The service was good. The room was kept clean and orderly on our schedule. The food staff and the bust boys were always courteous. The busy bartenders had kept their smiles up the entire duration. "Neli" rocks. The entire range of drinks they had made were terrific. Get the drinking package, it is a great investment. Made every port on-time, except one slight delay. With cooperating weather, we were able to do all of our excursion pre-purchased on the NCL website. The excursion staff on shore were friendly, knowledgeable, entertaining, and accommodating. The food at Ocean Blue was amazing and still quite memorable. The Teppanyaki had us laughing the entire duration with good food to follow. "Burn the Floor," has some amazing dancers, period. After a great day on shore with an excursion, the adequate time alloted for shopping, and then a great dinner at the various restaurants on the Getaway, we were able to dance and drink the night away with themed music at "H2O" every night, followed by more clubbing at "Bliss." To us, that felt like such a great bonus, a gift from the ship we had not anticipated. Compared to the previous cruise we were just on a month prior with Holland America Line, it was night and day. Wish I had a chance to review the Veendam on here with you. Overall, Norwegian Cruise Line Getaway has a much happier staff. We had felt that ship vibe from the get-go. A happier staff equals a happier trip for all of the customers on board (and returning customers). It is also a great reflection of a successful business. In the end, we had met great people who are now friends. Great photos were taken. Great memories were created. I'll forever miss the "washi-washi" hand-sanitizing girls on deck. Thanks to them we didn't get sick this time. Thank you NCL! Read Less

We chose this cruise about 6 weeks beforehand as we were looking for a winter getaway. I was looking at a few different options and I am very pleased with the choice we made. Starting with embarkation, the tone was set. Really efficient and seamless - we got our luggage quickly and from port to ship was fast and all staff were friendly! Although it was not perfect (what is?) there were so many positives on this cruise. Near or at the top of the list was the social nature of this cruise. We met so many nice people - I feel like the design of the ship really encourages chatting, social time and not rushing! Food was very good. Entertainment was a bit hit and miss - AJ the comedian was quite good, we had a group called the phat pack that were excellent (and not part of the cruise specific entertainment!) and some of the musical acts were fun and location appropriate (eg Mariachi) The colours of the world was not great for a variety of reasons and I found the show times of 630 and 830 really conflicted the dinner times. Dinner was typically at a leisurely pace and we missed quite a few shows. No matter, we just chatted with friendly passengers! We had an inside cabin which was ok but I think we will be back on a balcony next cruise. If you have not had a balcony you may not know what you’re missing. We did and noticed it! One other complaint was a one off - there was an unruly passenger that was picking a fight with another, much older passenger on the tender back from Cabo - I tried to alert the Princess Staff and nobody seemed to know what to do or act with a sense of urgency. I am guessing that it is not common on Princess which may explain why but it could have turned serious and they should have been quicker to act. Overall, loved the ship crew was good passengers were almost universally friendly. We will definitely be sailing with Princess again! Read Less

We chose this cruise simply for the itinerary. We didn't make it to the fiordlands due to weather, which we understand. The ship seemed understaffed and I've definitely been on happier ships. Late embarking led to harried crew ordering us to our muster station, where we were told to move when we tried to put our heavy carry on luggage and stroller down. So sitting on a step which was the only available seating, we waited 40mins for the muster briefing to begin. Time enough I would have thought to drop our hand luggage and stroller in the cabin. When we did get to our cabin, it was to find a dirty plate with cold food under the bed along with a dirty sock and paper. I won't mention what was near the drinks tray, suffice to say the room felt vey dirty. Again I blame understaffing. The attitude of the crew improved toward the end of the first week however, the emphasis on 'cruise status' and the colour of your ships card was obvious all through the cruise. Very disappointing. The upper bunks in our cabin were incredibly uncomfortable, with mattresses like cement. We initiated a roster system so the adults could take turns having a comfortable nights sleep in the lower bunk. Princess it seems have iniated a Third Class system, keeping tradition with the Titanic. While there were some fun moments, those aimed at a younger demographic for a change, they were far and few between. Our grandson loved kids club, and was cared for beautifully by them. Sadly there were no really child friendly outdoor areas, and instead of an adults sanctuary, which was in fact the whole ship, we could have done with a family sanctuary, one to keep out the grumpy older passengers. We are a fit 63 years old, yet on this ship I felt 30 years old still the overly loud music played near the pool was a poor effort to acknowledge younger minded passengers. I'm a retired RN, and I understand the special needs of the elderly however, almost an entire ship devoted to them alone is too much. If the line only wants that demographic on board they should be fair and state as much in their marketing. Traditional dining in the Rigaletto restaurant was fantastic. Our waiter Rod and assistant waiter Joel were unbelievably caring and attentive. Service was impeccable. They were incredibly patient with our grandson and intuitive of our needs. We can't thank them enough. Buffet dining was relatively bland and hot foods were especially lacking in variety at breakfast and lunch. Food options it appears were sacrificed for a larger seating area, which given the number of passengers who ignored signs designating tables for the disabled, it seems there still weren't enough. We had no trouble finding a table somewhere everyday though. We paid over $600 to go to Hobbiton on a bus with non-existent air-conditioning for an hour both ways, were rushed back to the bus because the driver gave us the wrong time. Too huge a group meant standing for too long in the heat, with a couple of people close to fainting. Not worth the cost. Price of alcohol on board was phenomenal. A bottle of wine on board selling for $55 can be bought for $30 in Australia. Wine by the glass averaged at $15 a glass. Cocktails averaged at $15 a glass. Our cabin was noisy on port days as the ship docked and the disembarkation equipment was erected. On one night at 10.30pm a balloon drop party with loud rock and roll music was held 100 metres from our room and went on until 11.05pm, waking our grandson and his designated babysitter - grandfather, but then again third class doesn't count. Considering the complaints we had to hear from certain upper deck passengers when forced to queue at ports, I understand the need to inflict the party on us. If I sound a little unhappy it's because I am, an expensive, long anticipated holiday was a disappointment. Princess line please be honest in your marketing approach, and try to remember the colour of your cruise card just depends on how many repeat cruises you make. Mine will forever remain the colour it is. Read Less

This was a great vacation for my husband and I! Lots to do delicious food, fabulous entertainment, and a great room. We did do a lot of the upgraded dining, we started with chops and then wonderland the next day because we had the buy one get one deal. They were both fantastic. We also did Jamies and Chef's table I would recommend both. The lunches an dinners we had in the Main Dining room were also solid. Really enjoyed the cruise director and director of activities. The shows were just as good as the last time we saw them. We booked Anthem again for next February. They were also very good this cruise of keeping kids out of the solarium. Overall we had a great time and great service. Also very much appreciated that Royal Caribbean had an LGBT mixer every night. Great to meet everyone and enjoy a glass of wine. We even banded together to win Madonna trivia! Would very much recommend this ship. Read Less

BACKGROUND INFO: We have done many cruises on many different lines, Silversea, Seabourn, Azamara, Celebrity, RCCL, Holland America, Paul Gauguin. We have done majority of our cruises on Silversea and wanted to see what Regent was all about since fellow Silversea cruisers spoke highly of Regent. You never know if a cruise line is for you unless you try it for yourself. We live in Florida so we didnt need a hotel or airfare for this cruise, we just drove to the port of Miami and parked across the street from the ship which was very convenient. EMBARKATION: It was a bit slower than usual for a smaller ship but I think that was because we arrived right when 2 buses pulled up filled with passengers from the local hotel. But considering the number of people arriving at the same time, we were process fairly quickly and easily. We stepped on the ship and were immediately greeted with a glass of champagne and were informed that our suites were already available so we made our way to our suite to drop off our hand luggage. CABIN: We had a deluxe veranda, suite 816, slightly forward of mid ship. Room is good size..comparable to the type of room we get on Silversea and Seabourn. This ship was refurbished a couple years ago we were told but there were elements in the room that didnt seem to have been changed. The cabinetry in the bathroom looked kinda old. The room was decorated nicely, but didn’t have a luxurious wow factor. Just nice. The room did lack in storage. There is a nice walk in closet typical of most luxury ships but it lacked storage in the room. Normally in the living area, there are drawers or some type of wall storage , but there was none. No shelving on either side of tv. And below tv, was just a desk, with a fridge on one side and a big cabinet full of glasses which is wasted space. Only 2 tiny drawers in bedside tables. We did like the high and large coffee table in front of sofa as it was perfect both in size and height for room service. Bed was very comfortable, one of the most comfortable on a luxury ship. Water pressure was great and we had fantastic suite attendants who maintained the room. Everything was always perfect. We could hear our neighbors a bit through the walls, which was a first for us. Usually we hear nothing. SHIP: . After unpacking we explored the ship. Its a nice ship and we could notice many of the public areas that had received refurbishment. But there seemed to be a disconnect in terms of style. In some places, it seemed kinda modern luxury, other places sort of French in style...didnt seem to flow well, but was still pretty and ship appeared to be in good condition. We loved the huge pool deck area with lots of chairs. Larger than what we expected but during the cruise we did find it difficult to find a couple chairs together. Pool was always packed and forget about trying to get a lounger in the shade along the sides....folks must get out there early to lay their claim. We also enjoyed that large walking track above the pool and the putting green, shuffleboard , croquet at front of ship. DINING: Food is very subjective but we found the buffets at breakfast and lunch to be lacking in variety compared to Silversea and Seabourn’s buffets. After a couple days we avoided the buffet. Normally for breakfast we ate at Compass Rose which is the main dining room and for lunch we always ate at the pool grill, both were pretty good. Nothing to write home about, but good. They seemed to shine when it came to dinner. Everything we had was very good. I thought the variety on the main dining room menu was better than Silversea and SEabourn. They have one side of the menu of items always available (same every night) and the other side is chefs specials. Food was excellent. It did seem that perhaps they are short handed in the dining room. Service was good, but waiters always seemed worn out and rushed due to the number of tables they were responsible for. The specialty restaurants were Sette Mari, (Italian), Chartreuse ( French)and Prime 7 (steakhouse). We ate all of them and found them all to be excellent! Service was probably the best at Sette Mari. My only complaint is their reservation system for reserving specialty restaurants. You have 2 mos before cruise to reserve a table at Prime 7 and Chartreuse. Once on board the first day, I tried to get a 2nd res at Prime 7 but was told no , that I had to wait until day 3 to ask for a second one. They want to give everyone a chance to eat there at least once. But in my opinion,everyone has had 2 mos to reserve a table, if you fail to plan your cruise, res should open to anyone first come first served once on board. They also are lacking table for 2... mostly big tables and we dont like to share tables. I dont want to meet strangers at dinner. So this was a big negative for us. ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTIVIITIES: Typical of most luxury cruises, its a mix of the ship’s singer/dancers/performers and then random one man shows. We did all the ship’s performers nights but skipped all the other evenings. Their performers are good, but the productions are obviously not of the quality and wow factor of a bigger ship...so it was par for the course for a luxury cruise...entertaining but again nothing to write home about. The only show we skipped was one that was music from before our time. Same with the one man shows ...the content didnt sound interesting to us (46 and 51). The shows appeal to an older crowd, which is the majority of their clientele ...at least on our cruise, the average age was much older. We were definitely one of the youngest on board. We didnt participate in other activities such as trivia, bridge etc...all the usual ones... SERVICE: Regent truly excels here. Service was excellent across the board. We met a lot of wonderful crew members who treated us like gold....felt like we were good friends right from the beginning ! We had dinner one night with one of the ship’s officers and he couldn’t have been nicer. Sometimes, those dinners can be awkward and tedious trying to find common ground to discuss, but it was super easy and fun with him. EXCURSIONS: Excursions are included in price of cruise. We did excursions at every stop except for Grand Cayman and Key West. Excursions were fine, some better than others. OUr favorite was ATVs in both Cozumel and Costa Maya. Our least favorite was Mayan ruins in Belize...that was mainly because of the terrible old school buses they use ...extremely bumpy ride and it was a lot of driving. Couldn’t wait to be done with it. Harvest Caye Belize’s is a private island owned by Norwegian and its fantastic!!! we would love to go back. This place is beautiful with lots to do fo everyone . There’s a huge beach with hundreds of chairs, restaurants, bars, shopping, zip line, water sports....aviary...its awesome!!!! A must do!!!!! Wish we had skipped our excursion here and spent more time on the private island. Read Less

This is the first time cruiseing with NCL and our experience was great. My only down side was the age range of the cruisers since we are a younger couple. My big plus was how great our room was and how clean and how the turn down service was amazing. Our stateroom steward was Eko Miftakhul Najib he made our cruise experience great. Also the cruise director was amazing and keeping the party going and I loved his jokes. The dinning was very good but desert options where not my favorite. The excursions where diverse and every since excursion was memorable and good experience. The ship was updated and the staff was friendly. The photo center was great we enjoyed the photos that where purchased. We enjoyed taking photos from one paticular photographer I can’t remember her name exacts but she was a younger girl from South Africa. She was great and she made our trip memorable. Read Less

First cruise and I was terrified due to negative reviews on here. Our review...well we are now hooked....an amazing cruise. We ate everywhere...enjoyed it all. The ships crew are constantly cleaning to keep the ship presentable. The entertainment is amazing. Attend as much as possible. All incredibly enjoyable especial the Maquee live shows. Entertainment crew hilarious Mathew Dom Pablo Miguel etc. We had the smaller cheaper cabins which were perfect for our budget and needs....hot showers were amazing. Many reviews complained about the interior being old....well I'm no spring chicken either any more but it's how you present yourself and this ship is no different....the decor is gorgeous. We did a few pacific Islands and pre booked our tours through the ship and had a great time being emersed in the culture and saw some amazing scenery. All our kids 3-17 attended kids clubs Turtle cove HQ and HQ+ and loved it experience. We also had EDGE packages. These were prepaid great for 7-25yrs. Our adults would probably pay per session next time as didn't get the value from pre purchasing. Thankyou from the bottom of our hearts for your passion to serve. Sad to see you retiring but hope to travel again with P&O and see some familiar faces. Read Less

After reading the other reviews I undestand if the ship doesnt appeal to older generations. The ship is modern and very much following the latest trends meaning that there is no Argentinian tango show in theatre and the design is chic. We were group of ten and these were the highlights - Eden restaurant, funky cool place to chill and have brekkie/lunch/dinner. - Shows, all production shows were super cool. Like what other ship has a shower on the stage? - Food, food was food everywhere. Even better than on Solstice. Only tried buffet twice and wished there were more days so I could had sampled it properly. - Hot spa, overlooking the lido deck and big enough to host a lot of people - Service, not angry chaps on this ship. - Ship design. - Launches, the most coolest tender boats I have been on. - Iphone app. - Fll cruise terminal, just stunning. Time to check in, less than 5 mins. - Gym and gym classes, cannot be more pleased with the selection. There are rooms for improvement, like restaurant reservations using the app when there are multiple staterooms and the speed of the tender operations. Overall, very excellent ship. We’ll be back! And sorry for the people who do not find Edge a nice ship. I’m sure there are more traditional cruise liners out there to please you. Read Less

My partner and I with a group of friends cruised on Silver Muse for 14 nights from Sydney to Auckland. It was a wonderful cruise that exceeded all expectations; we have been cruising with SIlversea for over 20 years and have been on each of the Silversea vessels many times; this was our first time on the Muse and we absolutely loved it. We were very impressed with the new direction that Silversea is taking: everything seemed to be more modern and more upmarket (and the product was terrific in the first place.) Lets start with the ship: its gorgeous! The layout is similar to the Spirit with certain areas expanded and improved, the décor is beautiful with a modern and elegant look, all of the rooms and spaces are accounted for with new additions such as the cute Arts Café and a supersized Lobby/Dolce Vita area, and the outdoor space has been enhanced with a pool and deck area that is longer/larger than the equivalent space on the Spirit (before it was lengthened) and an extra Jacuzzi aft. All good. We had a Deluxe Veranda Suite that was simply beautiful; the suites are (I think) slightly larger than on the Spirit but the new and very beautiful interior design makes the suites feel roomier and brighter. There was a super bathroom, good walk in closet, and lots of storage; all as expected on Silversea. Everything being new and fresh is a good thing and we enjoyed our Suite very much - simply superb! Dining was extraordinary: the food was terrific in each of the eight restaurants. The dining and reservation issue seems to have worked out on the Muse; the system is now perfected. We had advance reservations for many evenings and everything went according to plan; on our non-reservation evenings (when we ate at Atlantide or Indochine) we never had a problem getting a table directly even around 800PM which seemed to be the peak dinner hour. The décor at the restaurants is pretty and each venue has its own design and style. The food at each Restaurant was wonderful: we ourselves were surprised that we enjoyed Indochine as much as we did. Of course, La Dame is a wonderful dining experience and our dinner at Silver Note was an adventure in dining. So much fun. We also thought that the wines being served (and there was much variety in the standard categories) were rather good; Frank, the chief sommelier who we know for years, was onboard and very gracious towards us. The service that we received onboard was nothing short of spectacular; we knew many of the crew members and (I think) that they were genuinely happy to see us. At the restaurants, we were catered to at each and every meal regardless of venue - the head waiters and maître d's always checking and making sure that we were pleased. A big thanks to all of them, especially Giwa who made sure everything went well. Waiters, bar staff, and the pool staff were all active and engaged, knew our names by the second or third day, and looked after us. Our butler, Alan, was marvelous and took care of many details for us (including a ridiculous amount of laundry) and Sam, our cabin attendant did an outstanding job looking after of our cabin which was always spotless. Although we do not do ship shore excursions, the members of the shore excursion team were helpful and assisted us with a smile. All good. As for entertainment and activities, its standard Silversea. The singers were lovely and had talent and we went to a few shows.....but entertainment has never been and never will be Silversea's strongest point; this is not where small ship cruise lines excel. The cruise director, lecturers, entertainers and social staff were all engaged and passengers seemed quite happy. The only odd thing was that many of the production shows were scheduled for 615PM which we found unacceptable as we don't care for early shows; scheduling the shows early left us with little to do after dinner. It was not a big deal, just strange. As always with Silversea, embarkation was a breeze (from curbside at the port to La Terraza for Lunch in less than 30 minutes) and debarkation was even quicker with us leaving exactly at the designated time. Our Sydney to Auckland itinerary was lovely: this is the third time that we have done this cruise over the years but Australia and New Zealand are absolutely beautiful and the ports of Burnie, Picton, Napier and Gisbonre were all new to us. And, its always wonderful to spend a few days in Sydney before embarkation. I cannot comment on the shore excursions: we make our own arrangements and tour independently with private guides so that we can set out own pace (we move more quickly than most ship operated excursions) - it works out better for us. Our only issue was internet at sea; its frustrating and remains so on the Muse. In our technology driven world where we are all dependent on the internet for just about everything, its time for internet at sea to catch up. I understand that this is not a Silversea issue (we have had the same problem on Regent and other small ship cruise lines) but, nonetheless, reliable and fast wifi is a necessity and not a luxury in 2019. In summary, we had a wonderful experience on Silver Muse and look forward to her sisters Silver Moon and Silver Dawn joining the fleet; as a "small-ship person" I never thought that my partner and I would like the "larger" Muse as much as we did. Also, we adapted to the multiple dining venues much more easily than we thought we would - we both always loved the ease and simplicity of the Restaurant on the smaller Silversea vessels. We cant wait to return and are already planning our next voyage with Silversea: we are deciding between the Med and Northern Europe for the summer and its probably South America next winter Read Less

There is no question that the price of the cruise makes it worth while. It is not the top of the cruise ship line but neither were the prices. Everything is there for you to make a great trip for yourself. It will be what you make it. We went on the Dec 30th 2018 4 day cruise. Come prepared - this is a much older ship. There are few portholes, fewer balconies - book an owners suite, grand suite or junior suite for those extra amenities. We had an inside cabin, M100, small, but comfortable. Shower was excellent. The beds were converted to king at out request, so less room. Very limited electrical outlets - bathroom on had shave outlet over mirror. Plug into the ground 3 prong US outlet on left side of mirror with multi-socket extension cord. Will support hair dryer, curling iron, etc. - if not used same time. The ship is basically sealed and the air flow system is excellent. There is smoking around the casino and the smell spreads to adjacent areas. Love Charmin toilet paper so brought our own. Bring some air deodorant, just in case. If you have not gone on a Carnival cruise before beware of daily parking fees; have someone drop you off and pick you up or use Uber/Lyft/Taxi. If you drive drop off people with luggage and then park. Had a very difficult time finding entrance to parking facility and it was jammed with cars. Take a photo of where you are parked so you won't struggle to remember. We brought our own booze on board as Carnival charges a lot for a drink and adds a 15% tip to the mandatory 18% you will pay on your overall expenses. Carried booze on ourselves. Not in luggage. Fast on and off if use transport own luggage. Forget the TV, too small and inadequate. Forget the expensive wifi package. Use your phone and laptop when in port. Found the locally based trips to be better than Carnivals. Went on the Conservancy 3 hour jeep ride over Catalina. Was terrific. It was cold - insulated clothing and gloves needed in open jeep during cold weather. Worth it. Ensenada was closed - except tourist area when we debarked on January 1. Easy walk to and from ship, if you are in reasonably good shape. The ship was essentially full. No problems with kids running/screaming. All kept in check by parents and activities.. Cabin walls are paper thin. Sneeze and hear your neighbors say 'Gesundheit". Shows were good. Better later in evenings when kids not allowed. But, Carnival likes to wake up at 8:00a to tell you about the joys of the day. Cant sleep through it. For us, not a whole lot to do on the ship. All games and entertainment, nothing to learn or listen to. Too cold to be outside beyond mid-afternoon. Ship inside warm and comfortable. Dress - casual and somewhat less. New Year's eve most people dressed up. Ship decoration like Vegas in the 80's - gold, brass, glitz, but nicely kept up. New Year's Eve in the atrium was a lot of fun with music, balloons and streamers galore. Everyone in party mood. People are very friendly. Staff generally great. The food the first night was terrible-essentially non-edible. Then it became really great. Had the Captain's table - if you can get it,+$75/person, do it. Wonderful experience. Breakfast and lunch buffets - excellent. Three hot stations where will cook fresh for you in accord with meal at that time. Must try the hamburgers. Had no room for the burritos but folks said they were great. Again, trip is what you make of it. Read Less