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Norwegian Getaway Cruise Review to Europe - Western Europe

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 14

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5
Norwegian Getaway

9 Night Europe: France Spain & Belgium (Lisbon To Southampton)

Sail date: September 06, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Getaway

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 5146

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 months ago

Review summary

I almost never write reviews and I'm afraid this one is going to be long, but I feel I must say something. I have been on 8 cruises on 5 different lines and my wife, growing up in Long Beach, lost count but is well over 50 cruises. This cruise has broken us from EVER going on NCL and almost from ANY cruise line ever again. From pre-boarding to disembarking almost every aspect was a zero. While I take blame in some issues for not doing my due diligence, almost all of the people we met or overheard was having the same issues. NCL could have remedied or at least helped the situation, they did nothing. This was a 9 day, Northern Europe cruise from Lisbon to London. We wanted to spend some time in Lisbon before the ship sailed so we arrived 9 hours early and got in the short line to drop off our luggage and then go see the town. Sailing time was listed as 6pm and we signed up for the 3:30-4 slot to get us on board 2 hours before, allowing us to get to our cabin, change, eat and watch the ship leave port. Upon arrival back at the dock we knew we were in trouble. The line outside the terminal went the entire length of the pier and halfway back. After being in line for almost an hour and now being somewhat in the center of the outside line, we noticed the NCL staff pulling people out of line with luggage, and taking them to bag check line then into the front of the line going in the terminal. This continued until we were almost the last people in line. We had talked to some and they had all different time slots. The only thing in common was they had bags. If NCL wanted to get the bags checked in, I understand, take the bags not the people. We were punished for being early. We didn't leave port until almost 8. The food was 6th grade public school quality in the cafeteria. And not much better in the free dining rooms. Any quality had to be bought. Entertainment - 9 days, two shows...no comedian. Games and shows that were popular were held in the atrium and were standing room only and should have been in the theater which wasn't being used at the time. The TV had two movie and one TV channel that had a set number of older shows. Any of the new movies are an extra charge. Playing cards are $5. Everything seemed to nickel and dime us. Ports - BE AWARE you will not go to the cities advertised! Do not book tours, visits, anything, without knowing where you will be. Advertised: Bilbao Spain, actual: Getxo Spain a $120 roundtrip taxi ride. Bordeaux, ship says Le Verdon, actual Soulac sur Mar. 2.5 hours from Bordeaux. Which was a great town (shuttle was $20 per person to Soulac) unless you booked things in Bordeaux. Brussels, actual: Zeebrugge. Brugge is $120 round trip and Brussels is $320 one way! Paris, actual: Le Havre. Paris is a 3 hour, $60 train ticket each way. London, actual: Southampton 2 hours away $20 train one-way. The room had a foul smell. The housekeeper tried to help and sprayed the room but it only helped for a short time. Almost every staff member seamed upset and annoyed all the time with exception of our room attendant and a server in O'Shehans. They disembarked in Le Havre without announcing and we sat in our cabin waiting until 30 minutes after they started. Almost every port was a ride to the nearest town, and while NCL bragged about acquiring shuttles for us, they always charged for the ride. After the amount we paid, you'd think a deck of cards would be free.

Embarkation

1 out of 5
Worst ever. Showed up 7 hours early and checked in bags before going to see the city. Upon returning we stood outside in the sun for 3 hours while they took people who hadn't turned in their bags yet and put them at the front of the line.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5
Quality and taste were poor and the selection was limited to get quality you have to pay extra.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

1 out of 5
9 day cruise with only two shows and no comedian

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ports of call

Lisbon, Portugal

5 out of 5
All the ports themselves were great the problem was the cities are so far away from the ports and NCL arranged buses but charged to use them.

Vigo, Spain

5 out of 5

La Coruna, Spain

5 out of 5

Bilbao, Spain

5 out of 5
Bus ride to the city

Le Verdon-Sur-Mer (Bordeaux), France

5 out of 5
Advertised Bordeaux, announced Le Verdon, actually went to Soulac Sur Mer

Rotterdam, Netherlands

5 out of 5

Zeebrugge (Bruges), Belgium

5 out of 5
Advertised Brussels, announced Zeebruge (just the port) Brugge is a $120 round trip taxi ride...still worth it.

Le Havre (Paris), France

5 out of 5
Paris is a 3 hour (each way) train ride from the ship.

Southampton (London), England

5 out of 5
London is 3 hours away.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
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