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The best Norwegian Cruise Line ship for every type of traveler

norwegian cruise line review

Ambassador members (700+ points) earn a free 7-night cruise. Latitude Rewards awards members with points based on each night they sail, and they can earn bonus nights when booking certain categories of suites. Depending on how long you want to sail and where you're going, you can find cruises as brief as two nights and as long as 21 days or more.

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The lower drinking age in international waters does not apply during sailings in Alaska and Hawaii. A passport is required for all cruises leaving from a non-U.S. Port and all Panama Canal sailings (regardless of departure port). If you're a U.S. citizen, you don't need a passport for most sailings from U.S. ports (including sailings to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, the Mexican Riviera and Alaska).

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However, Bliss has a smaller racetrack and a smaller laser tag area, which are two of the biggest hits on Encore. Encore, though, lacks the very popular Spice H2O outdoor adult-only bar area. Norwegian Star to South America, Antarctica and The Falklands in January. Completely missed out The Falklands apparently due to high winds but two other ships were already in port there and the captain virtually admitted that it was too busy.

Complimentary Dining

To me, Norwegian Encore is an even better choice than Norwegian Prima for families with school-age kids. Passports must be valid for at least six months after your trip, and the name on your reservation must be exactly as it's printed on your passport or other official proof of nationality. Just be warned that you'll pay a hefty fee to play in the Galaxy Pavilion. A weeklong pass to the venue will set you back $199 per person. There also are hourlong passes available for $29 per person, or you can sample a single ride for $8 (except for the escape room, which is priced separately at $15 per person). Many of Norwegian's biggest ships have state-of-the-art theaters as big as those you'd find on Broadway, with big-name productions to match.

norwegian cruise line review

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With 200 dollars more, we can buy much better two round-trip flights with more flexibility. What made it even worse was that the air promotion eliminated us from free upgrade of stateroom. We ended up with paying 2 times more than the current cost of the cruise resulting from making reservation 6 months in advance. I would suggest that you should not book in advance and not use their air promotion.

As you might expect, pricing for all ships will generally be lower during offseason periods such as September and October. Norwegian has a point-based frequent cruiser program, Latitudes Rewards, that has seven tiers, ranging from Bronze (requiring 1 point) to Ambassador (700 points). Norwegian allows you to bring bottles of your own wine or Champagne on board, but it will charge you a hefty corkage fee of $15 per bottle for the privilege — even if you plan to drink the bottle in your room. This is a more draconian policy than you'll find at most lines.

Norwegian claims Freestyle means "what you want when you want it," an appealing concept for those who wish to be spontaneous and in control of their vacation experience. While you can take your chances and walk in, you need to give up some flexibility so as not to miss out. Norwegian Cruise Line offers sailings at different price points to a global range of destinations. It is also known for its beautiful hull art, pioneering Freestyle Dining and adding buzzworthy amenities like ice bars and race tracks to its ships. NCL cruises are fun for all types of travelers, and its loyalty program can provide added perks along the way.

As such, the buffet in usually a large venue to accommodate most passengers for multiple meals each day. Norwegian Encore carries numerous families during the summer as well as winter and spring holidays. Most cruisers hail from North America, but you'll also meet people from the UK and beyond.

The Pulse Fitness Center is also large with lots of weights and machines, as well as cardio equipment that faces the bow, giving exercisers a great view while working out. Having a spa treatment like a massage does not allow you access to the thermal suite. I had a nice treatment that included a body brush and massage. Then there was the buffet, the Surfside Cafe & Grill, which was tremendously undersized, always incredibly busy and without enough seating options. While the food was good, the traffic flow was not, and once you had your food in hand, finding a place to eat it was not easy.

For a more traditional cruise traveler, that approach can seem like nickel and diming, but for those accustomed to resort stays, it's quite similar. Instead, Norwegian Breakaway offers resort-like, rather than ship-like, entertainment and dining. It's a style that other cruise lines have adopted, but Norwegian Breakaway did it first by outpacing its competitors with sheer number of restaurants, shows and entertainment venues.

Be aware that tips for bartenders, poolside servers, and professional services provided in the spa or elsewhere are not included in the daily suggested gratuity and may be charged automatically at the time of service. Norwegian had several available itineraries in our apples-to-apples comparison, looking for a trip in March within the Caribbean and booking about a year in advance. Interestingly, a 12-day cruise out of Punta Cana and visiting Barbados, Curacao and Aruba was less expensive, with a starting fare of $1,079 per person. At the time of our review, NCL had a promotion in place offering free airfare for the second guest on the booking, which could be a pretty significant savings depending on your departure port.

It also leads to some bottlenecking as passengers make their way through. Adding to the chaos is Norwegian's Freestyle dining concept which, while much adored on the line's smaller ships, can seem onerous on Norwegian Getaway, which has a total capacity of 3,963 passengers. False advertising for ports they have no intention of stopping in at Greenland. Booked for July 2024 cruise that was supposed to have 3 stops in Greenland (Nuuk, Paamiut, and Qaqortoq).

There should really be some way to address this as it is too often to be for legitimate, emergent reasons and is basically a way to scam customers. Trust has been broken before I’ve even stepped on the ship. If you're on a tight budget, there are plenty of included-in-the-fare choices for dining and entertainment.

It's impossible to miss the painting, which features a mermaid and pelicans and employs the colors of the sea. Inside, the overall color palate successfully melds bright purples and turquoises with more muted browns and gleaming silvers. If you recently came down with an intense case of itching (particularly at night) accompanied by a rash, you may be experiencing some of the uncomfortable ...

Norwegian is known for offering a wide range of accommodations on its ships. You'll find everything from relatively low-cost, windowless inside cabins that measure as little as 135 square feet (perfect for the budget traveler) to massive, multi-room suites that are more than 50 times that size. Norwegian ships are also loaded with bars, lounges and nightclubs, including always-busy casinos.

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