An experience I'd rather forget

I will be telling everyone we know who travels, NOT to choose Norwegian (and especially the Getaway liner) for the following reasons:

1. Major security issues with MASTER KEYS being left in the room MULTIPLE times and doors remaining open without anyone in the room or nearby.

2. OSHA violations including open containers of chemicals being left behind in hallways in the reach of children and in the way of ingress/egress routes.  

3. Bland food-bread was always stale and cold (even in the sit down restaurants), and most food was clearly frozen and then thawed for cooking.  Food came to the table unseasoned and cold.  Ironically, ice cream arrived completely melted.

4.  A complete lack of organization (and therefore a safety hazard) during embarkation/debarkation.

5.  Slow service that prevented diners from enjoying the experience 

6. A lack of staff presence aboard the ship during times of ingress/egress

My husband and I are in the hospitality industry and take things like security and safety seriously.  

Please read below for more details.

My husband and I were looking forward to having a week away from all distractions and visiting a few places on our bucket list. The problems however, began upon our arrival to port in Miami.  The lines for embarkation were without any direction from staff, people with wheelchairs/walkers and others who needed assistance waited with the rest of us and not one employee said a word until an older gentleman was seen struggling up a flight of stairs. At that point, he was directed (along with his party) to go around to a ramp which was back toward the beginning of the line!

Once my husband and I were aboard the ship, no employees directed the throngs of passengers and only one brief announcement was made regarding the status of the staterooms not being ready for occupancy until 1:30 (over an hour).  Those of us who heard the announcement ended up relaying that information to anyone around us who asked why EVERYONE was directed to the 15th floor.  While the idea of distracting people with a buffet lunch might have seemed like a good idea, the reality was anything but.  Thousands of passengers, most with some sort of luggage, struggled to find seating, then crammed into lines at each food station.  The cooks were not adept at accommodating such large numbers of people rushing their stations and this left many stations empty of food and slow on turning over their products.

My husband and I made it to our stateroom a little before 2pm and looked forward to settling in.  The room was satisfactorily cleaned and well lit.  We did notice a key in the light switch which wasn't either of ours, but thought little of it as we assumed all staterooms had this key to switch the room lights on and off.  After a restless night (the beds were terribly uncomfortable) we began our first day at sea.  It wasn't until we returned to our room after breakfast (a bland meal) that we realized the keycard was gone.  Come to find out, this was a MASTER KEY that was left by housekeeping.  We had it for nearly a full day before it was removed!!!!! I'm sure I don't have to tell you how incredibly dangerous leaving a master key in a occupant's room is.  The security of all guests and their belongings was at risk!!!!!

That evening we went to dinner at Wasabi, in the hopes of eating authentic sushi.  We were very disappointed at the limited (only 3) options for Nigiri available to diners.  The sushi we did order came to the table warm (not ideal for raw fish, not to mention at risk for developing bacteria growth at a lukewarm temp) We had now been on the boat for a day and a half and had yet to eat a decent (or even mediocre) meal.  We returned to our stateroom early to find the door wide open with no one in it even though a housekeeping cart was nearby.  We managed to go into our room and get changed before someone knocked on the door to explain our room was being serviced for nightly turn down! If we hadn't come down when we did, I can assume the room would've remained open to ANY PASSERBY to wander in to.  My husband and I noticed this was common practice as we walked through the hallways throughout our stay.  That night we were left with ANOTHER MASTER KEY in the light switch. This happened once more during our stay and despite my begging, my husband wouldn't let me complain to Guest Services because he was afraid someone would lose his/her job.  

Our time in Roatan was incredible though, the excursion was amazing, and the  local food that was served during it was the best we ate all week. Kudos to Quinton, our native Roatan guide, who took great care in ensuring the safety and enjoyment of ALL his passengers.  

Upon our return to our stateroom we noticed cleaning supplies left in the 10th floor hallway in an open container.  There were NO housekeeping carts to be found at all nearby (my husband and I went up and down looking for one or a housekeeper).  This open container of chemicals (whatever they were) rested there for at least the 10 minutes it took for us to search for someone.  Once in the stateroom, my husband went out again to search and said the chemicals were gone.  If I was a parent, I would be gravely concerned that open containers of chemicals were left where small children could easily access them.  Not to mention, being on the ground, it becomes a tripping hazard for those walking by.  Osha would've had a field day writing up that violation.  

Fast forward to our last night on the ship, we decided to try La Cucina, for an elegant Italian meal.  We took a 5:30 reservation thinking it would be less crowded.  While we were seated within minutes in the nearly empty restaurant, the service was SO SLOW that it took until nearly 6:00 to finally order (still nearly empty at this point).  Our waitress was very nice however we didn't leave until 7:45! Over two hours for salad and two bowls of pasta.  We were so frustrated we didn't stay for dessert.  At this point (still half empty restaurant), we had missed one of the only shows the last evening on the ship had arranged.  

We could not wait to disembark in the morning and set out to pack our bags and ready ourselves for the "Self-Assist" debarkation. The flyer provided to us with last minute details for the morning debarkation neglected to put in anything other than the time we should be ready. No directions, no meeting information, just a time.  At 7:10, over a half hour early from the printed "Self-assist" time indicated we found ourselves guessing which floor and location to go to.  We followed the throngs of people to the 6th floor and after being stuck in the elevator for 10 minutes due to people not clearing the elevator bay, we were in line with hundreds of other confused passengers, some with wheelchairs and walkers (clearly not "self-assist" passengers).  The first announcement was made at around 7:45 and even though my husband and I had been snaking our luggage in and out of a line for a while, there were still NO EMPLOYEES DIRECTING PASSENGERS.  Lines dead-ended into walls or merged in some spots.  Wheelchair and walker passengers struggled to blend in with those who fit the "self-assist" criteria.  The first employee I saw who was giving any type of direction was at the elevator bay upon our second trip around in line.  They had FINALLY CLEARED IT and blocked it off and were directing us out.  

Customs was the only organized part of the process. They were many agents directing people and all in all, took about 5 minutes to get through.  Despite parking our car right at the dock. we didn't get to it until nearly nine o'clock, two hours after we left our stateroom.  

Overall, we found the experience on shore excursions to be wonderful, however, next time, we will happily fly directly in and out of these locations or take another cruise line.