This was our first Norwegian cruise. We’ve only previously ever done Royal Caribbean. Comparing the two, they are fairly equivalent, and future bookings would come down to price and itinerary.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation in Port Canaveral what is the most organized and efficient that we have experienced in our cruises. From our arrival, at the port, at 11 AM, we were on the ship within half an hour. All of our luggage arrived safely at our room by 1pm.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Specialty dining restaurants, especially La Cucina, were excellent. We enjoyed it so much we went back a second time. We also visited Teppanyaki, which was a fun experience in addition to great dining! Buffet and main dining rooms were standard fare. The Manhattan Room, despite being one of the main dining rooms, was definitely more upscale than Taste and Savor.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Lots to do on board, including things for everyone’s tastes. Our favourite venue was Spice H2O, especially during the day. The grotto is very neat, and excellent for cooling off on a hot sunny day.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Choir of Man was by far, the most entertaining, an excellent show that we have seen on board a cruise ship. Absolutely fantastic entertainment.
We also went to Howl at the Moon duelling pianos, at Headliners. Johnny, Justin & Rose were funny, talented, and put on an excellent show.
We saw the Golden Octaves throughout the ship, and at the Supper Club on Diva’s night. They also put on an excellent show.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone we met was friendly, and helpful. I heard complaints from other cruisers that they felt the ship was understaffed, but we did not feel that way. Sometimes we had to wait for a drink, but we have found that on any ship that we’ve been on. Our room steward was excellent, restaurant, staff and waitstaff were excellent, we couldn’t ask for anything more.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Ship tip
Spend time on the Waterfront, deck 8. It’s quiet and lovely!
As long as you stay in the port area, or book an excursion through Norwegian, then I would imagine this port is good. We decided to take a walk outside the port, and were accosted by people wanting to take us in a taxi. They were literally jumping in front of us, right in our faces, and refused to take no for an answer. We felt unsafe.
Absolutely loved Tortola! We didn’t have an excursion booked, we ended up, jumping in an open air, taxi bus, and got an excellent tour of the island provided by a local taxi driver.
The roads are crazy steep, and the scenery is beautiful.
Again, I heard other people complain about disembarkation, but compared to other cruises we have had, this one was fairly easy and straightforward. Sure, we had to wait a little bit in lines, but for the most part, it was quick, and we were off the ship by 1030.
Thanks for the heads up on Puerto Plata, we don’t have any excursions booked as they are so high in price, and figured we would just get off the ship and wander around, so definitely won’t be doing that there.
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