Overall NCR did a great job, definitely enhanced by the Haven experience. We have been fortuante to enjoy ‘luxury’ cruises in the past (primarily Crystal) and Viking Ocean. I do not think I would have had as positive experience if we had not been able to enjoy the enhanced offerings of the Haven on NCL.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Excellent - as Haven guests we were whisked onto the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Agree with many other reviewers that NCL needs to change the Haven Restaurant menu on a daily or every other day basis. The same menus for each meal periods (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner) does get old. My thought is they are trying to drive you to spend additional funds in the five or so specialty restaurants.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Did not use.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Beetlejuice was cancelled at start of cruise, but then added back. We got to see the show which was great with high quality performers. Then the next day after two shows the night before the other replacement dates were also cancelled —- so many passengers missed this show. The magician and comedian were both very good as well.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
This was a highlight - whether in the Haven Bar/Restaurant/Concierge or about the ship in other venues the staff really went out of their way to make you feel welcome.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The Viva and other Prima class ships by NCL are controversial for some as the soaring spaces and a large pool, at no added cost, are not part of the design. Since we has access to the Haven’s private sundeck with pool and spa this was not an issue for us. While the typical large atrium was not missed by us we did hear many complaints about the lack of a large pool/pool area. This, too, may be driven by incremental revenue design as there is an “Adults Only” Jive Beach Club for those without access to the Haven that want either no kids or avoid have a search for a recliner at the small “comp” pool.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our “Owners Suite” is one of several that do not have a seperate bedroom which is the norm in the majority of cabins in this classification, but the suite really was great for us and felt more “open” and larger. Instead it features a separate dining room! This suite came available for same cost as our first room the Haven qualifying room in lowest price category and NCL graciously changed us to this room at no charge with assistance for .
Do not do a tour of Florence and Pias, choose one or the other. By the time we got to our second stop, which was Pisa, we could barely see the tower and had purchased tickets to climb the tower, but could not do it with the 40 minutes allowed at the tower. (This was a tour booked through Viator, but we heard similar feedback from other guests who booked through the ship excursions.)
We did a Hop On & Off through the ship which could have been done outside the port for much less. But was a great way to see Malta. The “Co-Cathedral” though is not on the Hop On & Off route.
We opted to do an excursion through the ship that included a winery and a walk up part of Mt Etna. Both experiences were excellent. The winery her vs. the Naples one was a larger scale production winery so it let us compare and contrast the two types of businesses.
Having visited Dubrovnik before we journied away from port to experience a ‘winery’ that ages their wines in the see and learn about construction of a beautiful bridge to connect two parts of Croatia that prior to its construction required transiting through Boznia - Herzegovina which could be unsafe at times.
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