Overall, we had a wonderful time and most definitely will do transatlantic again!
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Worst embarkation I’ve ever experienced. Ship was two hours late arriving into NYC because of whales?? So everything was pushed back because 4000 guests had to disembark and then 4000 more to embark. Seemed like they were extremely disorganized. I hope this was a rare occurrence.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The bigger ships for some reason do not have a Martini bar. I like all the specialty martinis which they just couldn’t do on this ship. I asked at every bar. Examples, the Aviation or Lavender martini. I would think any bar should be able to make any drink.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We always enjoy Trivia. Especially progressive Trivia on the long cruises. I wish they would be in a dedicated room and not the atrium. Everyone seems to park themselves in atrium and it is impossible to find seats for games you might be interested in. We had to stand several times to do our progressive trivia.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Million Dollar quartet was excellent! (Be sure and reserve tickets early) They also did several smaller shows in the Illusionarium. Be sure to get in line at least 1/2hr before showtime to get a seat.
We could never get into Syd Normans pour house. I know they have excellent shows in there. Sorry we missed them.
New Generation band with lead female singer was excellent.
Mango Duo and Nikos Duo not worth listening to.
We enjoyed Louis Razon, the piano player.
Loved Harry O, the Irish guy and Greg, the magician!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Hardest working employees ever on cruise ships!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Wish there were indoor Observation rooms on every ship to hang out, relax and read. The Getaway does not have one.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We enjoy a coffee maker in our cabins for coffee when we get up. About day 5, coffee pods stopped coming. When I asked why, I was told “they ran out”. I couldn’t believe it. NCL did try and make good by offering complimentary delivery of coffee in the mornings. But that was a bit of a hassle in the morning.
Ship tip
Ships seem to be at full capacity again. People everywhere!
The main reason for okay review has to do with it being a tender port and NCLs way of getting people off ship was a joke. They were not honoring priority tendering (we are sapphire) after 9 am. Everyone had to go and wait in theater. Some people were already waiting over 2 hours when we arrived. Took us about an hour from time we arrived in theater. Then because excursions were late leaving and getting back to port, it took about 2 hours in line for the tenders to get back onboard. There has to be a better way.
We did the walking tour and pub excursion. We enjoyed it.
May 8. Docked in Belfast. We took an excursion into County Down. This is area where my Grandpa was born in Drumnascamph Township. I talked with one of the speakers at the St Patrick Center afterwards and he brought up the Irish Census from 1911 and found my Great Grandpa, his wife and 4 children at the time including my Grandpa. It was the coolest thing. For some reason, just felt at home.
The excursion was the trail of St Patrick. Tour guide was wonderful. We saw a lot, had lunch in Strangford, took a ferry across the lake on the Charter bus! Really good day.
Waterways excursion. Loved Amsterdam and all the canals. After excursion, we walked around. Easily walkable from ship. Watch out for all the bicyclists though!
We decided on visiting Ghent. Another excellent excursion. Walking tour of the old town and a short canal ride. Don’t forget Belgium beer and chocolates.
This was our most anticipated excursion to Normandy D Day sites, and most disappointing. Terrible tour guide, she didn’t make much sense in all her rambling, got facts wrong also. They took us to an obscure part of Omaha Beach, not where the “bigger” beach is with monuments which we expected to go to. The American cemetery was impressive.
Great review on what’s sounds like an amazing cruise. Glad you had a great time. Could not agree more!! Every cruise is full to capacity (or over ?!) I think cruising has become even more popular after the pandemic. It’s just so much fun!! Thanks for sharing & happy cruising 🤩⚓️😎❣️‼️
Good for you for being a (fellow) Sapphire. Seems to me NCL is going towards mojitos instead of martinis. I look foward to one day the Breakaway Plus doing summers in Europe however I know the Joy has already done Transatlantics both ways for dry dock. But either way NCL's big ships are very crowded. Great review, thanks
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
