Norwegian Cruise Line
84 reviews
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- Third Party
Terrible Cruise Line! Never again! The administration is absolutely disgraceful with zero care factor for their passengers on board the employees at the guest desk are dismissive because they cannot solve any issues or make any decisions to assist the passengers. The food was ok, the wait staff all over the ship are exceptional. I'm not sure if all Cruise lines are like NCL but this one has turned me off Cruising for good! Show details
This cruise felt more like a checklist of missed opportunities than a memorable travel experience. While Tasmania is known for its natural beauty, the stop at Burnie was completely underwhelming, with little to nothing to justify it as a cruise destination. Similarly, Picton offered minimal to no engaging experiences. Travellers don’t spend… Read more
thousands to “just get off the ship”—they expect destinations that offer something unique, immersive, and memorable. Visiting a basic local market or staring at a beach is not an experience; it’s a filler.
The itinerary felt poorly curated, with ports that added very little value to the overall journey. A cruise should be about discovery, not simply ticking off locations that lack substance.
Unfortunately, the onboard experience didn’t compensate for this either. No crew members stood out, and the cruise director team was particularly disappointing. There was almost zero interaction with guests—they seemed consistently disengaged or simply unavailable. A cruise relies heavily on its energy and hospitality, and this felt noticeably absent throughout.
To make matters worse, the daily service charge of approximately $20 per (USD) person felt completely disconnected from the level of service provided (added another $1000 AUD to our expense). While such charges may be standard in the industry, this felt more like an automatic deduction than something earned. Transparency at the time of booking is essential, but more importantly, the service should actually justify the cost—which, in this case, it did not.
Overall, this cruise lacked in the areas that matter most—engaging destinations, meaningful guest interaction, and value for money. With better planning, stronger leadership onboard, and a focus on real experiences rather than convenience stops, this could have been a completely different journey.
On the Norwegian Encore, played blackjack with the King’s Bounty side bet in their casino. Rules were printed in two places largely on the table. The side bet pays 1000:1 for two kings of spades versus the dealer’s blackjack. I bet $15 (maximum bet of $100 is allowed), hit the long shot, and they only paid me $5,000. The Pit Boss said it was… Read more
“their policy.” No reasonable person would ever know that, especially with all the rules and payouts printed twice on the table. Very unjust and intentionally misleading.
Reviews with attachments
- +1
We just come off a cruise with NCL it was the worst cruise ever, there was a petition started and received 500 signatures. We were issued a case number. Apparently nobody works in complaints because even after all the emails and phone calls they have still chosen not to respond. Do not go on NCL unless you have money to waste Show details
Norwegian prima review – Overall the cruise was great . fantastic itenerary.beautiful ship .great friendly staff On the down side .beachside bar and grill was too busy .could never get a seat . Also we had an incident where I got a shave and callogen treatment from the onboard barber .who cut my chin which wouldn't stop bleeding which made me miss a tour .I asked for… Read more
refund on tour $800 Australia dollars The lady at tour desk on prima was rude and wouldn't refund unless I got a DRS certificate of the ships DR This ruined our trip .The attitude and lack of care of the situation. Also everything quite expensive.eg haircut 79 US dollars Then they are always trying to sell you something especially in day spa
First of all the ship was leaving from a different port than originally advertised and there was no update given to the new location either by email or text. Many complaints. If you go to the Doctor in the Cruise it is around $USD 600 per hour. So people were just sitting outside the Doctors door throwing up because of the cost. If you fly on a… Read more
plane and have an issue the staff will look after you at no cost. Not on a Cruise. The food was not good quality, everything was bland and some food was past it’s used by date.
This was 2 weeks past its used by date. We started sailing on the 17/01/26 Not sure about the Cooked food being past its used by as off course we didn’t get to see the dates on that but certainly quite tasteless. And every day the food seemed to be the same or recycled. I spoke to people from Africa, America, China Filipino, Jamaica England and they all said the same. One person went and had Fish and Chips at the Taste Restaurant on board and had to cut the Fish with a knife as it was that tough. This bread which was served with the soup was definitely reused it was hard like a rock. There was a door banging the first night when we were trying to sleep so we told the housekeeping if they could check the empty rooms and find the door and close it please. 3 days later I asked again as the problem had not been fixed, he told me he reported it to be fixed, well into our 6th night the door was still banging so I called reception it took 30 minutes for someone to come and it was the housekeeping Supervisor who should of come the first time we complained, he now heard the noise and apologised. But couldn’t fix it so offered us a new room.
- +2
Having spent a short time on the Norwegian Sun - I would strongly advise against choosing this ship. From the moment we started to board it was like “amateur hour” with no clear process and endless lining up for hours. The boarding process was a “free for all” and scheduled checkin times totally ignored. Once on board is where the real… Read more
disappointment sets in….. its clear the ship is old with outdated technology and although NCL claim a refit in 2021 - I don’t think is was much more than a quick paint and new curtains.
When you get to your room it’s quicker to point out what actually works than try and highlight the issues individually. Power points are old technology and do not cater for usb, usc or anything remotely modern - and of course some don't work. (They have not heard of streaming).
Despite advertising that bathroom supplies were provided- we had no soap or shampoo and had to visit the overpriced convenience store on board so we could get supplies.
The Starlink satellite service they promote widely as “state of the art” - only works some time and is hopeless if you need regular wifi. The internet plans are time based and when you loose your connection you continue eroding your time limits while you try and re connect so you can log out - this is just another NCL rip off and totally unreliable!
The television service in the room is equally outdated - apart from the direct cable channels streamed directly by the ship (mostly advertising) you rarely get connected to anything via their satellite connection (in 24 hours our satellite options lasted about 15 minutes). This leaves you with a couple of very outdated movie channels playing kids movies.
The single biggest concern is the room air conditioner which cannot be turned off. It’s loud and blows cool air continuously and is centrally controlled so if you plan on sleeping then this will definitely affect your trip. They claim all units are “individually controlled” - but thats another inaccurate as the wall control only adjusts the fan speed. The ships engineer explained to me the central unit services all cabins so the air is shared via a central shaft - it's no wonder so many people get sick on these boats.
We had a full drinks package and meal package and were surprised to find we had to pay to get a coffee or bottle of water. Alcohol was free but coffee had to be paid for …. another classic NCL rip off….
Finally the staff - most of the hands on team (wait staff or housekeeping) try to assist and do their best - but it’s hard to “polish a turd”. The managers or customer service personnel we approached really had no interest in our concerns and took no action to assist. The internet technician was just rude.
Overall it’s just a huge disappointment …. From the moment you arrive they are trying to hit you at every point with new charges for sub -standard over priced facilities. Unfortunately we have a week to go before we can enjoy our land content holiday in Fiji...
Do yourself a favour and avoid the Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Cruise Line - it is terrible.
Latest follow-ups
This cruise was booked in January 2025 through Luxury Escapes. I was due to board the Pride of America on 2 August 2025. On 23 July 2025, my father entered into palliative care after suffering from a stroke. On 24 July 2025, I provided NCL via… Read more
Luxury Escapes a medical certificate from the treating doctor advising them about my father's condition, my role as a carer, and the fact that I was unable to travel due to the circumstances. My father later died on 25 July 2025. Despite these occurrences, NCL refused to provide any form of compensation or refund. This is not how a company in this position should treat their customers. Disgusted and appalled at their heartless and unethical response.
Follow-up · Ultimately, I would have expected a NCL credit that could only be used for another NCL holiday. At a minimum, a refund to cover our unused alcohol package, food, and gratuities. Luxury Escapes attempted to obtain a full refund or credits, but this was flatly refused by NCL. The cancellation policy was only highlighted to me after the death of my… Read more
Also, I have not received any response from NCL. But after reading the complaints against them, I… Read more
Positive reviews
Perfect cruise! Best experience!! – I recently enjoyed a 9day cruise of the Greek Isles & some Italian ports. From start to finish, our experience was fantastic. 4 of us flew from Melbourne, Australia to Rome, Italy via Doha, Qatar & as soon as we boarded the ship, the staff were so helpful. The trip exceeded my expectations in all areas - entertainment, dining, activities,… Read more
accommodation, guest services..... I am looking forward to booking again with NCL & the 4 of us are planning another trip.
AWESOME – We cruised on the Norwegian Epic as few years ago from Rome 7 days around the Mediterranean Sea. What a wonderful experience. Had a balcony stateroom which was larger than normal (in other cruise lines). The bed was so comfy too. Food was exceptional with many choices & signature restaurants as well. Ports of call were fantastic.
The Best Cruise Line Ship We Have Been On – We were on the "Norwegian Spirit" in late November 2017, the booking was made in Australia, everything was easily sorted out before we left Australia. We had a flight to Rome, accommodation was all arranged, together with transfers from Airport and to cruise terminal. The embarkation was well organised, and did not take a long time. We were soon… Read more
in our Balcony room, which was larger than we had on other ships, even the toilet and shower was larger than we expected.
The Windows Dining Room was spectacular, beautiful, the meals were very nice, and the staff onboard could not have been more helpful.
When we went to places in the Greek Islands, where the ship was unable to go alongside, they did not mess about with the ships tenders, they hired large boats from shore that carried about 200 passengers, and these boats went back and fore all day, no waiting to get ashore, almost walk on and away.
The price was no more expensive than other Cruise Lines, but we were given a Full Beverage Package, $200.00 room credit, and 250 minutes of WiFi free. The cruise was beautiful, and the Greek Islands are just like pictures, certainly a sight that should not be missed.
Negative reviews
Norwegian Cruise Lines is absolutely the WORST cruise line I have EVER dealt with. I have gone on 10 cruises with Holland America, Viking, Princess, and Carnival-NCL was the pit. Norwegian has the worst food and worst service personnel I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. We had mediocre food, terrible coffee, expensive Wi-fi, and… Read more
horrendous service… details below. Do NOT ever use this cruise line. There are so many, many wonderful options out there. As an experienced cruise person, I guarantee you can do better than NCL. First, on the Viva ship, there is the smallest buffet on the top deck that I have ever encountered on a large ship. Instead of offering food on both sides, they used the other side for a paid dining experience that is only open at night. This means that you cannot find seats once you've FINALLY gotten your food out of an extremely crowded line. You have to carry your food to a separate dining area far away from the buffet. This is a terrible design, made only to earn them extra money at a paid venue. The food was mediocre in every venue. The coffee was terrible unless you paid to buy Starbucks at exorbitant prices. Secondly, we paid for four expensive excursions- all of which showed up on our credit card statement well in advance. When we get onboard, our tickets said we only had 3 excursions. I didn't realize it had been sneakily refunded to me a few days before travel. When I went to get help, they told me it was sold out. I showed them my receipt from them, and they told me that my credit card must have been denied. It was not, but with restricted Wifi, I used all of my free Wifi looking that up. Their response was a typically generic one I encountered often onboard… they offer no real help and only canned responses. I found that they had taken our money, refunded it at the last second, and raised the price of the excursion to almost double. When I argued, used all my free Wifi to find proof, and was finally let on the excursion, I had to pay the double amount to go. Not only that, they were extraordinarily rude about it. Third, on one excursion on Rhodes, we arrived at the bus halfway through the excursion ON TIME after going to the restroom, to find that it had left. The ‘Let’s Take a Selfie: Rhodes’ departed BEFORE the assigned time and apparently without checking a roster. I was flummoxed… we had to flag down another bus who kindly let us stand up on their full bus to get back to the port. I got no refund or apology. When the guide saw us in Rhodes, she said they “must have counted wrong.” No apology from her or from the cruise line. It was scary, shocking, and just unbelievable. Fourth, the Wifi was also extremely expensive.
Just finished third cruise with NCL this time on NCL Pearl in September for a cruise in the Adriatic Sea. The quality of product and service has significantly declined in the last 7 years. On this cruise the food provided in the Lido and Dining Room 90% of the time was poor quality and, in some instances, inedible. In the dining room they had a… Read more
statement on the table number stand, “No one does dining like Norwegian”. This advertising is correct because every other cruise line provides are far higher quality of dining product. The entertainment provided was mainly amateurish and low quality. Disembarkation at the end of the cruise in Piraeus was a debacle with little organisation which resulted in a very frustrating experience when it took 30 minutes to walk the last 20-25metres to the gangway. NCL seem to be cost cutting on product and service but have increased the cost of a cruise. There are far better cruise lines at a more affordable price. Providing feedback or contacting customer service will result in a general response intended to appease but does not respond to the specifics of the feedback or complaints.
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This cruise was disappointing in many ways My inside room was quite good but was not cleaned properly during the cruise. As a seasoned musician I was amazed at the poor standard of the musicians. I was on a twelve night cruise from Iceland to New York and only 2 movies were screened. The food at all the outlets was quite bad and a lot of the food… Read more
was below par taste wise and most of it was served well below food safety temperature. I should know about this fact as I have worked many years in hospitality and teach food safety courses for the Australian government. The staff were polite, under trained and not able to answer most questions. I do not recommend this cruise company.
Recent reviews
Worst cruise out of 10 . Entertainment was ordinary with insufficient seating for passengers. Alcohol duty free and pharmacy prices triple costing , ship was dated and dark. Left small bag of imitation jewellery behind and they requested aus$450 for return by Post without warranty . Absolute scam.wasnt able to access 300 mins of internet Which… Read more
was included and to top it all, 3/4 of passengers contracted a virus . A Floating captive audience disaster. Never will cruise with ncl again. First and final.
Update on communication with ncl asking for clarification on return of items which they notified … Read more
Longtime NCL cruiser and recently had a horrible experience with booking our next cruise. Spoke to multiple reps and supervisor who couldn’t/wouldn’t help, emailed all of upper management and support - no responses from anyone. Here’s what happened…went through the whole booking process, selected credits ($100 loyalty and 3 $250 CruiseNext… Read more
credits), was happy with the price, completed payment. Thought all was good and grand…nope. Got an email that 2 of the CruiseNext credits couldn’t be used and we owe $500 more to complete the booking. It’s not our fault the website allowed us to select 3 (mind you we had more than 3 CruiseNext credits available and it didn’t allow more than 3 to be selected)…we figured if it allowed us to select AND go through the whole process, AND MAKE A PAYMENT, that is the amount we would need to pay. Seems like a bait and switch scheme and the lack of support is incredible given all the other cruise options out there. I’ve requested a refund of all our CruiseNext credits because after this experience we don’t plan to cruise with NCL ever again.
Caught Covid on the 4th day on this hospital ship .The food at best was cafeteria grade.Ports we wanted to visit were cancelled without reason.overbooked shore exercusions and generally every time you breathed it was an extra cost .Absolutely rubbish holiday better of sitting in yr local pub
We left New York on 31st March and ended up with TEN days at sea. We had port cancellations with no logical or viable reasons given. Bermuda, The Azores and Lisbon, Portugal were the start and then the replacement port of Funchal was cancelled also due to having to offload a medical patient. The ship itself was overcrowded. They… Read more
may have had the cabins for everyone, but when it came to food and entertainment, the queues were sooo long and sometimes we ended up going without. If we could get something to eat, there was nowhere to sit down. They had about 1,000-1,500 too many people on board for the 'services' provided. If you had anything to ask the Guest Services and it was negative, time and time again we saw them just stand and stare at the passenger with no answers. We were travelling to the Mediterranean and when we got to our first port of call of Majorca, there was a huge rush to get off the ship. I think it was their relief just to stand on dry land. The general entertainment was weak. Two exceptional shows - The Dutch Tenors and the host ship group, The Epic Beatles. The rest were very unexceptional. The food was good and the bar staff and housekeeping were great. The rest were very rude and didn't seem to care about passengers concerns. We will never travel on ANY Norwegian ship again, as I believe management was where the problems stem from. I don't want to chance another disaster at sea.
Most horrible, money grabbing company . Rude , uncaring staff. This corporation really gives corporate America a bad name. Norwegian government and its citizens should protest that such a dreadful company uses their name .The CEO and all the stuff at Miami headquarters should be ashamed of themselves.But they are not. Because they are a .................! Show details
A Cautionary Tale: My Unsuccessful Experience with Norwegian Cruise Line We booked what we thought would be an unforgettable 12-day Asian cruise aboard the Norwegian Spirit, sailing from Hong Kong to Taipei. Excited about our journey, we purchased excursions at every port stop and prepared ourselves for a memorable vacation. What Happened? On the… Read more
day of embarkation in Hong Kong, after checking in our luggage and receiving customs cards, everything seemed normal—until it wasn’t. When presenting my documents (both my wife and I are Russian citizens), the paperwork operator flagged my file and called over a female officer and a manager. Despite having all necessary documentation, including valid passports, the manager demanded additional proof of residency from another country—a requirement never mentioned during booking or prior communication. Here’s where things took a turn for the worse: • Discrimination Against Russians : The manager refused to allow us onboard solely because of our nationality. When questioned, she provided no clear explanation or legal justification for this decision. • Lack of Support : She ignored repeated requests to contact higher management or offer assistance. Instead, she handed me a piece of paper with the company’s website address—hardly helpful in resolving such a critical issue. • Family Separation : Another heartbreaking incident occurred when the daughter of our friends, a student from Russia living in Israel, was denied boarding. Her parents and siblings were permitted to sail, leaving her stranded at the port. It felt like segregation straight out of a dystopian novel. Why Is This Wrong? Other major American cruise lines, like Royal Caribbean International, do not impose similar restrictions on Russian travelers. In fact, they comply fully with U.S. laws regarding travel and tourism. NCL's actions appear arbitrary, discriminatory, and politically motivated—punishing innocent individuals who have nothing to do with geopolitical tensions. The Fallout Not only did NCL ruin the vacations of two families by separating loved ones, but they also failed to provide any accounting documents or refunds. They simply kept our money without delivering the promised service. Essentially, they stole thousands of dollars from us under false pretenses. This experience has left both families devastated. We had high hopes for this trip, only to be met with incompetence, disrespect, and outright discrimination. Final Thoughts If you're considering traveling with Norwegian Cruise Line, proceed with caution. Based on our ordeal, NCL prioritizes politics over customers, disregards basic human decency, and lacks accountability. For us, this will forever remain one of the most negative experiences of our lives. Let this serve as a warning to others. Choose wisely when planning your next adventure.
Will take your money and then run – Strange. As soon as this company received my final payment for a cruise, they cancel a sector, which would have been my highlight. We're not now going to Sardinia with no explanation and no apology and no refund. Why is this apparently acceptable? Show details
Dishonest – Do not look after there injured passengers Injured by crew - you would think they would at least arrange the hospital visit but no we had to organise this ourselves. We were told we would be compensated for our expenses but when we returned home & lodged the medical costs to them they flatly refused Do not believe anything they say They are dishonest & destroyed our holiday Show details
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NCL cancles 2 cruises we had booked to sail in 2025, totally upending our travel plans – My husband and I attended an NCL information in Bundaberg in in September 2023. We booked a cruise on Norwegian Sun - France, Spain and England. We were meant to cruise this year departing Lisbon on 23 July 2025. We also booked a cruise on Norwegian Jade - Alaska: Hubbard Glacier + Skagway departing Whittier Alaska on 15 September 2025. In… Read more
November 2023 NCL cancelled our cruise on Norwegian Sun. We were offered a 10% if we rebooked. I plan my travel early and there was nothing suitable to replace the France, Spain and England cruise. I did find a Greek Is cruise on Norwegian Viva departing Athens on 6 June 2025. It really didn't fit in with our original plans, but thought that we should take advantage of the offered discount. So the 10% is not applied to the entire cost of the cruise, taxes etc are additional and not discounted. Then on 21 August 2024 I received an email from NCL advising that Norwegian Jade cruise had been cancelled as a result of a full ship charter. The email went on about how they are committed to providing an exceptional vacation experience. The impact this second cancellation had on our holiday was extensive. I can't understand how a cruise line can take bookings and deposits for a cruise and then charter the ship. We cancelled our Greek Island cruise, I wasn't about to risk having a third cruise cancelled. It would have been nice to experience a cruise with NCL, but that will never happen. I would be too stressed thinking that the cruise will be cancelled.
Pushy advertising and unhelpful staff – I have never travelled on Norwegian Cruise line but after an enquiry, I have been getting advertising material in the mail wrapped in a plastic once a month. I object to this pushy advertising and the use of unnecessary plastic. After ringing to get this stopped, I was hung up on once and the second time I rang, the person said they didn't have… Read more
my name on the system. When I asked if she could connect me to someone who could help stop this, she said she didn't know who else could help as my name wasn't on the system. So it appears I am doomed to get this pushy advertising for ever. Definitely has the opposite effect of what they would like.
Disappointing – Very poor cruise line - actually worst in the world Very little entertainment Poor customer Service Crew member injured my wife & said they would cover her medical costs which they now are not They have no on board x-ray machine like other cruise lines
SNEAKY AND DISHONEST COMPANY – SNEAKY AND DISHONEST! When I paid a $250 deposit for a sailing - a full TWO (2) years ahead of departure - NCL did NOT reveal that this $250 was NOT refundable. WHAT CROOKS! I cancelled 2 days later and NCL KEPT THE $250. DO NOT BOOK A CRUISE WITH THESE THIEVES! Show details
Disappointed after 15 plus years – Unfortunately sad to say afyer 15 years with ncl and really reasonable prices we are no longer going to be travelling with them. As we do not drink alcohol it's so wrong we have to pay the ridiculous high price as to others that do drink alcohol. Prices are just ridiculous. Extremely disappointed. It's taking advantage of those who do not wish to drink but have to pay the same as others. So wrong
Terrible experience and service – We did a Panama cruise from Los Angeles to Tampa on7 November. 2024. Unfortunately after previous NCL cruises, this was our worst; From very small cabins, witnessing a vicious assault by an American on another American in Cagneys specialty retaurant and no follow up from crew as to our welfare,, (my wife and I are in our late 70's). We were told… Read more
by a senior officer that to his knowledge there had been more than 24 such incidents on NCL lately: then finally to be debited on our credit card for an amount in excess of what we understood was owing, and then after speaking to NCL in Sydney on 27 November asking for a copy of our account, which was promised ASAP, here we are still waiting. After more than 25 cruises with different cruise lines this has to be the worst service ever
Pick another cruise line – I sailed on NCL Pride of America on November 16, 2024. Whilst I found a lot of positives with the cruise, mainly the lovely staff and my accommodation (a balcony suite) I will never sail with NCL again. This cruise is meant to spend 7 days in port and sail overnight which was why I booked it. The reality of this cruise was that we lost an entire… Read more
day in Maui (day 2) due to an issue with fresh water I believe. We also lost pretty much an entire day in Kauai on the last day due to a pathetic case of NCL deciding that their sister ship needed to berth in Kauai so they gave them our spot and made us be on board by 1330. This in effect made it too difficult to organise or go on tours too far from port so we were left with just hanging around near the ship. What a very poor decision by the company, they run this ship every Saturday and should be able to work out their docking pecking line. It is obvious they hide under the guise of 'terms and conditions' to do whatever they feel like doing instead of only using it for unforseen events. We received compensation of a $100 cabin credit which had to be spent or lost and a 15% discount on a future cruise which is not actually giving anything, it is just a win win for NCL if anyone books.
Post Cruise Travel by NCL Prima on 6th October 2024 from Southampton UK – I had to undergo an emergency Open heart quadruple surgery, so I called the Sydney Customer Service line exactly 31 days prior and asked for an extension to travel by the next available cruise similar to the one already booked. The daft Chinese lady told me boldly that I would lose 75% of my booking charges, although I wasn't cancelling the cruise… Read more
but on medial grounds. How absurd was this and its against the NGL rules from 2021 too? Anyway as I couldn't afford to lose AUD 8 grand for the 2 of us I took the risk and travelled with much care and on the due sailing date. We had travelled by The Explorer of the Seas on an Alaskan cruise in 2017 and that was indeed a great experience for the both of us. This time NGL standard was chalk and cheese compared to the Royal Caribbean Cruse lines. There were a fewer restaurants' to chose from, more specialty restaurants then otherwise, poor choice of food, limited entertainment and facilities. Yes the room were great because we chose the Balcony suite. The room boy was very courteous too but otherwise, the music was horrendous and mediocre, games poor and really it wasn't worth half the price that we paid only for cruising. We paid up AUD 9,600 in total for my wife and I compared to the AUD 7200 by RCL. Know what, NCL is a rip off and charge you for everything and is really not worth the effort travelling with them. They are a money making racket and good for nothing other than what I have already mentioned. I live in Australia and know the required standards. I have also sent them a response via their response survey and because I gave them a 2 star they didn't allow me to proceed and complete my survey! Bloody assholes! :( Do your homework and don't get ripped off by NCL again please. Thanks.
- +1
Concierge rude and NCL shore excursion overpriced and disappointing – Our first cruise with Norwegian travelling from Athens to Trieste. Paid a premium for a 2 bedroom with a concierge and butler (last available balcony room on the ship). The room and our butler, Anthony were lovely. However, booked a shore excursion which was disappointing. The shore excursion in Mykonos was a money grab for the locals and cruise… Read more
ship. I complained to our concierge, Leo who did nothing to rectify our complaint, instead spending the rest of the cruise avoiding and ignoring us. On the very last day, the ship was delayed 9 hours getting into port as the previous ship would not move due to choppy seas (we just kept circling) and Leo personally provided every guest in the dining room with an update but walked straight past our table. Don't buy your shore excursions from the cruise ship. We used https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/ who were excellent and much cheaper.
Disappointed – This was our first trip on NCL. We planned to go to Alaska for our 10 year anniversary, which is why we were there. To start I would like to say the entire cruise was nightmare. While on board as far as entertainment there was nothing to do, bingo, deal or no deal, wheel of fortune, fruit carving, and ice sculpting were not acceptable for… Read more
entertainment. We decided to go to bingo and we paid $75+ for 3 rounds of bingo, that is way too much money. Icons was a great show, the comedians were funny the first night so we went the second night just to hear the same repeated jokes. Anthony the pianist while in the brew pub was very entertaining. Mervan and Ravi were the best part of this entire cruise. They were in the district brew pub each night we were there. They are very attentive, kind, entertaining and appeared to truly enjoy working. As far as food, this was a joke. The buffet had the same food day after day, the food lack any flavor, and tasted as if it was made in advanced. Nothing was fresh other than the omelets for breakfast. We went to Teppanyaki, the entertainment top notch, the food mediocre at best. We went to the main dining hall, my husband ordered the surf and turf which he had to pay extra for, the steak was as dry as can be tasted as if it was pre cooked and sat under the warmer for hours, the lobster was so tough he needed a knife to cut into it. The service was poor it took forever to someone to come over for a drink order and we left early prior to dessert because we were already there for over 2 hrs. Next let’s talk about the port cancellations. We were informed shortly before departure that we were not going to Ketchikan or icy straight due to the storm and safety reasons. We were upset but understood it was for our safety, then we found out our sister boat Encore and another boat that was with us in Juneau were able to make it to those stops on the same day we were supposed to be there. I saw pictures posted of beautiful weather and them going on their excursions. As for us….we floated in and out of the cove that was supposed to be protecting us. While in the cove we were hit with 8-9 ft waves, then the boat decided to drive out of the cove and stop( not anchored) just floating and getting slammed by 14-15ft waves. How was this protecting us? I understand that we could not dock in Victoria but there was no reason for us to travel out of the cove. We spent a lot of money to see Alaska, Sitka and Juneau were just tourist sites this was not true Alaska. We had 2 tours planned in the cancelled ports, yes we got our money back but this is not enough for the disappointment you caused. I do not understand why other boats including one from NCL were able to make it to dock and stay safe. When going to guest services with our concerns we were told that we were going to be given $150 and 15% off the next NCL trip if booked before 2025. This is not acceptable, first $150 is a joke, second I do not know if I could ever travel with NCL again know the type of customer service. An acceptable response would have been to give us 15% off this cruise, nope we were told the only other thing they can do for us is to give us back our pre paid tips for the staff. That is absurd, we said no, the guest service representative told us that most people were taking this money back. Why would you as a $9.21 billion dollar company take the money from your staff, whom worked so hard. It was not their fault the NCL as a whole failed. This shows me how you care more about your money than the staff. This trip was such a disappointment and the compensation that we were given was a joke.
Little or no internet – The cruise was reasonable apart from one terrible fact, little or no internet. It was advertised as a fast internet service and you had to pay for it. As I needed to pay bills and do banking whilst on the cruise I thought excellent.However the internet was almost non existent and whilst I did receive a refund for the poor internet I had to spent… Read more
quite a bit of time ashore trying to pay bills in internet hot spots instead of shore excursions. Appalling
Customer Satisfaction is not a priority – I am So extremely disappointed and this will be my first and last time on Norwegian. When we first got on board our A/C was broken and no one came to look or help EVER. We called and complained at least 4 times and the A/C didn't work for over 7 hours. The Norwegian app doesn't work well and it's not intuitive at all, you can't access the app on… Read more
shore so you can see your reservations, etc. I was told that I would be charged a 50% cancelation fee on a facial even if it was booked by another person in the 5 hours until the apt. This seems as though they just want to make money every way they can. We had to request an extra roll of toilet paper? Why wouldn't they just stock it? I called guest services to see if they would compensate us for having a hot room with no A/C that we paid a lot for. They said they couldn't help, guest services couldn't help? They said we had to contact the corporate office. Customer service and guest satisfaction aren't a priority with Norwegian. This was definitely a one and done for me. I suggest Royal Caribbean, Disney, Carnival, anything but Norwegian.
My best ALOHA, Brandi Brevard
Terrible experience!! – The worst cruise experience ever. I have cruised many times across a variety of cruise lines and this was my first (and last) experience with Norwegian. They completely changed the port itinerary the day before (shortening the length by a day and swapping the best ports with Nassau - a place we have been many times) and refused to offer us the… Read more
ability to get a refund or even change to a different cruise in the future. They then departed 6 hours late, shortening our port time in Dominican by 6 hours, again without any concessions. My state room had hair, finger nails and previous guest dirty clothes in the drawers. It clearly wasn't cleaned, again with no concessions or apologies. They also broke my luggage when delivering it to our room. I've never had so many terrible occurrences without any effort for a reasonable concession. They gave us $50 cruise credit and 20% off future cruise for completely screwing everyone which is simply offensive. When escalating these concerns via multiple channels (calling customer relations, submitting claims,etc) they justified their right to do anything they want and denied request for further concessions. My take a way is clear: go with Royal Caribbean from now on
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Avoid Norwegian at all costs!