Norwegian Viva Cruise Reviews - Reviews

It was a wonderful cruise and just what I needed. Eating shopping and I stayed in the thermal spa. Spectacular

Overall it was very good. The only bad experience I had was after debarkation on the shore excursion that took us to the Venice Airport. The bus parking lot is far from the terminal and there a few but totally useless Norwegian employees to assist with questions and/or directions. In addition, there were a number of older travelers that had to lug their luggage from the bus parking lot all he way to the terminal with no help from anyone. At least, a few baggage carts should have been provided for these individuals.

Beautiful Ship. Ship was not offering shared tables which is a great way to meet fellow passengers Great wifi . Unfortunately since we were on tours 9-4 each day unable to relax or enjoy the ships amenities.

Our cruise went exceptionally fine and was fine with a lot of different activities that happened during our breakfast/lunch/dinner. A word of great thanks to Sharmila Bardelas (waitress) who assisted my wife twice with orange juice, pieces of ham & cheese to suffice her hunger due to low sugar. Francisco at the indulge for our comfort and fast service of our food and Paulo at Hudson's for quick in taking care of our orders and delivery of our orders, a lot of good people working around the ship and too hard to mention all their names. Everything that we needed was greatly taken care of. Nice to cruise NCL. Our status have changed to Diamond after this cruise.

All was Great. Will be Back in the Near future. All Tours were Great and had lots of Fun Great Tour Guides and Bus Drivers. Lots of information on all Tours very knowledgable Guides made it Interesting. Easy to make Excursions Times.

Staff was amazing - at the restaurants, at the bar, and Starbucks. Rooms butler... everyone was amazing... Special thanks to: Ravi, Ricky and Craig at Whiskey Bar Victor - Room Butler Pearl Ann - El Bistro Somelier Harold - Indulge Pradesh, Ragnish and Jayant at Indulge Mr Gilda, Gilda and Richard at Starbucks

That back to back 18 day cruise was our best vacation ever. We are going to make this fall back to back cruise an annual tradition for us in the Mediterranean. We loved everything especially the Haven and the people….so many. And we stay in touch with them too!

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.

The Norwegian Viva is a lovely ship. The layout takes a minute to figure out, as it's not quite the same as other NCL ships. Once you've got it down, you appreciate how the ship's design ensures you never feel too crowded. I was surprised that the buffet was half the size that I'm used to...then I discovered the food hall and understood. The food and service were excellent.

We just returned from a 10-day cruise on Norwegian Viva, starting in Lisbon and ending in Rome. We have done two river cruises on Viking and Emerald, and four ocean cruises on Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity (Edge) and NCL. In each case we had a balcony cabin. I would have to say that, out of all six cruises NCL was the overall lowest quality and least value for the money. The key detractors were: 1. Poor Food Quality and Selection: a. NCL Viva offers two main dining rooms: Hudson’s on deck 7 and the Commadore on deck 6. The ambiance in both was moderate, with Commadore feeling claustrophobic and needed another two feet of ceiling. The decor in both is average and the atmosphere is hectic. The menus are identical, and the food quality, variety and taste were somewhere between a Denny’s and an Olive Garden…but definitely lower than a Olive Garden. b. In comparison, The Celebrity Edge class offers four completely different included dining experiences; Mediterranean, Continental, French and Italian. Each one has a unique and elegant ambiance with an excellent individual menu and daily unique specials. The meals in any one of these offerings were simply outstanding. I could see no reason to go to a specialty restaurant. c. Viva’s French and Italian specialty restaurants were the only ones that could compare to Celebrity’s included venue’s…and at a significant extra charge. d. Even breakfast was poor at the Viva’s Hudson’s. I tried the simplest items… pancakes…but even these were seemingly stale and dense. I literally had to saw through my Eggs Benedict English muffin. e. The buffet was less than Denny’s quality and selection. I have seen and appreciate a high-end buffet…but this was pure assembly line and poor quality. I would have rather eaten at Denny’s. 2. Poor Drink Quality: a. Almost everything on Viva is a pre-mix, and it tastes like it. Even the wine is on tap at the bars. Don’t ever try to get a Margarita with real lime…its always an overly sweet pre-mix. It feels like the old MacDonalds orange mix when you want a real Orange Crush. 3. Lack of Personal Connection: a. Viva feels like an assembly line for hospitality that is just half a bubble off: b. Our room attendant never introduced himself and we were never really sure who he was. In contrast, our Celebrity room attendant not only introduced himself, but immediately spotted the need for a gallon of distilled water for the CPAP machine and found a hair pin for my wife in seconds. c. None of the room attendant staff encountered seemed to know ANYTHING about the rest of the ship, its restaurant locations, amenities, or entertainment. It felt like an upstairs/downstairs class segregation of crew with little personal ownership of the rest of the ship. d. The table staff at the restaurants was either full on or felt like they were either one week into their first cruise with a lack of needed experience or were just burnt out. e. On the other hand, it felt like the overly dramatic and enthusiastic breakfast buffet greeter had just done two lines of cocaine every time you saw here first thing in the morning. f. The security staff on disembarkation and embarkation were brutally stoic, without a smile…EVER. They did not seem to enjoy their jobs in the least. 4. Restaurant Breakfast Hours a. If you weren’t out of the bunk and at the table by 09:30, you were relegated to the overcrowded feeding trough of the 17th floor breakfast buffet, as every sit down venue closed at an inexplicably early 09:30. I’m on holiday…not in the army. 5. Lack of Detail: a. No turn down service. b. No fridge replenishment. c. Tablets for ordering wine in a specialty restaurant. This latter point could be executed to deliver both the information of a tablet and the elegance of a wine list experience, but it was just a clunky tablet with a user interface that not even the server understood. d. No free water for excursions. Only one out of six provided water. e. There was a Starbucks coffee bar, but you quickly found out that it was extra…a lot extra. In contrast, Celebrity had their own coffee bar, with wonderful daily pastries and it was all included…including the shot of Baileys in her cappuccino that my wife was offered each morning! f. Only one out of six of the excursions offered wireless hearing units for the tours…very poor indeed. g. Limited roving servers in the outdoor venues. 6. Bland Interior Common Areas: a. The central atrium is just boring. It has zero “Wow” effect. b. As noted earlier, the ambiance of the included food venues was below par for this kind of vessel. Viva’s key strengths were: 1. Outdoor Areas: a. The best and most extensive outdoor lounging areas I have ever seen. I could always find a lounging location…and not just a sun chair, but a cool themed area that was extra comfortable. 2. Cabin Bathrooms: a. Viva’s cabin bathroom was the best laid out and most roomy that I have ever experienced on a ship. 3. Cleanliness and Ship Condition: a. Viva was truly shipshape! I know that it is a relatively new ship, but still, the level of cleanliness, on a ship that big, with that many people onboard, was notable. 4. Entertainment: a. The entertainment that we did see in Syd Norman’s Pour Bar was nothing short of OUTSTANDING!! (The venue was far too small for the talent on display) b. The 80’s show in the theater was fantastic. Top quality musical talent at both. In the end, though, a cruise is all about food, drink, luxury, and entertainment…and Viva was only hitting on one of four cylinders. I would not go on another NCL cruise when, for the same money, I can have a far more complete experience with Celebrity and their Edge-class ships.  

New ship designs are great but mid / fwd deck 9 cabin noise affected by VIVA club activity at late night . MDR Hudson is the only one acceptable, Specialty Le Bistro and Cagney are the best. Poor account statement system.

VIVA ship is an acronym for Very Inferior Vessel Avoid! The “management” staff was horrible. They had a canned rehearsed excuse for everything. Made NO attempt to fix anything or make any accommodations for our issues. Lies from the very start! What a huge disappointment and WASTE of $8,000! NEVER, EVER, AGAIN!

This was a great vacation itinerary and we had a great time especially because we were with our daughter, her husband and our beloved grandchildren. It was educational and fun as well. The cruise was not remarkable but the accommodations were comfortable, however not exceptional. I would recommend the itinerary but not necessarily the ship. As I mentioned the crew was exceptional and for me perhaps the saving grace for the ship.

I only had one complaint: the wifi was overpriced. NCL needs a better plan to provide a better service.

If this was our first NCL cruise, probably would not cruise again but had a great time on last NCL cruise. Planned this trip over 20 months ago for our 25th anniversary and disappointed is all I can say

The Baths Virgin Gorda were beautiful. Antigua historical tour and beach was interesting and fun. Snorkeling in Barbados was the best. Chartered a fishing boat in St Lucia. My husband reeled in a lot of fish. Road four wheelers in St Marteen. This was a top vacation for us.

I will come back again. Hopefully soon. Not many activities during the night

I think it was very good. My husband and I went on the cruise to rest, take it easy and enjoy the beautiful sites. I am retired. Everything was really nice, the cleanliness, orderly manner, most of the crew very polite and friendly. The hours of the food buffet should be longer, food was usually the same, I think it should have more variety.

Great new ship with excellent amenities and activities. Beautifully designed and outfitted. Well staffed with friendly and helpful crew. Excellent service one won't see in the 'real world' ! No complaints really !

Overall great cruise, but left me missing sea days