This was our first NCL ship overall I would give this ship a 5 out of 10 due to the ship and ports of call. It was disappointing to have to pay to get off the boat and be shuttled to an area where you can walk around. Most of the ports you had to drive far to visit most of the places that was worth seeing from the port. Being freestyle food in the buffet was always cold by the time you sat down to eat due to trying to find a seat. Room service is not free even for a suite. No iron to iron cloths in your own room, you have to call and then wait to have them bring one up and then you only have it for 1 hr. Very inconvienent for the amount of money you spend.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
The directions to get to the area where the buses bring you to the port is wrong on the website, and the taxi driver had no clue where the port was so we had to walk around and try to ask people where to go. After 30 mins of walking back and forth from the administration building to the port authority they finally told us where to go which we had to walk more with all of our luggage. Terrible directions to where the shuttle busses are to get to the ship area.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Since there is no time when to eat, the main dining room is always crowded and by the time you get your food and sit to find a seat it is cold. The specialty restaurants were good with good service but the buffets was okay. They need to have better coffee, it was so bitter and they have no to go cups, the only way to get one is to buy a expresso and then keep the to go cup.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The spa was terrible more hype than what the therapist could do. It was the worst couples massage I have had and they were more worried about selling me their products after telling me I need to tone and I have fluid retention. I am a nurse I think I would know if I have fluid retention, thank you but no I don't want your products after a crappy massage.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Howl at the moon was good, the other shows could have been better.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Waiters were friendly, the room steward was great though don't expect any folded towel animals on the bed but the room was clean and he always gave us fresh linen, no complaints there.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship was clean, yet the elevators are terrible. They pretty much skip the inner floors and you end up walking up and down the stairs or waiting forever for them. The ship is very enclosed, and has a weird layout. I wish you could stand at the back of the ship or the front to see yet you cannot due to rooms being there. There is also only 1 deck that you can stroll outside yet it has all the life boats so you cannot really enjoy the view and they have no places to sit on that deck.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Disappointed in our cabin, we had upgraded to the suite and we were right across from the door that led to the crew stairs and every time they a crew member went in or out the door would slam shut.
The toilets when you flush them are super super loud! You can hear them flush from the next cabin or when your in the hallway.
The TV channels stink only 2 English speaking channels and you have to pay for movies $9.95 per movie. They had one movie channel in English and they played the same movie over and over again.
The size was fine, and the steward kept the room clean, and gave us fresh linen everyday so we were happy with that.
The balcony does not have a small table only 2 chairs and 2 small end tables, so forget eating outside if you want room service.
No ironing boards or iron in rooms is very inconvenient. You call to get one but the wait is forever due to only having so many on board then you can only have it for 1 hr.
Ship tip
Expect to spend money at every port to be transported, very few ports will transfer you from boat to main area for free so bring extra cash.
We could not enjoy Florence due to being late pulling into the port. You have to take the train to go to Pisa which is 25mins on train, and Florence is over 1 hr by train. Pisa was nice yet very busy area.
This was a nice port yet the boat does not dock in port so you have to take a lifeboat to get to the main area and then have to be back by 5:30pm. We did do a tour which was good and I would recommend to do one. Other people went to the beach which is also a nice idea.
Very busy area, but the only 2 things to really do is to visit the famous cathedral and visit the soccer stadium. You have to take a taxi to visit, walking is not an option due to both being so far away. We ended us shopping and walking around, this is another port you have to pay to be transferred.
Definitely do a tour for this place! This was our favorite port and our tour guide was excellent for the Amalfi coast and Pompeii. Would definitely visit here again.
You probably shouldn't cruise with the type of comments you left. Nothing but complaining about every little thing. Most, if not all would be glad to have been in your shoes for this type of cruise, but all you did was complain. Not sure if you are a regular cruiser, but I hope you are never on any cruise I take. As jpmato16 said, you obviously did no research on your cruise. When I cruise, I check where and how far away ports are from airports and any sights to see. I'm sure you own a computer, so perhaps next time use it for your next cruise and then you won't have to spend all that time typing a bad review.
You did NO research. You didn’t realize you were going on a ship? People taking cruises usually understand that the ship will usually be unable to dock immediately next to the location(s) of most interest. Otherwise, don’t go on a cruise!
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