Compared to Royal Caribbean Empress (similar size boat, crew and capacity), overall service on NCL was extemely poor. Most likely would not sail again with NCL. Seas very rough - no announcement from crew to be aware of rough seas ahead. Too many smoking areas that were not in isolated areas, you had to walk through one or more smoking areas to go most anywhere.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation would be much easier boarding at deck 3 instead of traveling mulitple levels of gangway to arrive at deck 6.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Ate at main dining room second night, service extremely slow. Food just so, so. Entrees came cold. Could not wait for desert if we wanted to make show time. Tried a second evening, asked for a table for 2. We were rudely told that we would need to try the other main dining room (which required long pants and closed toe shoes for men), not offered to wait for a table. Buffet food just OK, nothing special. Breakfast was best meal of day due to omelet stations.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Understood that the allowed smoking in several areas, but most events held in Bliss Lounge. Smoke from Casino blew into Bliss and made is smell like an ashtray. Suggest no smoking in casino
Entertainment
4 out of 5
OK, only watched two shows in theater, both were pretty good. Not extraordinary, but still pretty decent.
Children's Programs
no children in party
Service and Staff
1 out of 5
Only saw room steward 2 times for entire cruise. Most days room was not serviced until after 2-3 PM, only had turn down service one night. Next day itineraries left on exterior of door - found next morning. The itinerary was not there to review in evening to plan next day. Poor pool server service. Even with tipping pool side waiters, no one came to ask if we wanted another cocktail. Jonathan at Great Outdoors bar was the only highlight- made excellent margaritas. Inconsistant drink quality from other bars
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Difficult to navigate with some areas accessible only from certain elevators. Husband recovering from broken ankle was using a knee scooter and found floor transition ledges difficult to manage. Cabin was clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin size was sufficient, plenty of storage
Ship tip
If you don't smoke and don't want to breathe a LOT of smoke just traveling through the ship, this isn't for you. Handicap folks may have issues too.. difficult to manage floor transictions and no one monitoring handicap seating in buffet areas so they were frequently occupied by children and others that did not seem to have mobility issues.
*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.
