Getting on the ship so stressful and slow. It seemed to take an entire day of vacation waisted partly our fault because we had carryon bags that they wouldn’t let us leave outside rooms. The ports were great but time allowed off the boat at them was too rushed needed several more hours at each stop.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The variety of drinks at meals was appreciated but no mixed drinks at meals was strange. The dining taste dining room with a big family group at several tables was unacceptably slow. The French onion soup came out as hot broth a few minutes later they brought out a wafer of bread with cheese that had been melted on it hours before and dropped it in. The buffets on deck 15 were great.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We loved the Epic Beatles. Rock wall was not open enough so nobody in my family ever braved the line. Only 2/3 water slides operate at a time even if line is an hour long, and kids that are tall enough should be allowed on parents laps on the tube slide. The sports deck was too separated and badly utilized in comparison to Royal Caribbean Allure. And the extreme bungee jump was never open when we went to try it on several occasions. The gym was good but i’ll never go on a cruise without a circular track again, they should remodel this ship to fix that since shuffle board deck didn’t have enough boards or equipment anyway. You had to walk through casino then take escalator to get to guest services because they roped off stairs seemed emblematic of problems with the boat that getting to guest services was difficult. Kids under 8 loved the pools. The hot tubs needed to be a couple of degrees warmer.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Beatles band was great. Our group enjoyed howl at the moon and the comedy magician. Blocked visibility at cirque show was upsetting. Burn the floor and the Cirque show have overly sexualized moments making them inappropriate for children. Pricilla Queen of the night is not appropriate for children of any age and thus should not be eligible to be a headliner act on a cruise ship that pretends to be family friendly. There were often not enough spots available of an activity for everyone who wanted to go. More things should be reservable in advance. Once reservations are made it should say more clearly the time tickets will be released. It is not ok to say kids can’t be dropped off until just before 7, show starts at 7 but oh by the way tickets were given away at 6:45 so even though you are here before 7 you can not go to the escape room tonight or rebook it for any other night because they are all full.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
The kids area split up 9 year old boy cousins and I thought that was inexcusable them later we learned they even split up 5 year old twins into different groups. Kids ages 4-7 seemed to be able to tolerate it though they didn’t love it and kids ages 8-12 called it prison and HATED it/refused to go back. Some of the advertised things they thought might be fun only happened late at night if you were willing to keep kids up that late and pay extra for them. Also you can’t just come and go as you like they are closed at lunch time, closed at dinner time, and if you aren’t there immediately after the closures the spots fill up and they turn you away.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The staff did their jobs well but our entire group was beyond concerned about their working conditions after the cruise director talked about many employees not talking to families or getting off the ship for months on end. Norwegian needs to be treating employees in less desireable jobs better! Every employee should be granted some phone/internet time as well as to get off the ship at least bi- weekly!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The cleanliness was fabulous. The ship design was fundamentally flawed compare it to the Royal Caribbean Allure and it’s group space, flow, variety, use of space just is so inferior that at least now I know what to look for in a cruise ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Strange to walk in immediately to shower on one side and toilet on the other... they should ask people online in advance what bed configuration is desired for their room.
Top bunks did not have a flat sheet under bedspread unless requested then it was never flat and in place just folded on top and the comforter wasn’t as nice as the bottom bunks.
Ship tip
Don’t take kids on this ship! (Kids comes lub failed, most entertainment too adult, slide lines far too long
The Kennedy Space center is awesome! Do it privately not through the boat... could have used days there! Avis and dollar rental car each had one shuttle working for 3 shops that came in that morning which was fairly nightmareish.
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