This was my 13th cruise and my 9th with Norwegian. I was very disappointed with the experience overall. The ships are too crowded and the efficiency with the crowds is diminishing. I don't like being a lemming when on vacation and Norwegian made me feel like a lemming. The room itself was very nice however the ship layout, the activities and the speciality restaurants were sub par.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Decent experience with no major hiccups; efficient with little waiting.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Speciality restaurants were not as good as they used to be. La Cucina food was subpar and lacked taste. Cagney's food was overcooked. Moderno was awful - overcooked meat served 10 minutes apart. The exception was LeBistro -- the food and service was exceptional and was the true highlight. Le Bistro maintained the quality and standard we expect from Norwegian speciality restaurants.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Was very disappointed with the handling of the Bingo games. There was NO signage about game options and costs. Instead, we stood on a VERY long line and had to endure EACH PERSON hearing about the options EACH TIME when they got to the beginning of the line. Bingo started late as a result. Also, ZERO mention that the raffle tickets we bought were for a Sunday drawing that you had to be present for. Again, very disappointed in Norwegian.
Entertainment
I didn't bother with any of the shows. They did not seem appealing.
Children's Programs
no kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff as always was fantastic. They all do their best to be polite, personable, and deliver excellent service.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
We HATED the layout and flow of the ship -- way too confusing trying to get from one end to another on certain levels. Having to go down a floor, walk across and back up (or vice versa) was annoying and confusing. I will not go on the Norwegian Sun again.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin layout and size was excellent. We truly felt like there was sufficient closet and drawer space. The bathroom layout and size was great. The only concern we had was the height of the shower . . . a bit difficult getting in and out at 5'2". And my husband at 5'10" found it difficult too.
We were very disappointed to find that Norwegian had a port 8 miles away from downtown. There is NOTHING in Ward Cove. That warehouse looked like a giant flea market. Even more disappointing was the shuttle experience. There were 2 ships at dock and not nearly enough shuttle buses when the Jewel pulled in. We had to wait on an excessive line that and were late for lunch appointment. The dropoff point was 1/2 mile from downtown and not very nice. Overall, VERY disappointing experience in Ketchikan.
While this was a much nicer port, we were disappointed to see how difficult it was to obtain a taxi after the morning rush. We were fortunate enough to find a worker who texted a taxi driver with a permit for us so we could get to our dinner reservations in town.
How Norwegian thought they could exit an entire boat in a series of colors in less than an hour is ridiculous. We were on a line that wrapped clear around the ship (and was close to the back of the line on the other side of the ship. I can see why you are charging $100 per person for priority embarkation and disembarkation. Just another thing to nickle and dime the traveler with. It was very disappointing.
@lauradechen Thank you for sharing your experience with the Cruiseline.com/Shipmate community. Here is contact info for NCL if you would like to share the review. Phone: 866-234-7350
Website: ncl.com
Email: https://www.ncl.com/case-submission/pre-cruise
Social Media: For the most part, both the Facebook and Twitter feeds are promotional rather than customer service-driven: Twitter and Facebook.
@Grayghost. FYI…My profile says 5 cruises and i have been on 75….Its because i just signed on to shipmate last year with the last 5 being my recent ones.
*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.
