The itinerary for this cruise was top notch. The ports of call are all spectacular. This helped to overcome some of the shortcomings of the ship itself.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food was bland and uninspired in the MDRs and service was painfully slow. Palomar was a bright spot. Indulge Food Hall is a great concept, but menus need to be changed over the course of the cruise.
Room Service
5 out of 5
Being ill, my food was delivered on time and hot over the course of three square meals for two days. Very grateful.
Palomar
5 out of 5
Food and service were excellent!
Indulge Food Hall
4 out of 5
Great concept. But it would help if they changed up the menus. It became very repetitive halfway through the cruise.
Hudson's Main Dining Room
2 out of 5
Bland, unimaginative food. Horrible service.
Cagney's Steakhouse
2 out of 5
Quality of food has taken a giant step backwards since we last ate at a Cagney's.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Rumors at Syd Norman's was very well done, as was the Donna Summer show.
Children's Programs
No children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Unfortunately, I got ill on the cruise. The Medical Staff was excellent in their diagnosis, treatment and willingness to answer all questions. A pleasant surprise! Also, during my illness, guest services, internet provider and room service were over and above attentive to my needs. Made a bad situation much more tolerable. Our steward also did a great job.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Too much of the ship is devoted to Haven passengers and the race track (which took up real estate on three decks). The result is one small venue to see ahead of the ship and generally, lounges that are too small to accommodate the crowds that attend activities. The ship is well maintained and clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Plenty of storage space and comfortable bed.
Ship tip
If you don't have the drinks package, you will have a difficult time getting your caffeine fix. The coffee cups in the buffet are tiny and there are no take away cups. Bring your own mug or your best option will be to pay for Starbucks (which, I suspect, is what they are trying to drive passengers toward).
Whether you take an excursion or simply watch from your cruise ship, the views of the Geiranger Fjord are breathtaking. An excursion to the top of Dalsnibba Mountain is well worth all the hairpin turns to get there.
My wife took an NCL excursion while I was sick, and they left her behind. She arrived early at the meeting point but apparently they could not count properly and left before she returned! She was able to contact ship and they returned for her. But it ruined what would have otherwise been a pleasant day for her. Unprofessional.
Took 2 hours to get off the ship, only to discover that the trains were not running. Took another 2 hours to get a cab and an hour and a half to reach our destination. Not how I like to spend a vacation day.
I read that Starbucks isn’t included in the drink package. Hmph. The caffeine is very important to me. Lovely itinerary. Hope you are well again. Getting left behind would be very scary, especially in a Dutch speaking country. Thanks for your review.
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