We made our own fun. The cruise director staff was mediocre in adapting to weather disruptions to the itinerary. Soap dispensers weren't functioning all throughout the ship, which is a HUGE issue during this COVID era. If this was our first NCL cruise, it may very well be our last.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
It was good and uneventful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Trying to make reservations prior to the cruise was very difficult as we were told that only 20% of the tables were made available for pre-booking. That meant that 80% should have been available at the time of boarding. We were able to board with priority access and were among the first groups of people on the ship and went directly to Headliners for restaurant reservations, where we were told that nothing was available. It wasn't until we spoke with a supervisor that we were able to get SOME reservations. But it should not have been so difficult and stressful. Taste, Savor, Tropicana Room, and O'Sheehans took excessively long for most meals we had there. Breakfast took 90 minutes one morning and lunch for a few people took nearly 2 hours. We ended up having to miss events we wanted to go to on the ship as a result of these long dining times (NOT wait times to be seated). The food was good at all of the restaurants though.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
This was our 3rd NCL cruise and it was by far the worst cruise-director staff we've had. The weather was definitely a challenge, but with that in mind, I don't think the cruise director staff did enough to make sure there were enough activities for all age groups around the ship. We had several people in our group of various ages and the younger ones (13-19) were bored a few of the days. We participated in trivia a bunch of times and Nicole (on the Cruise Director Staff) was so obnoxious during the trivia game she led. Not only was it not trivia, but she actually said that she made some of the questions up herself (in the form of riddles rather than trivia) and when people got the answers wrong (children and adults), she would make a loud "buzzer" sound and say "WRONG!" Some of the children we saw playing looked like they were more upset than entertained by her. People interested in trivia want legitimate trivia questions, not made up riddles.
We also went to Karaoke most nights and we saw (and heard) so many people complaining that they couldn't get onto the list and yet night after night, we saw the same 3 or 4 people get up and sing. Of those people, there were 2 people who were selected to sing 2-3 times per night. I know it's supposed to be fun and it's first come, first served, but over the course of 7-8 nights, the staff should try to balance some of the repeat singers and tell them they're getting the night off to give other people a chance, even if they got their first. People were actually sighing by the 3rd and 4th nights when the same person would get up and sing 2-3 times. It sounds petty, but it was very frustrating when everyone knew how long the waiting-list was.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We saw both "Broadway Unplugged" and "Million Dollar Quartet". Both shows were fantastic.
Children's Programs
2 out of 5
Our kids were in between ages (4 kids ranging from 13-19 years old) and they were all bored at various times. They like to do things together and it was hard form them to find activities that suited all of them.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
The wait staff, stewards, and other staff we encountered were very good and helpful. The only staff we weren't impressed with was the Cruise Director Staff. There was one woman from the cruise director staff from Colombia (I'm so sorry, but her name escapes me) - she is the one exception to this criticism. She was great - high energy, always happy and trying to energize the group.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Soap dispensers throughout the entire ship were not functioning properly. I witnessed MANY people having to leave the bathrooms without washing their hands, and the same goes for entering the buffet where only 1-2 soap dispensers out of 4 were actually working at any given time.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Room and bathroom were fine, but the balconies on this ship are very small. We like to spend a lot of time out there, but it's a very cramped space.
The ship was an absolute disorganized mess during disembarkation. We've been on 3 NCL cruises and 1 Royal Caribbean cruise. Every NCL cruise was mayhem upon disembarkation. After so many decades of managing cruises, surely something can be done to improve this process and make it run more smoothly.
I agree with your assessment of disembarkation. We returned for a cruise on Nov 18 at Port Canaveral and it was such chaos the police were called to restore order. Bags were thrown on tables and then under tables while thousands of passengers tried to find luggage. Only about 5 Norwegian agents in attendance. Took us 2 hours to get bags and leave.
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