Maybe a Cruise Ins't the Best to See Europe

Item: Norwegian Spirit
Rating: 3
Author: nikkilinc

Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review to Europe

nikkilinc

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 44

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

Grand Mediterranean from Venice

Sail date: April 23, 2017

Ship: Norwegian Spirit

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 11103

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

We did our first cruise to the Mediterranean. While it was nice to not have to unpack in every city, we felt the whole thing was very rushed. We had about 6-10 hours in each port and when you factor in dis/re-embarkation and getting around the city, it's really not enough time. Also, some of the biggest cities, we were at port with half a dozen other cruise ships. That meant that the biggest sites (the Acropolis, the Vatican, etc) were PACKED. You really have so little time to see each place. This would be good if you want to see a little of everything but if you want a more in depth experience, this is not the trip for you.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

The activities seemed geared more to the older crowd (we are in our 30s) and there were better activities on shore days than at sea days. Definitely felt a little bored sometimes since we didnt have the beverage package and most activities were bingo or listening to smooth jazz which isn't my thing.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

It was good for an inside room. I wish we had booked a room with a window though because it was hard to tell the time of day which made it hard to wake up. This room is by the stairs though on the top floor so we were right below the buffet and pool. That made it super quick to get to activities! Keep in mind though - the higher floors feel the waves the most.

Ship tip

Pay upfront for the beverage package if there is a deal when booking. If you try to add it later, it's $80/day which is outrageous - there's no way we would have ever drank enough to justify it. Go to the shows at the Stardust - they were really good!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Venice, Italy

3 out of 5

Dubrovnik, Croatia

3 out of 5

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

2 out of 5

The port books many cruise ships on the same day so do what you can to skip lines. We did the excursion and it was $100/ each to go to the Acropolis. It was so crowded we didn't have any time after to hang out in the city and had to have a rushed meal.

Thumbs Up 2

Santorini, Greece

3 out of 5

Naples, Italy

3 out of 5

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

2 out of 5

It's about an hour from Rome. We did the excursion and it was $150/each person. We found out the day before that there is a train that goes into the city for like $15 and takes 40 min. Look into train times instead so you have more flexibility! Also, there will likely be many cruise ships there at the same time so book skip the line tickets.

Thumbs Up 10

TUSCANY REGION, ITALY

3 out of 5

Marseille (Provence), France

2 out of 5

Barcelona, Spain

3 out of 5

3 Comments

minigrammy 7 years ago

Welcome to cruising. Now you know to book something that has overnight stays in ports. All main tourist destinations are packed usually. Maybe touring "off season" would be a better fit for you.

Thumbs Up 0

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CostaArmandLeg 7 years ago

I agree Nikki, planning is key - which ports, for how long and plan the day to the last minute. Some ports you need a coach to travel further others you're best to do you're own thing. What did you think of the ship? I really didn't do my homework! It's the oldest of the fleet 1998, supposed to have been in dry dock for a week or 2 in March. God knows what they did, as they were still varnishing the handrails out on deck while we were out there ð·. It was dated and the bathrooms were titchy. We've booked to sail next May 18 on the Bliss Miami to LA, so let's hope their flagship is much better. What did you think about the speciality dining? We thought Cagneys and Le Bistro were ok and the food in Shogun was nice but La Trattoria & Tepanyaki was not worthy of being marked as speciality? ð

Thumbs Up 1

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chachi3 7 years ago

Maybe you are not a cruise person... better try hotels... on a cruise you always have few hours on a port, and this cruise was absolutely amazing! Waking up everyday on a different place or even country, we even extended our trip to travel 3 more weeks...

Thumbs Up 1

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