Table Of Content
I ate at Cagney's Steakhouse, Hasuki for teppanyaki, Le Bistro for French cuisine and Palomar for seafood. The food at all of the specialty restaurants was wonderful, and I was definitely stuffed afterward. 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.
Norwegian Bliss Dining Menus
About a day after filling everything out, you can go in and download the eDocs, which serve as your boarding pass. You’ll need either a printed or mobile copy to show at the embarkation point. While the menu was expansive, nothing really left me wowed at the end of the day. I even tried multiple dishes from the menu because our time was limited, as I wanted to be sure I had a variety of entrees, appetizers and desserts before disembarking. No, but you can pay for a Wi-Fi package, which starts at $29.99 per day per device. The idea of the “best” ship is subjective, but the biggest and newest ship is Norwegian Encore, which debuted in 2019.
Ships
Based on the level of service received, cruisers can adjust the amount at the front desk before the final morning of the sailing. In addition, a 20% gratuity is added to extra-fee restaurant, bar and spa purchases. Some of the best onboard entertainment venues for night owls include the Social Comedy & Night Club, where you'll find comedic performances and themed parties, and The Cavern Club, which hosts an excellent Beatles tribute band. Reservations are recommended at all extra-fee restaurants, and if you don't make them before you board, you could be out of luck.
How much does a Norwegian cruise cost?
Its largest vessels are among the biggest cruise ships at sea (they must be, to accommodate everything mentioned above). If you want an intimate cruise experience, Norwegian probably isn't a good choice. Norwegian ships are also loaded with bars, lounges and nightclubs, including always-busy casinos.
I took my first Norwegian cruise after more than a decade. Here are my honest thoughts
Members earn points for every night they sail on one of the line's ships. They get an additional point for every night they stay in a concierge room, a suite (not including stays in minisuites, or stays in suites resulting from an upgrade) or a room in The Haven. They also get an additional point for every night booked through a Latitudes Rewards Insider Offer.
For this cruise, the pass cost $399 for the full voyage or $99 for a day. Starbucks was part of my upgraded drinks package, so I ordered a lot of the things I had been wanting to try but hadn’t wanted to spend the money on in case I didn’t like them. They were open at different times, with one also serving breakfast and lunch in addition to dinner. There is an aqua park for kids, a waterslide and a few hot tubs and smaller pools and lounging areas on other decks, but no one large gathering place for water and sun fun.
Day 4 Buffet Breakfast
At their core, Norwegian ships are mass-market ships, with entry-level cabins that are affordable to middle-class travelers. However, overlaid across most vessels are high-end suites and services that are at a luxury level, and the line draws a good number of luxury-seeking travelers. Around 17% smaller than Norwegian's biggest vessels, Prima and Viva are the first tow of six sister ships that the line will roll out between now and 2027 that will significantly change the composition of its fleet. While not the biggest vessels in the Norwegian fleet, these ships will be notably packed with restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and decktop attractions. They also mark a more upscale turn for the line, with more space per passenger than earlier Norwegian ships and lots of suites. The line's nine newest ships are big, bustling floating megaresorts that can carry upwards of 3,000 to 4,000 passengers at double occupancy (and even more with every berth filled).
Online check-in
We called to book it on a Sunday night & were so excited that we recruited another couple to join us, who called and made their own reservation, using our reservation #. I had surgery the following day, Monday, so didn't review the confirmation email until the next weekend, which is when we realized we were booked on a completely different cruise, on an itinerary we didn't even know existed. Made numerous calls but NCL wouldn't acknowledge their mistake.
Norwegian Viva Cruise Reviews (2024 UPDATED): Ratings of Norwegian Viva - Cruise Critic
Norwegian Viva Cruise Reviews (2024 UPDATED): Ratings of Norwegian Viva.
Posted: Thu, 12 Oct 2023 14:13:41 GMT [source]
That drops that charge for gratuities off your total cruise cost. Hayley and I dined both nights in Norwegian Sun’s main dining room - and it honestly left me a little disappointed. However, I had only sailed on Pride of America, which is only four years newer than Norwegian Sun.
Certain Norwegian ships are best for budget travelers, while others are best for luxury travelers. At most of the venues, the package included a starter, a soup or salad, a main dish and a dessert. If you choose to dine at a specialty restaurant without a package, the pricing is à la carte, with entrees about $40 and appetizers about $20.
Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva were built with a higher ratio of space to passengers than earlier Norwegian vessels, which itself is an upscale touch. The ships also have a higher crew-to-passenger ratio than many Norwegian ships, leading to better service. Other Norwegian cruise ships, such as Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Sun, have specific features that might make them better options for solo travelers or retirees.
That said, the line does offer some smaller ships that aren't quite as big and bustling as its giants. All cabins on Norwegian Encore are outfitted with a combination of North American-style 110-volt outlets and European-style 220-volt outlets. In my cabin, there were three of the former and one of the latter located at the vanity.
Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Epic, for instance, have the Cavern Club, a reproduction of the British club that gave rise to the Beatles. It comes complete with a cover band that plays the group's greatest hits. Norwegian cruises are very unstructured vacations, and that's by design. As mentioned above, the line also operates one ship (Pride of America) in Hawaii year-round. It's the only cruise line to offer year-round voyages in Hawaii.
I was surprised to find plenty of open tables when I showed up for my reservation but assumed it was due to the restaurant's out-of-the-way location on Deck 8 forward and the fact that its description on the cruise line's app is vague. At 78,309 tons, Norwegian Sun is less than half the size of the biggest Norwegian ships, and it holds just 1,878 passengers at double occupancy. (Compare that to more than 4,000 for Norwegian's biggest vessels.) Expect a far more intimate experience than what you'll find on most of the ships mentioned above. The sailings out of Papeete will offer the chance to visit such iconic French Polynesian islands as Bora Bora, Raiatea and Moorea. Ia and Thailand in-depth, with departures ranging from 13 to 18 nights — the sort of cruise that appeals more to older couples than families.
The Prima has several bars and lounges scattered throughout the ship. 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. Room service is available 24 hours a day but has an extra cost. Now, for the specialty dining options, the Prima has eight where the food and presentation are elevated. Then there was the buffet, the Surfside Cafe & Grill, which was tremendously undersized, always incredibly busy and without enough seating options.
It’s been over a decade since my Pride of America sailing, so my cruising perceptive is much different now. I was anxious to see what Norwegian Cruise Line had to offer compared to my other experiences I’ve had this year with Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises. 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. Earn 20,000 WorldPoints, which is good for a $200 onboard credit or discount toward a future cruise, if you spend $1,000 or more in the first 90 days the account is open. 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. Its loyalty program, onboard amenities and variety of cabin types offer something for every type of traveler.
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