We started our cruise in Barcelona (check in was smooth, pleasant and very friendly, 25 minutes). I had a Moscow mule in hand within 40 minutes of arriving. It lashed the rain which put a dampener on our first day followed by a thunder and lightening storm. We were told when we arrived that there would be 10 % tax added onto our UDP payable to the Spanish Governement just for the one day. However, this continued for the whole cruise. I asked a manager why this was happening since we were no longer in Spanish waters and our cruise finished in Rome. The staff seemed to be making it up as they went along. She said that the tax might not be payable on the next cruise from Barcelona. Why were we being made pay it then? Apparently our fellow passengers had been talking to passengers on the Norwegian Spirit and nobody on that ship had to pay the tax.This left a bitter taste in everybody's mouth. We sailed from Barcelona 6 months previous and the tax wasn't mentioned. Nobody paid the gratuities as we all had to pay the tax. Anyway, the gratuities should not be optional, they should be built into the price or made compulsory.

Norwegian have cut back on staff which is very noticeable There was usually only 2 bar staff in the bars. Most of them had no personality and were downright rude. Every time I went to the bar I was waiting for a drink for 5 minutes to 30 minutes. I was told that Grey Goose was not available on my UDP and that I would have to pay extra. On the last day of the cruise I was told otherwise by a fellow passenger. My husband does not drink alcohol and his UDP is wasted as he can not even get a free coffee. There was no continuity of pricing either. His orange and soda could be free sometimes, then in other bars he was charged anything ranging from $1.50 to $4.50, ridiculous. He was made pay tax on this too.

The public ladies toilets left a lot to be desired, no staff here either. A few times the toilets were flooded and most of the time the bins were overflowing and the sinks were messy. Read more