I've never sailed Norwegian before, and after this first try we agreed we'll stick with Royal or Princess. The excursions were anticlimactic, the food was so-so, there weren't many activity options on the ship.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Loved the crew member waiting in the parking lot to tag our luggage and whisk it away. But then we were herded into tent to sit and wait; didn't take forever, and there was water available with fans blowing. Thank heaven it was not hot that day!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The free dining rooms offered limited fare for nonmeater eaters-- ziti--or ziti. Every night. In all 3 dining rooms. I tried it: a bit of tomato sauce with some spices. Bleck.
The buffet was MUCH better-- lots of options for us, and wonderful veggie burgers! Liquid refreshment, however, seems to be specifically designed to make you purchase a paid option. Watered-down weak ice tea, pink water (I think it was supposed to be a fruit punch), and occasionally what tasted like reconstituted orange juice and a canned pineapple juice. Urns of coffee and hot tea packets.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Not much offered here. A pool that was so salty it left a white crusty residue on your skin. Didn't use the fitness center or the spa.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The acrobats from Ukraine were spectacular!
There was a show "Elements" that was interesting.
Didn't care for the singing entertainment.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
The staff in the buffet were absolutely outstanding. Helpful, cheerful, friendly. Any officers you encountered there wouldn't even look at you, let alone crack a smile.
Our room steward kept coming into our room when we were asleep, and once while dressing--even though we yelled "just a minute." Sometimes we were off the ship for an early morning excursion and returned to a room that hadn't been made up-- other times we slept in until about 8 or 9 and had him popping into the room a few times...
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
3 of us shared this space. It was clean, comfortable--served it's purpose.
Ship tip
The internet service does NOT work well. Don't expect to use it without getting pretty frustrated.
This wasn't really a cruise port of call-- it was our starting point, and we stayed a few days here before getting on the ship. Beautiful and intersting!
No excursions offered, because nothing can be done in the short amount of time the ship stopped here. Not really even sure WHY it was here-- all interesting things to do too far from the ship.
We took a very long bus ride past the most trash-strewn streets I've seen so we could stop at a small archaeology dig. Next, Cathedral of St. John where the man guarding the church (mostly yelling at people not to take any pictures) talked right over the top of the guide so we heard almost nothing.
This could have been a highlight of the trip to Greece, but it was so poorly planned and executed that it ended up being the most stressful. We had a great hike up Nea Kameni, the active volcano. Our guide was attentive and informative.
He took us back so we could ride the cable car to the top-- and see the gorgeous sunset. Unfortunately, there were about 5 cruise ships at the same time so the little island had a LOT of people. The line for the cable car back down was a TWO HOUR wait-- most of us would miss the last tender back to the ship. Soooo... everyone had to make the trek back down using the 588 steps--old, young, people with canes and many others leaning heavily on the arms and shoulders of others.
Since this is also the way the donkey ride gets up and down, everyone is trying to maneuver the rocky stairs without stepping in the piles of donkey dung. It's not a successful effort so after the 30 minute wait in line for a tender, the smell of Santorini goes back with you....
We had to get out of our cabin by 8:30, but our disembark time was not until 9:15 so we sat in a lounge where we couldn't talk because the cleaning crew was vacuuming around us--!
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