This was a great itinerary including so many great stops. There were several hiccups getting on and off the ship and it seemed they were poorly prepared for the number of passengers.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Worst embarkation process I’ve ever seen. Hundreds of people waiting in the hot sun. Never seen anything like this. There were rooms inside the embarkation center which could have housed more of the long lines. Hold up was in the sun. Once inside we walked past large empty rooms and even empty chairs.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Ship tip
Book excursions early, and if you want to explore the cities where you dock, do it on your own. Most excursions take you away from the city. Look at the fish in the carpet to tell forward and aft.
Look for the lift at Malta across from port to get up to the level of the city. We wasted most of our time by not doing this. Go first to the cathedral if you want to get in. It is an amazing place and there are lines. We waited too long and did not leave enough time. It is a uniquely beautiful co-cathedral and we missed it by not being prepared!
No excursions were offered by NCL until we were already on the ship. Very strange. We had booked our own by then to make sure we saw Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. So worth it! Taxis are necessary for distances and fairly expensive. Debarkation was smooth, but extremely long and disorganized wait for taxis at the pier.
Rented a car here as no tour was offered for my priority. We drove to Vence to see the Rosary Chapel designed by Henri Matisse and then had lunch and exploration time in Antibes. Beautiful!
Very disorganized local process for on and off ship and port. Transportation to your transportation wasted time and left us in lines in the sun again. Did not take us to our ship on return, only to the first ship of three at the pier, then we had to walk.
Book early for Rome! You can’t to it all, so prioritize.
Did Florence on our own. Everything we wanted to see was within long walking distance. Suggest a taxi to Ponte Vecchio then walking back toward the transport meeting spot. That way you only have to walk it once instead of round trip.
Sorrento and Pompeii were among my favorite experiences of the trip and the best excursion of the trip. Book “small group” whenever you can. It’s worth it!
Spend the time to go to Venice. Booking a hotel near the airport offers an easy bus trip in and out of Venice. A 2 day pass gives you access to all buses and vaporettos.
I doubt they were unprepared for the number of people on the ship. It’s most likely the same most times and they are aware of the number of people booked.
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