Overall we had a great time. The Panama Canal was the main reason for this trip and it was memorable. One off the bucket list. The ship itself is smaller but good to navigate. The food overall was good and the staff were remarkable. We would sail with Norwegian again although maybe not with this ship as it is smaller and we like the larger ships. Beware of the cabins on the 11th deck below the Garden Cafe ....very noisy in cabin from chairs above.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Got to port around 10:30 and went in and checked in right away...no lines. Then got boarding group #1 and only waited 1/2 hr to board ship. Was very quick and organized.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The Garden Cafe was not as good as we thought it would be. Very crowded with no room in between tables. The food was just ok, not as good as Royal Princess where we ate all the time. We ate dinner at Versailles main dining room and was impressed by the service and food. We ate breakfast at O'Sheehans Bar and Grill where they always had a table, it was quiet and the food was very good. We ate at Cagney's for $80 and thought the steak at Versailles was just as good. Beware when you think you have a free drink package you are actually charged a service charge on the drink package. We paid $333.65 cdn each. Then on top we paid $262.23 cdn each for gratuities. So in our eyes the drink package was not free we paid $667.30 cdn to drink.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Sometimes it was hard to find a chair by the pool but if you looked hard enough you could find one. The walking/running track had weird hours. Said it was closed from 7pm - 9am. Most people like to walk early in the morning or late in the evening when it is cooler.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The shows were just ok, however the theatre seating was horrible. The chairs were very uncomfortable. Some chairs leaned forward and there was no leg room. Try to get seated in the balcony. The shows put on by the Norwegian singers and dancers were the best in our opinion.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All ship personnel were awesome. We never came across anyone who wasn't pleasant and offered their help. From the moment we boarded the ship everyone was so friendly and wanted to look after our needs. Our room steward was the best. He was always friendly and asked us many times if we needed anything. All the wait staff were so friendly and happy it was a pleasure to be served by them.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
We found no problem at all getting around the ship. Staff were always cleaning and very friendly. Washy...Washy staff always smiled and made our day.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We had a balcony mini suite which was great. The layout was very good and spacious. The closet was a little hard to access. It was hard to access the shelves inside. The bathroom was spacious with a tub/shower combo and sliding doors. The only thing bad about this cabin was the noise from above. The Garden Cafe is up one floor and the constant dragging of chairs was horrible. From 6 in the morning until 11 in the evening that was all we heard. From what I have been told when the ship was in for refurbishment they removed the carpet and installed tile flooring. It would be better if they installed felt pads on the chair legs. Do not pick a cabin on the 11th deck under the Garden Cafe.
Ship tip
You are on vacation so have fun. You cannot please everyone all the time. All in all a good ship but has some issues to work out.
They have a sanctuary close to ship that is free and has lots of cool birds and monkeys. This is where we hired a local company to take us on a tour. It was way cheaper than ship excursion and was back to ship in plenty of time.
We really enjoyed going through the locks. We had a narrator on board to tell us about the canal. So glad we could do this trip it was a marvel for sure.
We did the ship tour A Real Coffee Experience. It was a very informative tour and we learned a lot about how coffee is grown, harvested and packaged. The scenery along the way was awesome. We really enjoyed the tour.
We arrived at the port to dancers and school children so happy to see us. Got of the ship and hired Nicaragua Tours Team to take six of us on a tour of things we wanted to see. Daisy was an excellent guide. We told her we wanted to see how she lived and to see her country. She did an excellent job of showing us the countryside, old churches and the market in the town of Leon. This was our favourite port and would highly recommend Nicaragua Tour Team. They made sure we were back to the ship on time.
We got off the ship and hired a tour guide to take us to Antigua. It was a very good tour of the countryside with an active volcano in sight. They are still cleaning up after the volcano erupted in July. We enjoyed seeing the old town of Antigua and have a great time.
We got off the ship and hired a tour guide to show us the sights of Acapulco. He was very good and showed us the cliff divers, hotel that John Wayne stayed in, markets and drove all around the bay. The sights were incredible.
We got off the ship and hired a tour guide with glass bottom boat to tour the rock formations. Very pretty area. Got dropped off on the beach and toured the tourist area with shops and bars. We had a very nice breakfast and had drinks at Senor Frogs. Really enjoyed the area.
You did not actually pay for your drinks. You paid gratuities on the value of the drink package. If you had ordered each drink separately, a gratuity would have been attached to each drink. In addition, the other gratuities you paid were for the services you received ( room steward, dining staff, etc)
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
