This was our first cruise with NCL and we were rather disappointed. There were several failures encountered throughout the cruise and handled poorly. We didn't prefer the "freestyle" cruising concept that NCL uses, and will probably avoid NCL for future cruises.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Boarding the ship was painless.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Service was consistently slow, menu variety was limited, and temperature of food served wasn't always hot.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Plenty of things, many cost extra, though.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Footloose was great, Elements was rather dull, the comedian, Rob Little is good, he's funny.
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
The dining room servers worked hard, but the service levels still lacked. Guest Service desk reps were complacent and apathetic when approached regarding concerns we experienced.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship is modern and clean, observation area on deck 15 is nice. Layout of ship makes for easy access to common areas.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was nice, it was sold as a "mini-suite", but was comparable to similar standard balcony rooms on competitor ships. Bathroom was larger, with awesome shower.
Ship tip
Be prepared to pay for some things you wouldn't normally expect to pay for. Also, if you aren't familiar with their "freestyle" cruising concept, make sure you make a "reservation" for the various entertainment options onboard, otherwise, you will have to "stand-by" in order to view the fearured entertainment options.
This port was skipped all together, a decision made by NCL prior to sailing, due to "tidal conditions" and the inability to navigate under Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. This reasoning was skeptical to me and some other passengers due to tides being charted and predictable.
Spent 90 minutes in a line with other passengers just to get off the ship. It was not effectively communicated that EVERY passenger had to disembark to clear customs (even if you had no intention of getting off the ship for the day). One NCL staff member was processing the entire line!
Have always cruised with Princess this will be a new experience,I know mini suites which We booked are the same as balcony but larger bathrooms will post after my cruise to compare! Always good idea to do your homework!
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