NCL is the worst cruise line we have encountered.This was also a once-in-a-lifetime itinerary for us. We chose it because we wanted to sail on this date and the Baltic itinerary was at the top of our wish list. Pricing seemed pretty comparable to other lines we have cruised for similar time periods. We suspected we were going to be unhappy with the customer service level when although we had a complete drink package we couldn’t get a bottle of sparkling water without a six dollar Per bottle charge. We were in a mini suite and have been told that we would each get 1 L of regular water bottles per day, but the best we could arrange was to have room service keep bringing us pitchers of water. We have met other people on our private tours who are also in a mini suite and get 2 L of water a day, but we cannot do that it seems. Add insult to injury when they confiscated a 1L bottle of sparkling water we had purchased and not used in our hotel. Any other line has allowed passengers 2 liters of wine or water on boarding, and not confiscated it. And worse, their overpriced water package only offers regular, not sparkling water.

Although we boarded in Copenhagen, we heard horror stories from people who were stranded in Berlin and Warnemunde. We wanted to spend more time in Copenhagen and booked a post-cruise hotel room giving us two extra days. We didn’t need to be here an extra day on this end and we’re disappointed not to get to Northern Germany. The extra day In port was a waste of time, and NCL’s big solution was to offer overpriced excursions for a half a day. A more gracious customer service oriented line would have offered shuttle buses into town from the port. Little did we know that we would lose two additional port stops, and that we would be stuck in an overnight in Tallinn where again, NCL did not even think to run shuttles into town.

We are not loungers, and choose cruises with port heavy itineraries. This ship has nothing to on it. Much of the time that we were stuck in port, the shops and Casino were closed. Inclement weather meant the outdoor pool and recreation areas were not accessible. If you go up to the level with the buffet and mistakenly take the fore elevator, you have to make your way across treacherously slippery outdoor decks hoping to find the backs of occupied chaise lounges on which to grab a hold. The Garden Café buffet has been beyond overcrowded and there were long lines everywhere for everything. Try to get a seat in the atrium lounge to play trivia and you better be there a long time before the start time. On other cruises we have felt pampered and treasured as clients and guests. Here we find we are constantly requesting things that have been prearranged but not delivered. Read more