because of need, requirement!, to reserve show times i never saw a show. both early showings of jersey boys where reserved out by 4.30 on day of sailing and could sign up on line before cruise. boat had not left the dock and i could not reserve a seat. many of the other shows had same requirement -- did not see a show!! spa was a complete rip off -- they wanted more for 7 day cruise then i paid on longer cruise, 12-21 days. after heavy handed spa tour where u are solicited for all their service u are provided card for free drawing BUT u most be present to win. if i had been told that i had to come back at 5.30 to win i would never have submitted myself to 20 minutes of time share type sales pitch as i had bought package before and new all about the spa benefits. oh and no steam or sauna room access after work out, some ships allow, not the bliss did love the many food locations -- it made for short lines in buffet and main dinning rooms. BUT did wait for more than 20 minutes for service in craft beer venue, left w/o buying a beer. EMBARKATION - NCL still has not got this figured out, some people had waits of over an hour. ADVICE either show up WAY early or WAY late if u don't want to stand in a VERY LONG LINE. NCL seems to be the only cruise that has a serious problem getting people on and off their ships Read Less

The ship was beautifully and tastefully decorated. The cabins were cleaned perfectly. Rose was great at cleaning our rooms multiple times a day. All of the latest technologies with touch screens, key card tap entry to the cabins, and outside activities. The shows "six" and "Jersey boys" were spectacular. So much talent!! A large variety of complementary food was available 24 hours a day in many different places. The only complaint I had, was not being able to bring any type of soda or water, only Pepsi products were available. We are Dr.pepper fans. The photos were nice, expensive as usual. Getting on and off the shop was relatively smooth. The staff was friendly and always helpful. Joy ,a waitress in the Manhattan dining room made the cruise for us. So glad that we tried Norwegian again after the first bad experience. Extremely relaxing week!! We will definitely be back.... Read Less

I went on this cruise for my play daughters birthday. Although the bliss is a beautiful ship the service sucked. i payed for specialty dinners for two. i try not to eat off of a buffet because l don’t eat meat nor anything cooked with meat. i could not get any reservations at the seafood restaurant or any of the specialty restaurants . I was not informed in advanced that getting reservations was going to be so difficult. the last two days of the trip i was finally told to go to the restaurants and see if they could seat us. The seafood restaurant told us no but cagney’s was very caring and understood my dilemma. They also were able to make room for my daughter that is wheelchair bound. Cootos to cagney’s and the people that helped us. when all the other specialty restaurants told me no, they said no problem. The buffet food, i’ll just say for lunch and dinner was bread and salad for me. This is the first cruise i did not know my stewards name or who he or she was. i cruised for 7 days, the first two days my room was not made up at all. the third day it was after 6 and they came to make up my room and i wouldn’t let them because i traveled with three disabled adults that were going to sleep. Even though i asked that my room be made up no later than 6 the day before. AND THEY DID NOT MAKE ONE ANIMAL NOR DID THEY DO ANYTHING SPECIAL TO MAKE US FEEL WELCOME Read Less

Princess Cruises have always done exceptionally well! Delicious food, clean and modern furnishings, state of the art technology most especially with the Medallion, expert and friendly staff, relaxing environment and a full range of entertainment. The company prioritizes safety from the minute you board all the way to the end. The process of embarkation and disembarkation were easy. We always look forward to waking up in the morning because of the activities they offer daily. Food is excellent with so much variety to choose from. The cabin is kept clean with respect to privacy upon request. The technology is above and beyond with the Medallion. The staff are respectful, accommodating and have shown professionalism. Every minute is priceless while on board. Whether you seek to relax, pampered or be entertained. Princess Cruises deliver the best vacation ever! My family and I are looking forward to our next cruise with this company. We highly recommend Princess to people of all ages. Read Less

We cruised with our 10-year-old daughter on Royal Princess. The top priority for us is a quiet place to stay. Balcony cabin A111 was at the great location with the quiet level that meets our standard. Food: We were pleased with our assigned dining table for 4 every night. The fine dining was delicious. Horizon Court buffet had a generous selection of food every meal. We enjoyed later at night wandering around there just to walk around; and to sit down for a bite if we couldn't resist, even after our dinner! Entertainment: All staffs were very professional. The cruise director Matt O was a whole new level of professional! His passion, talent and enthusiasm made every show memorable. He brought laugh and happiness every where he went. He was the shinning star on Royal Princess! Camp Discovery: The new junior program was just rolled out a few months when we cruise. Some of the staffs were not well-trained to handle multiple requests with all kids around; the skee ball machines either were broke down, or not allow to play due to other reasons. My daughter did enjoy the slime making activity. Read Less

Full disclosure, we are avid cruisers with 20 trips on different lines. Royal Caribbean always ranks the highest on our list. Our 7 day cruise started with a mis-placed suitcase that was not delivered until 7 p.m. after several calls and visits with Princess supervisors. Disappointed that after many promises of return calls none we received, including no apologies for the major delay. I should mention that we did receive our other 2 bags soon after boarding at 2 p.m. Our travel partners that checked bags at the same time and location as ours received their bags on time. Princess boarding process is lengthy and cumbersome. A lot of waiting to board the ship. The new medallion system needs improvement. This controls your door locks, however it opens the door at least six feet as you approach your stateroom and leaves it open for 10 seconds after you leave. We also do not like the fact that your names are displayed outside your door on a screen 24/7. Cabin, a mini suite, was fine, however the bath area shelving was very dusty. No greeting from cabin steward or other interaction throughout the week. Dining on Princess was a disappointment. Late seating first night had us on the worst location for a party of four even with advance reservation prior to sailing. We were moved to a much nicer location after speaking to a supervisor. In general staff not real friendly, with the only exception being our dinner waiter and his assistant. Breakfast staff in the dining room not gracious or accomodating. The front hostess was boarder line rude. Lunch in the dining room also fell below service expectations. Note we never ate off buffets since food quality tends to be poor. We were very surprised that dining room and specialty dining room food quantity was also just average, nothing to be excited about. With all the hype for the Executive Chef, he was more “show” then delivery of quality food products. Granted the ship serves thousands of meals, there are other cruise lines that do a much better job. On board entertainment was fine with the same production shows typically booked on other lines. Shore excursions were also average. Recommend booking early as many popular tours were sold out by the time we got on the ship. Disembarkation for us was difficult, we had to carry off early due to an airline flight change. Very long lines and what seemed like miles of dragging bags. We will not do that again. Bottom line, unless you want the ports that only Princess goes to we recommend you pick another line. Our experience with Royal Caribbean with 12 past cruises has always been very good to excellent. Last comment, we saw very little management presence and almost no management interaction with passengers. Dealings with “Supervisors” was frustrating. Follow up promises never fulfilled. , Read Less

I thought everything on the cruise was great. This was my first cruise, so I have nothing to compare it to. The food at the buffet was acceptable. I only ate at the buffet for breakfast. Nothing really spectacular, but nothing was poor either. The only issue I had with the Horizon buffet is finding a seat in the dining area. There are two sides for the buffet, and both sides are really busy and packed with people. I had to either eat really early to get a seat, or wait for someone to finish eating, then swoop down on the table to get it. Or, the alternate is to take your food outside to the pool area to eat, but it could get pretty cold and windy out there. Dining for dinner in the DaVinci or Michaelanglo dining rooms were wonderful. The service was excellent and the food was delicious. The inside basic cabin that my wife and I were in on the 8th floor was acceptable. It was clean and the bed was super comfortable. The bathroom was very small, but that's to be expected on a cruise ship. It fulfilled its purpose. I thoroughly enjoyed all the activities on the ship. We did dance lessons, trivia games, attended concerts, used the fitness center, walked laps on the ships deck, etc. Our favorite staff on the ship was a guy who claims to be from Serbia, who has a strong accent. He was the host for most of the trivia games, bingo, and was even the announcer for the disembarkation process. Loved that guy. He's so funny! Embarkation and disembarkation was a breeze. The cruise staff got this down to a science! All in all, a wonderful experience. I will be returning to Princess Cruises soon! Read Less

Just wanted to get away for New Years.....we had taken several NCL cruises in the past so we felt comfortable choosing them again. We like cruising because we like to be pampered and enjoy some nice meals while we relax. We usually boook suites in the Haven just for these reasons. NCL totally dropped the ball on this cruise..... My wife was horrified at the spa.....a woman was assigned to her who had never done a massage in her life.....she burped in my wifes ear every 2 minutes....when she asked to speak to a manager, she was avoided for 3 days and then told that there was nothing that could be done. We went to the buffets that were lacking any flavor or variety.....nobody was putting any extra effort into anything !!!! We tried to go to O'Sheehans for a "break" and were served wings with feathers still on them......we pointed this out to our server who looked at us strange and asked us when we expected her to do about it !!!! The specialty restaurants were just not up to par......we have dined at these restaurants SO many times in the past and we know what its SUPPOSED to be like......its just as if nobody cares anymore...... Thank God we already knew the Haven concierge from a previous NCL cruise to Italy....if not for her and our butler, this would have been even MORE of a nightmare. I believe that NCL came up with a great idea for their freestyle cruising....and that this gave them a lot of business.....unfortunately, they are now obviously resting on past laurels. I sent in all of this (and more) on a survey and nobody from NCL responded..... At this point, I really dont expect them to and we will probably cancel our Fall Foliage cruise with them for later this year..... Absolutely no fun involved at all when you are looking more forward to getting home than being on the cruise !!!!! At least when I got home, I only had my wife yelling at me....on the cruise, I had to deal with the "bingo-mama" and the other "entertainment staff" that was clearly more comfortable questioning the perceptions of the passengers rather than trying to address any possible problems..... At least I was happy to get home to my own toilet.....lol......the one in our cabin would spit the toilet water back up at the person sitting there every 2 minutes......never asked for a bidet....??? Read Less

Do not cruise this company. The second cruise with them I had taken. My toilet overflowed from day one repeatedly and they did not change our room. My personal belongings being ruined and they did not replace. We were forced to sleep in a sewer smelling room for 8 days. They said they would refund us at the end of the cruise but instead they have us a 100 dollar credit and said that was enough compensation. The food was horrific, it was worse then airplane food, so much of it was unedible, we couldn’t bare to eat it most of the time. The ship was so filthy and so packed full of people. Bathrooms were disgusting, pool was nasty and jacuzzis unsanitary, as well as all of them being cold. I can not believe they did not refund anything after this experience. Do not waste your money, try another cruise line. Read Less

We have done over 30 cruises, 28 on Princess. The ship and staff are outstanding. We loved the charm of the ship even though it is showing some signs of wear and tear (Princess Theater seats need to be reupholstered.) Club Class meals were a highlight. The food and service were outstanding. Every night Giovanni, the Head Waiter, made a special dish. We had seen all of the shows so we did Movies under the Stars and saw a couple of comedians which we enjoyed. Sit away from where food is being prepared which can impact hearing a movie. The Club Class Minisuite was comfortable with a wonderful bed. The room was extremely well-maintained. The lecturers were outstanding especially the series on a Route 66. We love everything about Club Class. We never had to wait and our waiters (Edgar and Alvin were amazing!) The gym was well-maintained with some updated equipment, Especially nice was the international appeal of the cruise. The vast majority of passengers were from the US, China and Canada. The only minor downside was we have seen all of the shows multiple times. The6 need some new ones. Read Less

Convenient cruise- easy getting form the Long Beach airport to the cruise ship- & used the shuttle as only myself traveling, but if I was with a group would have used UBER to get to & from the ship . I wanted a short itinerary, to determine if I would enjoy solo cruising. Was great being able to have cabin to self, able to do what I wanted when I wanted & how I wanted. Totally enjoyed the sauna, steam room & gym. was well taken care of by my room steward, Supron - always had a full ice container, room cleaned as necessary Did the Chef's table & was impressed by all the food that was fixed & served, Learned many interesting facts about the food, preparation & many ingredients for the many foods that was served to us. Even learned some new things about different herbs & spices to combine with different foods. In Ensenada discovered a great place to go for a massage- Massage & Facial Wellness - within walking distance of the ship- and very reasonable priced, then did a chocolate class at the Maya Cacao- learning how chocolate is made form cacao beans- Did I mention that is all organic & they use the profits to support orphanages in the area Read Less

Although we were supposed to cruise to the Mexican Riviera ports of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas on Oct. 20, 2018, due to Hurricane Willa, the caption announced during our first evening at dinner that we would be headed to San Francisco, San Diego and Ensenada instead. This new itinerary was not only frustrating and disappointing, but inconvenient, since most people had packed for hot weather, and had little, if any, clothing and shoes for the 59 degree temperature in San Francisco. Yes, there is a lesson there to pack for every possibility of weather and temperatures in the future, but it was also disappointing since many Californians on board, including me, and probably others also, didn't want to see those cities, which were a few miles from where we boarded and live. I realize we couldn't sail into a hurricane, or rough waters, but perhaps there may have been some more interesting ports outside of California selected by NCL. NCL definitely knew prior to our departure that the itinerary would be changing and notified no one; we were not given a choice to board or not, even though the decision to sail to ports headed north, rather than south, had been made prior to our departure. I never would have selected a cruise sailing to ports in California and if given the choice, I would not have boarded. Choosing to make the best of the situation took some time to get adjusted to for all of us. As a family we had to make decisions of our own on how to change the course of our attitudes. So, now on to the positives...we DID have a very nice week as a family spending time together, eating, being entertained, and being pampered. The Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle was coordinated well in the District Brew House with samples, appetizers, and many ship officers and crew members. The service we received was excellent everywhere, especially in the restaurants. The food was delicious across the board, the production shows were good, and the ship is gorgeous! Our balcony cabin on deck 13, port side, aft, was quiet, beautiful, and a good location. We had fun on the go-carts, playing laser tag, using the slides and pool, at the parties, at the daily activities and using the beautiful observation lounge to relax. The ship itself is truly impressive and it's easy to have a great time! We had a very nice week on the ship - I just wish I felt like I traveled somewhere. Read Less

From embarkation to disembarkation and in between, we had an excellent time. Certain employees deserve commendation for their above and beyond duties. One is Anthony, our cabin attendant at P244 always kept our cabin clean and orderly. The other is Mister Joan, our waiter at Capri Dining Room and his Indonesian beverage waiter (sorry I forgot his name) for keeping our beverage filled - they are a good team. The people manning the International Café also deserve recognition. Keep the International Café open - nice alternative place for snack or a full meal. Maybe if we could have more entertainment at the Piazza. We also enjoyed the entertainment shows at the Princess Theater. They were great broadway shows. Another alternative is the SaltyDog where we usually stop for a hot dog/hamburger/cheeseburger and the fries. Thank you for the complimentary vouchers at the Crown Grill and enjoyed the food immensely. I missed going to the Fitness Gym because I couldn't find extra time. Too bad isn't it? To the other employees who made our excellent cruise, we thank all of them for a job well done! My son-ion-law whom I invited to join us, he loved it so much he signed up for another cruise and invited his father and sister. Like what the Captain says, "Nevertheless, Bye-bye."" Read Less

I chose this cruise mainly because of the ship, and was super excited to have both Deluxe Owner's Suites and 1 Two Bedroom Family Villa booked for me and a group of family members. The Haven boasts so much to offer, and the look and feel of the entire Haven complex was done up nicely. Friendly staff, decent food, and extra perks that would make any cruise great. The problems we encountered were not only surprising, but absolutely ridiculous. First, embarkation was a nightmare.... Disorderly, people cutting the line, and no real staff (NCL or otherwise) to see that things ran smoothly. Trying to find The Haven check-in once you got through security wasn't exactly easy either. It basically is set just to the side of the main check-in where everyone else is crowding around trying to get to. Secondly, to my surprise, smokers are given an area on Deck 19 Starboard side (right over one of our Suites, and right near the most crowded Haven Outdoor Hot tub). I think it's absolutely ludicrous that I forked out thousands of dollars to be in a more secluded area that is supposed to be nicer and more posh than the rest of the ship, only to be subjected to the nasty, gross, aggravating stench of cigarette smoke. It's completely frustrating that non-smokers really have no rights on cruise ships. Sure, we can go to non-smoking areas, but I paid more money to be in this area, and it was completely frustrating. The Haven should be 100% smoke-free. If you wanna go kill yourself with this bad habit, go do it somewhere else. Additionally, some of The Haven passengers thought that The Haven Courtyard was the perfect spot for "drop-off unsupervised daycare". Kids were running around screaming, jumping in the hot tub, and parents were nowhere to be found. NCL should do a much better job of making sure this area doesn't turn into a free for all for moronic people who think that they're the only ones on the ship and can do whatever they please. Lastly, the dress code for specialty restaurants was not enforced on a consistent basis. No hats, no jeans, no shorts? It depends where you tried to dine. We dined at a specialty restaurant every night, and each night we saw people not adhering to the dress code. When we finally decided on the last night to go to Le Bistro in casual shorts and polos we were immediately turned away. What a joke! All in all, I will rethink my next cruise because of NCL's big misses... Read Less

We are NCL Platium members, having sailed on many NCL ships. We booked the Bliss as its a new ship. First 4500 passangers is too big especially for the ship's resources. The crew was unahppy and unfriendly and it showed it everywhere (there were 4 staff exceptions only - Cruise Director, Joseph in Smokehouse and 2 Cruisenext staff)). Managers were always frowning and disapproving. The restaurants were booked before the cruise and we had to wait to get in and then it was 5:15 or 8:15. I will commend the La Bistro and Teppenyacci as the quality I expect on an NCL ship. The rest was mediocre. The ship had 1 pool for 4500 guests. Smaller ships have 2 pools -downsized for a bigger ship - why? There other NCL ships and a pool side grill - this ship has taken that out and replaced with with Margarettaville for $ 14.95 for a burger that is free in the buffet Prohibition was a fun show. Jersey Boys which was closing after this cruise had medicore voices at best. Havana was as amateur as I have ever seen except 1 bearded dancer and the 2 female singer leaders who were really good. This ship was over crowded everywhere. The staff pushed the buffet for meals as the other restaurants were overwhelmed. Do yourself a favor and look for a smaller ship than this ship which was big enough to fail. Read Less

We cruise at least 3 times a year and wanted to try NCL's newest ship. It was not what we had hoped it would be. The overall service was below average primarily because a good number of the employees were not trained very well and many had trouble communicating not to mention the ratio of servers to passengers. The ship was very full and waiting for drink servers was not good. The restaurants were not run very well at all. We tried 70% of them and experienced long waits for food, food prepared incorrectly and the quality wasn't as good as other NCL ships we've cruised on. Super long waits at the internet cafe along with problems throughout the cruise with the ships Wifi. Customer service lines were slow and long. We did not see the cruise director once during the cruise. When we went to the decks to enjoy the few days of sun the chairs were difficult to get. So many inconsiderate passengers go up and lay towels on chairs and were not using them. The floor with the Deck entertainment was very loud and made rest before midnight difficult. We had an additional issue with lost clothing sent to the laundry not recovered. Debarkation was a nightmare and there is no such thing as priority debarking. I hope NCL improves the problems on the Bliss because we had booked two cruises at once and our second one is a few months away. Read Less

Five day Cabo overnight and California Coastal ......our annual "wellness" cruise ....booked. Back to back for a total of 12 days. Our first cruise during spring break and it was "different" but also fun to experience more of a "party" atmosphere . Got to hear and see best individual performer ever in our 45 cruise experience. Lou Gazzara has a voice similiar to Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darrin......do not miss his performance if he performs on a cruise you have booked. Production shows were also well done. Christian ran a tight well organized relaxed dining room on deck 5 and head waiters Stefan, Daniel and Jose from Porugal twere very friendly and efficient. Waiters were funny and really knew their job. Casino VIP experience was a dramatic change from past poorly paying machines and empty casino. Booking another of these cruises this summer.... Classes offerred in gym were excellent. Trainers Josh and Branko were well trained and passionate about their jobs. Read Less

We have gone to Mexico often, cruising or staying at a resort. This was a kick-back-on-the-ship, don't-get-off-at-the-ports cruise for us. We are an elderly couple who enjoy being taken care of, and the staff on the Splendor did an excellent job. Our cabin was large and lovely and beautifully kept by our steward Ryan. Dinner in the Black Pearl (Your Time Dining) was excellent. The food was tasty and plentiful. We opted to dine at the Pinnacle Steakhouse on our Anniversary, but would not do so again. The service was excellent, but the food was lacking. Others we spoke to said they had too much to eat there, but my husband's Surf and Turf left a lot to be desired. It was to be a 5 oz filet and a 5 oz lobster tail, but they both must have shrunk during the cooking process as his lobster was smaller than one shrimp in his cocktail appetizer and the filet looked to be on the very light side of 5 oz. We actually wished we had eaten in the Black Pearl instead, and therefore canceled our ensuing Pinnacle reservations. So why the "Excellent" rating? The staff worked very hard to make everyone happy and provide good service. We never met a surly one or anyone of them without a smile. The Thermal Suite in the spa was well worth it to us, and the Serenity area was very peaceful, which is a big plus on the ships of Carnival with their party atmosphere. But parties are what most of the passengers are there for, and the Splendor delivers: tons of activities and festivities. Mardi Gras, balloon drop, deck parties, and one of the best pool movie screens I have enjoyed. Great fitness room. We did not leave the ship, so I cannot comment on the shore excursions, except to give my personal opinions, having visited each port numerous times before. Cabo San Lucas One of the most scenic ports to cruise into/out of. We were greeted by humpback whales coming into port. Big party town - you can hear the shore side music and activities clearly from the anchored ship. Mazatlan Our favorite Mexican Riviera city - great shrimp and lobster, friendly locals, pulmonia taxis, nice trips into the hills. Puerto Vallarta The most tropical of the three, somewhat humid depending on the time of year. Cobblestone streets and a lot of charm. More golf courses than in Mazatlan. We had a balcony cabin, #7212, forward on Empress deck, just behind the bridge. Very quiet, comfortable furniture, spacious bathroom for a cruise ship( we could both be in there at the same time! ). Lots of storage, adequate for a much longer cruise than 7 days. The Splendor is apparently the only Carnival ship built for their Splendor line. I guess someone did not like it, but so far, it is our favorite Carnival ship, and we are planning on sailing with her again. Embarkation and disembarkation was effortless (and we are only Gold VIP cruisers, so did not get any additional assistance/perks to make it easier). Read Less

I recently booked a vacation on the Ruby Princess and used a travel agent for the booking, our travel agent assured/guaranteed Princess Cruises will do everything to accommodate special diets, this was not the case. Our Travel agent told us that they sent Princess a list of our dietary requirements including the various foods items required. At our first dinner sitting there were no Vegan options on the menu and in speaking with the service staff we were informed that the only vegan protein they had available was Tofu. One of my biggest concerns in arranging the booking was that Vegan meals would be provided and there would be a variety of choice, I was extremely dismayed to find that there were no vegan options on any of the menus including the dining room. Further, the only protein source they had available on the ship was Tofu. It is my expectation that when I make a specific request for a Vegan Menu that this be provided. The Anytime Dining and the Buffet did not provide the ingredient list for their prepared items and there was no indication if the various dishes were Vegan or not. I would expect to have available meals that are prepared using organics, healthy oils, no refined sugars, etc. Vegan ingredients for the most part are easy to find and not expensive, alternative protein sources include Tofu, Beans, Lentils, Quinoa, Kale, Hemp Seed, and Chickpeas. As a result of the limited menu, I ended up with essentially the same meals each day, not what I was expecting. Why are there no Vegan dishes on the menu? Quinoa Salad, Chickpea salads, Kale Salads, Bean Salads, Lentil dishes, Chia Pudding, is often available in most restaurants as entrées, why would Princess not also have these available? Customer service by the staff on board the ship was exceptional, if Princess educated their chef and kitchen staff on how to prepare tofu entrées with flavor, quinoa salads, bean & lentil entrees they would open doors to customers that have special need diets as well as ones that choose to eat clean. Vegan entrees should be included on the menu. As well, this could enhance the wonderful vegetable & fruit salads in the buffet. I also would like to comment on the excessive number of sales pitches onboard the Princess, so many talks etc. were just there to sell a product and this was especially true of the fitness center. As an example one of the trainers presented on how to get flatter abs, with the comment that 50% is from Diet and Exercise and the other 50% from a detox product which they would be happy to have you purchase on a monthly subscription. They also stated that we all know about diet and exercise so he would not comment on this. I found this presentation particularly offensive as this information is just not true. There are absolutely no scientific studies that have shown a detox product to specifically result in a flatter abs. Flatter abs will come from diet and exercise alone and the assumption that everyone knows about diet and exercise is also wrong. I am very well educated in diet and fitness and yet know I still have much to learn and any information on this is always welcome. I also booked the Chileno Bay Sail and Snorkel in Cabo San Lucas and was under the impression that we would have 40 minutes of snorkeling time, at best only 15 minutes of snorkeling time was provided. The host were very good, but quite disappointing to have booked a snorkeling adventure and then only have such a limited time in the water. Much of the time was spent watching whales, which is fantastic, but this was a snorkeling excursion not a whale watching one. This was my first time on a cruise ship and I have to say I was quite disappointed with the level of food service provided. Read Less

It's the best vacation we had so far, our family really enjoyed the whole trip. wonderful food, enough entertainment for all the age groups, real professional staff are in store for all. My kids are ready to take one more cruise immediately. Our time is well spent for three days, age groups wise programs in circle-C are very good. we had a family golf for the first time on the top deck, it's a pleasant time on the sea. I would suggest every one to take the cruise at least once to get the wonderful experience. Improvement opportunity is to add more Indian/Veg food and make the photographs a bit reasonable for every one to buy more. Shoreline excursion is a bit disappointment, we could not get the expected experience at La bufadora, geyser height is very less and the flea market is boring and not at all interested with the low quality products. Read Less

the port for embarkation was not organized, no one seemed to know what to do and did not get the priority people on board in a timely manner like being herded the disembarkation to Cabo was total chaos kept calling more people down befor even had 1st group off the ship not enough tenders no one seemed to know what they were doing nor did they know how to accomplish the goal of getting folks off the ship in an orderly fashion the massages were great - very relaxing and very helpful for detoxing and for exfoliating and for stress reduction - did not appreciate always tying to sell the products at a very inflated price Loved the sauna room and the steam room appreciated the lemon and the orange flavored water in the relaxation room the cabin was quit good, always kept neat & clean able to rest in the room load speaker was not piped into room except for wen having safety drill. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of convenience. We took the ferry to pier 41, then walked a few blocks to our vacation. It was as simple as that. The process of embarking was fairly simple and quick, even being as crowded as it was. The ship. I had read some reviews of the ship looking tired with well worn carpets and other noticeable blemishes. Didnt notice anything bad about the boat. Our cabin was a balcony cabin on the Aloha deck. I found the cabin to be a little bit small, without many power outlets. I think there were only 2. 1 in the bathroom and on in the room. The bed was super comfortable, and the balcony was nice to have. Our room attendant was very nice, but there was a bit of a language barrier as he did not understand some of our requests. No big deal though. Our dinner restaurant was Bottocelli's. I found the food to be good, but not great. Our 2 servers Rodel and Made' though were excellent, really good people! Most of the entertainment was pretty good, the cruise director Dave is pretty good at keeping the entertainment going. The shore excursions were pretty good all around as well. Disembarkation was easy as well. My list of dislikes is small. What comes to mind is the paid for wifi. If you can avoid it, do yourself a favor and do so, its worse than old dial up internet. I hope to do this cruise again in the near future. Read Less

This is our third time with NCL on the Mexican Riviera. Our second cruise on the Jewel. The Jewel was refurbished since the last time we were on it although I don't remember any significant differences from our 2014 cruise. The ship's condition was, in general, quite good. Our inside cabin (10617) was, well, an inside cabin. A nice quiet one mostly thanks to quiet neighbors. Deck 10 is nice since it is below other cabins. I wouldn't recommend anything on Deck 11 (where all the mini-suites are) because of the potential noise from the activities (restaurants, pool, gym, Splash Academy) above on Deck 12. I am a guy who wants to be asleep by 10 p.m. The only criticism of the particular cabin I have is that the lower portion of the shower appears to be deteriorating. Minor issue. Our cabin steward, Deu, was efficient. Good towel animals--always a source of amusement for me. We ate at Garden Cafe, Teppanyaki, Cagney's, Le Bistro, and Moderno. All were very good to excellent. I learned that one now has to ask for smoked salmon at breakfast in the Garden Cafe. A minor hassle but I got my beloved salmon most mornings. The steaks at Cagney's always are excellent, and my lamb at both Moderno and Le Bistro were top notch too. Service left little to be desired at any of the specialty restaurants. The evening shows were all good. We attended each one except for one of the comedians. I've seen "Band on the Run" a few times before. Always entertaining. "Luminescence" with the acrobats was new to me and the lighting effects were very engaging. I did attend a "meet and greet" with three of the performers. It was interesting to hear about their history and experience onboard. The gymnast/dancer from the Ukraine, Alexis, was very personable and told us a bit of his struggles to get from the Ukraine to a job with NCL. I "invested" in a pass to the Thermal Suites at the spa on the advice of other folks on Cruise Critic. A great investment. The men's side of the area was generally quiet, a good place to relax with a wonderful view from forward on Deck 11. The facilities are pretty compute with hot tub, steam, sauna and assorted showers. I found the common room (which includes heated tile couches) to be full of people who yammered constantly. I mostly avoided it. There is a sign what requests quiet but even the crew members don't respect it. Having been on the same cruise before, we limited our shore excursions to a great walk around Mazatlan. It is worth walking to the beach and seeing the divers and the great sculptures. I was not approached by annoying street vendors. The only annoyance was super aggressive cab drivers trying to lure us into a cab when we wanted to walk. I'm thinking pepper spray next time but that would be wrong. In Puerta Vallarta, we walked around a bit, visiting the local Starbucks. Embarkation was a breeze. I noticed there was a section for Platinum and Platinum Plus but once we had our key cards, we walked directly onto the Jewel (and into the Garden Cafe). Disembarkation was OK too but the lines getting off as we descended the ramps were confusing. No big deal. We had an 8:45 a.m. disembarkation time scheduled and were on our ground transport and rolling by 9 a.m. I thought the Cruise Director, Pedro, was "OK". We all have our on tastes. The Cruise Next lady, Cristina, was helpful. The session with the ship's officers (Captain, Hotel Director, Engineering head) was very interesting and worth attending. I'm a daily gym rat. The gym on the Jewel is fairly large (and I did note that the floors had been replaced since my last visit there), and has adequate equipment. It opened at 6 a.m. daily. I appreciated that. Some mornings it was fairly full, other times pretty empty. The stationary bikes, stair steppers and treadmills all have good entertainment options if you have plug-in headphones to go with the video. Their is a locker room attached. I appreciate the Bridge viewing room aft on Deck 11. It is run to see the bridge. No tours of the area. We did get to see backstage, the laundry area and the main kitchens. Worth the walk. No children on this trip so I can't comment about that. I attended a couple spa-related sessions (free) with the acupuncturist, Echo, and the "Good Feet" gym guy, David. They were both interesting. I didn't buy anything. I would definitely go on the same cruise again. Read Less

Our dining experiences were all good and satisfactory from breakfast to dinner. We tried different restaurants and they were all excellent in food and services. All the waiters and attendants gave excellent services including our stateroom person. The shows and entertainment were great. The gym has modern equipment that I was able to use and enjoyed. We enjoyed playing in the casino although I lost quite a bit of money. Would be nice if I got some back but did not happen. We took 2 excursion tours and we both enjoyed it. The tour guides was very good and knowledgeable and the price was great too. Overall we had a great time. This is our first rime to cruise with NCL but would take NCL again for our future cruises if given special deals and offers. My husband is a retired Military and be nice if we get some good Military offer too. Thank you Read Less

We chose this trip because we wanted to experience the Mexican Riviera, This ship sailed for 2 and a half days before getting to first port which was beautiful Puerto Vallarta ,which we loved. Great for shopping eating and plenty of bars for drinks at a very reasonable price! The next stop was Mazatlan not the best port somewhat dirty and didn't always feel safe in some areas. The ship offered many excursions but all seemed very over priced. Our last stop was Cabo San Lucas, which we all loved very much the port was gorgeous much to see and do for sure. This was one of our favorite places. The only sad part is we were only able to be here for a very short time the shortest of all the ports. I think the ship could have stopped much sooner at another port on the way down but somehow I think they want travelers to spend as much time on ship so that we would spend money buying there drinks for a lot more than at the ports. I have good things to say and negatives things to say about Princess lines, I will start off by saying the arrival onto the ship went smooth and fairly fast and when getting to the actual ports it too went smooth. The disembark was very well organized and went very fast. Transfers back to airport was great! The entire staff on ship was excellent and the cabins and ship were spotless,the food in dining rooms were prepared beautifully and tasty with a nice variety. I was not impressed with the buffets it seemed like the same thing over and over again,especially breakfast. On most other cruises they offered many or at least 3 juices during meals ,on this cruise you had to ask for other flavored juices . The only one always available was orange juice. They also did not give you free bottles of water that needed to be purchased or ordered ahead of time. Other cruise lines I had been on gave you bottled water in your room daily. Drinks were very expensive and even the drink packages were on the high side. I really felt this cruise line was really out to get your money anyway possible. They had shopping sales, but my advice is to shop at the ports ,for you can get many bargains for a lot lot less. They had many activities on board including feature films. The shows were good some better than others and some were a yawn. The cruise director and his sidekick were fun and entertaining,I think they could have put on a great show. I would do the Mexican Riviera again but I would try to find a ship that stops longer in Cabo and a lot less time in Mazatlan and also a ship that doesnt spend two and a half days getting to the first port. I really hope my other cruise lines in the past have not skimped on food varieties and beverages at the buffets Read Less