Alaska is not to be missed. I highly recommend finding some way to get there. However, I will not travel on such an old NCL ship again. The smells, the tight room, the inadequate bathroom, the lack of entertainment options, the sad buffet - not again. Thanks.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Everything worked smoothly, like clockwork.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
This is our fifth NCL cruise. I was most disappointed about the very tiny buffet, and the limited choices in the main dining rooms. The staff in both were superb, but the offerings were the saddest I've had in an NCL cruise.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Not a lot to do on this ship. I know it's an older one, but still.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Some were fine, but again, extremely limited. The comedian was wildly inappropriate for a family show and I was gratified to discover our family was not the only one that complained. I believe this will be his last cruise with NCL, at least if the cruise director spoke truthfully with us. The singers were good and the dancers were talented. There was simply one option at any given time and if you didn't like it, there was nothing for you. Sort of sad, really.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Excellent across the board and attentive to detail. One glaring miss is that NCL no longer provides towel animals? Unless you request it? We were one a ten day cruise and got five animals total. I had to keep reminding the steward. This was a big miss for me with NCL.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Cleanliness was fine. Rooms are older and somewhat cramped. Even though we had a balcony stateroom, it was a very tight fit in the bathroom. There are no shower doors and simply a shower curtain. Not good at all. Layout was poor, as you could not access certain floors from other floors. One floor didn't have elevator access at all! In addition, the casino was in the middle of the ship! The smoke from inside permeated the entire central portion of the ship, wafting over multiple floors. It was terrible. I do not want to go on a ship like this again.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Older. I already spoke above about the bathroom and the tight fit. I will also say that the water smelled like bleach and the odor got overpowering during hot showers.
Ship tip
If you are bothered with smoke, don't go on this ship. The casino placement - in the center of the ship at the open atrium area - allowed the smoke to permeate multiple floors. It was simply awful.
NCL cancelled our excursion the day before arrival! We had to do it all on our own. NCL cancelled five of the excursions in our family during the cruise. The port was great, but not because of what NCL offered.
I really appreciate your feedback about the ship. I'll be going on the same cruise on this ship in 11 days, so I'll keep what you've said in mind! I hope the next ship you sail on is a much better fit for you!
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