I've been on over 30 cruises. Choose the Getaway for my anniversary, 9 day itinerary and sail out of New Orleans. Had my honeymoon on the Jewel out of New Orleans 6 years ago. A couple of things of note - the shows were some of the best I've ever experienced. The food was excellent and staff very good. The cigar lounge!! I am a cigar smoker and was looking forward to spending quiet time smoking my expensive cigars. The sheer fact that they don't keep the cigarette smokers out of the lounge destroyed a big part of what I was looking for on the cruise. Any quality cigar lounge will not allow cigarette smokers in the lounge. Several attempts to remove the offenders were a waste of time. I brought 25 cigars with me and ended up only smoking 6. I wasn't allowed to smoke my cigars in the "smoking areas" outside of the lounge! That was the first big mistake I experienced. Next, the bait and switch in the SPA on massage/facial services. I was in a SPA balcony room looking forward to having several services. My wife and I had a massage the very first day. Couples massage (charged $450 roughly) then booked more services for later in the trip. We were hit for over $1200 the next day for services which took my credit account overlimit. I had prepaid $1000 in onboard credits and $400 in SPA credits. I was pissed to I canceled the additional SPA services and my 1st day massage's went up to almost $600 (for a couples massage??) Priority boarding?? I prepaid $179.00 and when we got to the check in process not a person knew anything about it. We stood in line like everyone. We kept asking and were told they don't know anything about priority boarding/services. Then in Roatan we had plans w/ friends that live on the Island. We were due to dock at 11:00 am and our friends were there waiting. They took us into a room because we had priority for tenders. We didn't get off the ship until 1:00 pm spending the entire two hours in a separate room. They claimed they forgot us when again, they really didn't know anything about the priority program. They didn't understand how it worked and didn't even know what the designation on are cards stood for. Anyway, we missed our friends and the stop in Roatan was one of the #1 things I was looking forward too. That pretty much killed the cruise for me because none of the issues were created by me. I understand there are problems sometimes but I paid for things up front because I wanted an outstanding anniversary and I didn't want to go to guest services everyday and solve issues or problems. The shows were amazing and enjoyable. Cirque, Burn and Howl at the Moon all excellent. We probably spent $2500 in the casino - all a lot of fun. Then the final straw - we paid for the transfer to the airport and again we were supposed to have priority to catch our bus. We were told by 6 different people there was no priority and to stay in "the line" for transfer to airport. Had I done as told I would have missed my plane due to the "idiots" working disembarkation. I ended up having to grab a taxi and take care of my transportation even though I prepaid $40 plus the $179 for priority. I expect to get reimbursed for both items and have already contacted my card companies. I told my wife I will never take another Norwegian Cruise ever again even before the disembarkation fiasco. However, I did take advantage of the the future cruise program to book one last Norwegian because my mother in law is 88 and she had plans with her husband to take an Alaskan cruise but he passed before they could take it. I even set a date for July of 2020. I have to be honest that I really want my money back at this point. Had the mess getting off the ship not been so horrible I'd have sucked it up because I wanted to give my wife another anniversary present of taking her mom on an Alaskan cruise before something happens to my mother in law. I have to ask you for an opinion. If you had experienced everything we did how would you feel? I've taken over 30 cruises (Cunard, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian) and this is the first time I've ever had a bad opinion or responded with a negative review. The initial experience on the Jewel was the best cruise I've ever had, the 1st time of the Getaway was good but this one just had problems. The other thing I almost forgot was the upscale dinners included w/ my package. I went to use one of them and they told me I had already used my 4. I had only had three at that point. I went to get services and a nice gentleman said he fixed everything and even sent a bottle of wine to our room for the issue. We went the next night and they wouldn't allow me to use our 4th and that was the actual night of our anniversary. I refused to sign the statement and went right done to guest services and they couldn't figure out the problem. Finally it was something to do w/ the Cirque show (which I had prepaid for). I had also added a 5th night of dining before I sailed. I never got that and will be working to get my credit back on that as well. So despite an excellent time w/ most dining (quality), outstanding shows the overall experience by me gets a 4 out of 10. I really hate to share because overall I think Norwegian used to have a good product but something has changed. Also, forget using the ships boats as tenders. It was comical how poor the person piloting the vessels were. One gentleman took 12 attempts to get it docked in Roatan and there was no wind or seas to deal with. I am quite certain that you'll receive an unusual number of complaints from this sailing because the general opinion on the ship was a big disappointment and a feeling that it would be their last time on Norwegian. Read Less

We went on this cruise to get a good sampling of the Southern Caribbean. The service was excellent and all of the staff were truly happy to part of your vacation. I have mixed feeling about the freestyle cruise.On one hand I enjoyed the freedom and flexibility, it also I believe lead to some fast food attempts for some at the restaurants. Although we did not travel with kids, there were a lot of onboard activities and areas for kids. These areas were somewhat out of the way so those that did not have kids wouldn't necessarily know there were any onboard, a very good design. The activities on at see days were great for learning culture history and being entertained, the staff were excellent and really made the trip worth while. Overall I would definitely consider using Norwegian again over the 3 others cruise lines I have traveled with. Read Less

This was a 50th birthday present from my husband and I was not disappointed. We were one of the last flights on the Saturday to join the ship, so late boarding, but they got us on board pretty fast after arriving at the port. The ship layout was pretty easy as we had cruised with Princess the year before and Azura has exactly the same layout so pretty much knew the deck plan from day 1, but yes people were still getting lost even at the end of week 2. The ship itself is due for refurb in April 2020 and yes there are noticeable areas that need doing, but I did not think at any point we had got on a ship that was in desperate need. We had a balcony stateroom that was front of ship, always clean and tidy thanks to Pascoal our steward. We dined in the Oriental, food always very good with a varied selection on the menu. Bar service was good whatever bar we went to. Loads going on onboard on the sea days, so no excuse to be board. Guests were constantly told not to reserve sunbeds on deck, but do people listen? Sometimes they were easy to come across other times not so. The only thing that dampened our cruise was the theft of my husband's prescription sunglasses. He attended a talk in the art gallery and when he left forgot to pick them up as he had a coffee cup and other bits and pieces with him. He returned 2 hours later after a gym session when he realised he left them behind. The girls in the gallery had seen them but chose to leave them on the chair rather than put them in a safe place!! If only they had of moved them they would not of been stolen! I hope whoever stole them was as annoyed as my husband was when they tried them on to discover they are no good to anyone apart from my husband. They will probably be in a bin somewhere now I guess. On a plus note I must give a big shout out to Captain Neil Turnbull who greeted us every day with his wit and charm. He got off in every port and was always ready to meet and talk to any guests.... big asset to P&O! Read Less

No swimming for small children even with a swim diaper! Hard to get milk for children, even from room service. No change tables. No wipes or diapers for sale. Some staff are friendly but some see children as an annoyance. We were married on a princess ship but clearly are not welcome now we have children. I’m very saddened by this trip as I expected a 5* experience. We paid the same price for the children as for adults. If princess expects children to have a less then Stella experience. Then we should have paid a discounted rate. My family including Grandparents shall never cruise with princess again. When we called to complain. We were told there was nothing they can do, rules are rules. Well I say shame on princess, you have tried but have failed miserably to garner the support of the future generations. Regards, a party of 22 on the Regal Princess. Read Less

Third year in a row we've been trying to take this cruise, but couldn't due to scheduling conflicts. Absolutely great cruise. The Regal Princess is still in great shape, and looked it. Constant upkeep throughout the whole cruise. Crews were doing exterior hull painting before we even disembarked in Halifax. Halifax: Easy disembarkation. In port with the Caribbean Princess. Easy access to our private tour right out front of Terminal 22. If you want a good local beer, due yourself a favor and skip Garrison Brewing and walk down Water Street to Alexander Keith's. Saint John: Again, easy disembarkation, right in town. Late night here, so we had both lunch and dinner off the ship. Caribbean Princess with us again. Last cruises of the season, so many bargains in the local shops to be had. Sea days were great as always. Smooth, calm seas and pleasant temps for this time of year. We felt that the whole crew were in their grove, so to speak, as service was really good throughout the ship for the whole cruise. Captain Tim Stringer commanding. Seas were extremely smooth for this time of year, and weather was perfect. We had a "sideways" interior, A419, located mid ship. Great location and easy access to center stairs. Food was great, both in the dining room and the Horizon Court. International Café had some great selections everyday. As always, had our embarkation lunch at Alfredo's, outstanding as always and quiet and uncrowded. Last night of the cruise, we were fortunate to catch a performance of the Princess Rock Orchestra in the Piazza. They were outstanding! If you see a performance listed in the Patter, make sure you go, assuming of course you like Rock- n- Roll. Looking forward to at least one more cruise on the Regal before she leaves the east coast late next year. Read Less

We embarked at Southampton and this was quite smooth and uneventful but when we were issued our cruise cards we noticed our dining arrangements had been changed to a table of 8 ? I asked and the attendant said you’ll have to modify it on the ship, On the ship we made this our first order of business when we went to the restaurant to check our table we were told we cannot adjust this you should have booked this earlier, I replied with I booked 18months ago how much earlier do you want? He managed to swap our table all at once, then the next night we were told your in freedom dining instead again we were tried to be forced onto a table of 8 we again said no and they literally put a table for 2 in the end of a table for 8, I went a bit mad at the manager who promised from now on every night I could have a decent table for 2 at 7pm , but every night this table was double booked so we always ended up waiting up to a hour and a half so very often missed shows and left the whole dining experience very stressful, Our cabin was very nice a balcony, although the actual balcony seemed smaller than other ships we’ve been on, the ship itself seemed very hot as if the air conditioning wasn’t on and quite a odd design is you cannot walk around the deck as a lot of other ships I’ve been on, and a lot of people commented on this so you always had to continually walk through the ship going up and down stairs or constantly waiting for lifts, The lido deck is nice area for families with plenty of sun beds, but only two small hot tubs which was constantly full of children bouncing in and out, the adult only area is quite nice but no hot tubs unless you pay 30 pounds a day to go into the retreat but we couldn’t because it was fully booked before the cruise started, we had the feeling facilities had been scrimped on a bit for a ship of this size two hot tubs for over 3000 passengers?. food in the horizon buffet was ok but the desserts were very poor ok if you like desserts full of gelatine and no flavour, drinks were of a reasonable price but we purchased more than we wanted to because of waiting for our dining table every night, The stops in the Caribbean were very good experience and the trips seemed quite well organised, would I go on this ship again, only if no other ships were doing the stops I wanted to go on or if it was at the right price, so Britannia would be quite low on my choice of ships. Read Less

We have taken many cruises on a few different ships. We sail out of New York out of convenience. Many different NCL ships come and go in New York and sometimes the different ships can be very exiting. But the dawn was a bit of a let down. While the cruise itself was awesome ( 14 days & 8 islands ). First and most important was the terrible food in the buffet. Food was most of the time cold. Other ships have theme nights and every night the food is different. On the Dawn it's the same food for every meal, it never changes. After 14 days you get tired of eating the same stuff. Every single person we spoke with on board complained about the buffet. Second the show's on board were very unentertaining. We are big NCL cruisers and swear by them 100% but this is one ship I will never sail on again and would not recommend it to anyone. Ok,enough of that. As for the rest of the trip. Staff on board ' exceptional ', Speciallty restaurants- outstanding. Favorite restaurant on board is Cagneys steakhouse, by far the best filet mignon I've ever had. Moderno - make sure you go here hungry, the meats are cooked to perfection. Tepennyake - very entertaining dining experience. Not much to say about the Mexican restaurant, had reservations here but cancelled because of non appealing menu. Loved all of the Islands, the people are fantastic. Excursions are very informative. Not much to do in Bonaire unless you are scuba diving or snorkeling. Read Less

We have cruise many times with Oceania and have never been disappointed. In fact, whenever we cruise with another line, we can't wait to get back to Oceania. The crew and staff on the Insignia make the trip a most relaxing, care free and enjoyable experience. Service is second to none and you rarely see a crew member without a smile on their face or a pleasant greeting. The cabins are very comfortable with great beds and more than ample storage. Love the new decor after the recent renovation...very bright and pleasant. Even though the bathrooms are small, there is again good storage space. The new glass shower door is an improvement, however the shower is still tight. After a few showers, you figure out the best way to position yourself. The cuisine is awesome. The Grand dining room, Polo and Tuscana are wonderful, but our favorite is the Terrace Cafe. The Terrace is a buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, hardly ever crowded, can eat either inside or outside, the selections are many and varied, can get made to order lobster, shrimp, steak or fish, can try small portions of several items and the service is impeccable. Waves grill is an outdoor venue specializing in made to order burgers, dogs, cubans, reubens, salads, smoothies, shakes, malts and ice cream. Went to the shows every night. The ship's and guest entertainers are very good and the shows enjoyable. More singing of popular songs and not as much dancing from the ship's group which we like. Afternoon Tea is very nice and relaxing...would highly recommend. Twice nightly happy hours at Martini's and Horizon is a nice touch. Self service laundry on board. Bottom line is that a cruise on the Insignia or for that matter, any Oceania vessel, might just be the perfect cruise experience. Thanks Oceania for thinking of all the right moves. Read Less

Viking is our cruise top pick. We loved the ship and it's crew. Included tours need some work. Stops on the buses were poor, Dominica and Tortola were excellent. I understand some of the islands were destroyed during the hurricanes but more beach scenes or longer stops are needed. Not enough time to enjoy the views. This is our 3rd Viking Cruise and the included shore excursions were excellent on tne first 2. Sea food was truly excellent.. Too much salt in some of the choices. Our feet were swollen. Extremely relaxing. We are going to Cairo next year on the nile river cruise and looking forward to it. 5 stars for the cabin attendents. Service though out the ship was impeccable. The ship was very clean, Ship layout was very well planned with easy accessibility . Loved the decks Number of passengers was perfect, never felt cramped or had to wait in line lines for food service. Thanks Read Less

This is my 7th Cruise, 2nd time with Princess who I did rate my favourite. However, not anymore. This cruise has been my worst experience ever. Very embarrassing when we have brought our friends with us and it’s there first cruise! The food in the main restaurant Bottecelli is absolutely disgusting. The presentation is the lowest I’ve ever seen. There seems to be a selection of 2-3 soups on the starter menu every night. This is a choice out of 5-6 starter choices so this leaves you with practically no choice. My friend ordered the chicken pie it was presented in a pot on a plate, no veg nothing just pastry over what you can only describe as a bowl of soup! There is a steward operating the pool bar on 16th deck by the smoking area who refused us straws for our cocktails said it was management/company policy that straws were only allowed with blended drinks! Very rude argumentative Asian guy. The ports apart from St Thomas have been very poor. We docked in Dominica and expected some nice shops but instead we had a run down shanty town with nothing to do and this was our longest stop. Today in Grenada it’s a Sunday and all is closed up. What a waste of time! A very poor cruise iTunes U and shockingly disgusting tough badly presented food! Read Less

I was given the cruise as a gift - my favorite place to visit is New York, his is San Juan so we got the best of both. Viking is a more laid-back cruise line, so I loved going to dinner whenever we wanted, the choice to sit by ourselves or join others and not dressing up every night. The rooms are very spacious, beds are wonderfully comfortable, shower has room to move around, and the verandas are semi-private. The entertainment was very good - length of shows was about 45 minutes which was perfect. The service is unbeatable! We never had to ask for anything - our favorite waitress (Nadia) was always around to get us a drink, our cabin was always clean when we came back to it. The included shore excursions were interesting - we only signed up for one that was not included, but it was cancelled because it did not meet the minimum number of people (so we did it on our own). I did miss a sports bar to watch football and the baseball playoffs, but could follow the scores on my ipad. Our flight was one of the last ones out (4:45), so we didn't leave the ship until around 10:00. They had set up a hospitality room for us to wait at a hotel across from the pier with food and beverages. Love this cruise line and we are deciding on our next voyage with Viking! Read Less

This cruise was a great fall break. The captain maneuvered the ship to avoid some rough seas on the first day as we departed for Bermuda The captain was always informative, giving us daily updates of the cruise. Bar servers Rosie and Nadia were always gracious and made our trip a lot of fun. The ship was the right size to dock close in to the port minimizing the walk down the pier. The piece and quiet made the trip great. No long lines ever. The dining rooms were beautifully decorated and again the service was great and the menu selection was outstanding. The ships stores were excellent. There was a scarf demonstration. At night we went to the theater and saw several good shows, then found a quiet spot for cocktail. Included shore excursions were excellent as well as the optional tours. The Viking crew assisted us getting us to the right tour and helping us catch a missed buss. There was always some activity going on all day. Our cabin was turned down each night and the next morning room service was nice to have coffee and rolls on the balcony. We couldn't wait to tell our friends and travel agent about our BEST small ship cruise. Read Less

Chose this cruise to see how we liked NCL. We didn't. Been on 22. Cruises and the customer service was the worst by far. Booking a cruise in March for 24+ people and cancelled NCL. Will not cruise again. Nice ship. Good specialty dining buffet for was bad real bad. Entertainment was very good. But to be rudely treated by crew is unacceptable. Bar service was terrible. 20 mins to get a drink. Cabin steward never said hello. And was vacuuming at 8 AM outside the cabin. Left room dirty wet towels on the floor poor attitude. O Sheehan s food was good poor service hostess was rude. First time in 23 cruises I ever went to relations to complain. Bar hop at on the 16th deck was weak never picked up empty glasses all cruise long it was a mess up there on matter what time of day. Full ashtrays everywhere. Read Less

The entertainment on this cruise was fairly limited. I've never been on a cruise before where you had to reserve the entertainment. We waited on lines for just about everything. Particularly, getting a drink typically took a long time, when we could find a bar that was open. The restaurant concept for the meals took some getting used. It seemed to work out ok. The buffet was typically crowded, the food was generally cold. The eggs benedicts were typically hard boiled. It would have been nice to see as much care in the food as in spraying your hands when you walked in. The disembarkation process needs to be addressed. The line was long and slow. It wrapped around all areas of that deck from one end of the ship to the other. It took nearly an hour to get off the ship from start to finish. The customs component with the facial recognition worked well. Read Less

This was our first cruise with Oceania. We knew it was going to be an exceptional cruise when we breezed through check in. There were no lines at the terminal. Our room was ready as soon as we stepped on board and our luggage was delivered in minutes. What a surprise it was to find my husband's favorite Coke Zero already chilling in the mini refrigerator! The room was beautifully furnished in shades of blue and there was plenty of storage space. The bed was very comfortable. Soft-closing drawers and cabinet doors, no-fog mirrors, plush robes and slippers were nice extras. Our room steward was friendly and polite, and we were always amazed to come back from meals and excursions to find our room made up and our beverages re-stocked. The food in all the venues was outstanding. Polo Grill and Toscana were so memorable that we tried (but failed) to get another reservation to either one. The selections were extensive in both the Main Dining Room and at Terrace Cafe (buffet). We appreciated that there were always vegan, gluten-free, and "healthier" items at every meal. Food in the buffet was plated for you, which I thought was more sanitary than self-service. Everything I had was so delicious. My husband indulged in prawns, lobster and caviar, which made him feel like a king. The staff in all dining areas were always so attentive. Our water glasses and coffee cups were refilled constantly. We loved going to Baristas for juice, lattes, and sweet or savory snacks, and experiencing our first English tea time in Horizons. Lectures by Sandy Cares were very informational and the topics were surprisingly eclectic. Who else could make pirates and bananas so interesting?!! The evening performers were quite entertaining. We marveled at the magician and laughed till we cried with the comedian. His lecture on the history of comedy was insightful and funny. The singers and musicians were very talented. This cruise lines skews towards a more mature crowd. We saw only two passengers below 13, and they were traveling with their parents and grandparents. They seemed to be enjoying the trip, even without water slides and climbing rocks. We had such a wonderful time on insignia that we booked our next cruise while onboard, and we can't wait till we get another opportunity to be treated so well. Read Less

Between me and my wife we have been on 5 ships: this cruise (the Insignia), Anthem of the Seas, Empress of the Seas, QM2 (Britannia Class), and Crown Princess. We have been in inside rooms through verandas. This review is based on both mine and my wife's opinions. Each of the ships have their pros and minuses and each provides a different experience. While we both enjoyed the Empress of the Seas on a Cuba cruise I will not discuss it any further since Cuba is now off limits and I am not sure the experience would be the same. Overall the Insignia is an excellent smaller ship and provided a wonderful experience for our Bermuda cruise. If the itinerary and price was right I would definitely consider the ship for another cruise. However, if we were traveling with children would not consider this ship. Not much for children to do and we did not see many. Of all the ships listed the Anthem is dead last and would not travel on her unless it was practically free. What the Insignia does better than QM2 and Princess is food. The food on Insignia was definitely better than QM2 and Princess. Especially the buffet. On most cruise lines I try very hard to avoid the buffet. The buffet on Insignia is excellent. Sometimes better than the mail dinning room. Excellent sushi most nights. Cooked to order grilled steaks, lamb and seafood (lobster and shrip) plus other options. One night they had fresh grilled tuna and mussels on the buffet. Also on Insignia no matter what stateroom you are in you get a night at each of the 2 specialty restaurants (Italian and Steakhouse). While I heard another couple complain about the food they had in the Italian restaurant I was very happy with both. Breakfast was also amazing in the buffet for breakfast. The other thing I like about Oceania is they do not nickel and dime you for extras. Specialty coffee, non-alcoholic beverages, etc. are included without an additional fee. I thought the alcohol was reasonably priced and good. Also, one night was a captain's reception with free open bar. Service was wonderful everywhere. Loved the string quartet that played evenings. Absolutely wonderful. Now for some downsides that should be expected from a ship this size: - There is more rocking than on the QM2. - While I did enjoy the enrichment activities there are less than on a larger ship, the QM2 excels at this. The QM2 is the ONLY ship I would consider for a trans Atlantic crossing. - While we enjoyed the one show we attended, the ship is smaller and the show area reminds me more of a nightclub than a Broadway stage. - There was one small pool (I think it was heated) and two hot tubs that can get busy on sea days. Embarkation is strictly by level (and annoyance). Also, a bigger annoyance is that staterooms may not be ready until 3 PM. Pack your swimming attire in a carry-on. More important on this ship than others. Something that seems common to all ships, lounge chair hogs were ever-present. Read Less

We were so excited to take our cruise. I have cruised once previously with Princess when I was younger with my family and had great memories. As an adult, I cannot completely say the same. Boarding was very easy and fast. Upon boarding we were notified of a room change, which was great because it was an upgrade. I cannot complain about that! And the window provided a nice view. However, the boat's system was not able to follow through with the change. Our luggage was misplaced, our food credits were lost, the honeymoon celebration was removed as well as my nut allergy information. Additionally, our room was moved to be directly over the anchor which proved to be an early wake up call at a couple ports. All of that aside, we also were told we did not have the sip and sail promotion an hour after boarding. This promotion had been verified through Princess and my travel agent and we overheard the conversation months prior when we had debated about purchasing it. We went to guest services who did not offer assistance with this issue. We then tried calling our travel agent who proceeded to work with Princess offboard. The issue was not resolved until Thursday when we were told of a miscommunication between the travel agent and cruise line. We also had to return to guest services twice to locate our luggage as they did not arrive and we were told by the stateroom steward all were delivered. Guest services said they would eventually turn up and did not attempt to do any more. Luckily, our stateroom steward was great and he personally went and found them for us. The change in room also caused our dining credits to be lost. We were finally able to obtain them through another visit to guest services, however we were rushed and left with limited options for use as only one day was left on the cruise and most dining options were booked. Luckily, the Crown Grill squeezed us in, and they were amazing! Food and staff were great. The change in room also meant our honeymoon package was not carried through. We were able to watch others receive their decor, free dessert, wine, etc. It seemed great. Luckily, another honeymooning couple we shared a table with at dinner was kind enough to share with us. The staff we encountered on the boat otherwise was very kind. The waiters, bartenders, bus boys were amazing! The pools were very nice as were the shows and activities. We loved the movies under the stars as well as the shows, in particular the comedian. The excursions offered by Princess were amazing as the tour guides were very knowledgeable, fun, and kind. The medallions made things very easy however the apps were not reliable. Newer phones are not able to download the apps. I enjoyed the fitness room and offered classes. However, treadmills are only available at certain times which made it difficult to use them. The ice cream parlor and food options around the pools were great. The boat had very nice seating areas to relax in and at multiple places. Overall it was a very nice boat and experience when we decided to just be on a vacation and let the honeymoon stuff go for the sake of enjoyment. Disembarkation was a fast and easy process. Read Less

This was our first cruise with Norwegian. We've sailed with other cruise lines that we have enjoyed very much and were excited to try Norwegian. Although we had a wonderful time despite many issues, I'm not a fan of the Breakaway. I want to start by saying the the Breakaway has an outstanding staff who were, for the most part, friendly and helpful. They made our cruise great. Our issues are not with the staff, but with the ship and cruise line in general. Embarkation was disorganized as was many of the events. Most of the popular events are held in the atrium, which is far too small to host such a large crowd. The atrium is positioned directly across from guest services, which makes it very difficult to speak to guest services over the din in the crowd and event. Our biggest complaint: none of the toilets flushed properly. Some not at all. It took several pushes on the buttons to make them flush, if they were going to flush at all. On a couple of occasions, after pumping the button in vain, our room's toilet flushed on its own hours later. A 3:00am startle that I didn't appreciate. When we spoke to guest services they told us that they were aware of the problem and that it is ship wide. The Breakaway has a strange layout. Needing to venture through the liquor store to buy sunscreen? Weird. It feels like the ship was meant to be laid out differently, but was rearranged in a much less optimal fashion. The "adults only" area is only during certain hours (7:00am - 6:00pm ?) then open to all ages the rest of the time. This is the first cruise ship we've been on that didn't have a 24/7 dedicated adults only area. When I mentioned this to a staff member they suggested I hang out in the library. Was she cracking wise or sincere? I don't know. But we didn't use the adults area anyway because nearly all of it is a smoking section. Breakaway has so many smoking areas that it stinks like a dirty ashtray through most of the common areas inside of the ship. Great if you're a smoker I suppose, but I am not. Speaking of adult only areas, they allowed children to sit at the bars and in the 18+ shows. Come on now Norwegian... set some standards! Trying to order a drink at a lounge bar late at night while next to a three year old whose screaming, slapping the bar, and grabbing at the cocktail fruit behind the bar was a new experience. Not one I want to repeat. A bright spot: The show "Rock of Ages" was magnificent! Credit where it is due; this was one of the best shows we've seen on a cruise. Likewise the comedic magician Jean-Pierre Parent was fabulous! And we really enjoyed Dylan Mandlsohn in the comedy club. No complaints about Norwegian's shows. Disembarkation was a nightmare. I have not ever been through such a cluster of a debarkation in all of my cruises - and we have sailed on ships with many more guests than the Breakaway. Norwegian just doesn't seem to know how to handle crowds. The disembarkation winding through the smoke filled areas of the ship was bad enough, but then they dumped us out into a thunderstorm without any cover. So here I am, already ill with something I contracted on-board the ship, now wheezing from the stinking smoke filled ship, dumped out in a thunderstorm to be drenched, and then dumped back into another air conditioned building where I am now wet, cold, and sick. Not a great impression to leave with a guest. Again, the staff of the Breakaway was the very best part of the cruise. They are amazing people. The staterooms were comfortable and the food was good. The excursions were a blast even if they were a bit disorganized to start. We had a good time despite the disorganization and lack of properly functioning toilets. However, Norwegian will not be a cruise line we first consider in the future. Maybe a third or forth choice, but no where near our first. Maybe it was just the Breakaway, but I'm not spending my hard earned money to find out. Read Less

Line: Norwegian Boat: Breakaway On May 19, my husband and I took this cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Tortola and a key owned by the line, called Stirrup Caye. The truth is that I prefer the system that the cruise ships had before, we all went to the same restaurant and we could all watch the same shows. Now lots of time is wasted trying to find reservations for each of the specialized restaurants, if you want to try them, and the same with the shows. You have to make reservations even to get off the ship. I'm going to start with the ports. The arrival to Puerto Rico was at 5:00 in the afternoon, on Tuesday when many places were closed and there wasn’t too much to do. It was a shame because I couldn’t go to any beach or enjoy more the local attractions. In St. Thomas and Tortola the stay was quite short, we could only enjoy approximately 2 hours on each beach. But the worst part was the Caye. We arrived at 11:00 am and nevertheless we could not get off the ship because we did not have a reservation to be able to get off first. We ended up going down at about 2:15 and by 4:30 we had to start concentrating to get back to the boat, which became an endless line of old, young and adult people under the inclement sun. That was the worst experience of all. The services in the bars, terrible. There was never a waiter nearby and people were milling around the bar asking the bartenders for a drink, more than a bar they looked like public markets. The only place where we were served properly was at Malting’s bar .... The attention of ABDUL and EKO were impeccable. In addition to this I must highlight the quality of the food during dinners. They were really spectacular, the presentation, the taste of each dish was excellent. For those who like swimming pools and jacuzzis, they should be prepared to see an endless number of people in a pool that looks more like a children’s than an adult’s pool. The truth is that the pool is a joke. As long as there are people who are willing to pay more for services that are supposed to be included, people who spend the holidays making reservations and rows and people who doesn’t mind being treated as second class passengers, the abuse will continue. I have traveled on several cruise lines, and Norwegian I liked the most, but after the last two experiences I think I will start looking for new options, which fortunately there are many and if not there are plenty of all inclusive resorts. They are also a good option and you already know that you do not have to pay more to enjoy all the restaurants, bares and shows Read Less

The embarkation went fine. I really appreciate the encouragement of hand hygiene! The shuttle guide waited for my wife because I our plan was delayed 45 minutes. That made us feel valued as customers. The communication from the ships directors were clear in both English and Spanish. The officers were very respectful and courteous. The restaurant staff was simply amazing. Always given a smile when greeted. Even when there was a miss understanding. The ships crew were courteous and respectful. The professionalism was reassuring. Cleanliness off the ship was spectacular. My wife and I enjoyed the show performance with the magician and aerial acrobatics. It was simply amazing to watch nerve recking routine from both the performers. Although it would be better if the cigar bar could be moved to an upper level outside deck. Either way it was nice. It was a beautiful site to sit with my wife while we ate breakfast on the 12th deck during sunrise. Overall, we had beautiful time spending our 1-year anniversary on NCL. Read Less

Chose this cruise for a five year couples trip. Got the "included" unlimited drink package in the cruise fare. (The one that doesn't include bottled water or coffee by the way-- absurd). We regularly cruise Royal Caribbean and Carnival but had an amazing experience with Norwegian on the Pearl a few years ago to Alaska. Chose the Epic based solely on the Pearl experience. Sadly, there was no similarities between these trips other than the Norwegian logo on the side of the ship. Lows of the trip: - Ship was extremely over crowded and has one of the poorest layouts I have ever experienced. Seriously- so unbelievably crowded. We couldn't attend most activities. - The Epic was tired with wear and tear seen throughout. I heard 5 years since dry dock from other passengers. - There was zero deck space nor enough chairs to accommodate even a fraction of the people onboard. Sea days are typically a highlight, but a nightmare on the Epic. - The adults "Spice H20" is a complete disappointment when compared to the Solarium on Royal Caribbean ships. The pool was tiny and it did not feel upscale or premium at all. - The evening entertainment options were lacking for a ship of this size and the venues could not accommodate the demand from passengers. - Disembarkation was nothing short of horrendous. It took one hour and forty minutes from the time we walked out of our state room to the time we made it back on land. (Think day after Thanksgiving shopping crowds on a cruise ship with luggage) We stood in one overcrowded stair wells for over 30 minutes before Norwegian staff encouraged people to board elevators going up only to ride back down. It was an embarrassment and so unprofessional. I walked off the Carnival Conquest and the RCCL Oasis of the Seas last year no sweat so I have no idea why this chaos existed on the Epic. - Received a $60 bar charge (remember we had a drink package) on my invoice the day of departure which lead to an additional 20 minutes at guest services to dispute and resolve. Pro's: - Room attendant was polite and attentive - Dining was acceptable overall and timely - Priscilla Queen of the Desert was edgy and fun - Facilities were enjoyable on port days when everyone else was off the ship - Maltings Bar was peaceful and had good service - Buffet handled capacity well and could always find a seat. I recommend that you all weigh your options before you put down your hard earned vacation dollars on the Norwegian Epic. Norwegians innovations and concepts were flawlessly executed on its smaller ships like the Pearl. I don't think they were able to scale their services adequately on these newer mega ships and therefore I'd look elsewhere. Read Less

My cruise on the Epic departed Port Canaveral, Florida, April 20th, 2019, 7nt cruise. Really bad ship do not bother and here is why. My room and the corridor smelt of urine, yes a toilet the whole time despite several complaints. The tv did not work and had to be fixed. The room safe kept opening by itself. The excursions were disorganised both embarkation and disembarkation. We were questioned about our lack of visas in our passports when the visa procedures have been changed and you no longer require the esta to be in your books. You would think immigration would be aware of this. There were not enough elevators and some were broke. People got sick of waiting for them. People were sick I the pool and it had to be drained, someone defecated in one of the hallways. Classy The staff spoke poor English and had a lack of knowledge about everything and anything. There were never any seats at the buffet area no matter what time you went. Our room phone didn't work and it took them the whole cruise to fix it. We were late leaving nearly every destination due to late arrivals. The local entertainment act howling at the moon only sang the songs that people left on their piano if they had money on them. Whilst people were waiting for hours for their songs to be played and didn't happen despite birthdays or anniversary's. Shame on you all three of you. And yes that was us that walked out that you had a go at. Very professional, NOT. Problem with that? come see me. The singing sounds like howling hence their name. Some waiters were rude because the tip is built in with the price they no longer have to give you good service. Swimming with the Pigs excursion was a joke and sold out immediately upsetting many passengers and they refused to put more trips on. Only things good were the room steward Gilbert. We got an apology for the room and were given a bottle of red wine which we cant drink and chocolate strawberries. Some shows were awesome like the Beatles and I'm not even a Beatles fan but that's how good they were. The comedians were great as was the Priscilla Show. When leaving the ship everyone was colour coded to leave at different times. Self checkouts such as me were to leave first b/w 0730 and 0830 but for some reason known only to the thousands of rednecks on board everyone tried to leave at the same time causing chaos and mahem with people waiting over an hour for a lift and once you arrived at your deck you couldn't get off the lift because the queues were directly outside of them. We found out later that it took some people 3.5 hours to get off the ship. Just a very bad ship, old, tattered and not much to do and you have to pay for EVERYTHING. They even tried to charge my account for photos that I didn't even have taken on the ship. I honestly cant see myself going with Norwegian ever again.. Try someone else. Read Less

My husband and I have been on several Norwegian cruises (Escape and Jade) and decided to go on the Epic. The good: embarkation process took about 30 minutes -buffett food was decent - most of the staff we dealt with were friendly-comedians were hilarious-food allergy attendants were very knowledgeable- main dining restaurants were very good- The Beatles musicians were fantastic The bad: The shows were terrible and there were no family appropriate show options. All of the game shows were held in the attium where the seating was cramped and it was difficult to hear. The casino was right in the middle of the ship so you had to walk through smoke to get to restaurants, shops, etc,. The few options that were family friendly cost an additional fee and were always booked. Disembarkation was the most unorganized thing that I have ever seen. Lines in every direction without any guidance from staff. It took us three hours to get off the ship. We were oin our disignated area at 7:45 when rhey called for us and did not get through customs until 10:45. It was a complete nightmare people breaking in line and no one there to direct you where to go. When we asked where to go we were told to follow the line. The design of the staterooms was terrible. The toilet area was tiny and and there was no privacy. My husband and I kept waking each other up because the toilet was so loud when flushed. The bed was wide, but it’s curved which makes it shorter. I am 5”8 and my feet were hanging off the end of the bed. The ugly:The ship was dirty- our stateroom 11179 was disgustingly filthy. When we entered our stateroom there were crumbs on the bed, the floor and the carpet was stained. We asked our steward to vacuum our room and he apologized and cleared the crumbs. I noticed a stain by the bed where someone had thrown up on the wall and it had obviously ran down to the carpet. I showed the wall to our steward and he said “oh that is an old stain, but I will try to clean it”. As he was cleaning the stain and the dead bug that was smooshed on the wall he picked up a sleeping mask and handed it to me. I explained that the mask did not belong to me and he apologized. In summary, I will continue to cruise , but I will never go on the Epic again. Read Less

We chose this cruise for my 50th Birthday. It was the first cruise for both of us and I was very nervous because of reading a lot of negative reviews. But we had a great time! We knew there would be crowds and lots of kids because my birthday was the week before Easter, so we booked a Spa Balcony room so we would have a quiet retreat. Best decision ever! We truly enjoyed the thermal suite and never found it to be overly crowded. We had the UBP and three nights of Specialty Dining. We chose Le Bistro, Cagneys, and the Cirque Show. Food and service was great in all three! We enjoyed the shows, Priscilla, Burn the Floor, and the Epic Beatles in the Epic Theater. Unfortunately we did not get to the smaller venue to see the Beatles in the Cavern Club in time to get seats, which was our own fault. We had great food and service in both of the main dining rooms and also in O’Sheehans. Loved the wings!!! Our room steward, Jingles, was amazing! He kept our room and balcony stocked and spotless at all times and made the best towel animals! We were fortunate to get extra time in Tortola for planned maintenance on the ship. Wished the port time in St. Thomas had been longer, but it’s just a good excuse to go back. Great Stirrup Cay was fabulous. Rented a clamshell near the tacos and tequila... need I say more?!? We will definitely be planning more cruises with Norwegian! We loved the freestyle cruising concept. We honestly had nothing to complain about. We heard all of the horror stories about embarkation and debarkation, but we were on the ship within 45 minutes of our arrival at the port and walked off with our luggage before 7:30 a.m. Truly one of the best vacations we have ever been on! Read Less

We never sailed Norwegian before but have been on all the other lines previously and this being our tenth cruise I will compare it to other experiences. We did not want a mega ship so we choose the Pearl for this reason and the ports it was stopping at and being 11 nights also appealed to us. The embarkation took about an hour we arrived at noon on their transfer service the lines were not too bad overall. First impressions of the Summer Palace dining room was that it seemed out of date with the décor however the service and the lunch were fine. We are not buffet people but utilized 2 times once for breakfast due to an early excursion and it served it's purpose nothing out of the ordinary. Lunch one time we had a 1.00pm departure from St. Thomas and the only option for lunch was the buffet what a disaster!!!! not enough seats for everyone and lots of confusion we ended up eating in separate tables because I wasn't facing that mob again!! We only had to eat the main dining room 3 times and specialty restaurants the remainder the dinners were uninspiring similar to Applebee's or Bob Evans quality in my opinion. The specialty restaurants were great we tried them all except Teppenyaki service and quality of the food was fine dining too bad it will cost you after tip roughly $100.00 for 2 people not counting drinks. This is where cruising has downgraded the last 20 years the food budget 10 years was cut 50% per passenger and further since there wasn't any specialty restaurants because the food in the main dining room was excellent! The ports were fine and getting back on the ship was painless I just wish that we did not leave at 1.00pm at 2 of the ports 5 hours limits your excursion choices. Norwegian's entertainment was lackluster and so repetitive the same 4 acts 5 times during our cruise really! The comic was good and the legends show were the best. The daily entertainment especially on sea days was a snooze fest activities with prizes takes away all incentive for people to participate. Norwegians upcharge fest was annoying by the end of the cruise I mean there is a fee for everything!! Wine tastings=fee Tequila Tastings=fee Deal or no deal=fee the list goes on and on. We had the ultimate beverage package as a promo which was nice but limited be sure what you order is covered before they pour or it's a upcharge! We had a good time and met some exceptional staff members and I filled our comment cards on all of them this is where Norwegian shines the staff and keeping everything clean and you will never be wanting for a drink!! We haven't cruised for 6 years and visited resorts instead we will cruise again but II think it will a more intimate experience that will be more like the golden age of cruising and all inclusive no surprises or upselling Read Less