Seeing parts of the British Isles that we had never seen. The Orkney Islands on the north of Scotland were amazing. I enjoyed Weymouth and Inverness.
We spent 6 days in London then did back to back cruises with Norwegian. I was appalled to learn there were no laundry facilities available for passengers to use. This meant washing underwear by hand every night, which is not my idea of a fun vacation. On the first cruise (Norwegian fjords) there was an opportunity to have one (not very large) sack of clothing washed for $20. This was never offered on the British Isles cruise. When we have previously been on longer cruises, with Princess, there has always been laundry facilities available, including an iron and ironing board. For me, this was a deal breaker. I wouldn't choose Norwegian again.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was fairly good, but not outstanding. I don't know if they offer mediocre food so that passengers will go to the expensive specialty restaurants or not, but it seemed so. The desserts, in particular, were not great.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I would have appreciated more information about our ports of call before we arrived. The lecture on them merely touted the line's excursions. I have been on cruises where there were programs that told about the destinations in far greater and better detail.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
A couple of the shows were outstanding. We are old, so having the band and singers so loud was not what we enjoyed. The aerial show with Dimitri and (somebody) was, by far, the best show. The Crew's talent show was also fun to see.
Children's Programs
We didn't have children with us, so I don't know.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff was helpful and friendly. They were great!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The cabin was typical for an inside cabin. I wanted one with a window, but when I made reservations, there wasn't a cabin I could have for both cruises, and it was far easier to stay in the same cabin. I wish I had gotten one with a balcony. I figured we were going north and it would be too cold to enjoy one, but, particularly with the Norwegian fjord cruise, it would have been wonderful to watch as we approached and left our ports of call.
Ship tip
If you are a Diet Coke or Coke lover, Norwegian only has Pepsi, and has strict rules about bringing beverages on board. This is understandable for safety's sake, but it wasn't what I wanted. If you are on a short cruise with no need for doing laundry, Norwegian is probably all right.
There is a bus in St Peter Port that goes around the island, but it was a very long line to try to ride it and there were only two buses each hour. I took one that cut through the island, then was to come back along the shore. I got off at the most distant point, which I enjoyed very much, but when I tried to get another bus, I had to stand up, smashed in the aisle, so I was unable to see or take pictures at all well. I would love to see Guernsey again, but this was not our best tour.
We got an excursion that went to Blarney. The lines to get in the castle were horrendous and there wasn't time to kiss the Blarney stone and do anything else. The gardens around the castle were absolutely delightful.
Dublin undoubtedly has more to offer than we saw from a hop-on, hop-off bus. It was extremely crowded and many, many streets were torn up and under construction.
My husband has trouble walking, so we took the leisure tour of Edinburgh. The trip between the port and the city was interesting and it's a beautiful city. I would like to have had more time to walk around a little. We had very little free time, then got back to the ship hours before it left.
Appalled at no laundry? Really?
How about doing a little research before getting on board? Very few lines have coin laundry anymore. You can always send it to get cleaned.
Appalled - HA!
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