Thoroughly enjoyed our 2nd NCL cruise and will return. No complaints apart from their transfer to airport.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Terminal was very busy, but lines moved pretty quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
NCL's Flexi dining times suit us down to the ground. Only had to wait once for Grand Pacific on whole cruise. Usually chose Alizar main dining over the Grand Pacific as it allows men to dine in shorts (smart) which I prefer, both have same menu.
Opted for Moderno, Brazilian restaurant this time. Did not disappoint. Varied selection on salad bar and meats were delicious! Enjoyed trying deep fried yukka, great as a change from fries.
Always enjoyed O'Sheehans, wings, Fish n Chips and Turkey Sandwhich all very tasty. Staff in here super friendly.
Garden Café always had something to offer, set out well with individual islands for food rather than cafeteria line up. Thumbs up to NCL for the Brown HP sauce, us Brits miss it, breakfast never the same without it.
Our booking came as All Inclusive, good selection of beers, wines and cocktails, no complaints.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Quizzes are our thing and there were plenty and so much fun with Katerinia from Macedonia and the very sarcastic but hilarious guy from Mexico. A lot of fun to be had poolside on an afternoon.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Theatre shows were very well done, not all to our taste but overall very good.
By far our favourite hangout was the Spinnaker Lounge with audience participation game shows etc. We cancelled dining reservations just to see Love & Marriage (I think it was called) game show. Already seen on NCL Gem, this one is not to be missed.
Children's Programs
no kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Room steward could not be faulted, very helpful and always around when you needed her. Waiters and bar tenders could not have been friendlier or more efficient.
Entertainment staff, as previous NCL cruise were superb, proper characters with a great sense of humour, always making sure you're having a good time
Cruise Director was as mad as a hatter, dressed like it too! His suits and angel wings were amazing. He is worth his weight in gold to NCL, everyone loved him.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship very well designed and easy to navigate. Pools and all public areas very well maintained what time of day. Someone always cleaning and wiping down handrails, lift buttons etc.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Standard size inside, well appointed cabin. Plenty of drawer and wardrobe space, fridge, safe and good high power hair dryer. Plenty of shelf and cupboard in bathroom, large shower with nice slide door, pet hate shower curtains! TV selection pretty good for cruise ship. Problem late one night with toilet flushing, fixed overnight as we slept, had 3 messages next day from customer services to check it had been fixed to our satisfaction. Very thorough.
Ship tip
Make your own port to airport ground transport, didn't work for us.
Took ship transfer by boat from ship to Old Town for shopping to avoid wasting time in traffic through town. Venders desend on boat as soon as you dock, just keep walking till within the city walls, hardly any inside. Shopping good and pretty cheap.
Nice market at cruise port. Took ship excursion, river boat & train. Guide and boat driver were fantastic, spotted sloaths, bats, lizards etc, very enjoyable. Train through banana plantation was just plain boring, banana plants, nothing else.
Very pleasant shopping at port.
Took ship excursion to "luxury" resort for the day. Nothing to luxurious about it. Nice pool, basic changing facilities, and the slowest bar service in the world! Had the cheek to charge "service" even though i went to bar to order drinks, because I got sick of waiting! Then was held to ransom on tour bus as some people hadnt cleared their bar tab. Suckers on our bus had whip round so guide "wouldnt be out of pocket". We just wondered how many times this happens a week, the cynic that I am.
Got off ship, spoilt for choice of sun loungers, only ship in, enjoyed the beach and great swimming. Resort area very well maintained, nice changing and toilet facilities. Decent shopping, very relaxing day at beautiful island
Ship excursion to Chacchoben ruins. Our guide was fantasically funny, and somehow got us around the whole site without running into major crowds. Great cruise port, lots of shopping and local performers throughout the day.
Basic over running of disembarkation process, this seems the norm whoever you cruise with. Made worse by waiting over 1hour, in sun for their bus to airport. 3 buses hired for hundreds of people! Shocking end to great cruise
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