The food and staff were amazing but I am very disappointed with the Cuba mandatory excursion and not being able to go to the Bahamas, seemed as though the cruise was trying to make more money
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Very disapointed we did not get to go to the Bahamas, My parents went on this same cruise line and the same thing happened to them with the trouble docking in the bahamas so I was hesitant to even pick NCL but i did.the morning we were "trying" to dock, we saw the carnival cruiseline docked at the port, although this ship is smaller they need to have a better system for this, we had an extra day at sea and it was ironic that there were all these events and things to do that day that you had to pay for, seems like they wanted to make money instead of making the customers happy. I would like a refund for the cost it was to go to the Bahamas.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Ships service and food was excellent
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Pools and bars were great but the activities were super expensive for what you get, if you are not going to dock at your private island at the Bahamas then don't screw the guests over by making them pay more for activities to keep them busy
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Shows were fun and white out party was great
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Service from the pool staff and dining room was excellent but the bartenders were rude to younger people like myself, seems like everytime they just wanted a tip when you paid for the service that would cover the tip. 20.95 per day per person on that ship is more than enough for a tip as a bartender as well as the hourly wage these bartenders should be making
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Very clean workers were cleaning it everyday
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Always very clean but so small for the price you pay to be on this ship
Ship tip
Do not book when they go to their private island and do research first on the docking to each location and reviews on that. Also was told by NCL that we had to pay for an excursion in order to get off the ship in Cuba (apparently its their law) and talked with people on the cruise and they were able to get off with just a visa. Research every port review since we got screwed on going to the Bahamas and looked forward to going
Havana was beautiful but after paying 200 dollars for an excursion because I thought it was mandatory, I heard some people on the ship did not pay for an excursion and they were able to get off which I think is a rip off.
I WANT A REFUND!!! Worst part of the trip, dont go to the Bahamas if you cant dock everytime you go there!!!!! We were stuck on the ship for a second day and had to pay for all these activities when we wanted to go on the island and enjoy ourselves. The pool was unbelievably crowded because of this as well.
We were also on this cruise. NCL in all their verbiage and announcements insinuates that the Cuba Visa and US government require all visitors to participate in a paid excursion provided by a U.S. company. While we enjoyed our excursion if we visit again we will just disembark and hire a classic car taxi at the road. Talking to a few cab/tour drivers a hour to two hour your would be 50-60 cucs plus tip.
Also we were told about an excursion in Cuba also and people got off with no problem. I did learn that the money exchange is not that great there. We exchanged our money into to CUCs and got less money.
This just happened to us last week! So disappointed and we saw the RC ship sitting at their dock. First time on Norwegian but the drinks were the best!
There is no mandatory excursion. You are allowed to walk around the streets as much as you want. Maybe it had to do with your age. Anyway, when it comes to visiting other ports if you read your contract, the cruise line if they deem it so are not responsible if they have to skip a port. You are not entitled to a refund. Apparently that private island is skipped a lot due to choppy seas. It is up to the Captain whether or not he thinks it’s safe to tender those small boats to Great Stirrup Key. This happens all the time. I’m surprised that you didn’t go to Nassau.
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