Horrible Experience. This was a total mixup from both NCL and from ; we were clearly given an itinerary that said the cruise "departed from" and "arrived at" VENICE Italy and in parenthesis (Trieste), we missed 2 days of the cruise
Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Europe - Eastern Mediterranean
We had the absolute worst experience of our lives on NCL. NCL gave us the WRONG itinerary with the words "VENICE" and were were late to disembark by 5 minutes. We called NCL many times, took a 3-hour train to Triste, and still missed the ship by 5 minutes, despite being told they would contact the ship and let them know about the delay. NCL is an irresponsible company that should take "Venice" off the written itinerary. This is deceptive, deceiving and we were not the only ones that had difficulty in arriving at the correct port. The facts are - Venice is over 3 hours away from Trieste, is not part of the province of Venice, nor is it associated in any way with Venice. We find it deceptive that NCL would leave Venice on the itinerary when the cruise line was told they are prevented from embarking or disembarking from Venice. We are asking for full compensation of over $5k in airfare, train, meals and taxis that our party of 5, (2 cabins) had to pay in order to meet up with the ship in Corfu, Greece. We have registered a formal complaint and will be submitting all receipts due to NCLs irresponsible behavior, lack of clarity and direction to their guest. PLEASE FILE THIS AS AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Horrible, horrible experience. NCL put "Venice" on the itinerary, which is deceiving and deceptive marketing and WRONG we missed 2 days of the cruise due to FALSE information from NCL and the travel Agent at - the word 'VENICE" should NEVER have been put on the itinerary ! This is inaccurate, false, misleading and incorrect. This needs to be corrected immediately and we need to be reimbursed for the 2 days we missed, the stress and strain and the thousands of dollars we spent to take 2 flights (Trieste to Rome & Rome to Corfu) - I am asking for a FULL REIMBURSMENT of all expenses!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
mid-level; not exclusive and most food was ok but not excellent. This is definitely a mid-level cruise line and not high level. It is overpriced for the quality of the food. The general buffet offered varied cuisine, but nothing above average. Some food was very bland and the fish not very flavorful. The specialty restaurants were mid-level with some food overcooked or bland. The wines were mid-range and not well curated. Some appetizers (salads and carpaccio) were well done. Desserts were bland.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
There were very few activities of interest. The pool had some fun events but there were limited women's events and family events beyond quiz shows and movies. Exception - there was a cupcake making event that was engaging for a family with an 11 & 14 year-old. I would have liked to have seen fashion shows, more teen events, more lectures and tours of the ships bridge and a Captain's night. None of these events were offered. NOTE: Absolutely no one used the climbing wall during the trip and there should be a better pool and water slides for kids.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The shows were very engaging but not well executed. The dancers and singers try very hard but the execution is mid-level and some signers could not carry the tune or had the strength to hold notes. The dancers were basically trained but the choreography was overdone and too much for the pace of the shows.
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
Not enough for the 11 - 14 year range. The activities were either for young children or teens. There was only 1 event we attended for my kids - Cupcake making. Everything else was for teens or young kids.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The waiters and room stewards were good. They work hard and try their best. I was impressed by their caring attitude and attentiveness. The restaurants are overcrowded and need to pace reservations more. We had a MAJOR PROBLEM getting on the ship, due to NCL putting "VENICE" on the itinerary. This was DECEPTIVE and WRONG and we missed the first 2 days of the ship. We went to Client/Guest Services and they were powerless to help us, offer any complementary services or guide us in any way. We could not believe Client/Guest Relations could not make up for the horrible onboarding/embarkation experience we had - very little assistance was given and we had to ask SEVERAL TIMES for a supervisor to get a report done on our missing the ship. Again, to be clear - NCL printed VENICE on the port of embarkation - this is FALSE INFORMATION and marketing. We were not impressed by the lack of attention the staff paid to us after this horrible experience and the lack of attention until we insisted upon them filing a formal complaint report.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship is 15 years old and some of the facilities are outdated. Basically, the ship is clean and maintained but there should be some updated activities - no one used the climbing wall during the trip and there should be a better pool and water slides for kids.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The beds need to be improved; they are simply 2 cots that are put together to form a sort-of semi-queen sized bed. The bathroom was good and the shower comfortable.
Ship tip
Get the CORRECT PORT of embarkation. NCL uses false information and marketing on their itineraries - the word "VENICE" should NOT BE ON THE ITINERARY!! This is completely irresponsible and incorrect and false.
HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE TRYING TO CATCH THE SHIP SINCE NCL PUT "VENICE" ON THE PORT OF EMBARKATION. NCL changed this, per the Italian authorities back in May 2022 and NEVER TOOK "VENICE" OFF THE ITINEARY
THIS WAS STRESSFUL FOR US BEC WE HAD TO MEET THE SHIP HERE AND NCL IN MIAMI COULD NOT CONFIRM THAT THE SHIP WOULD LET US ON EVEN THOUGH WE SENT MANY MESSAGE TO THEM AND SPOKE TO THE UK AND MIAMI. WE WERE ALLOWED ON THE SHIP BUT MISSED 2 DAYS. THIS IS NCL'S FAULT BEC THE ITINEARY WAS INCORRECT WITH "VENICE" WRITTEN ON IT !
Lovely port but too crowded and NCL should do a better job with explaining the logistics once one arrives in Santorini. We had visited previously and knew the logistics but many were frustrated by the rush to the tenders and lack of explanation of how to arrive in Fiera.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard someone missed the ship because they didn’t know where the port was. You clearly did ZERO due diligence, such as reading your cruise documents. The address for the port of departure and arrival is CLEARLY listed there. I can’t believe you actually took the time to create a review that clearly revealed your extreme lack of preparation. You’re not going to get a penny back from the cruise line because they did nothing wrong. Live and learn.
Since this is your first review and nothing else is on your profile, as mentioned above it is hard to believe that you did not inquiry about Trieste noted on the itinerary. Sounds like you are out of luck.
Thanks for the review. It’s always important to read and understand where the actual port is. Venice banned large cruise ships and many cruise lines now depart from Trieste. Many cruise lines list the nearest major city to the port, since that is where most people will fly to. Most cruise lines list Rome as a departure with (Civitavecchia), the actual port, in parentheses, since many would not be familiar with the actual port city.
They tell you where they dock as well as the nearest big attraction that the ship can’t get close enough to, hence having to dock elsewhere e.g. “Rome (Civitavecchia)”, “Florence & Pisa (Livorno)”. Even if you didn’t know that you’d surely wonder why they mentioned Trieste and look it up to find out where it is, and ask them why they mentioned a place a few hours from Venice. Baffling. Can’t believe you don’t think you’re in any way responsible for going to the wrong place.
This looks like another review that I saw a while ago. I think it was also a crosspost from one of the “booking” companies that depend on bulk sales and minimal support with random folks working from home to make a profit. Sad when cruisers do not do research to understand what they are getting into or read what they have gotten (although I found you usually get minimal information from these companies).
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