Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Aqua is a huge step up from the Breakaway Class, it really doesn't feel like the same cruise line, it's so modern and upscale! Our sailing had above 3600 guests, and most spaces held up pretty well with the crowd. Sundeck has lots of space on sea days if you're willing to go up stairs to Deck 18 and 19, and the waterfront on Deck 8 was also less crowded (and more enjoyable imo) than the main pool area. The theatre and Syd Normans are too small though, with people standing in the hall during evening shows at Syd's. Meanwhile, much of the shop space during the evenings is wasted. Main dining rooms and Indulge never had wait times for seating, only issue was the buffet being too small. (If you want extra space during breakfast in the buffet, I strongly recommend eating in Sukhothai or Palomar, it's a minute walk to the buffet, and was basically empty on most days I went there, while there were no seats in the buffet) I thought the entertainment was good on this sailing. It's sad to see NCL cutting other shows across their other ships, but the shows on Aqua were really enjoyable. Sitting space for the main show (Prince) fills really fast, but if you're willing to stand, it's way more fun, and there was lots of space in the floor area (the cast and set moves around you). I really liked the Indulge food hall concept, but the MDR food was not as good as previous NCL cruises (they've been making cuts to this area as well). I really wish NCL would put more into their food to match the upscaleness of the Prima class. In some ways, I like the direction NCL is heading, and other ways, not so much. I love the Prima class design, the casual vibe onboard NCL ships while being upscale, and that NCL is usually port-intensive (I generally find their itineraries have less sea days). However, I hope that they refresh their menus soon (it's been the same for a few years now) and really focus on quality of food and entertainment, as well as fixing the remaining issues with their Prima class ship layouts to ensure the entertainment and buffet spaces aren't too small, while shops and specialty restaurants remain empty for most of the day (would love to see more hybrid spaces).

We are “prospects” according to their documents. First time cruisers on their cruise line. We are meeting friends for a 15 day cruise from Fiji. Terrible experience. Travel agent was Johnny in the spot until he got paid . They booked us on connecting flight that did not give enough time to make our connection. We had to pay a fee to secure new tickets and the travel agent was useless. Today, we were on our way to the airport and received a notice that our flight was canceled. No communication from Norweigen or the travel agent. So now we’ve paid to change to a flight that was canceled. We called Norweigen and were placed in a queue and told that we would receive a call back when it was our turn. We went directly to American Airlines and they were terrific, changing our flights and re-booking our connection…still no word from Norweigen or travel agent. Needless to say we are disturbed that we paid a premium only to be forced to solve our travel issues for ourselves. Ian happy to share that we will not be converted from “prospects” to “client”. We’d rather remove our spleens with salad forks. Do not book Norweigen! Addition at end of cruise: day 16 of our Polynesian Island cruise and the itinerary was definitely the highlight. NCL did not miss an opportunity to disappoint. First, food was terrible. Institutional quality at best. Even the specialty dining left you feeling like you overpaid and they under delivered. I actually lost weight on this cruise! The staff is rude. Security may as well be renamed the morality police. They are like ninja’s that are anticipating law suits and clearly care more about protecting shareholder profits more than passengers. My wife broke her foot and was told by guest services that they did not have an x-ray machine on the ship. She walked around d for 10 days in pain trying to enjoy the activities and dancing despite having a fractured. On the 10th day we ran into another passenger with a boot and broken foot. We asked what island she had the x-rays taken and she said they did it in the ship. We went to the medical office on board and they were far more concerned with deflecting any liability than treating their patient. I would never cruise on NCL again.

Our cruise was excellent! We toured Puerta Plata Dominican Republic, St. Thomas Virgin Island, and Tortola British Virgin Island. The crew provided excellent service The food in almost all of the restaurants, including the buffet, was delicious. The onboard activities and the off-board excursions were a lot of fun. The ship was clean and well cared for. We had a great time.

We took our first cruise through Norwegian down in Miami and we had a great time! It was a good price and took us to the Bahamas. The ship had a lot of fun stuff to do in down time and the snorkeling excursion they offered was a great time. We got their drink and food packages and they were worth it 100%. I really enjoyed the live music they offered on the ship every night, it was a good variety and great musicians. Our room was good too, we got the one with a window and i wasn’t disappointed, having a window was a nice touch!

NORWEGIAN JOY CRUISE REVIEW: 👍👍👍👍👎 The NORWEGIAN JOY CRUISE offers a memorable journey filled with luxurious experiences and exciting adventures. Designed for Caribbean and Mexico routes, this cruise ship delivers a wonderful mix of dining, entertainment, and relaxation. FOOD QUALITY 👍 One of the standout features of the NORWEGIAN JOY is its exceptional food offerings. With an array of dining options, from buffet meals to specialty restaurants, the food quality is top-notch. The head chef and their team deserve a special mention for their outstanding efforts to provide a variety of well-prepared and flavorful dishes. We particularly enjoyed the selection of Caribbean and Mexican-inspired foods, as well as the upscale specialty options like Le Bistro and Teppanyaki. Overall, the dining experience onboard the NORWEGIAN JOY is memorable. SERVICE & HOSPITALITY 👍 The customer service throughout the cruise was great, with attentive staff in the restaurants, bars, and common areas. The waitstaff and housekeeping did an excellent job ensuring guests were well cared for. However, guest services were a bit slow and lacked personal touch at times, with long waits for assistance and unclear answers for certain requests. ROOM QUALITY 👎 We opted for one of the inside cabins. The room, while comfortable, felt a bit cramped, especially with the bunk-style beds that made it difficult to get in and out. The space is well-utilized, but the tiny design of the cabin may not suit everyone, especially if you are used to more spacious accommodations. The rooms were kept exceptionally clean, though, which we appreciated. EXCURSIONS & ACTIVITIES 👍 The excursions offered were diverse and fun, including a visit to a Norwegian Cruise Line-owned island. The private island experience was relaxing, and the beaches were pristine. Other excursions offered a chance to explore nearby destinations like Cozumel and Roatan, with activities ranging from snorkeling to cultural tours. While the excursions were organized well, it’s important to book them early to ensure availability. VALUE FOR MONEY 👎 While the NORWEGIAN JOY offers an excellent cruise experience, the overall cost of the trip was a bit on the higher side. The food, drinks, and excursions can add up quickly, and certain onboard activities had additional fees. It may feel like you’re paying a premium for certain services that are not included, which detracts from the overall value for money. OVERALL EXPERIENCE 👍 In conclusion, the NORWEGIAN JOY offers a well-rounded experience for those looking to enjoy a mix of relaxation and adventure. Despite the slightly cramped rooms and the high price point, the exceptional food, friendly staff, and exciting excursions made the journey worthwhile. We would recommend this cruise to anyone seeking a lively yet relaxing vacation at sea, with plenty of opportunities to explore both onboard and at various destinations. Looking forward to sailing again, especially if the pricing improves and more activities are included in the package. This version of the review for NORWEGIAN JOY CRUISE has been updated to include 4 thumbs up and 1 thumbs down at the beginning, as well as the necessary changes. Let me know if you need any further modifications!

Warning to all type 1 diabetics!!!! Norwegian is NOT diabetic accommodating and borderline discriminatory. I am currently on the epic ship and brought mini ice packs to keep my insulin cool while on excursions (that I booked through Norwegian also) so that it doesn’t go bad. I am almost halfway through my cruise and am now being told they will NOT put my ice packs in the freezer or provide anyway for me to freeze them. Medical froze them for me previously and is now refusing to do so. I don’t understand why it is such an issue to get an ice pack frozen. I have provided them and would freeze them myself if I could. Also warning to women on floor 12!!!! Our cabin steward tried to walk in my room while I was naked in the shower. My friend had to physically block the door because he kept trying to walk in after she told him no that I was in the shower and to please come back later. He still tried to come in after being told that and the shower is located right next to the cabin door with only a frosted panels. Very inappropriate and when I brought the issue to the front desk I was just told to talk to the housekeeping supervisor who has still yet to address the issue.

First time cruising with Norwegian (Escape) and most likely the last. Seven day cruise and only one day I was able to find a lounger (it wasn’t even remotely close to the pool). Shows are always full, there’s not enough seating inside the ship either. Pool is always crowded and so are the very few hot tubs. Slides and ropes course were closed most of the days, shops were closed when they were supposed to be open. As we approached the Puerto Plata port, they announce that due to rough and unsafe weather, they are canceling our stop in the DR. We lost $780 in the excursion we had booked independent of NCL (their excursion prices are outrageous). See pictures of the rough weather and conditions at the time they said that. Food in main seated dining room and specialty restaurants is very good. Food at the buffet is pretty awful. If you are hungry after 10:30 PM, your only option is room service and of course they charge delivery fees. Splash Academy staff was very nice and my kids really enjoyed going there. We upgraded the WiFi package but their WiFi is so spotty - most of the time it does not work. Overall, not a good experience at all.

Norwegian viva Greece This cruise was a series of letdowns that turned our dream vacation into a frustrating ordeal. Breakfast hours at top restaurants ended at 9 AM, forcing us to rush instead of relax. The luggage handling was chaotic—my black soft bag arrived broken, and when I discarded it, I received a note about a lost bag, likely mine. Staff refused to process a claim without the bag, leaving me to pay for a replacement with no accountability from Norwegian. Dinner at Los Lobos was a disaster. Our late-night reservation left us waiting 30 minutes with kids, and the tequila options were cheap and subpar, with one tasting like sanitizer. Onda by Scarpetta, hyped as a top-tier restaurant, served overly salty veal that ruined the meal. The chef admitted fault but still charged us full price, offering no compensation—just an apology. Your staff’s finger-pointing doesn’t fix poor training or prioritize guest experience. The Beetlejuice show, assumed family-friendly due to vague marketing, included inappropriate content like “boner” references and adult-themed jokes. We left early with our kids (ages 8, 9, 12), and the front desk dismissed our concerns about missing age ratings, offering no follow-up. Food Republic’s tablet-ordering was a highlight, but they twice brought cheese pizza instead of my daughter’s mac and cheese, leaving her hungry. Hudson’s breakfast was worse—we waited an hour for a forgotten order, served at the same time as friends who arrived later. The mini-golf and darts incident was infuriating. After a port stop, we found mini-golf closed for a private party. A kind staff member let us play darts and golf manually, but others rushed us unfairly. Later, a staff member accused us of stealing darts we were given, scaring a child. Another escalated it, threatening security, but a manager de-escalated, offering a free $7-per-person mini-golf round—something that should be included in the cruise price. The arcade was another letdown, with many broken attractions still costing money. This trip was a masterclass in poor service, lack of accountability, and broken promises. I cannot recommend Norwegian after this experience.

We took a Caribbean cruise on the Epic ship 1/04 - 1/11/2025. This is our (husband & I) 3rd cruise together, and my 5th. We were disappointed with the service we received. Every other cruise, the staff has been Amazing and very helpful, trying to accommodate any requests we may have had. We've never been told NO so many times, and we are not unreasonable people. We could not get into any restaurant that required a reservation and we began asking from the moment we boarded. Apparently, every location had been booked for the entire 7 days prior to departure. Even when the Noodle Bar was empty we were still denied access; this hostess was especially rude about it as well. We asked for a day pass to the thermal spa and were told we could only purchase a week-long pass at $358 per person. Then, in the evening of the same day, the itinerary came out with a $79 day pass. When I called to see if we needed a reservation the person was rude as well. We purchased the birthday package for my husband, went to guest services 2 days before and requested carrot cake. We were told we could only choose vanilla or chocolate, although there was clearly carrot cake on board. We also encountered some rudeness at the Skyy Ice Bar, but were allowed in because we happened to be passing through at the entrance time. We don't know if we'll cruise again, but it won't be with Norwegian.

Week cruise on the Encore. We stayed in a club balcony. Definitely recommend that over a regular balcony. Room was good size and bathroom was upgrade with a long shower and 4 jets. Water savers ruin everything shower was slow drip on the rain shower, Room attendant did a great job handling our daily things. This is my first cruise with Norwegian. Overall dining options were plenty but yet the same. Negative, no place to just pick up a snack if it's late night. They charge flat fee for room service. 4.95 breakfast and 9.99 thereafter. Starbucks coffee shop and water are not included in this beverage package. Tender to Great Stirrup Cay ran from 10am-1pm. Never seen a slower roll out of tendering. I stayed on the ship. Best specialty restaurant was Cagney Steak House. Bon voyage to any cruisers!!

My wife and I are experienced cruisers and have cruised with NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity and Holland America. We like Princess the most but have cruised NCL in the past and considered it "average". We recently we cruised the NCL Gem out of Miami to see the Panama Canal in early March 2024. While NCL was still "average" and on par with the other previously mentioned cruise lines, the following incidents were concerning: 1. Embarkation/disembarkation-the worst experience of any cruise line to date. Lines so long they extended outside the port into a busy street. Other than the porters, not a single NCL staff member to help anybody. After 1-2 hours standing in the hot sun without the line moving, several elderly guests passed out, hit their heads and were bleeding. Luckily, several guests were MD's/nurses and triaged those injured while other guests contacted the paramedics without any help or guidance from NCL. Getting off the ship was the same chaotic mess with no leadership from staff or management. Wow...... 2. The cocktails were the most water-downed/diluted I have ever had.......anywhere. 3. We had a 10th floor balcony midship just off the elevators. 1 1/2 days prior to entering the Panama Canal, NCL parked a monstrous piece of window washing equipment in front of our balcony, significantly obscuring our view. It was not removed until the day after we left the Panama Canal. We complained several times, but were generally dismissed and told to contact corporate after the cruise did. Once home and after many emails, we received a pro-rated refund for several thousand dollars for the several days we could not enjoy our balcony. However, SHAME on NCL for not disclosing prior to booking that "Panama Canal policy dictates certain ship equipment needs to be stored midship and not aft. I allege that action was negligent at best and deceptive at worst. 4. There was generally no management walking the decks and keeping the rank and file employees in-check. Because of this, the service was lacking and it felt like NCL and/or the Captain couldn't be bothered to lead their employees and ensure the guests were well cared for. I do not recommend NCL moving forward and don't see myself cruising with them again unless an itinerary pops up that other lines do not offer.

I was on NCL Encore, 15 -22 September 2024. I must say I've been treated rather poorly. Because of the design of the water bottles from room service their company uses (metal bottles and twist-off cap) my finger was cut because the tops DO NOT come off easily at all. I experienced numerous poor experiences on their cruise ship from the very first day throughout the whole cruise, like staff that barely speak English, rudeness on their part for just asking them questions, charging me almost $400 for high-speed streaming internet that only operated at an average of .25 Mbps, when streaming requires at least 4 Mbps (I was denied a refund), food that was consistently cold, hot chocolate that was never hot, not enough elevators to accommodate 4000+ passengers, constant phone messages to plan another cruise, and my luggage never being picked up from in front of my cabin door for debarkation, even though they had the tags on them. In addition, about 3 hours after the finger cut incident, because I told my wife in front of one of their employees at the time I first reported the finger cutting incident, "I cannot wait to jump ship NEXT Sunday and never return to NCL," however, the employee claimed to security that I stated I was going to jump off the ship now (we were in the middle of the ocean) there is a ring at my cabin door. I open the door, and 4 security personnel were there stating I needed to go with them. I asked for them to call a supervisor. A supervisor arrived with additional personnel, stating that if I didn't clarify in writing what I actually said, then I'd be taken away, and at the next port, Juneau Alaska, which was on my anniversary day of 17 September, my wife and I would be taken off the ship and would need to find our own way back to Seattle Washington. I was told at the moment of the first incident of the cut that since an incident occurred on-board the ship, I was required to take a breathalyzer test. I told them due to religious reasons, I do not drink alcohol. I was told it was a policy because of an incident that resulted in an injury on the ship. I said check my online account and you'll see neither my wife or I ordered anything alcoholic on-board and it is IMPOSSIBLE to bring alcohol on-board the ship. They said the breathalyzer is a required procedure due to an incident that resulted in an injury. Their company created a comedy of errors on our anniversary trip, as mentioned earlier, employees who misunderstand English, poor customer service issues each day since boarding, subjected to a breathalyzer test, and threated with being removed from the ship, all resulting in my trip being ruined. I wrote to the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line to his corporate and personal emails. Four days later, I received a response from an underling basically providing no help whatsoever, and basically blaming me for the issues related to my cut finger, security, and the underling never addressed any of the actual issues themselves relating to their poor customer service and the fact they ruined my trip. My luggage was never picked up from outside my cabin door the night before arriving back in Seattle, even though I left them at 8:30 pm. BTW, with shore excursions, the cost of the cruise itself, airline tickets, hotel costs, and other charges on-board the ship, I wasted over $7000 and all because Norwegian Cruise Line only cares about collecting money and not giving value in return. Just look at all the reviews on any website and you will see they have an average of 2 stars or less on each site. Do not waste your time or money with Norwegian Cruise Line.

There are many reasons that this is 1 star. 1. They charged the same charges on 2 different cards and now I have to dispute charges. 2. They advertise their private island Gret Stirrup Cay Bahamas but the majority of the time they do not stop there. It's like false advertising. They are in the process of building a port there so that they do not have issues in thebfuture, however, until the Port is completed they should not even advertise this island because they are most likely not going to stop there. 3. The food is practically the same everyday with only a few changes. Three out of the four complimentary dining serves the same exact food instead of having different options like other cruise companies. 4. These are not geared towards kids 10-14 at all. They make it seem like the entire family will enjoy but its not.

PROS: We had naturalists presenting informative & fascinating programs about the animals, geology, biodiversity, history of exploration, ecology and adaption of ocean animals of Antarctica. Lodsome, our Steward took good care of us. He made all of the repairs to 9190, from fixing the TV, sink drain, air conditioner, noisy door, and getting repaired all the things that kept falling off the walls... Alvino and some of the staff in Aqua and the Versailles got our meal orders correct. We enjoyed the ports in Argentina, Chile, and the Falkland Islands. The excursions were expensive, but we did get to do what we expected. We did enjoy some of the performances, White Magic, the acrobats, The Buenos Aires tango performer, and even then not so newlywed game. Elizabeth and her staff were perky. CONS: We took the Norwegian Star to Antarctica. we purchased the cruise on October 6 and the following day the price dropped $1000 per person. We reached out to NCL and our travel agent to adjust and we were told that nothing could be done. We were directed to speak to Manny Kampanakis, General Manager, once we board & he will take care of us. He was not willing to compensate us in any way. Manny even commented to hundreds of people, waiting for tenders to get back on the ship, "thank you for waiting. Not that you had any choice." We purchased an Antarctica cruise. Once we got on the ship, we saw a different itinerary. We felt that we were scammed. We did not get what we paid for. We lost a day in Antarctica and time at most ports. Yes, our contract says that they could change the itinerary and this does happen with challenging weather. However, the weather was excellent, and NCL appears to be abusing this provision. There were lines that were the length of the ship, with cruisers waiting hours to get tender tickets, and then again to get off the ship. The Wi-Fi was $550 per person and did not work most of the time. The price was eventually reduced after complaints. There was always a line in the Internet, Cafe with people complaining that they were unable to access. Cruise next harassed us daily with papers & phone calls. They tried to get us to spend money towards 8 future cruises. They marked their phone messages urgent and we were unable to erase them or stop them midway. Port information nor maps were provided in advance. Decorations & meals did not represent the ports we visited. The quality of the food was disappointing. Although we were in the ocean, there was no fresh seafood, it was frozen and microwaved. In the dining rooms, most of the food we were served was prepared in advance and microwaved. Milk & eggs were powdered. The towels are small and thin, no robes nor slippers and the toiletries are watered down cleaning products. We bring our own robes, slippers, shampoos, conditioners, and even bars of soap. Cabin 9190 was pretty banged up and the door was taped together. Things kept falling off the walls and our room attendant kept requesting repairs. There is no turn down service, our steward was responsible for 34 rooms. The sign on the Stardust theater told people not to come in after the show starts. However, there was a steady stream of people, continuously walking in loudly, stumbling in the dark, and interrupting performers. The fitness center is the hottest room on the ship. There was no cool air nor fans. Super Bowl Sunday was without the Super Bowl. The television is filled with a cruise next station, a ship shopping station, an excursion station.

No hand soap on restaurant floors during flu season, could ever get a chair by pool, over crowded, split up our group of 7 on difficult flight's despite leaving from same city, blaring music till 11am and forcing people off the boat on 7 am, a top of vibration and constant swaying make it difficult to sleep.

My wife and booked a cruise to Asia, we purchased the insurance because we were told that if cancelled for any reason we would be reimbursed. That was a lie, My wife had two strokes and were denied compensation by the insurance company, then we were issued 75% back of our booking monies that we paid. NOT the full amount we were told we would receive. The travel insurance they push is a scam. DO NOT purchase the insurance.

Took the Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Jewel and really had a great time. Booking the cruise I'd recommend a travel agent to avoid all of the issues that others seem to complain about, let someone else handle the headaches of booking and making sure everything is right. That's what we did and had no issues other than having flights coming back that had us sitting in the Vancouver airport for 14 plus hours. That was a bit rediculous. The ship was on the smaller side. We felt some waves early on but as the cruise went about it become less so, I assume becuase we had land on both sides of us to reduce wave and wind. The food was good. There was a few days that we didn't try the Buffett as it was more geared towards certain demographics and what we saw didn't look appealing. O'Shehans is the one restaurant / bar that's open 24 hours, spent many a morning there for breakfast at 0500. The menu was always the same, but changes and additions could be made without question and they'd bring it. That was nice. The crew in that area got used to my and my spouse or even me and my mother showing up in the evenings or early mornings and already knew our normal orders. That was pretty cool. The Spinnaker lounge was fun. Very large, the width of the ship and at the front on deck 14. Bar opened early, but what I like in the morning is that it was quiet and not many there, plus I had the added value of seeing the coastline and all the beautiful scenery from the comfort of being inside. The Alaskan cruise was great, the only issue was it was constantly cool outside so sitting poolside or up front of the boat on deck 15 was chilly, not really conducive to sitting outside and basking in the sun and watching the scenery. Tho this isn't the cruise lines fault, tho outdoor heaters would be nice to allow this, considering it was permissible with safety guidelines. Breakfast at the buffet was a treat. Bacon every day. There was one gentleman than was always there at the entry singing songs as we walked in. He was a hoot. The options here didn't change much int he morning. They did have a section with Indian fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Alwasy had pizza and items to make tacos and nachos. The rest changed daily. Never had a seafood night tho. Watched many Alaska cruise videos on NCL and they raved about seafood night with local fare loaded on while at the dock, but we never had that. The night time entertainment was, shall I say, not very good. The singing and dancing was very subpar. We saw a few shows and was not impressed, most of the audience that we could hear were making jokes about it. At one point it seemed like a Chip n Dales show. Although the comedian they had one night was funny, we enjoyed him. Dining was open, there wasn't a schedule like I've heard about on other cruises. The more formal restaurants were just show up and seat. Although the pay to eat restaurants you needed reservations. The bars were all friendly. Food was good. Ship was remodeled recently and looked well. The room we had was an outer room with a window, one of the larger square windows and not a tiny little porthole, it was nice. Cleaning crew was exceptionally friendly, I saw them every morning and the greeted us and asked if we needed anything special done. Now, the ports of call, they were all a bit ghetto. Norwegian seems to have their own docks and they are further ways than the other cruise lines. Some had a bit of a walk in Alaska, others had free bus rides to town. Exiting they always had the times posted when we would leave. I'll say ont he Norwegian Jewel, there is not grand entrance that you come into when you board the ship, you enter into he deck 4 where the staff and less expensive state rooms are at. I can't complain about the cruise itself. It was a joy. If I had to mention any negative, it would be two things. 1. the Wifi is absolutely HORRIBLE!! I can't state that enough. Even the WiFi that claims to allow streaming of videos is as bad as a dial up modem. It's not worth the enormous cost. 2. The charging of items. We had a credit applied to the account when we set sail, we charged a $20 item that was less than our credit, but the minute we added it, they debited our card $100!! We owed nothing yet they charged us for nothing. We had to fight with them on board about that. Outisde of the horrible wifi and the charging for nothing, it was a great experience.

Norwegian did it again. Wonderful vacation, food options, service, ports, and great company! Parking is a breeze with the parking garage right next door to the terminal. It's $22 a day and from start to finish we paid $154 for parking. Plenty of spaces to park in especially if you go higher up in the parking garage. Elevators aren't air conditioned though only down side. When you come on down to the luggage area, you're able to drop your luggage with a porter (don't forget to tip! These guys and gals work super hard!). From there you enter into the building and follow the signs up to the cruise check in. Be prepared they do scan your bags like they do in TSA, but they're much nicer than TSA. Once through security you check in to receive your badge and take a photo. Next is the gangway to the ship and photos! From there we were directed to our mustard station and then set free to explore, eat, and drink! Rooms weren't ready until closer to three. We were delayed due to medical issues for someone and left closer to six. Drinks on board were exquisite and most were under the $15 price for the "free at sea" promotion. Don't forget to try a bushwhacker if you like chocolately drinks! From top to bottom, the Encore is a beautiful ship that is well maintained and exquisitely decorated. The room was still spacious enough to have 4 people within and fit 4 people on balcony! Plenty of dining options to choose from and anything we were quoted for timing for dinner was longer than it was in reality! We'd be told it'd be 40 minutes until a seat opened up, but go to the bar and all of a sudden you'd be called! Service was on point for the most part (some nights were better than others). The racetrack and water slides were a blast! The racetrack while cruising was soooo cool! Would 10/10 recommend the Encore to anyone looking for an exquisite cruise! Choir of men was so much better than I thought it was going to be we ended up seeing it twice. The DJ was great but having only one DJ on board seems to limit the events held. However, the club at night was fun and great to hang out at. Going to the Local after the club was a blast to order finger foods to soak up all the alcohol. Overall it is a wonderful trip which I would highly recommend to anyone to try out!

As usual 0 stars would be more appropriate! Once again corporate America takes your money and then gives you the finger. I took out travel insurance with AON which is owned by or is a subsidiary of NCL. Had a shoulder operation in July and and booked a cruise for January in November when my doctor said I would be able to travel. Had another fall in early December while trying to clean my house that was flooded in the hurricane in the mountains of North Carolina. After MRI Dr. said I needed another operation this time a reverse shoulder replacement. NCL through their subsidiary denied my claim using false information! Cruised with them 3 or 4 times and this is the payback you get for your loyalty. Another typical corporation. Keep fighting the customer until they get tired of trying to get what they are entitled to by law! Incredibly egregious behavior. Incredible lies. Another cruise line scam to make more money for the CEO and the stockholders. I have a YouTube review of exactly the scam they are pulling on me. Can send the site if you are interested. Joelpergl1@gmail.com.

I thought I had found my favorite cruise line but I was so disappointed that I will not go back. Galveston port was a mess. Service on the ship was not what it was in the past. I was so upset that I couldn't even get a Diet Coke having to get after the bar tender. Food was not what it used to be. Organization on the excursions was chaos and we had one cancel but was not informed until the last minute and left with no other options. They made the mistake of letting Norwegian plan our flights. I believe a 10 hour layover and if I would have known what this was going to look like I would have planned my own flights. Live and learn and moving onto another cruise line that has a lot of great reviews from friends and family.

Long story short, always been a loyal customer of NCL, have taken over 10 cruises on NCL, usually travel with groups ranging from 6 to 68 passengers. Had a conflict with our most recent cruise, a Transatlantic this past November, there were 6 passenger, 2 of the passengers were given compensation yesterday (1/8/2025). When I called today to settle up as well, I was told after a 1 hour 28 minute phone call with Bryan that I would not be receiving any compensation, this was for the exact senerio that compensation was awarded to members of my traveling party. I am only 8 points from being a Platinum traveler with NCL and have purchased future cruise credits for close to $2000. So my advice to you is when planning your next cruise, do not choose NCL, loyalty is not something they seem to care much about!

Norwegian Cruise Line pressured me into booking a cruise. I was looking for information about a sailing and when I said I wanted to wait for presidents weekend for sales I was told the cruise will only be going up and to book now because of price drop match. My rep Michael Martinez who I thought was looking out for me was hard to get back in touch with. When I started to see the price drop I contacted him to look into this. Only to never be told that it is a one time credit. They said we have a $400 future cruise credit when the same room is almost $2000 cheaper than what I paid. We even got family to book the room and join us on the cruise and they got a substantial discount. I feel like the cruise line bullied me into booking now when they knew it was only going to decrease in price. When I call I am just told there's nothing they can do. No apology, just Rudely told "you will not be given any refund" Customer service was nasty, even the manager was nasty.

Nothing blissful abot NCL Bliss The cabin was standard, nothing special. The balcony was nice other than the family that were split up, one group on the left and the other on the right, me in the middle. They were talking over me between balconies. The included seated restaurants were ok, when you could get a table. The buffet was a dissapointing, the hot food cold, great way to get food poisoning. Some of the venues would remove the food prior to the listed rooms. Bars would be closed, they did not offer 24 hours of food and drinks. When going to shore, it was very disorganized. You had to go on the first bus or you'd lose an hour of sightseeing. Coming back from one excursion, we had to stand in the rain for over an hour to catch the bus to their new port 20 minutes away. We were shuttled from one port to another one, why? So they could bring in more ships at the same time. Service was below par, getting a drink at the bar was a fight. The activities team was less than helpful, they don't know the excursions so they can't recommend one based on what you like. They sell, sell sell and can't give you any assistance. I booked my excursions when I arrived at the port, they were better than the ones that NCL sells you and are half the price. You have to pay for everything extra. When they say all inclusive, they leave out the taxes when you are at port, the water you order for your cabin when I specifically asked my cruise coordinator if it was included with my package and he said yes. That was a lie. The restaurants where you have to pay were quite nice. The staff was more professional and the food was much better. Don't bother mentioning any issues to the staff or corporate, they do not care. Apparently they make enough money that one cabins complaint is not going to make a difference to their bottom line. Give your hard earned money to a company that cares about their guests.

Subject: Unjust Treatment and Lack of Compassion from NCL I am writing to express my utter disappointment and frustration with Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) over the handling of my recent booking. My wife and I had booked a cruise, fully paid at $7000, and were eagerly looking forward to our vacation. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, my wife fell ill and we had to cancel our trip. Despite our unfortunate situation, NCL displayed a shocking lack of compassion and understanding. Instead of offering us a cruise credit or some form of compensation, NCL decided to keep our hard-earned money for a cruise we never even embarked on. This is not only unfair but also unacceptable. It is deeply troubling to know that while NCL reported record profits this past year, they chose to prioritize their financial gains over the well-being and satisfaction of their customers. It seems as though our hard-earned money was more valuable to them than our loyalty and trust. I took the initiative to reach out to the board members and the CEO in hopes of finding a resolution. However, my efforts were met with indifference. It appears that NCL is more interested in maximizing profits than maintaining a loyal customer base by showing empathy and flexibility in challenging situations. Customer service was no help either. I was advised to cancel and then write to guest services to request a credit, only to be denied once again. This lack of transparency and willingness to accommodate loyal customers is truly disheartening. In conclusion, my experience with Norwegian Cruise Lines has been nothing short of disappointing and frustrating. I strongly urge potential customers to think twice before booking with NCL, as their treatment of customers leaves much to be desired.

Today, I received yet another call from a different PCC at NCLH and haven't even boarded a ship, yet I feel like I am already being nickeled and dimed. There is very little organization with their PCCs as one week you are assigned to one and another week you get a different one - no one POC. Cruising primarily with NCLH since 2015, they used to be a great mainstream line, however over the years, things are starting to decline: higher crew appreciation fees but less service (i.e., one turn down per day), employees that don't have the motivation to assist guests and mediocre food even at the specialty dining restaurants. Employees that I am friends with have mentioned the decline and the fact that things unforunately have taken a turn for the worst disheartens me. On my most recent cruise with them in 01/24, I had informed guest services that I wanted to disembark based on the experience I had before leaving PortMiami. I understood I would loose all funds, yet NCLH required me to stay on board against my will!? I did indicate this in my post cruise survey, but as always, they fail to follow up. Hint: as a major cruise line, consider responding to ALL online feedback. If you don't have the manpower, use AI - this goes a long way. Hopefully NCLH will take a look at their online presence (via YouTube, etc.) and wake up and consider making basic changes for both their staff and guests. If you don't treat your staff correctly, they have little motivation to extend great customer service to guests.

Worst cruise company by far. We have cruised many times, and with all the companies (spoiler: Royal Caribbean and MSC are the best). NCL is by far the worst. Not only are they the most overpriced in terms of what you get, but their customer service is quite simply awful and even more so for the higher price tag. We have an upcoming cruise to the Mediterranean and the Middle East. They are the ONLY company not giving the option to cancel and get a refund and still going to Egypt and Turkey. Royal carribean just switched their cruise to the western part of the Mediterranean to avoid a war area. But NCL finds it perfectly acceptable to frolick around and take selfies in a region that is unstable, angry, massively protesting, and near a war area. Government sites have advised to reconsider travel to these areas, but they find it okay to shove a bunch of resentful passengers and force them to do a cruise and have fun! Yay! Ridiculous. But hey, here's 200$ per room to spend ON the boat. Wow, AMAZING! Every single person I have told this to, be it family, friends, coworkers, and even acquaintances, have found this to be absolutely unacceptable and ridiculous. Is it their fault that there is a war? No. Is it their fault to completely not communicate, not offer future cruise credit, not offer later date sailing, or really any solution at all? Yes, 100% yes. Never again

Just got off the Norwegian Epic Ship 2/1/25. WROST SHIP DO NOT CRUISE ON THIS SHIP!!! something orange was spraying out of the engine stacks all over us. we were told to keep on drinks cover because it was a chemical coming from the engine !! Customer service sucked and entertainment!!!! DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY

NCL has given up on Customer Service apparently. Worst service ever. Did the "upgrade" thing as I have done in the past to get into Haven, and did not even get an email saying one way or the other. To make it worse, ran into someone on boat who bid way less than me and got in. Not only bad service but bad business decisions. 15th and last NCL cruise for me. Royal Caribbean, here I come.

I am currently on a two week NCL cruise to the Panama Canel, and it's the worst cruise experience I've ever had. We did an NCL cruise several years ago and it was great. They have gone downhill very dramatically. You can just tell everything provided is the cheapest they can possibly find, from the food, the bath soap, the drinks, the coffee, the toilet paper, to the entertainment. The towels are stained, the boat looks beat up. In addition, the average age on this cruise is about 80. I feel like we are in an assisted living facility. And to top it off, the excursions advertised by the cruise line are awful. In the Dominican Republic, the boat docks in a deserted area that is under construction and that has nothing whatever related to the actual culture or nation of the DR. We spent four hours waiting, being bused, waiting again, then a long boat ride just for two hours on a beach where we were asked to pay for the snorkling equipment (for a "snorkling excursion") and for drinks (both alchololic and not). This will be my last cruise for a long long time.

Cruise Dates: December 14-21, 2024 NCL Epic (FAILURE) Destinations: Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, Tortola & Great Stirrup Cay After being treated like utter garbage and getting food poisoned by the NCL Epic Thanksgiving of 2017 I reluctantly decided to give them another chance. HUGE MISTAKE! We stayed in cabin 11148 (balcony) a tight fit, no real walk-way, the toilet space is beyond tiny as is the shower (separate) and the sitting sofa is awkward making it useless to sit on. We did online check-in through NCL and picked our boarding time (12-12:30p), however when we arrived at the port, the line was past the security check. This line was merely for check-in to get a number to board in that group. The process to get a group number took more than 1 1/2 hour. The process to actually have your group number called to board took another hour. So what was the point in pre-registering and selecting a boarding time if we still had to wait in all these lines? Upon boarding we were unable to enter the room areas, even to locate your stateroom. The only thing we were able to do was check in at our Mustard station and get something to eat. Because we weren't able to go to our rooms until after 4p (3p is when we were supposed to gain access) and our luggage wasn't delivered until after 8p (7p was when it was supposed to be delivered) we were stuck trying to find somewhere to sit while we waited and because we didn't have access to our luggage, we were still in our travel clothing. Where we left was 32 degrees, FL was in the 70's so it was extremely uncomfortable. We were supposed to leave port at 4p, however we didn't leave until after 5:30p putting us behind schedule. To try and make up for this late departure, the Captain thought it to be a good idea to go full throttle into a storm. This caused the ship to rock heavily to each side making the majority of the passengers sick. At any given moment you would see vomit on the floor, people walking with bags, and some even had trash cans. The onboard store ran out of motion sickness medication. It was so bad! Despite the Captain's attempt to recoup the time lost, he was unable to make it to our first destination, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, however we weren't notified until the evening before we were to be there that they wouldn't make it and we would just have another glorious day at sea ! Thus the sickness continued so that the Captain could get us to St. Thomas on schedule. The onboard activities were less than. Typically there are multiple things to do at any given time and for someone of every walk of life. Here all there was was Trivia games, drinking, laying poolside, the spa or walking the ship. Beyond boring! Our cruise director was less than welcoming and catered to certain people and ignored or rolled his eyes at others. If you wanted to partake in one of their shows, you had to make reservations in advance (in the Epic Theater) or show up to the comedy/dueling piano show a minimum of 1 1/2 hour before the show was to take place to stand in line to get a seat. The majority of our time was standing in line, from the port, to boarding, for dining, to get drinks, to get on the elevator, to get off the boat, to get on the boat, for shows, for guest services, etc. Upon our arrival to Tortola it was raining, however NCL did not cancel our beach excursions, instead we were made to proceed or lose our money. Upon arrival at the beach, we then had to pay extra money to get a chair and umbrella to keep from getting soaked. This was a complete and total waste of money and time and NCL should have cancelled the beach excursions and allowed us to do something different. THEY DIDN'T! When the rained out excursion was complete and we were taken back to the port to board, the line was outside the port. Had we wanted to wander around downtown, we wouldn't have been able to because we would have missed the boat. This line took over an hour to get through port security, then walk the pier to the boat and wait in the line to physically board the boat. Almost 2 hours of our day just trying to get back on the boat, SMH! We were unable to take a tender at Great Stirrup Cay (private island) because they failed to PROPERLY inform ALL the passengers they were required to register with Guest Services if they wanted to get off the ship and go to the private island. Guest Services would then give you a group # and you would then go to the Manhattan Dining Room when it was called, wait, then board a tender. There were over 19 groups then "Free" boarding would happen, for those that were unaware of this requirement to register. Please note, announcements are not heard in the staterooms, you would be required to be in a hallway or public location to hear anything. Additionally, there was nothing mentioned or printed on the daily itineraries that are handed out the evening before. I kept every one of them in case NCL tried to lie.

I had a tough time deciding whether to give this a 1 or 2-star rating, as my cruise had its mix of good, bad, and downright awful moments. To provide some context, I've been on numerous cruises with different companies, mostly Carnival out of the U.S. and Costa Cruises in Italy. I was excited to finally try Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), which is often seen as a step above Carnival. While I've always enjoyed Carnival, it's known as the "Motel 6" of cruise lines--not the most luxurious, but not terrible either. The Good: My first impression of NCL was fantastic. The booking process was smooth, and their website was user-friendly, immediately giving them an edge over Carnival. When we arrived at the port in Greece, my positive feelings continued. The boarding process was well-organized with friendly, helpful staff. Despite somewhat long lines, the efficiency made it quick, and soon enough, we were sipping drinks on a beautiful deck. The NCL Getaway ship initially impressed me--definitely a step above Carnival, though not quite at the level of Costa. One major highlight was the staff, who were mostly cheerful, helpful, and friendly (though a few exceptions, which I'll discuss later). We also enjoyed the onboard musical, Million Dollar Quartet, which was top-notch, rivaling some of the Broadway shows I've seen. The Bad: Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse as the cruise progressed. The dining experience was one area where Carnival outshined NCL. The menu was mediocre, offering limited choices without the creative or gourmet flair I've experienced on other cruises. Carnival often features unique options like escargot, rabbit, or duck, but NCL's daily menu lacked any adventurous or exciting selections. As part of our package, we had reservations at two specialty dining restaurants: Ocean Blue and the onboard steakhouse. Ocean Blue was a major letdown--I ordered a tuna steak that came out overcooked and dry, a huge misstep for a dish that should be served medium-rare. The steakhouse was equally disappointing; it was so average that I had a better steak at one of the complimentary dining spots. The onboard activities were also subpar, with many being average or even below average compared to what I've experienced on Carnival. The Ugly: We had a few extremely poor customer service experiences that I've never encountered on any other cruise line. First, I purchased a communications package for everyone in our group to stay connected through NCL's app during the cruise. The app barely worked, and after waiting over an hour to see the technology manager, he casually told me they were discontinuing the app. He advised me to get a refund (which never happened), and we were left without a way to contact each other for the rest of the trip. This became a major issue when a family member got separated, and it took us hours of frantic searching on the massive ship to find her. My wife was in tears over the situation. Shockingly, the non-functional app package remained available for purchase throughout the cruise. If they knew it wasn't working, why was it even offered? Midway through the cruise, we were notified of a schedule change due to a marathon at our final port. We were told that if our excursion was impacted, we'd be notified. The change meant we'd leave our second-to-last port earlier to reach Lisbon before the marathon. Since this cut into our free time after an excursion, I went to the excursion desk to cancel, but they refused to refund me, resulting in over $200 wasted on unused excursions. The final unpleasant experience happened on the last day at the service desk. I requested a printout of our expenses and was met by a staff member in a foul mood. When I scanned my card, he rudely scolded me for "locking up his system." His attitude left me so shaken that I didn't even know how to respond. Looking back, I wish I had demanded a manager, but instead, I walked away feeling humiliated and vowed never to sail with NCL again.

This is the first of a multi-part review. We go on the cruise at the start of next week and I will cover the cruise itself separately. Instead, I am going to talk customer service. I cruised with another line before, but this is my first time with NCL. It was a bit more complicated, because 2 couples are cruising together and the 4th person was not sure he was going at first. This meant more phone calls and more questions. The first call seemed to go very well. We were advised that that we could add additional party members up to the last 24 hours before sailing at more more cost that it would incur to add them at the initial booking. This has held true. We chose a club balcony suite, which would accomodate all four of us, and the rep suggested that we get one that did NOT conjoin with another room. The reason was that the door was thinner than the wall and it could be noisier than a non-conjoining room. We liked this idea and asked for it. This will come up later as a pain point. We tried to make the payment but our bank rejected the payment and it was Saturday, after they closed. So, the rep agreed to call on Sunday to process the payment. This happened and all seemed settled. Fast forward, we got all parties added to the reservation, paid for it, and got an email with our stateroom. I was excited, so I went online and got a plan of the ship. And saw that the room conjoined another. I went onto the chat and asked if I was reading the map right, since we had been promised a non-cojoining room. The rep replied that she could not change that and directed me to call customer service. I pointed out that I had not asked her to and asked her to please confirm that I was reading the map right. She told me she had already done so, I told her she had not - she had implied it - and to please check her transcript. I did this because I have worked customer service for many years and communication breaks down on both sides. An answer like her sometimes means she didn't actually read and understand the question. Her reply (which I don't recall verbatim) felt like the equivalent of her hanging up. So, I called customer service by phone. This also didn't go well. She did confirm that I read the map right and started giving me reasons why the room wasn't as promised, and those reasons didn't match reality. She talked about us calling and changing the room. We had not done so. She seemed to finally hit on the real answer - the kind of booking we had didn't allow us to choose a room, even insofar as to choose on that didn't conjoined with another. At no point did she apologize for the miscommunication, error, or our experience. She did point out, a lot, that there were no rooms in our tier that she could change us to. I told her that it was, in absolute terms, a minor issue, but that it was happening at the beginning of my relationship with NCL. (Again, no apologies or empathy statements.) I asked if she could offer something to offset that error made by the initial rep and told her I was not looking for a change in room, since that was off the table. She put me on hold a while, saying she would check it out. She said we could go to the desk when we embark and see if there was a no-show with a room that did not conjoin, or we could wait until AFTER the cruise and contact a team that handles dissatisfaction. These did not seem to me to be customer friendly solutions. She could have offered a free meal in specialty dining, free photos, any number of mostly symbolic gestures intended to repair the breech in trust. She did none of them. It has left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I got another email from NCL recently and saw the room had changed. It said that we had been upgraded, but it was still a club balcony suite and the map showed it was still conjoining. It also said I had requested a salt free diet while on the ship. Going back a little. I found out that we can contact them about dietary needs, and had asked for eggs, dairy, and gluten accommodations, along with a few other medical related needs. They did a good job on this, BTW. We booked rather close to the date and we were past the deadline to ask for accomodations when we booked. Yet, they gave us all the info we needed. It boiled down to being sure to talk to the chef, the wait staff, and that we could get what we needed onboard. But, somehow, it showed up as salt free, not egg free. And, then there was the room question. So, with a feeling of dread, I called. The rep removed the salt free and told me to just not eat eggs. I didn't ask what I was supposed to do if they were an ingredient, because I still had to ask about the room and his (the rep) answer seemed a bit passive aggressive to me. The room was explained as a better version of the club balcony suite. So, I feel like the soft skills of NCL reps are poor. No apologies, some snark.

Please choose another cruise line. Over 40.000 revies and they are averaging about 3.4...........Keep reading A good friend of mine planned a great birthday celebration for one of our friends LM. We are all from LA and we live all over now. I was super excited about this trip! Then the unthinkable ....my job denied my request to be off. I sadly had to call the lady who had assisted us with all things NCL. It was an easy process. I made Katelyn aware that I would not be able to go on the cruise and she verified, my party, my name and last 4 digits of the card that I used to purchase the ticket. She stated that she would send me the confirmation via email................The trip was in November, and I am still awaiting that email. continued ................. I think you all can guess by now, I never received the refund either. My friend Nya took on the role of planning and coordinating the trip. She called me up and asked if I had received my refund. I told her no and she said I think the credit was issued t one of the girls that went on the cruise. It was discovered when she called to report a card that she lost. She said once they dock, her friend would forward me the money. Well after they docked Nya called me and said that her friend was unwilling to send me the money. She said the error was made by NCL, so they must correct it. She also stated that it was a credit card, so she does not have access to cash. Simple solution, reverse the credit card charge! I called NCL and explained the situation. Katelyn began to tell me that it is my responsibility to get the refund from Nya;s friend whom I have np relationship with. Having a credit card processing background, I advised Katelyn that all she needs to do is simply reverse the charges from her and issue me my credit. Needless to say, we spent way too much time on the phone with her repeatedly insulting my intelligence by telling me that the burden to get the money back was on me and I must go after her or my bank. She issued my refund to the wrong person, and I have to go after the person???? She stood firm and neither party budged. Katelyn insisted that I call the bank and continued to lie that this is how they have handled this type situation in the past. Against my better judgement, I disputed the charge with my bank, they issued a provisional credit, reached out o NCL and they did not honor what Katelyn told me and the bank took back the money. I called Katlyn only to hear her tell me the same old shit again. She stated that she would call Nya to get her friend's number (all which have nothing to do with me) This was the route after speaking tom her sup THERE IS NO WAY THAT THIS IS NCL POLICY! It is clear to me that she has really fucked up and is trying to do damage control. As of now I am still awaiting my refund.

NCL is great at the sales game but poor on the follow up. Net, there was a medical charge of +$8,000. The insurance was purchased and the (NCL) refuses to provide the necessary documents to file the insurance claim thus to date I'm out+$8,000. I've even written the CEO to unrequited satisfaction. It's been an incredible game of "hot potato". Also, lost and found is a misnomer! It's just LOST! I left some very expensive shoes and belt the suite. I realized immediately after I left the ship and asked the boarding agent to either allow me to return to my room or escort me to my room to which the denied. Supposedly the manager of that floor was contacted to no avail. The cruise It's self was mediocre at best. Food at even their most esteemed restaurant was average and expensive. For the record, this was the June 2023 sailing from Seattle to Alaska with a cursory stop in Vancouver.

I took a 3 day cruise on 8/2/24 to 8/5/24. I left a 12x16 bright orange back with AirPod, silver jewelry, iPhone charges and medicine. I wrote to them an hour after I left the port and they came back saying they never found my bag. That they will continue looking like if I lost an earring or something small. Very disappointed

An overall positive experience, I recently had the opportunity to go on cruise on the Norwegian Jewel from San Diego down to the Mexican Riviera. The thing that prevents me from rating this higher is the overall inconsistency between the different elements of the cruise. That is, even in the same categories, the level of service or quality would differ pretty wildly, here's some more details on each one: Food: Some of the best and some of the most bland food I've had on the sea. The specialty restaurants I tried, Le Bistro and Moderno Churrascaria had extremely delicious food and each item was prepared to perfection. In particular, the chocolate tres leches cake, pork belly, and roasted duck breast were absolutely fantastic. On the other hand, sometimes the food was a big miss even in Chin Chin, Azura, Tsar's Palace, and O'Sheehan's. It could be underseasoned, have underwhelming flavor combinations, or have meat that was cooked too rough. Other times, the food they prepared was very good (in particular for breakfast) and this would occur regardless of the theme and even within the same meal. The buffet was a bit of a letdown, as I've experienced great buffets on the sea before and the quality of the cooking was just alright overall and there wasn't a huge variation in the themes from day to day (the buffet is also not that large compared to other ships). Food is hard to rate here because it was still overall a lot more hits than misses, and the best food was really fantastic - but I just wish it was consistently always very good instead of somewhere between unappetizing to amazing. Entertainment: Overall very good. This is both true of the production shows and the performers in the different lounges. The singers are talented and performed with quite a bit of energy, with songs that I enjoyed and recognized (particularly when it came to Broadway/West End). The theater shows were executed very well and exciting with good pace and excellent performers. Since the Norwegian Jewel is a smaller boat, we didn't have giant productions available but due to the excellent skill of the cast in singing, dancing, and acting, I didn't mind it at all and didn't miss a single show. Ship: The boat that we were on was refurbished from a few decades ago so it was interesting. Since the design is older, it misses out on some of the modern designs with really cool features and placement of different amenities on the ship (and has fewer handicap accessible rooms I believe). On the other hand, the ship itself is quite clean and everything looks modern and attractive even if some of the systems on the ship may be a bit older. The staterooms are a fairly good size, though I'm not thrilled at the design of the one I was in (as it has the toilet at a diagonal) but I never felt cramped inside. I was also fairly happy with how stable the ship was as it didn't rock much at all (no issues with keeping balance at any time). The noise isolation was also quite good. I never felt too crowded on the ship even during the busiest times and the busiest areas (embarking and disembarking could always be improved though). Service: Fast, friendly, and professional, they answer quickly when asked and are very polite. This is true both of the dining rooms and any lounges that you're in. They also did a good job of following up with any inquiries or service requests. Excursions: Lots of choices available but i didn't love all the choices given. It could possibly be a post-pandemic issue though with some of the tours possibly not running anymore. The cruise line did do a good job though with coordinating with these services. Amenities: Overall, no complaints here. There's a lot to do onboard from getting into pools to going to the arcade to hanging out in the library. These are all maintained fairly well and there's lots of choices. There's also lots of activities available all throughout the day and the lounges that host them are all beautiful and maintained well. Overall, I'd like to try another cruise on this line though I'd probably look get on one of the larger and newer ships like the Prima, Bliss, or Viva as I definitely prefer the amenities available on those ships.

NCL frustrates the hell outta me at times but when aboard for most of the time it's really relaxing for us. If we want to sit on our balcony for a week or three and see few folks then we can. My wife and I do enjoy our own company and that's comin up to half a century. We do sleep better aboard ships than anywhere else. If we want company then it's here in abundance from guests to crew. This line has taken us to some spectacularly beautiful places and NCL is a part of creating great memories. NCL has a friends of Dorothy meet up most nights and it's a safe space for all of that community - a community my wife and I support any way we can. It's a community that we should not just love but apologise to for our shortcomings. We live in a small place riven by bigotry and we see first hand how such hate destroys not just those subjected to its emetic vileness but also those with warped minds that practice intolerance. Here it's religious based and it's so bad laws have been passed to protect victims. Anyway I could rant here about this for as much life as I have left and still not be done. Back to NCL. Our accommodation has always been very good and often great. Yes, it's a ship, so ya gotta adapt The food is usually fine and again can be really great. I am very fussy and I have demands. There are things I want and I want them cooked or served in particular ways. I'm not listing them here but when aboard I make clear with politeness and good grace what I want and 30 plus cruises in with this line it happens usually with a smile. The scale of the mega ship is boggling though. Once on the Epic the food & beverage guy said they served up around 30,000 meals and snacks a day. The downsides though are real overcrowding and nickel & dimeing that irritates even the wealthiest of guests. What makes it worse is NCL hq ignore complaints which really infuriates. I noted on our last NCL cruise back in February (23) that in some ports they either didn't serve alcohol or charged tax. Now to understand this there's two things: first most people have drink packages so they've already prepaid for the duration of the trip. The bill comes up zero. How can ya tax pre paid? This happened in almost half the ports we were in so 4 ports. To make it worse still the tax continues until international waters are reached so it took the ship 95 minutes to get there in February - it's not many miles 12 or less. So 95 minutes as I see it is a con on a huge scale. Secondly we've been in all 4 ports where these charges were imposed by NCL, including for a long period after cast off, with four other cruise lines: MSC, RCI, Virgin and P&O do not do this in any one of the four ports. Take Gibraltar which MSC took us too last November (22). All bars open all day. No issue. NCL 3 months later say they cannot serve alcohol until 6pm at night. Balderdash. Again I could go on but on balance we still enjoy NCL very much and we've figured work arounds to suit us but as we age overcrowding is no longer easy to cope with.

I booked 5 different staterooms on the NCL Aqua for 4 different households in our family. We were really looking forward to experiencing this new ship. Unfortunately, 2 of the parties are unable to make the trip, so we decided to cancel. When I filed the cancellation, 3 of the staterooms were refunded. 2 of them have not been. When I inquired as to why those 2 still haven't been returned, I was told those 2 rooms were booked under another "non-refundable" option. I did not ask, request, or approve of that. I would never book a cruise 18 months out for 4 different households without the security of the refundable deposit. When I have pressed the issue with them, they continually say those credits aren't refundable and I should have read the fine print more closely. That is fine, but the guy that booked my trip would not let me use my email address for all the rooms. He sure let me use my credit card for all 5 though. This caused me not to receive those confirmations. Why would I even need to look through all 5, when they should have been identical (outside of the number of people per room) to the confirmation I received on my own personal room. These guys are a bunch of uncaring crooks, and if you book with them, you deserve to get your money hijacked too. Never again!

I have never had bed bug bites in my entire 52 years of life until I went on a cruise on Norwegian Encore 5/28/2023 I found all these nasty looking bug bites on my body on the third day of cruise and when I went to the Guest Service Desk, they sent a Pest Control Director to my room. He found a male bug after conducting some search. Please see attached photos so you know what they look like. I was disgusted to hear from one of the staff that they now have to find a female bug so they don't lay hundreds of eggs! I am still dealing with these marks long after the cruise and probably will for many years. Half of my cruise was wasted because I was dealing with mental anguish, physical suffering and pain. And this is the part where I felt like I was insulted. They offered me a $100 credit on onboard expenses. After I elevated the issue, they offered me $400 credit towards future cruise which I will never take. Not with them again. This is hardly any compensation. Beware, these bed bug bites are a serious matter. They are like cancer, once found in a room, there is no telling how wide or deep they have spread or migrated to other rooms, you can only hope. I never thought I would be this unlucky one. Getting bitten is one thing but the lack of any real compensation from Norwegian is pretty shameful. I am sharing my experience to raise awareness and hopefully help others avoid this traumatic experience.

Do not cruise with this line. They charged me for things I did not get and I did a charge back and they fought it and I still had to pay it. Also, I was attacked by a passenger and he was kicked off the boat at port, but NCL banned me from future cruises even though I was the victim. If you were worried about your safety, do not sell with Norwegian Cruise lines.

Where do I start. Maybe the good things. The restaurant O'Sheheen's food was pretty good and the only ok place to eat. Great menu. Disembarking was simple. Thats all! The remaining comments are bad from start to finish. The boarding was easy, but the staff was rude, unconcerned and uncaring. Once on the ship, no guidance or assistance as to our next move. We found out the next day that we were suppose to "report" to our muster station. The room was like a room in a horror film. Maintenance wise it was unkept and old. The TV was a 13" or 15" that you could only see if you viewed it straight on or otherwise very dark and unwatchable. The bed was harder than the floor, so we asked for an egg crate mattress pad and the steward said ok. He placed a mattress cover on the bed. LOL. The shower had turn around only shower stall (ver cramped) and the water was never steady (hot, cold, hot, cold) The water closet/toilet room was cramped and small. The designer should have been fired and jailed for fraud. The bathroom sink is in the middle of your room! You heard that right! In the middle of the room. We had a drink package but had to PAY for bottled water.! Over $5.00 a bottle. That leads me to the nickel and diming you to death! EVERYTHING costs and was OVER PRICED! The staff was SLOWWWWWW! Expect to wait at least an hour for service, IF you can find it. Especially the bar service. Good thing (maybe). You will sober up between drinks. Announcements!!! All the time and repeatedly and very long. SHUT UP PLEASE! We are on vacation. I could care less about you announcing the weather while I am out on the deck and what is happening every minute, That is what the daily paper tells me. I am not paying $5.00 a bingo card for a $50.00 prize. Really? Entertainment? The comics were not funny at all. One just talked to the audience. Never a joke. The singers and dancers? There is an old saying in the entertainment business. Cruise ships are where careers go to die to go after dying. They proved that wrong. They never had a career before the cruise ship. There talent recruiter should be fired yesterday. DO NOT waste your money or time on the "specialty restaurants." What a joke. But, the entire cruise was a joke. Best part? The islands. So, we could leave the ship and enjoy our "cruise." This was our first NCL cruise. We are One and Done. Lastly, We actually had it great. My sister's room was worse and the toilet over flowed twice, and that was the good part. Compensation for her? Free dessert! I didn't know we paid for desert. (Of which she never received.) Last thought. they know it is bad, when they do not even send (email) you a survey request after your cruise. Waste your money on a different cruise line.

My wife & I are 72 and saved for 5 yrs for this bucket list cruise. The NCL agent was very convincing when it came to all the Excursions. We didn't really like the cruise but the excursions would make it. * Upon arrival to the cabin The Behind the scenes tour for the 2nd day at sea- was CANCELED * The next day, at sea, my wife became extremely seasick. They refused our insurance and RIP-OFF of $2,500 in medical costs. $2,500 * Sitka, The Sitka Culinary Adventure CANCELED * Best of Skagway Railway- False advertising... hill billy theater, overcooked rainy meal followed by the Red Onion Saloon- a glass of watery champagne and short tour of the 2nd floor and goodbye (5 minutes). There was no dancing, no barmaids, in fact, there wasn't even a place to sit and no time to get a drink as we were rushed on the bus; and finished off, with the train ride. False advertising * Helo and Glacier walk- this was to be the highlight. Ah, but when we arrived on the pier and prepared to board the bus CANCELED * NCL guide directed us to The Mountain Tram- bought tix, got to the front of the line CANCELED * We the had a special side tour planned for the town of Ketchikan- but NCL decided to cancel the port- CANCELED * Last day at sea...we had pre-paid and booked a couples salt massage. The receipt stated PAID IN FULL COUPLES MASSAGE. We arrived told that your system had an error and and we owed another $298. We refused to pay CANCELED. * Finally, I have looked over all of the advertising for the cruise and excursions and no where does it say that there is a possibility of 50-70% cancellation of our excursions, if it did we would have booked another cruise line. We paid over $350 for unlimited internet for my wife, which worked only 25% of the time but when it did, you couldn't stream, and emails took forever to load. When we asked Guest services about it, they stated, "Sorry, the weather is affecting it". So while we were in the towns we noticed that 1/2 of the stores were closed. We finally started asking the locals what was that all about. They stated I quote, "This is the time of year that the vendors close up for the winter...beginning Sept 15th. After that it is straight rain and cold." The next shop owner stated, "I don't want to be open but NCL decided to extend the season, into our rainy cold time of the year. I want to close up but I can't". And finally this from a large two shop owner...."We have petition the cruise ships to end the season (as in the past) on September 5th because of the weather. In fact, the cruise lines admit, there will be 40-70% cancellations on the excursions...but the passengers still have their cruise. So too bad." We wrote NCL and they responded "Whats the problem, you got your money back...but we will give you an on board $75 credit for a future cruise". No apology! No we will investigate. No addition compensation. Nothing.

I wanted to leave a review here out of frustration with the process of booking a cruise with NCL, although based on these reviews it does not seem that Norwegian cares much about customer experience anyway. I booked a cruise with them for Greek isles and turkey over 6 months ago. My wife is a quadriplegic and uses a wheelchair and the flights were included as part of the booking. At the time of payment, when we were contacted for the flights by Norwegian, I explained the situation and that my wife would require a seat with me next to her and somewhere towards the front of the plane due to her lack of mobility. They assured us that we would be accommodated if we paid an extra fee to have the ability to choose our seating. I reiterated that she had specific requirements and it was especially important due to the fact it was a transatlantic flight. They told me once the flights were booked we could contact the airlines and change seats and do whatever we needed to. Fast forward, once we had confirmation and called the airlines, we were told any changes had to go through Norwegian. Calling Norwegian, we were told any changes would need to go through the airlines. After hours on the phone over multiple days with both the airlines and Norwegian, we had enough. Our return flight the seats met our requirements, but the flight there we were not sitting together and were in the back of the plane. Out of frustration, I just booked my own airfare for our outgoing flight. A week before the cruise, I told my wife we should let them know that we cannot make our flight. We called the airline and were told we had to call Norwegian. When we called Norwegian they told us that we had to show up for our original flight or it would cancel our return flight. The only flights available were now $4500 (over twice of what it would have been if we booked our own flights initially.) I called Norwegian to explain the situation. They told me "too bad, it's in the fine print." I escalated to a manager... same answer. They would not budge, they would not offer any excursion credits, nothing. I understand the cancellation issue was in fine print, but I never would've booked through them in the first place except I was assured that I could make whatever changed to seat selection and class that I wanted after the flights were booked. This is a horrible example of customer service, and I am fortunate that I am able to afford this additional price to get home. My advice is to never book airfare through Norwegian as they will tell you whatever they need to over the phone, only to claim their fine print says something else. The main reason I booked a cruise in the first place is for accessibility for my wife, the fact they show now sympathy here is sickening. I will never cruise with them again and would advise others to not cruise with them either.

i purchased a cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines and they sold me travel insurance and explained that it was a great ideal in case of something happening to prevent you from taking the trip. The insurance is provided through a company owned by Norwegian. My wife fell three weeks before our trip and broke her arm high up near the shoulder, it could not be cast and she was told to keep it immobile for the next eight weeks. when we canceled our trip the insurance denied our claim stating it was not covered because of a preexisting condition. This is ridiculous and should have been covered hassle free. Norwegian Cruise Lines sells this insurance and offers you a 75% credit on your next cruise of what is not covered by insurance, so ready they are stealing 25% of what you paid for your trip plus the money you paid for the insurance. My experience tells me that NWC LInes is scamming its customers, beware. Denver Wolford

I'm not normally a complainer, typically try to be positive ... we've been with NCL since 2010 and this has been an awful cruise (Breakaway, 5/26). I was pissed about missing Tortola, resulting in ANOTHER overcrowded at sea day. Went up to H2O and stepped on broken glass in the grotto... glass from the tile walls... We had the waterfalls and buggy excursion planned & paid for, no warning on the 30 min hike nor info about not having any surgery within the last 6 months. So we didn't get to do waterfalls. Waited on our group to come back only to find out the buggies were overbooked and we couldnt ride and make it back to the boat on time. WHY does this ship close down at midnight?! We had a birthday group of 12 and I'm pretty sure this is their first & last with NCL. No towel animals either...

Before the cruise customer service was great. Once you get on the ship the customer service was terriable. Guest services was rude and bot helpful. Avoid NCL.

If I could give less stars, I would. The service crew was great! No complaints. We went on 14 day cruise thru French Polynesia to Hawaii. No Internet service . Virtually zero TV reception. Constant freeze up. And the best part, being lied to the entire time about all of it. TV ended up breaking , security called to look at it and take statement. It just broke, no statement. He tells us it looks internal, then reported that he suspected a fight. We are best friends for 30 years. No fight, brother. We were informed by guest services of this. Needless to say, on top of everything else, we are just pissed. Then was informed that Internet is now working. Last day and in Hawaii. Who gives a shit now?? Then my friend went to brush her teeth and this is the water... . Never again. Tons of extra charges that we were a assured that were prepaid, and just and overall sea of lies and deception. I'm telling you, don't do it.

I just got back from an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian encore. The ship itself was really a lot of fun, the food was very good, customer service was very good however... At the end of the cruise when you get the final bill, mine was considerably higher than my nieces, who also shared the same room with her own credit card. The problem lies that when we ordered anything on the ship, whether it be drinks or activities, they would ask for the room number instead of asking for the actual card, and since I'm the one that was on the room first everything went on my card. In the end, it was impossible to figure out who owed what so therefore pretty much everything got charged on my card and I had to end up paying it (which was several hundred dollars $$$ over and above what it should have been). I've let my travel agent know of this problem.

I am a Platinum member with Norwegian and usually enjoy the onboard experience but have a problem with Norwegian consistently changing the itinerary after final payment. This has happened on five cruises with Norwegian where they have dropped ports and significantly modified itineraries after final payment just so they can slow the ship down and save money on fuel. You must sign a waiver stating they can change whatever they want whenever they want to, but itineraries are changed extensively with dropped ports, always after final payment, which is a pure bait and switch by Norwegian which I consider fraudulent action. I will no longer sail on Norwegian due to these constant itinerary changes.

We were on a cruise that broke down in Barcelona. We received a 50% off future cruise saying our ship broke down on the way to Barcelona AND we were told to find our own way home or our own way to our ending port 5 days early. This cruise credit was good for 24 months. But covid happened. They WILL NOT extend this credit again. And we must use asap. Well, with respiratory issues I don't feel safe traveling overseas until next summer and they will not extend it. I am so disappointed with NCL and unless they can extend this credit to summer 2023, NCL has lost us as customers/passengers. Which is sad because in 2024 we were going to have 40+ pax (of friends and family) join us on a Caribbean cruise. Look like we will be going through another company.

NCL Epic ship is terrible...old and cabins are terrible set up! Norwegian booked our flight, going there SF to Canada to Rome that was okay seats could not be picked prior to getting to airport!!!!! Flight home Rome to North Carolina plus four hour layover then to SFO Seats on 3 our 4 flights NOT together ADDING an additional 11 hours to our trip!!!! Never let them book your flights

I've been on two cruises on Norwegian and the last cruise a few months ago was not better than the first one years ago. The cruise was a chartered music one. Upon getting onboard, there was little welcome like the previous cruise. Compared to other cruise lines, the food options are the worst. It's as if they make the free options terrible so you have no choice but to pay for the other dining options. When my husband asked for a steak knife in the dining room, they gave him a regular knife that you would use to butter your bread as that was the one he already tried. The steak was terrible. The pizza wasn't unappetizing, and the buffet food looked like it was sitting too long, some trays were empty, and it was like a scavenger hunt to try and find decent food. The Chin Chin restaurant had a decent menu but the taste of the food was not good. The Italian restaurant was good but the menu lacked variety. The Teppanyaki was my favourite meal but it was pricey. The food was delicious and filling and service was great. If only every meal was as good. The service was poor. I had an issue with the spa and spoke with the spa manager and guest services and they didn't resolve the situation. The guest services staff even said to me, you should have spoken to the spa manager. I said, that wasn't offered to me and the person at the front desk told me what she could offer me. It was frustrating dealing with most of the staff. Our stateroom attendant was nice but you could tell he was tired as this was his last contract before retirement. I lost a spoon that he must have thought was from the ship. The nicest crew were in the gift shop but even talking with them, they told me that Norwegian is one of the worst cruise lines in how they treat their crew and I believe them. I would never take a cruise on this line unless it was for a special cruise and then I would suffer to enjoy the entertainment.

Disappointed with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) (EPIC ship) Reasons listed below: 1. We paid for shuttle service from the airport to the ship. We didn't know we would also be responsible for taking out bags from baggage claim walking a couple blocks to the bus. Has to wait for our bags to be loaded then when we got to the ship we had to take our bags from the bus to the ship luggage area. If I was to do it again I would have hired a taxi! 2. Our room wasn't cleaned properly. There was dust on the counters, someone's dirty laundry in the basket under the sink, and crackers on the patio. 3. The maintenance of the ship doesn't match 3 star hotel standards, The tub plug is damaged, lots of scratches on the tub, garbage can looks like it's been in a few storms.... Missing piece of wood on the cabinet. 4. I asked housekeeping to clean our room and they took my personal pillow case from the room. When we called about it they said they would look into this and get back to me. I'm Still waiting to hear back from them.... 5. There is only outlets for our own electric appliances. The one is specifically for razors by the sink the other two are under the TV. Nothing has been updated so make sure you bring a power corer if you plan on bringing your phone, watch, ear phones, sleeping machine etc. 6. Our very first shore excursion and we had to cut it 20 min shorter and we're rushed at the first stop because we had to go back and pick up a passenger that couldn't make it to the meeting place on time. 7. We are paying good money for this ship and the service has been terrible so far. But it can only get better from here. This is only day 2 of 11 days I hope our service improves.

My review on Norweigan is pending. We have to reschedule our trip. This review is on AON insurance, which Norweigan offers. Avoid this company at all cost. They do NOT honor claims. Even with medical documentation provided. It was going to be my family's 1st cruise and it's been one horrible experience. We are out over $1500. Do not buy AON insurance. They even had a class action lawsuit related to this type of fraud. Look for another provider. We will be using a travel agent from now on. It's a shame that these companies are out here preying and scamming people. I've read quite a few cases where people were taken for their money like us. It's not right. It's just not right. Hopefully this will help others avoid being scammed by this company. BUYER BEWARE!

Cruise price advertised: $738 Gov port tax/fees: $308.41 Bev Svc charge: $218 Dining svc charge: 11.80 After cruise charges on my credit card: Service charge (room and ship housekeeping): $200

Booked a cruise to Mediterranean for daughter and I. Purchased $ 878.00 in Insurance. A pre-existing minor vascularnproblem became worse. Canceled and was told I needed physician excuse which I obtained. The issued refund at 90 % for credit only. Terrible to work with, no empathy, very poor in explaining things. Greedy company. Do not use them.

I booked a cruse on the NCL GETAWAY for 4/29/24 for a repositioning cruise now I'm being scammed if I want to use a sauna I will be charged $50 per day if I want to get off the ship first I have to pay extra if I want coffee early I will be charged extra if I want too take a tender into port early I will pay extra I am being nickeled and dimed I took a Royal Caribbean cruise last year and all these things were included I am sorry I am going on NCL I will review after cruise Michael I fort lee nj