Overall the trip was good and I am glad we had a chance to get away. The kids enjoyed the teens lounge. We enjoyed the entertainment, gym and balcony room. The excursions were great. I enjoyed all the ports we visited. I did not like the fact that the ship store was very limited on necessities and that a self laundry facility was not available, but the bundle laundry service was good.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
The embarkation at the New Orleans Port was the worst part of the trip. A taxi ride that should have been less than 10 minutes took over an hour due to the congestion at the port. Then it took another couple of hours to go through security and registration/check-in.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was good at the Summer Palace dining rooms. It was horrible at the Lotus Garden. The buffet was basic, but very convenient and worked well for a family with teens who do not like the formal dinning room. It seems to me that the ship tries to get people to go to the specialty restaurants and pay the higher fees.
We had an unlimited drink package which we used for our alcoholic drinks. I think this was a good deal.
I wished the boat had a dedicated café for specialty drinks like lattes and cappuccinos instead of combining it with the bar.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I used the fitness center, which I enjoyed because it was not crowded. The pool was also nice, but I did not see an adults only pool, which would have been nice.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The entertainment was very good given that it is part of the cruise. I attend most nights and I enjoyed it. Also, I liked the movies they played in the room. We also enjoyed the football games
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My kids spend a lot of time at the Teens lounge and really enjoyed it. This was good for me because it gave me time to relax and enjoy the trip.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
The restaurant staff was great. The room steward was generally friendly, however he got upset the second day when I asked him to put the kids beds away so we could have some space in the room to move around. I think he was planning on keeping the beds out for the whole trip, which would have been horrible as they took most of the area and blocked our access to the balcony. This made it for quite a bit of awkwardness the rest of the week. Some of the front desk, restaurant reservation and bar personnel were not friendly and in some cases rude. That was a bit disconcerting but I figured they deal with a lot people and the pressure can get to them.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship and room were clean and emphasized hand sanitation. The layout of the ship seemed to maximize space for rooms and bars, but it seemed to work out ok.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was comfortable (once the room steward put the kids beds away). Although small, there was plenty of storage space for our luggage and things. Having the balcony was great as it allowed us to open the curtains and get a filing of a bigger space. The first day the thermostat in the room broke down which caused the temperature to automatically set to the coldest setting. I asked the room steward to have someone look at it and had to call customer services seral times. It finally got fixed the next day, which was bad because even with all the covers the room was too cold overnight. I wondered if the delay in responding to our request was because it was the first day of the trip and the staff had a lot other things going on.
Ship tip
Read the information on the nightly schedule to plan the next day and make the most of your trip.
The port of New Orleans itself was terrible. It gets very congested getting to the boat. It was much easier leaving the port. I also believe that you can access the Norwegian terminal by walking down Julia Street, which would have been much, much faster, but we did not do this, so I am not a 100% sure.
We visited the French Quarter on our own before the trip and we enjoyed having breakfast there and walking around.
We did an excursion where we drove a jeep and went snorkeling. We enjoyed the trip. The snorkeling felt very rushed but overall the area was beautiful and we enjoyed the day.
I enjoyed visiting this location. We took a taxi to the town and although there is very little town and mostly a beach area focused on tourists. I felt very safe and walking down the path next to the beach and restaurants was very enjoyable.
We carried our language with us so the disembarkation was very quick, but we left the boat before the passengers that checked their luggage did. I am guessing that once that group leaves it gets very crowded in the customs and immigration area. Also leaving the Port was much easier than arriving.
Hi sounds like your trip was pretty great for the most part. I was curious as to what time you went to the port as I keep reading that it's rather congested. I'm traveling with someone who isn't able to walk well, so waking is out even though we will be staying near the port. Any other tips for this ship?
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