This was only our 2nd NCL but there were enough disappointments that we will be sticking with other lines in the future. They've gone downhill since Blue Man Group and Legends in Concert. The entertainment used to be so good.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
They make you choose a check-in time but when you arrive there is nobody policing it. Everyone just showed up when they wanted and it created a lot of long lines. Rooms were not ready until almost 2:30pm. We didn't get luggage until 6:00pm.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Did dinner in Manhattan Room night 1. Meal took about 2.5 hours and the entrees were cold by the time we got them. Buffet was an improvement from there. La Cucina was my best meal, but my MIL had 1 more specialty than we did and Le Bistro was my mother's favorite. Cagney's was good but I think overrated. Most meals in MDR (all 3) were better than night 1, but nothing special. There was a banana souffle one night that really stood out.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
There were not enough activities we enjoy that were offered at times that worked for us. I don't like that all the game shows happen in the Atrium. That space is not conducive for that. It was hard to hear and not enough seats.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
The comics were funny the FIRST time, but all 3 nights they told the same jokes, just added some adult language in the 18+ shows. Magic Bob and the "Starbridge" band made the cruise for me. Rock the Pour House is not accurately titled. It was not at all what I'd consider "rock" and I didn't know what to expect of Choir of Man, but it was just odd. We booked the cruise because of how much we enjoyed Howl at the Moon on our 1st cruise and on land, but the vibe in there was just missing something. They let some wannabe drummer (a passenger) up there that clearly didn't know the songs and it sounded so bad we had to leave.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
I think some servers struggled to keep up with the pace needed at dinner. We had a good room steward but our mothers never even met theirs. I think he had so many rooms he wouldn't get to theirs until pretty late in the afternoon. It seems like Norwegian just didn't have enough staff to accommodate the amount of passengers onboard.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
There should be another large venue besides the theater. The Atrium was a terrible venue for game shows. It just felt like most of the venues were too small for a ship that holds so many people. You had to arrive about an hour early to ensure you had a seat.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was comfortable and functional. The bed was too hard but our steward added an egg crate which helped a lot.
Ship tip
Don't sail during a school break if you don't want to be surrounded by unruly teenagers. They would be in Skyline after 11 with drinks and I learned later they would find discarded drinks to carry around in the 18+ venues. They would actually drink these half-drunk drinks.
We took a tour in a taxi. Pedro took us to the rum factory, chocolate factory, downtown, and by the prison, orphanage, and Jumbo, and showed us the different areas of the city.
It rained hard this day in port so we didn't get to do as much as we would've liked but we did do an open air tour. If you choose one make sure you can understand the driver. We saw a lot of the island but couldn't understand most of what he was saying.
Nice area. My mom had the shrimp ceviche and rum cake and really enjoyed it. I do wish there was a tour you could take to see the whole area. The process of tendering could have gone a little smoother.
We would have benefited from being given more details about what time to be out of the room. We chose purple tags to be off last but apparently you still have to be out of the room way before that.
Covid is no excuse for not supervising your children. My parents would kick my butt if I acted the way these idiots act now. Ship security needs to step.
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