before we were rounded up and told to take a cold shower and get back on the bus. By now it's after 4:00pm and we still haven't had lunch. We did stop at a little cafe about an hour later to have some bland warmed over food that was barely palatable. Only to be rushed back onto the bus for a grueling white knock ride back down the mountain. Our bus driver tail gated the van in front of us the whole way down. He actually passed a van on a very dark narrow two lane road and side swiped a large hedge along the way. The road were full of pot holes and several time the entire bus yelled out after he hit a particularly large pot hole. It was one of the scariest drives I've ever been on. Not worth the 4 ½ ruling drive to spend less than ½ hour at the mud baths. This tour IS NOT as it is represented to be in the excusion brochure. Horrible Terrible, Awful!!!
Highly recommend the Cayo Arena & Fricolandia tour. The Cayo Arena had one of the most amazing reefs I've ever snorkeled. We didn't want to leave but we then went to Fricolandia for an amazing buffet and beach time. Just a wonderful day.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
