We used our cruise next and invited our niece and nephew to come with us. I fixed our itinerary for at least a 1-2 night stay before embarkation. The date to board was on the 11th of October. My wife made arrangements with NCL knowingly that the agent will at LEAST get us an early arrival on the 10th. After getting confirmation via e-mail on the 24th of August, that our arrival time was at 8:00pm on the 10th, my wife tried got a hold to one of their agent and his only response was someone will get back within 72 hours. My wife was able to contact O from NCL to arrange an early arrival but was declined since everything was already booked. My wife was trying to cancel the hotel since it was too expensive at $370 for 2 person for one lousy night in a small room. But we got the same exact answer given earlier, they could not cancel reservation. I believe our late cruise to the Baltic was one of the last ones to sail. So, every port that we docked, we were just the only HUGE ship at the port. And I guess this was one of advantages when we did the excursion in St. Petersburg where there were lesser tourist at major attractions. We also had an onboard credit and had dilemma what to use it for. Our options where shore excursion which will still be much more expensive, specialty dining, when complimentary dining are already par quality dining itself and lastly the internet package of 250 minutes which I took. Aside from how slow the internet was, which I already knew from previous comments by other travelers, be very watchful and always check your usage. The day before the last day at sea, I still had 36 minutes to spare and use for the next day. As soon as I was going to check my emails, it showed that I already have exhausted all my minutes. I brought the issue to their IT department and was given extra 60 minutes. All on board staff were very friendly, cabin crew was nice and food was very good. We loved getting our breakfast either at Savor or Taste where it is a sit down and food are freshly prepared (kind of). I also recommend O’Sheehan’s chicken wings where we always go for our late night snack. Love all the entertainment show that they offer. We didn’t quite do all the activities on board because of the cold weather. Overall, the drawback was just the late arrival that NCL has given us and still hoping that they would make the refunds they promised. Now, all about our shore escapades: Copenhagen, Denmark: The person who picked us up from the airport was very friendly and gave us some pointers and recommendations for a place to eat local food. After check-in, we immediately went to Frk Barners Kaelder, where the driver mentioned for us to eat which was a short walk from Scandic Copenhagen Hotel. We didn’t expect for the price to be so high that we just ended up ordering appetizers. The only place we could get to after dinner was Tivoli Food Hall. We should’ve opted to eat at this place as it was very reasonable price. We could no longer go inside Tivoli Garden, which were on their soft opening for Halloween, since we did not want to spend $24 for each which was closing in 30 minutes. We tried to walk along Stroget but noticed that most store are already closed, we retreated back to the hotel. It was pouring rain the next day and neither uber nor lyft was available and out pick up time from the hotel was 11:15am that a stroll to anywhere was impossible. Warnemunde/Berlin, Germany: We did not avail of the NCL shore excursion. We just got off the ship and walked a couple minutes to the train station. You don’t even have to buy the ticket from the machine as what everybody tried to do that caused a long wait. We just used the app, trainline and bought the ticket which was very convenient and fast. The ticket only cost $60 each with a return. As soon as we had confirmation, we boarded the train and travelled for 3 hours to the central station and got out of the public square in Potsdamer Platz. Pretty much walked around to see all major sights (Public Square, Panoramapunkt, Holocaust Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, Galeries Lafayette, Gendarmenmrkt, Checkpoint Charlie) to check out. We chose to ride the taxi from GendarmenMrkt back to the station which cost less than 9euro. Tallinn, Estonia: Aside from Copenhagen, Tallinn was an all-day rain as well. We made a huge mistake taking the taxi going to Old Town, driver immediately charged us 20 euros. We lately found out about the app, Bolt (you can also use in St. Petersburg) which is exactly the same as uber/lyft that charges way a LOT less. The taxi driver also dropped us off in the uphill area so it would be much easier for us to walk going back. We didn’t cover that much of Tallinn due to the downpour. We first started on a nice overlooking spot where a sign said “The Times We Had”, and made our way to Old Town, St. Patrick’s, Saint Olaf’s Church but was closed, so we were not able to climb to check out the view. We also went to Balti Jaama Turg Food Market, Telliskivi Creative City & Linnahall. Bolt saved us a lot of time and kept us dry for at least a while. St. Petersburg, Russia: We didn’t bother applying for a visa since it was just for 2 days but since our companions (nephew/niece) are both from UK, they applied for an e-visa which was free starting October 1st of this year and had to apply for less than a week before embarkation. Me and my wife on our part had to use TJ Travel. I tried Alla Tours but could not get through their website. Maybe it was for the better as we had a great time with TJ Travel. Our Guide was Elizabeth or Liza and our driver was Alexander. Liza was very friendly and informative. A great guide and very knowledgeable and that made the trip more exciting. Our group of 13 was always on time that made the whole tour swift and spontaneously that was able to get to see all included in the itinerary list and much MORE! We also ate at some local restaurant that was delicious. I and my wife got to see and roam around after lunch but make sure not to go out too far. The tour also had their own special place to buy your souvenir where they also serve you hot coffee and even a shot of vodka. Unfortunately, I received an email 3 days before the trip that the fountain at Peterhof will close on October 13th. Helsinki, Finland: When we got off the ship, a minute walk from the ship, a public bus (#14) was waiting. And it only cost 8 euro each for the whole day getting around. We started from Sibelius Monument, Regatta for a quick sticky roll and hot chocolate (highly recommend), we went afterwards to Temppeliaukion Kirkko and were delighted to get a chance and to listen to an orchestra practicing. We also went inside Kampin Kappell. Then we went to Old Market Hall/Kapaturi Market, Esplanade, Market Square, the Tori Quarters, the Senate Square, Helsinki Cathedral and finally Uspenski Cathedral. If only there was more time. Nynashamn/Stockholm, Sweden: The final leg of the cruise. Another mistake on our part and hopefully you gain from our experience. Read some of the post from previous people who already took the same trip mostly took the Hop on Hop off (HOHO). So, we bought tickets before the trip not knowingly will be a tremendous waste of money and time. Just to let you know also that going to Stockholm from Nynashamn is a one hour train ride. Outside from the ship after the gate, on your right, there was a tent that sells tickets for $27 that also is good for bus rides. When you arrive at the Central Station, you go down to the right side where Mc Donald’s is located that would be the first station of the HOHO. We skipped the 2nd and 3rd stop since we knew that we were going to spend more of our time there and decided to stop at the 4th stop where a scenic view awaits after a short distance of walk. By the time we got back to ride another HOHO, it wasted more than 30 minutes of our time and the driver was VERY SLOW! At that point, we decided just to use the bus and explore ourselves. We went to Drottninggatan, NK for some shopping, walked at Kungstradgarden, visited Cathedral Storkyrkan, wondered around Gamla Stan and Stortorget Square, Royal Palace and Tessin Palace. We also crossed and walked at the narrowest alley which was awesome. We ended at Ostermalmstorg and got back to Central Station to catch the train going back. We missed Vasa Museum and I heard it was a must. So let me know how good it is. The journey to the train station requires at least a 20 minute walk but there is a bus which is included with the ticket that you purchase that will take you to the station. It’s about a 5 minute walk from the ship and takes 2 stops by the bus to the station. A helpful advice if you wish, especially when it’s pouring rain. Read Less

My family and I made a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line on October 2019. The ship, "Getaway" is pretty new ship, manufactured 2014. The ship is very well maintained and in great condition. The stuff is wonderful and very friendly. But, not all is good. The main thing that we felt bad about is money. Although the cruise is not cheap, all the time we felt that the cruise staff has one goal above all, and that goal is to take the max amount of money out of the passengers pocket. The prices of each "extra" is ridiculously high and not reasonable. For example, a bottle of mineral water in the room cost 7.20$ !!!! The cost of spa, tours, and sport is just outrages. As a passenger you can choose not to take any of those, but, we were very surprised to see on our bill a compulsory pay of 15$ a day per person for tip. For us it adds up to an extra of 675$. No one told us that when we made reservation of the cruise. I think that it should be part of the cost in advance, because it's compulsory. (Yes, it is probably somewhere in the agreement small letters, but I see it as kind of cheat). The looks like the food was the same in the 3 restaurants included with no extra cost. (Savoy, Taste, Tropicana) The food in the buffet had a lot of choice, but not so tasty. I prefer quality on quantity. Embarkation and disembarkation went very quaqly and smoothly. The entertainment program was dinamic and had differant show each night. some were better then other, but it depands on personal preferance. For us, the Burn The Floor show and the Hipnosis were the best. Some of the ports are far from the city. Berlin is 3 hour drive from the port and Copenhagen is 1 hour drive from the port. Read Less

We chose this cruise to visit Baltic capitals, specifically St Petersburg. Chose NCL based on our prior experience with Alaska (Sun) from Vancouver and Gem ( Eastern Caribbean from NYC) experience more than 3 years ago. This big ship with 4000+ Passengers was a big disappointment for many reasons. There were also some good points. Good: Great cabin stewardess, Varied cuisines in Garden Cafe, Clean and spacious mini suite with balcony on the 11th floor. That’s about it. Bad: confusing ship with all sort of carnival like money making outfits between the fore and aft sections of the ship. You pay for almost anything that is tasty or of quality (like Cappuccino, gelato, water bottle, fountain soda and many such items). You pay through your nose for alcoholic beverages with 18% mandatory gratuity and the same for specialty dining. Included dining rooms serve at snails pace and food is mostly cold by the time it’s gets to you. If that’s not enough there are continuing game shows, Bingo and other scams that are heavily weighted in favor of the house. Casino area, unavoidable as you go for dining area, are smoke filled. For this big ship, the deck board walking track is about 1/8 of a Kilometer as opposed to nearly 1/4 of mile or so on the smaller Gem class ship. Avoid taking shore excursions with the cruise line. You can save more than 50%. Viator offers St Petersburg 2-day Excursion (Russia exempts one of Visa if taking approved tour) with 18 or less passengers in AC van for about $220 per person (you pay for lunch that costs about $15- $20 or less per person per day). Compare that to some $550 per person! Read Less

Cabin size was not so bad for two people BUT - there is a sound underneath or on the side of your walls that is like flowing water - loud flowing water like gushing in - and just every night it woke us up - it's not the toilet from the next door, it's a like a big gush of wave going through underneath the floor or on the side of the wall - also, sometimes that flush in the toilet doesn't work - and one day, all the toilet didn't work in our floor === our cabin steward "Muhamed", was awesome === When we were going to Sweden, I asked one of the Deck 4 staff if they accept US$ in Sweden, the answer given was, I don't know as I have never been to Sweden. there were two of them who can't answer a basic question. They are not deck hands, they are actually crew that's stationed by the stairway on Deck 4 before going to the Port Security, and Port Security didn't know either, and there was not notice on the daily bulletin. Wish you could staff those areas with more knowledge of the city we are visiting ==== The waiters on our last night at Tropicana Room, are, hands down, awesome ! - starting from the Manager - Ivan - there were 19 of us, and we ahve earlier requested with our reservation 2 long tables of 10. We got to our reservation early enough so that we can be seated to our tables, but as it turns out, the tables are not ready because one table, the guests was just beginning to order dessert, that's understandable. - Ivan, started with 3 square tables put together, for 10 people (squished in) and a round table of 8 - then another square table came open, he then added it, then another one - to the point that we were able to accommodate 14 of us in a long table - and 5 in the round table - perfect night - it was my wife' birthday too, so the waiter sung and surprised her with a cake and candle blowing - the singers, Funky Duo, greeted my wife twice - plus we had wine and bottle of Champagne from our Travel Agent for her birthday - but the champagne was warm, so "Gede", assistant Manager, replaced with a cold one - it was a great last night dinner for all of us === Special mentions to other waiters - at Wasabi Bar - Gary (waiter) , Stephan (chef) - Deepa, at Savor and Moderno, not only did she recognized and greet me everytime, she was even able to pass on a message to my brother at the restaurant. She is of greet asset, very diplomatic, very nice, and a great dining hostess Read Less

I chosen princess cuz of being a captain club member it was cruising to places my wife an I always wanted to go. The food at the buffet was not up to par. It was mediocre at best. Not a very good variety either. They had only 1 carving station. The dinning room food. Was a bit better the menu had only a few items to choose from fir each category. As far as the activities on board they were not very good. They had a lot of repeat activities which to me was very Boring. So I spent most of my time in the casino. The service was great. The staff onboard were all great. The captain was extremely therogh on his announcements an also re-routed the ship on our last sea day so we don’t hit the rough seas due to the hurricane. Over all I give the cruise a 6 on a scale of 1-10. Read Less

We were a group of 10 people (8 adults and 2 children) celebrating my parent's 50 Anniversary and thought the cruise would be the perfect holiday for everyone to bond and spend quality time. We live in Dubai hence we approached Imagine Cruising (The authorised agent for the UAE) for our bookings. We finalized 3 Balcony rooms next to each other and were pretty excited about the arrangements. We paid approx USD 6300 for a family of four for the 9 day full board cruise. On embarking we realised that there were people who had booked directly from NCL who got great deals on beverages, alcohol, speciality restaurants which we were never made aware of by imagine cruising. One of the things that really irritated us was the fact that on arrival the cabin had two bottles of water - One still and one sparkling. Being travelers and been to our share of hotels, usually bottles kept out meant complimentary, however we were told later that sparkling bottle costed USD 6 odd and since the bottle was big and didn't fit in the mini bar it was kept out. When we argued with the guest services that there was no mention of the charges, their reply was "well, it doesn't say that it is free either" WOW!! That's when the distrust started with the cruiseliner...Imagine straight off in the first 15 mins of people embarking the cruiseliner makes approx USD 9 per cabin for the water consumed by unassuming people. Around the fifth day we became aware of a charge called gratuity fee which is USD 15 per person per day. For a family of 4 it came to USD 540 which was never communicated by Imagine cruising to us. We started freaking out coz we had budgets for our trip and this was serious curveball. We are happy to pay gratuity if we are told about these expenses and we raised it with the guest services. It took them 2 days to reverse the fees and we were stressed for 2 days as 3 families were going to get hit with approx USD 1300. We were charged for mini bar consumption which we debated and was reversed. People go on holidays to forget stress but we had it in abundance on this cruise. Everyday we didn't know if we would get a seat at any of the complimentary restaurants, wait time was 40 mins. Garden Cafe Buffet is where we ate our Breakfast/lunch and dinner for about 5 days. O'sheehan's would have a special for the day which would be served till 9pm only and then regular food would be served again with no change in the menu. We didn't understand the concept of having 3 complimentary restaurants with the same menu for 9 days! You basically are finding ways to push people to go for the speciality restaurants out of sheer boredom! A lot of the arcade games across the ship were money making machines, people playing were getting frustrated losing their money. Being travelers we understand that you are docking at lesser known countries like Poland, Estonia to increase their tourism and generating revenue but Poland as a port can be missed entirely as the scenic tour wasn't great. Estonia was a pleasant surprise and St Petersburg was bustling. For some reason when docking at St. Petersburg all gambling activities on the ship ceased leaving us very little to do in the evening time. Good things on the cruise was the food across the restaurants we ate in. The service was good and staff was friendly and helpful. Very good layout of the ship allowed people of different age groups to do their own thing. All in all we could have had a much better and relaxed experience had all the money related problems not been there. I don't think we will sail with NCL again as I don't trust them to be transparent in their dealings, charges and overall approach to customer service. Read Less

We traveled as a family of four in August 2019, setting sail from Copenhagen with stops in Warnemunde, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Tallinn, and Stockholm. My son is 13 and my daughter is 10. We chose the Getaway because we wanted the amenities of a large ship with lots to do for families, thinking that we might even leave the kids on the ship for some of the smaller ports. Overall, we loved the vacation and thought the ship met our needs pretty well. There were a few things I wish were better: - The food was absolutely dismal. I've been on a Norwegian ship before so I knew not to expect a gourmet experience, but the buffet actually smelled so bad I could hardly stand to be in the room with it, and the taste was just poor. I was desperate for fresh fruit and veg by the end of the week. The main restaurants were also spotty, although we did have decent sushi at the sushi place and the seafood restaurant was pretty good. - The ship was PACKED at all times, and it was quite hard to find a quiet spot. I expected this, but it really does hit you what it's like to be on a boat with thousands of other people. It really came to a head with the insane debarkation process for St. Petersburg, where they tried to assign people to groups and it generally became an angry free-for-all. - The activities were kind of lame. I think the shows and stuff appeal to my mom's age, but there's nothing really there for adults in their 30s and 40s. We were all bored for the sea days. My kids did like things like the ropes course and the mini golf, but you can really only do that so many times before it gets old. - My 10-year-old really liked Splash Academy, but my 13-year-old went to Entourage once, proclaimed it 'lame' and never went back. I don't blame NCL entirely, it's a tough age group to please. - Half the treadmills in the gym were broken. I think I would use this ship again, but I'd definitely upgrade to the Haven for a more premium experience. If I had to eat breakfast on this ship one more time, I think I would have puked. Read Less

This was the first time we have cruised with NCL and probably the last. Whilst I won't say it was a bad cruise it just wasn't on the same level as we have come to expect from other cruise lines. Starting with a hap hazard check in process first impressions were not great. We were travelling with my daughter and her friend and were surprised to be told that they could check in with us as they were on a different floor from us. Our check in was relatively quick but it took ages for them to check in my daughter and her friend. The ironic thing is that we did all of the check in processes such as provide credit cards and passport numbers online so I can't see why it should have taken so long. Once on board we decided to have lunch at O'Sheehans Pub before exploring the ship. The food served here is very typical American comfort food which we chalked up to being because this is the all hours dining venue but unfortunately the food in the other restaurants doesn't get much better. We then sat through a farcical safety drill in the same restaurant. They had TV screens all around the restaurant that they could have displayed safety information on but did not use them and instead relied on staff shouting on megaphones. It was really confusing as you had groups in another area across from us trying to conduct their safety briefing at the same time and it was really hard to here what was being said. They then went on to repeat the safety briefing in five different languages and by this time a lot of people started talking during the different briefings in other languages to which the staff responded by yelling at those talking so you could'nt actually here what was being said. Once the safety drill was over my wife and I left my daughter and her friend to explore the ship whilst we did likewise. The ship is huge but NCL pack far too many cabins onto this ship so unlike other large ships I have been on that cater to several thousand guests this ship always feels crowded. The public areas, whilst nice, are nowhere near the same standard as we found on Royal Caribbean's Quantum Class boats which Norwegian Getaway competes. That said there are plenty of things to do throughout the ship including Rock Climbing, 6 Waterslides, a Ropes Course and Mini Golf. Unfortunately the ropes course and waterslides were not open that often and even though my daughter tried many times she didn't get to go on either throughout the 9 days of the cruise. On the last sea day they had closed the big water slide as it was leaking? There were several restaurants throughout the ship but I am not sure why they have so many as pretty well all of the complimentary ones serve exactly the same food. I am sure the American guests, who comprised around 60% of guests, would have found the food fine but for people who enjoy good food we were disappointed in the selection provided on the menus throughout the ship even in the specialty restaurants. The food wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. It was very basic and not much variety. We ate at three of the specialty restaurants and in all honesty would have to rate them as mediocre at best. About the only decent one was the Italian restaurant La Cucina. The food here was quite good but still note what I would classify as fine dining. The outdoor promenade concept was nice touch but unfortunately on a Baltic cruise the weather was not ideal to eat outdoors on a number of nights. The free style dining concept, was also good in principle, but can be a bit tiresome when you have to queue every time to get a table even if you have a booking (which never seem to be available) but the wait times are generally only 15-20 mins.They give you a buzzer so you can wonder off and get a drink whilst you wait. We thought the staff, whilst always friendly, lacked the level of training we have experienced on other cruise lines. A few of them were quite rude. Even in the specialty restaurants where you expect really professional wait staff, sommeliers etc they just seemed to lack the class you get from other cruise lines. We didn't take any of the "free extras" like drinks packages, specialty dining etc when we booked as they are not really free and booked our cabin at the "sail away" rate so had to pay for drinks as we went and found NCL to be really overpriced for drinks on board. It was actually cheaper to buy wine ashore and then pay their exorbitant corkage charge (USD$15 per bottle) than to buy drinks from the bar as they not only charge you $10 per glass but then add on 20% service. (I am sure the staff don't get paid this 20% service charge). Just about everything on the cruise was way overpriced and we were in Scandinavia!! Our room steward, Roberto, was always very friendly and helpful. I was surprised when we didn't get the cute towel animals you find on other cruise lines but apparently NCL don't do these. The entertainment was a bit hit and miss. There were not a lot of shows in the main theatre. "Burn the floor" was really good but "Million Dollar Quartet " was average. I really enjoyed going to the "Pour House" Rock show which they had around 3 or 4 times throughout the cruise. I am perplexed about the "Headliners" club as they did not have a single comedy show on for the duration of the cruise. They also did not have any movie nights on deck even though they had the big screens. maybe it gets a bit too cold on deck but I would have thought they would use them at some stage throughout the cruise. We did not do any of the ships shore excursions as they are a massive ripoff.(eg We did a two day Sy Petersburg all inclusive tour with a small group of 12 people for USD$265 per person through ALLA Tours when the cruise was charging USD$300 per day in a bus packed with 40 others. Interestingly one of the comments made during the "meet the officers" presentation was that the Shore Excursions were the most profitable department on this cruise so I guess there were a lot of suckers who did shell out money for them. In summary I would say this was a good cruise in terms of destinations and lots of on board activities but I don't think I would choose NCL again. Read Less

Chosen by another family who was trying to please everyone. It didn't have the entertainment or on-board activities I would have expected. Overall the ship was more for younger couples or families with children than for seniors. Ship was very loud and crowded. Long narrow hallway to room was always blocked with cleaning carts and equipment. Few shows that had to be reserved went very quickly, and they let people in after show had started, interrupting those seated near the back. Specialty dining was overall a good experience though we could not get our first choice in restaurants. Buffet had good food selection, but it was crowded and difficult finding indoor table at times. Teenagers joined the teen club but never went there. They didn't use the pool, water slide or other amenities on top deck. Not sure what they did except go to fitness gym and out for late night ice cream and snacks. Glad I go to visit a few cities. Only saw Copenhagen from the bus as we missed our flight connection and were last ones into airport and on last bus. Definitely would have liked them to have booked us earlier, even a day or so on advance with time for excursions. St. Petersburg can't be seen in a day although we went on city and waterway tours, inside of cathedral. Tallin was interesting old city but guide let her opinion be known about our president. Helsinki was delightful modern city. Stockholm was my favorite, a beautiful old city and good waterway/city tour guide. Only wish I could have scheduled Vasa, but excursion family wanted was sold out. What can I say about Visby? I so wanted to see that town and family loved it. All excursions required a lot of walking and there was no easy way to get to town without fighting other passengers for a cab ride. I decided there was not way I could physically walk the 1/2 mile or so to the edge of the lovely buildings. Overall, this trip was stressful, and I and happy to be home. Would have to think some more whether I would have gone knowing how it all unfolded. Definitely more time in Copenhagen and better flight arrangements. Even with what seemed like excess time coming home, we almost missed flight connections in Chicago and were last ones on plane. Read Less

I choose this ship because the itinerary that was excellent, specially for the 3 day stop at St. Petersburg (Russia). The embarkation process was very smooth and quick, no more than 5 minutes to complete all process. The ship is small and quite old but it doesn't seem old just not modern. The Ship has all what you need to expect from a RCI cruise, big atrium, pools, kids zone etc... In this trip I had 2 staterooms, one oceanview (7008) and one Balcony (8056). The cabins were normal, not big but also not very small, good for 2 or even 3 people. The bedding was nice and also the storage spaces. What I really dislike was that the only amenity Royal gives to customers in Oceanview and Balcony was a 1 in 3 Shampoo-Conditioner-Shower gel....even MSC or Celebrity gives 3 different bottles for different products! The food was ok, not specially good. The Windjammer Buffet Is ok but always the same food for a 10 day cruise is absurd. The main dinning room was also ok, the service was good and food also good. I purchase the unlimited specialty restaurants and was good because the food at Izumi, Giovannis and Chops is excellent but the ship is so small that paying the unlimited specialty restaurants is not worth it (just for Serenade), in other Royal ships you have more choices and it make sense. If you like Coffee...its horrible, even the speciality coffee. The worst thing about the entire cruise was the entertainment, the night shows were horrible, definitely Royal needs to upgrade the shows at smaller ships, the company concentrates a lot in larger ships but not in smaller. Overall, the service was good, the cabins are spacious but they have a lack on amenities. the ports of call were amazing. Read Less

Picked this cruise for the ports. Embarkation was a disaster, long lines and staff that was not trained which made the process even longer. Traveled with a family group of eleven that spanned three generations. The ship was fun, clean and lots to do for all ages. Entertainment was good for everyone. One drawback was only two pools and four hot tubs. The pools were ok, but if this ship is in a warm weather destination, not enough pools. Guessing the hot tubs were full as the weather is cool. We went to three shows which were very good, similar to what you would get in Vegas. Bar service was good, but the food service. Food in the buffets was poor to average, humongous crowds and generally cool to cold by the time you ate. Food in the specialty restaurants was unbelievably slow, often cool to cold and lacked any quality. I would say Olive Garden and a cheap steak house were much better than the "specialty" dining options on board. If you dine in the specialty restaurants, plan on at least two hours and bring your own drinks as they are very slow and often wrong. Ship was clean, room was fine. They did a good job getting you off and on at the ports although communication was very poor, you had to seek out the information. The people at guest services were generally not helpful, nor interested in providing meaningful service. I had intended on putting money down on a future cruise, but the food and service changed my mind. I'll shop around for another cruise line for my next cruise. Read Less

First, sorry for such a long review.... This was our first NCL cruise and we chose it because of the itinerary. We have sailed quite a bit previously on Carnival, Celebrity and Princess. The ports we visited were excellent. Warnemünde/Rostock, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm. As with most cruises, there were good, bad, average, exceptional throughout the 9 days. The ship sailed near or at capacity, 4000+, and for the most part it always felt crowded and lines everywhere, with the exception of a few times at dinner around 7-7:30pm in Savor, Taste and Tropicana. We were new to making reservations for nearly everything in advance but were tipped off and did so several weeks prior to departing. Unfortunately twice we arrived at specialty dinners only to be told we had no reservations and they were completely sold out nothing could be done about it. Following a rather brief and somewhat rude conversation the first time, I returned minutes later with confirmation of our reservation on my iPad. Miraculously a table appeared and all was suddenly good and we’re sorry for the computer error. The first was at Teppanyaki (very rude), the second was at Cirque Dreams where they were very accommodating and apologetic. The final bad experience was at our excursion. Our tickets said to meet at 7:15pm for an evening show in St Petersburg. We exited the ship and arrived at the busses. No signs or direction for which bus and the only workers were sitting and chatting with each other. We finally found our bus after getting help from a security guard. We started to check in and a woman from either NCL or the bus company not sure which began to berate us and threatened the bus was just about to depart without us. I checked my watch and we were right on time, but decided not to engage her and just get on the bus, which by the way did not depart for another 10 min or so. We try not to let a couple of bad individuals be the face of an entire company. So much for the bad. We did enjoy the anytime very casual dining format. The many dining choices, and most of the time the food was very good. We loved Moderno and Cirque Dreams and Steam was not to be missed. Be sure to book floor seats and sit close to the stage. Burn the floor was a mixed review, my wife loved it, I thought it was just ok. Nearly every worker who came into contact with us were excellent and friendly. We had a balcony room on deck 11. It was rather small compared to other cruise lines but otherwise sufficient. We met our cabin steward the first day and only saw him once or twice more passing in the hallway. He did a good job with our cabin each day. We did have a coffee maker in the cabin with a selection of coffees and tea’s. We didn’t like having to make so many reservations in advance to be sure we didn’t miss out on things or dining times. Be sure to keep your confirmations in case there are any problems. Their internet plans are pretty expensive and only work for one device at a time. Meaning two people cannot be online at the same time. Reaching a live person at customer service prior to the cruise at times was frustrating with waits up to 30 min at times. At the end of the day, none of the bad things were enough to ruin our cruise only minor nuisances. The ship was clean, and modern. Embarkation was pretty easy and not too long, maybe 30 min. Disembarkation was pretty orderly and went as they stated. Port embark and disembark was good except for day one in St Petersburg which had some long lines. Day two was very quick since they had all of your info already. In trying to be fair, we are going to give NCL’s shortcomings a pass try them again in the future. Not judging an entire fleet and company based on one ship and one experience. Read Less

Our second cruise with Norwegian in eleven years has improved our opinion of this cruise line but still has many other areas of improvement when compare to Princess or Celebrity cruises. The most noticeable areas of improvement were the quality of the meals and the service provided by the crew workers (not the ship officers/supervisors). This was the first time we were on a ship with 4000 other passengers. We tried to avoid the buffet as it was a nightmare trying to get a table, food or walking with the plate(s) back to the table. There were 4 other restaurants included with long line ups. In the future we'll try to avoid ships with more than 3000 passengers. We had a midship mini suite and it was smaller than the regular rooms on other cruise lines. Although the ship was less than 5 years old the rooms were not fitted with USB ports or HDMI port on the TV to manage the media equipment. We could not find a lounge in the entire ship that was fitted for relaxation having a drink overlooking the outdoors. All we could find it was a few chairs on hallways or internal rooms. Logistically the ship was poorly managed in a few areas. On the first day the ship left port 5 hours late due to the poor loading of the provisions. As a result of that we did not stop on the first port in Norway. We did get a $50 refund per room to compensate us for their poor schedule adherence. Who would know that a few days later the captain decided not to stop at another port due to safety, claiming that it was too windy. Looking to the outdoors the water was calm (sea state 1) and almost no wind. We did not get any refund for that port. As it was we missed 25% of the ports included on this tour and the loss of booked tours on land. The port tendering was another nightmare and in one occasion over 600 people we were retained in the theater room for over two and a half hours before we could start boarding the tenders. The Taste restaurant had a very rude receptionist but nothing was done about it and everyday was the same thing. We stop going there. My conclusion for our future on Norwegian cruises is that we would have to read many excellent reviews before we could contemplate another cruise with them but definitely not with other 4000 passengers. Read Less

We did the Transatlantic Cruise previously on a May sailing and enjoyed it. This cruise was less enjoyable than the previous cruise. Activities were held in the Atrium which did not have room enough for the 3000+ people on the ship. Service in the restaurants has declined. Dinners took 2 hours to complete. Meals that were served in the complementary dining rooms were very basic with no WOW meals or desserts being served. Reservations were needed for many of the shows and events on board. Cabin steward did not make up the rooms promptly. Shore excursions could not accommodate the number of people travelling on the ship. There were no comfortable seats anywhere on board. Disembarkation was very unorganized. No buses were available for transfer to the airports and we had to stand outside on a cold, windy day for over 2 hours. There was no Norwegian attendant to let you know where to go for your bus transfer. This experience will really make us rethink taking another NCL cruise. Read Less

To join my wife's sister and husband returning from St. Petersburg cruise. Comments from the four of us: 1. Poor on board Communications between captain and guests, infrequent and marginal information given 2. Terrible television selection, too much children's programming 3. Terrible movie selection, no program guide 4. Outdated television system, maps over 20 years old, navigation antiquated 5. Terrible weather information in dailies and television 6. Terrible port information on television 7. Vending machines onboard inoperable 8. Several gym machines inoperable 9. Inadequate floor space in gym for stretching 10. Terrible show reservations system 11. Needlessly long lines to get into shows 12. Poor crowd management and control 13. Deck numbers missing from dailies for shows and events 14. No deck information in elevators 15. Poor casino ventilation smells like smoke 16. Bowling and games should be free 17. Screws out of synchronization, shuddering entire trip 18. Not enough shows and variety during the day 19. Buffet food stations randomly opened or closed, staples missing like nuts or muffins 20. Siegal Tent food oversalted 21. Cruise Director difficult to understand 22. Activities poorly scheduled 23. Furniture and seating worn-out and uncomfortable 24. Terrible acoustics in Atrium Deck 6 25. Bathrooms well maintained for women , no soap in mens rooms 26. No quiet areas for reading or working 27. Maintenance work done during the daytime, peak eating hours, noisy 28. Loud explosion on Saturday early am and no explanation from the captain 29. Dining services too slow in Manhattan, +2 hours for dinner 30. Staff is not trained to provide satisfying answers to complaints 31. Officers walk in front of passengers 32. Alcohol pours very light in every bar 33. Laundry carts in Deck 9 hallway around the clock 34. Dedicated movie room needed and not Atrium 35. Lower rental movies charges 36. Bottled water should be part of drink card 37. Ship's directory on each floor 38. All entertainment rooms are too small for this size ship 39. Captain only important messages in rooms 40. Staff generally not trained in etiquette and right-of-way courtesy 41. Better hand sanitizer dispensers through out the ship 42. Buffet music too loud 43. Not all elevators announce floor numbers 44. Entertainment was good and varietal 45. Variety of food choices 46. No vegan/vegetarian menus 47. Breakfast in Manhattan was too short ending by 0930 48. Housekeeping staff is friendly and personable 49. Towels were good 50. Plenty of shelves in stateroom bathrooms 51. Better toiletries 52. Bar hours good but inconsistent service at tables 53. Jacuzzi temperature not warm enough 54. More variety of sports on television 55. NFL feed was appreciated 56. On/off boarding was good 57. Personal special diet assistance was good 58. Cruise Director tried to mollify disenchanted passengers 59. Pillows were old 60. Better distribution of comment cards through out the ship 61. Ship interior lighting was good 62. Well cleaned ship through out 63. Good selection of alcohol 64. Good number of deck chairs 65. More knowledgeable and enthusiastic lectures needed 66. Good gym programming 67. Poor pastries in buffet 68. Ice-cream flavors good 69. Corkage fee should be waived for first two bottles brought onboard 70. Chlorine smell around whirlpools 71. No bananas after 10 day 72. Poor graphics on monitor screens around the ship Read Less

We went on this cruise to see six ports and due to weather were unable to see three of them Norwegian did not give any type of compensation other than credit back excursions not taken I blelieve they should have done way more than that Not happy as celebrating three anniversaries with two othe couples The fitness centre had a few machines not working The service in the restaurants was very slow The food was excellent I am not sure why there is no compensation for missing three ports We have planned this anniversary cruise for over a year What is Norwegian going to do about this This is our first time on Norwegian and will be our last We heard through the grapevine that the first missed port was due to equipment failure and were told it was due to the weather Not at all satisfied with our Norwegian experience Read Less

We wanted to cruise the Baltic in August 2018 and looked for the most luxurious line. To start on a positive note, the suites were beautiful, clean and spacious. TV programming, including movies was excellent. Internet was fair, but only after purchasing the 'premium' version at some $ 150, the type of nickel-and-diming that we did not expect. Shore excursions were good, but very expensive. The cabins of most of our group members were very noisy and shaking, especially when the ship was moving. This is something we never experienced before (and we are seasoned cruise guests). This did impact our sleep negatively.. The handicapped facilities were so-so, no handrails on toilet. Food.. La Terrazza was fine, although the 'free' red wine was disappointing Spaccanapoli.. If we would come across pizza like that, we would walk away. Same for the burgers at the grill. Horrible. Indochine was fine, and so was Seishin ($ 40 per person additional) Also, frequently, restaurants were not able to seat us (we were a party of 12). At Seabourn, this never happened. Changes to menu items were usually not possible, let alone waiting staff remembering what guests liked (like, again, at Seabourn) Our cruise with Silversea was satisfactory, but not the best value for money. We will not return. Read Less

This is our secund cruise with MSC Preziosa. This time we cruised to Baltic. The tour of the cities is magical. My family was most thrilled with St. Petersburg and Tallin. Definitive recommendation for a mandatory visit. You will not see this kind of beauty anywhere. Do not forget to book a trip to Petersurg in advance because you do not pay an additional 15%, and you have to consider that many people need a visa to enter the city at all (if you do not have a trip you can not go out of the ship). Do not get caught in Tallinn with transportation - center is very close and you can walk all around. Note to those who come from the Mediterranean. Do not forget the warm clothes !!! There is a big difference in temperatures. We went with 36 degrees of Celzius and landed in Copenhagen at 16 !!! For us the gluten free food was excellent (although last year at Meraviglia much better). They have homemade pasta that is really great. Cakes are not something (just biscuit with cream and always the same. Ice cream perfect ! They have a good gluten free bar with a educated waiter. . For breakfast be careful!!!- you must warn the waiter for contamination (they dont know it). Music was terrible. I did not go to the theater for the first time because they are very similar every year. The kids enjoyed it. If I sumarize: good gluten free food and beauty of the Baltic - I recommend it !!! Read Less

I am a cruiser who had traveled to many locations. I had traveled with Royal Caribbean 3 times already & decided to try out Norwegian based on their Baltic/Russia itinerary. I was on board Norwegian Breakaway with my family of 4. The moment we arrived for check in we were split based off of our room numbers. They have a odd & even section based on your deck number. We had deck 9 & 10. Wasn’t expecting to be separated from my family the moment we arrived. Shortly after we performed a extremely unorganized safety drill. We we all placed in the main lobby for quite a long time. Welcoming show for the evening was underwhelming. Nothing exciting but meeting the staff in the theater. Entertainment on board was disappointing. You had to make reservations for shows. Never experienced that before. The music all around the ship was extremely repetitive. The same singers with same songs by the pool & in the lobby for 9 days. The layout of the entire ship & the entertainment decks are very flawed. Each deck was blocked off for the ships revenue or the Haven members. It was not possible to walk around an entire exterior deck without being denied access. The flow was very choppy. Additionally, the non accessible heli-pad was dissappointing. The pool decks were standard. Smoking section was located directly infront of the main pool. For non smokers this is bothersome. The Garden Cafè was very different layout from many other cruises. It is a very long hallway of buffet food with people going in every direction. It can get very crowded. The variety of food was lacking especially for vegetarians. The desserts were served in frustrating cabinets that needed to be lifted. This caused many messy accidents. The staff did a good job clearing dirty plates. Shore excursions were extremely pricey. Did my homework prior to sailing and booked cheaper liscensed tours. WiFi was good. Got 250 complimentary minutes. Disembarking for Russia was a hot mess. Put us all in the theater & gave priority to excursions booked with Norwegian to exit first. Lines for guest services in the lobby were way too long. Overall my experience on Norwegian Breakeay was standard. Read Less

BUFFET: An awesome quantity, with enough variety for people with dietary restrictions, although it would have been better had they labelled which dishes were gluten free. I only wish the food had been hot - I never found anything (including coffee) better than lukewarm, which dropped to cold by the time I found a table in busy times. Staff were helpful, efficient and plentiful. Loved the fresh oatmeal, crepes and waffles at breakfast. Bread was generally stale - found mould on one hamburger bun. RESTAURANTS: Le Bistro: good French/international food; parody of French service. Manhattan: very noisy live music, uninteresting food. Moderna: excellent Brazilian BBQ, great service. La Cucina: good Italian food, but served cold, and in a hurry. KIDS: Our 9-year-old went to Kids Club a few times, but didn't enjoy it enough to stay, or return. Our 12-year-old (1 week short of 13) is in high school, but was refused entry to the teen club. He went to the Kids Club once, but didn't want to return. (They let such older kids check themselves out, but only after a minimum stay of 2 hours, which made him reluctant to start.) Royal Caribbean let him in to theirs more than a year previously, and he loved it. In consequence neither of our boys met any other kids they wanted to spend time with, which was a big pity. CREDIT, ADMINISTRATION: I would have liked to have given my kids some credit towards games, but there was no way to do this without giving them unlimited access to my credit card. NICKEL AND DIMING: Thanks to Australian consumer-protection laws, gratuities were all included for us. Staff were good at explaining where there would be extra charges. We didn't need a drinks package for the kids - we got juices and lemonade whenever we wanted them; perhaps they were charged to our adult drinks package. There are still some hidden and excessive charges: room service is complementary (large type), but actually there is a $8 "convenience fee" (very small type); over-priced transfers and shore excursions. MOBILE PHONE USE: I was on a Vodafone international roaming plan, which gave me full mobile data use in all ports ($5/day) other than St Petersburg (where I had to turn mobile roaming off, to avoid $1/MB charges). This was essential because we only used an organised excursion in St Petersburg, and needed to look up public transport and access Google Maps. Happily the ship's mobile phone base stations didn't do data roaming (not sure whether this was them or Vodafone), which meant I could leave my phone on and get data whenever we were close enough to a shore base station, and not otherwise. Read Less

We were among 13 family members celebrating our mother's 80th birthday. The Baltic cruise destinations were very good, however our overall impression with Norwegian was inconcistent. First the good parts - booking was easy, our room and steward were great, the bartenders at Mixx and Shakers were great. We got to know each other over the trip and it really made us feel welcome. The cruise director staff was very good - fun, friendly, entertaining. We enjoyed many of their organized activities. We saw Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages and both shows were fabulous! The ship is well laid-out - we really felt it was crowded, even on sea days. I think its how they have a lot of interior and exterior walking areas. It also was nicely decorated and did not seem tired or dated at all. Our cabin, 11840, has a slightly larger balcony than most, as there's a bump out on one side. This was very nice to have the extra space. One downside was that we had a view only toward aft, but that did not bother us. Cabin space was plenty for 2 and there was lots of storage. The bathroom and shower were not as small as some ships. Our Steward was great - our rooms was always serviced, promptly and thorought. We encountered a couple issues during the cruise and he always had them resolved promptly. All the stewards in our area were very friendly. Our dining experience was not very good. We could not get reservations for 13 until 9pm. The first night we all ate in Manhattan, and it was such a late seating that they turned the bright lights on early during our dinner and all around us they were noisily resetting tables. The rest of the trip we dined in Taste & Savor. and service was poor. Here's just a few examples: our table would be make-shift in front of the kitchen area with tons of noise and staff running by throughout dinner, our servers would disappear (e.g. up to 30 min sometimes), we'd order wine and it'd take forever to come (e.g. white wine would show up after our 1st course was done) or it would be incorrect, menu offerings were generally redundant night after night, with only a couple new options, etc. They really try to push you to specialty dining by providing a mediocre experience. When just 2 or 3 of us dined in Taste or Savor, service was much better, but more of us dined together it was a really bad experience. If you have no expectations for fine food and good service you'll be fine with their dining experience. We were the only 3 family members who got to see shows. Having to make a reservation to see a show really hindered others' ability to see a show. The theater is quite small, relative to the size of the ship. We have been on smaller ships with larger theaters. If you are staying in Haven, they have a section of reserved seats for shows, which would enable you to not arrive so early to ensure you get a seat. The only other show we saw was the magician/comedian, who was not entertaining at all. We did not book excursions with NCL as they generally were price compared to alternatives. We used private company (Alla) and had great experiences and say more for less money. While the cost of the cruise was very reasonable, in reality I believe all the extras they want to sell you, including for dinners, make it more expensive. I would prefer to pay more for higher quality. I would also prefer a cruise were port talks were more education and less focused on sales. Overall, I don't believe we will ever rebook on NCL. Read Less

A lot of good aspects were offset by them moving 1 of our rooms. We reserved 2 rooms that were close together and we specified that we did not want upgrades and wanted our rooms together. They did not notify us that they moved one room to th eopposite end of the boat. When we identified the error their response was that we signed an agreement stating they had the right to move us at their whim. They did not solve the issue. Much of The sports equipment was broken missing or inadequate. The basketballs were no longer round. There were no tees for the golf mat. The staff was fantastic in general with very few exceptions. The only complkmenrary beverages were water milk and juices. The buffet was great and they had a great selection with the minor exception. Of stale pancakes most mornings. We had lobster in the dining room one evening and it was good. Read Less

My brother likes the cruise line & booked it. The service was generally good but we had some really bad service also. The last night in The Manhattan room was a disaster. We waited & waited for a waiter. He finally came (seem very Harried) which not puts us on edge. Took our drink order & wanted to take the whole order. Appetizers came before our drinks did. We had to beg for a second drink. Some got them, some never did. My 2nd wine got poured in someone else's glass - when I turned to tell him - he was gone. We liked the pub but had to serve ourselves most of the time by going up to the bar. When I asked the waiter for a drink one day he told me he had to run for food so I could go up to the bar myself. We did this just about ever day because the service was so poor there The chef we had in the hibachi grill was fantastic & I will find out his name. He really made the whole trip. So entertaining & a fabulous chef. Our best dinner ( all 12 of us) Vijay Pednekar (Deck Steward) was one of my HERO's as he got us all blankets when we were cold outside sipping Lemon Drop martinis made by my other hero Alejandro Barragan (Bartender) best Martini ever!!! Guest services was horrific! Not enough people working there when you need them. Some woman really nasty to my husband when he asked for luggage tags. Trying to get $4.14 taken off our bill the last day by guest services was harder then the US & Chinese sanctions. Guy had no personality whatsoever - we are talking $4.14 here for a charge that was rung up by error of the staff. So who wants to go on a shore excursion without a headset with 30-40 people and not hear a word that the tour leader said? Totally unacceptable & horrible. Heard nothing in Stockholm with the soft spoken leader & nothing in Helsinki either. Really do you expect us to hear these leaders when we are in places with thousands of people? Your cruise line has really cheaped out! And saving money by not docking in Stockhom and making the passengers add in a 2 hr bus ride round trip - Not HAPPY! Read Less

The Preziosa is not maintained well. All big windows are not clean. The cables of room vacuum cleaners are worn and repaired by insulation tape. The hand disinfection devices very often were empty. In one of the floors the floor number peeled and they didn't repair it at least 4 days. The buffet is big but nobody manages it. So couples occupy 4 seats tables and it is very difficult to find a table for the family. One day we tried to have our breakfast in restaurant Gold Lobster. We were disappointed. The choice was poor. Not like in the buffet. But the most awful for me was free smoking in every open deck (including near the swimming pool) and in Casino. The Casino is in big open space .So the smoke smellies far around. The dinner restaurant is very crowded and noisy. The employee in the reception didn't explain what need to do with the tax free for the shopping in the Kiel. It despite the fact that the ship comes there every week. Read Less

I've only been on 9 cruises, so I may not know it all but this is my experience on the NCL Breakaway: I booked this cruise for a group or family and friends against my true desires to sail on NCL again. The first time with NCL was the Hawaiian cruise in 2007 - it was not good either. 1) Staff- NOT the friendliest as other ships. They do their job, but that's it. No going the extra mile to cater to their passengers. You are a number, nothing else. Except for a handful of people, including my room steward who I only saw 3 times, when we boarded, when we needed a laundry order form and when we left, and a couple of people on guest services. 2) Dinning- Even whit the many options, I didn't eat anything that I would crave to order again. Expect to pay if you want different food at the specialty restaurants. At the main restaurants it took way too long. Sometimes it took too long to get our food. Granted we had a couple of large tables, but food for 10 per table shouldn't take so long! Two morning we had breakfast at the main dining room, just my husband and I and it took as long! plus my order was wrong, so I ate what they brought, because I was so hungry by then! Buffet selections are good. the food lacks flavor, It's bland. Nothing I ate was impressive. On the buffet some days it was super hard to find seating and it took longer than usual to have a clean table. I love the lobster on formal nights... I guess since NCL has free cruising style, no formal nights mean no lobster for me :( or anybody else... 3) Ship- It's ok but not impressive at all. Just big. Nothing to be "wow" by. Nothing special on the main attrium or public areas. I usually want to take pictures of the ship, this one I took pictures of the rope course and some slides. that's it. My son's bathroom had a faulty light so for 2 days he had to use the bathroom and take showers in the dark!!! My cousin's balcony was small. Rooms over all are much smaller than other ships and not enough place for storage. It was very clean. 4) Entertaiment- It was good, but nothing to WOW me. We chose not to go to the paid shows. I have never seen other ships charge for entertainment. I expect it to be included. I loved the violinist and some of the dancers where REALLY good. The theme parties, games etc were just "Blah". Music on other lounges were ok, but not great. 5) Ports- The ports and cost were the one of the main reasons we booked this cruise. The Berlin tour was the worse. I did not enjoy it. Too long for just being on the buss for 5-10 minute picture stops. NO real visit anywhere. My favorite and unexpected was Tallin Estonia!!! Loved it! I was super impressed by the stops in St.Petersburg. The russian ballet was held at a beautiful venue, but besides the main dancers, the rest seem to be students at the academy next door. They were good but not impressive. It was nice though. 6) Booking a group though NCL- We were promised several things and it was super hard to get what we were promised. If you book directly with NCL make sure everything is in writing. Apparently they can change what they quote. 7) We were celebrating my anniversary and had b-days on board. NCL did NOTHING in regards to the special event even though we told our NCL cruise consultant. SO there was NO special treatment AT ALL. 8) Rooms- Smaller than other ships. AND they charge even for movies. TV has poor selection. Over all I enjoyed my ports but traveling with NCL left me with the desire to book elsewhere. I will not be bringing my groups to NCL again. Twice I got burned by NCL. I guess you get what you pay for... It seem to be the less expensive option, but it wasn't. They nickle and dime you for so many things! Other ships include a lot of what NCL charges for. I should have kept my booking with Princess. Their itinerary was better and service is the best. Read Less