Only thing good was the service people

Norwegian Getaway Cruise Review to Europe - Eastern Mediterranean

epm4epm4

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 14

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5

Verified Review

10 Night Greek Isles: Santorini Rhodes & Istanbul (Athens Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 04, 2024

Ship: Norwegian Getaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12172

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

I had better experiences in other NCL cruises—this was not one of them. I’ve learned never to take their bait to get airline tickets with NCL even if they have promos. They switched flights on us while we were in the middle of the cruise and instead of reducing a layover they added one. This resulted in almost triple-ing the entire flight to get home. And when I disembarked and tried to call NCL reservation, they were not available on weekends. I couldn’t negotiate with the airline since NCL booked it. It was a nightmare! Then NCL bait and switched our ports. They changed ports just before the cruise and then they cancelled one of the ports my family really wanted to visit. No compensation. Horrible experience.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Poor - NCL changed the itinerary just before the cruise and then cancelled the stop at Mykonos

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Great food but got repetitive half way through the 10 day trip. NCL should change the menu.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Same activities as other NCL cruises. Only exciting show was the magician show.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Magician was awesome. However there is no more broadway shows, just 1950s songs.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Never take NCL’s airline reservation promo. My flight home was a nightmare. It should have been 11 hours long but it took over 24 hours because NCL changed our family’s plane ticket while we were on the cruise and there was no way I could call them to argue. Very underhanded.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

5 out of 5

Thessaloniki, Greece

3 out of 5

Izmir, Turkey

5 out of 5

Istanbul, Turkey

3 out of 5

Mykonos, Greece Did not visit port

NCL cancelled this port! It’s one of the most important one. Captain blamed the waves but he didn’t even stop at the port. There were 3 other cruise ships there!! What’s wrong with Luigi?

Thumbs Up 0

Kos, Greece

1 out of 5

This was a port that was switched at the last minute. It was a boring island. Nothing to do. It felt like a bait and switch.

Thumbs Up 0

Rhodes, Greece

5 out of 5

Santorini, Greece

5 out of 5

HERAKLION, CRETE, GREECE

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

8 Comments

joanka2208 4 months ago

My thoughts on Mykonos port. It is very small port with a docking space for one small/medium size ship only. All others have to tender which of course brings the difficulty of getting people on and off the ship. It is also usually quite windy island and tendering can be challenging. My guess is the port was cancelled as with strong winds they could not accommodate more than 3 ships. I’ve been there a couple of times and seen how it looks like.

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SteveMBA 5 months ago

Ports can be changed for a variety of reasons, but it is odd that other cruise ships were there when yours wasn’t. As far as flights, booking your own is a very viable option, but I’ve found that when the cruise line books, they then are responsible for getting you from the airport to the ship. Unfortunately, on the way home, as you found out, anything goes. Complain and see if you can get some sort of reimbursement for the return flight issues.

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Gwbigdog 5 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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LauraRussellMT 5 months ago

I was going to say the same thing as javawoody. Flights are something I will never have a cruise line or someone else book for me. I always book my own so that way it’s in my control.

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bubbles60 5 months ago

Wonderful itinerary. Mykones is a very slow pace island. I hope you don't let missing the island affect your thoughts of the cruise. You went to some wonderful destinations.

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cruising2004 5 months ago

This is why it’s so important to book your own flight, you can make changes if necessary.

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 5 months ago

Always book your own flight

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HeavySeas 5 months ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience

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