Table Of Content
The second time, however, both the service and the food were lacking. Our servers seemed confused when my vegetarian dinner companion asked about meat-free options, and when my chicken tacos arrived, they looked gross — mushy and with brown avocado. The one saving grace was the wonderful strawberry frozen margarita I had. On the flip side, my least favorite restaurant is Los Lobos, a for-fee Mexican eatery on Deck 8, near The Local. I'm a huge fan of Mexican cuisine, but when I ate at Los Lobos on fleetmate Norwegian Encore about a month prior, the service was slow, and the food was mediocre.
How much does a Norwegian cruise cost?
While the innovation debuted on twin sister Norwegian Breakaway, it just really works on Getaway, which sails mostly to warm-weather destinations. With daily news stories of delayed and canceled flights, lost baggage, and travelers stranded overseas in the middle of a natural disaster, it's ... The sailings in and out of Buenos Aires and Melbourne, all on the longer side, will offer in-depth explorations of the southern half of South America (Argentina, Uruguay and Chile) and New Zealand, respectively. For older travelers looking for a Norwegian ship that isn't filled to the gills with children, Norwegian Sun is the perfect option.
Departure Ports
Your excursion includes round-trip transportation to Treasure Island to interact with these playful piggies. Norwegian Encore, built in 2019, is the newest ship in the NCL fleet. I love some of Norwegian’s exotic itineraries, including unique destinations like South Africa, Brazil, India and even Saudi Arabia!
Cabins and suites
A kids splash area is located on Deck 18, near the entrance to The Wave waterslide. Two dry slides — The Drop and The Rush — spiral 10 decks down the side of the ship. From Broadway-caliber shows and live music to dance parties, bingo, trivia, video games, slides and games like "Deal or No Deal," there's a lot that graces the Freestyle Daily, Norwegian Viva's daily schedule of activities. However, when I ordered room service breakfast one morning, it arrived five minutes ahead of the earliest delivery time I selected, and the French toast was tasty.
Bermuda Is a Popular Norwegian Getaway Itinerary
Approximately a week prior to our cruise date the itinerary was changed, limiting time in port and altering the disembarkation port from Yohohama to Tokyo. As we had begun our trip prior to this for an extended stay in Korea before joining the cruise this caused a bit of a headache. Additionally our initial excursion in Hiroshima was cancelled due to a change in port time (was refunded) but it was too late to make other arrangements.
Kids club
Here's a recap of everything you'll need to know before a voyage on Norwegian Viva, from food and entertainment to the types of cabins available, as well as what stood out and what you might want to avoid. Norwegian Viva is the second ship in Norwegian Cruise Line's Prima Class. There isn't much that differentiates Norwegian Viva from its slightly older sister, Norwegian Prima. Both offer a slightly smaller version of the cruise experience found on the line's Breakaway and Breakaway Plus Classes. I didn’t miss the lack of entertainment options because I was spending most of my time either in port, eating or sleeping.
And that aesthetic carries through to the Studio Lounge, a space exclusive to passengers booked in studio cabins. Like many of the vessels that came before it, Norwegian Viva includes studio cabins for one — something the line has worked to improve since its first iteration on Norwegian Epic in 2010. What's special about Viva's version is that they feel just as upscale as the rest of the ship's cabins. At 143,535 gross registered tons and carrying 3,099 passengers at double occupancy, Norwegian Viva is smaller than the last two classes of ships NCL rolled out, but don't make the mistake of thinking it's small. What sets the two ships apart are minor elements like art installations, one fewer onboard Starbucks location and added seating capacity at Indulge Food Hall.
Norwegian Encore Deck Plans Offer Adult-Only Relaxation and Family-Friendly Fun
Maybe you've found a last-minute travel deal to that far-flung destination you've always dreamed of visiting. Luggage is something that everyone will need at some point in their life, whether it be a backpack for an overnight trip or school, or a full set of luggage ... Norwegian Cruise Line, commonly referred to as NCL, is a popular cruise line that was founded in 1966 by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison, who also co-founded Carnival Cruise Line.
Cruise Vacation Sites
Norwegian Star review: What is this 20+ year old ship really like? - Cruise Blog
Norwegian Star review: What is this 20+ year old ship really like?.
Posted: Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Surfside Cafe and Grill is the ship's standard buffet venue, serving a variety of food from self-serve stations on Deck 17 midship. Because Norwegian Viva also has The Local and Indulge, the space dedicated to the traditional buffet is smaller than on other cruise ships. I didn't eat a single meal there because when I ventured inside it was so crowded that people could barely move.
Review: Norwegian Cruise Line Prima - NerdWallet
Review: Norwegian Cruise Line Prima.
Posted: Mon, 12 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Many of Norwegian's biggest ships have state-of-the-art theaters as big as those you'd find on Broadway, with big-name productions to match. Norwegian Bliss, for instance, has the Tony Award-winning "Jersey Boys." Norwegian cruises are very unstructured vacations, and that's by design.
Impact on your credit may vary, as credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors including the financial decisions you make with other financial services organizations. Latitude Rewards awards members with points based on each night they sail, and they can earn bonus nights when booking certain categories of suites. Depending on how long you want to sail and where you're going, you can find cruises as brief as two nights and as long as 21 days or more. Norwegian offers many different types of staterooms to accommodate all kinds of travelers.
Each had a slightly different feel, from The Local Bar & Grill with its huge TVs, beers on tap and bar food to the aft-facing outdoor Soleil Bar and Indulge Outdoor Lounge with comfy chairs, hammocks and cabanas. The two main dining rooms, Hudson’s and The Commodore Room, are the free options. They had the same menu, which changed nightly, and the food was good. The menu was a combination of starters, mains and desserts, and you could order whatever you wanted. Only a small percentage of specialty dining reservations are available before getting on board so it seemed like everything was booked. Once passengers are on board, the remaining reservations open up.
While the food was decent, even Hayley noted that even some of Norwegian’s classic entrees and desserts didn’t seem to be the same quality that she’d experienced on other ships. I remember being really impressed with the main dining room on Pride of America, so this was a bit of a bummer. Regardless, it’s tough not to compare Norwegian Sun to newer cruise ships that have more amenities and onboard offerings. For example, the theatre was quite small onboard; in fact, the first night onboard did not even feature any shows. While searching for spring break cruises, I stumbled upon a very cheap, two night sailing onboard Norwegian Sun.
The cost varies by ship and itinerary, but it's generally costly, ranging from roughly $30 to $35 per person, per day, depending on your needs. You could save a few dollars by booking a Wi-Fi package before you embark. However, some of the areas — particularly those allocated for outdoor dining — seemed underutilized. Meanwhile, the ship's three small pools were almost always crowded, especially on sea days.
It's open daily to passengers with access, and it features a set menu for the entire sailing. Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Viva takes the best of everything about NCL and wraps it up in a stylish package that offers great food, friendly service, compelling entertainment and modern, classy design. The ship, part of Norwegian's new Prima Class, is interesting in that, while some aspects of the ship experience have shrunk, others have expanded. For this 12-night cruise, the Free at Sea package included three meals at specialty dining venues.
More than half of its fleet is comprised of vessels that, by today's standards, are considered almost midsize. I regret to say that my experience with this cruise line was deeply disappointing. The crew's attitude was consistently poor, with minimal effort to provide satisfactory service. Most facilities, including the bar and common areas, were inexplicably closed for the majority of the voyage.
No comments:
Post a Comment