Cruise was not ready for cruising

Item: Norwegian Viva
Rating: 3.4
Author: chazorl1

Norwegian Viva Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean

chazorl1

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 55

Overall rating:

3.4 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Mediterranean: Italy France & Spain (Lisbon To Rome)

Sail date: August 19, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Viva

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 14758

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Very disappointing the ship was not ready for sailing with a full ship. Ship was short staffed and staff was not trained. Could not answer basic questions. All specialty dining options were booked, but when we ate in them, they were over half empty. Was told they did not have enough staff to fill them up. Same for the shows.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Food was great, service was not. Ship was short staffed and staff was not trained. Could not answer basic questions. All specialty dining options were booked, but when we ate in them, they were over half empty. Was told they did not have enough staff to fill them up.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Main show was cancelled 1 week to sailing. All other shows we could not get reservations for, yet when we showed up to the venues, they were half empty.

Service and Staff

2 out of 5

Too many new staff not fully trained. The only area that had well trained employees was the bars and casinos

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

Ship was not an open plan. Very boxy and hard to get around

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Cabin was great

Ship tip

Plan ahead for everything. The date they allow you to book dining and shows, do it immediately

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Lisbon, Portugal

5 out of 5

Ibiza, Balearic Islands

4 out of 5

Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands

4 out of 5

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5

Cannes, France

3 out of 5

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

5 out of 5

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

8 Comments

maer17 1 year ago

I just got off that ship and that ship is staffed with seasoned personnel from the prima and other Norwegian ships that i have been on. Instead of giving negative narratives about a brand new ship that is just hitting the water you could have at least have a softer tone so as not to dissuade potential cruisers. I had a blast on the viva, there were no staff shortages, the food was great, staff great. Please give this ship a chance instead of downgrading it before it reaches its full potential.

Thumbs Up 10

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rosemarymichael 1 year ago

I am very sorry that you had some disappointments on your cruise. We are booked on Viva in June 2024. I agree that new ships need some time to get up and running, but when you pay that much money, you want a great experience. If they gave you half price, and said, “come and try our new ship, but expect some hiccups!” Then you would think well at least they warned us.

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StuPedasso 1 year ago

Appreciate the share

Thumbs Up 0

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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bubbles60 1 year ago

We were on the Prima and loved it. The ship design, staff, and food were outstanding. I am so sorry the Viva had staffing issues. I hope you enjoyed the itinerary.

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 1 year ago

thanks for the review

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InnocentDaz 1 year ago

It’s never a good idea to sail on a recently launched ship if you want top quality service. Most staff will be new and training as they work through all the smaller finer details. In a few months the issues you experienced should be resolved.

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cruising2004 1 year ago

New ship, will have lots of adjustments here and there. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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