Last cruise with Norwegian
Norwegian Getaway Cruise Review to Europe - Western Europe
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
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Ports of call
Le Verdon-Sur-Mer (Bordeaux), France