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Unveiled in 2022 and 2023, respectively, the 3,195-passenger vessels are the first entrants in a new class of Norwegian ships that the line has designed to be more upscale than its earlier vessels. That's all on top of dedicated children's play areas, pools and family-friendly entertainment that will keep your family busy from morning to night. In addition, Norwegian Encore has a large laser tag area on its top deck (one that I can tell you from personal experience is a blast) and a massive indoor gaming and virtual reality zone called the Galaxy Pavilion. For starters, Norwegian Encore is home to some of the most thrilling waterslides at sea, as well as a kiddie splash zone that will have your little ones squealing with delight. But those are just the appetizers when it comes to family fun on the top deck of the ship. Hayley and I dined both nights in Norwegian Sun’s main dining room - and it honestly left me a little disappointed.
Celebrity Cruises
Planning a cruise is not one size fits all, and there are different cruise lines to choose from. I have experienced efficient and easy disembarkation onboard each Norwegian Cruise Line that I've sailed on, too. I highly recommend that guests wake up early on their disembarkation day and make their way off the ship.
On both of my Norwegian cruises, entertainment was overshadowed by the destinations we visited.
Norwegian’s newer cruise ships, like Norwegian Prima, continue to innovate, which amazing beautiful and unique spaces onboard. All Norwegian’s recent ship builds, as well as refurbished cruise ships, have elegant and modern interiors. The decorations, lighting and architecture give Norwegian cruise ships a very beautiful look. Norwegian cruises also have many lounge areas, bar areas and activities on the upper decks. This design is perfect as there is always something to do onboard the cruise. NCL cruises are very nice looking and the cruise line has great ship designs.
Sails To
Speaking of amenities, make sure you understand what you'll get as part of your fare and which extras will come with an additional cost. For example, most cruises offer drink packages for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, but a few have drink stations where you can get complimentary lemonade, coffee and tea. Other amenities that might be important to you are Wi-Fi, spa services, babysitting, fitness classes, and upgraded dining experiences.
Carry-on drinks policy
Because of this, when looking for a specific type of cruise, I tend to look at NCL's offerings first. There are always countless bars and lounges to explore, oftentimes more than 6 or 7 at least! Entertainment onboard is often exceptional, too, and is something to not be missed. Below is what I feel that Norwegian Cruise Line offers travelers, and why this cruise line might or might not be the perfect fit for those looking to book their next cruise. Did you know that a cruise line has a standby program where you can cruise for just $49 per day per person? Holland America Line, one of nine cruise lines owned by Carnival ...
Free at Sea promotions make drinking onboard very affordable
My best friend (and fellow CruiseBlog writer) Hayley joined me for this two night sailing onboard Norwegian Sun. We had quite the adventure flying standby to Europe for this cheap cruise, so we were excited to board Norwegian Sun in Malaga, Spain for some much needed relaxation. Norwegian aren’t able to do this everywhere of course, but if there’s only 1 tour operator on shore who offers something popular, they are booking them out in advance to prevent you booking independently. If they are able, the cruise line will also fully book out the excursion with the on shore operator so you can’t book it yourself. If you want a room that is a little more snazzy and modern, book one of the fleet’s newer ships like the Prima rather than an older ship like the Star or Sun as the rooms are a lot nicer. These ships do tend to be priced a bit higher however on the whole.
On the ships that have them, they are clustered around an exclusive Studio Lounge where solo travelers can mingle at daily happy hour gatherings. With Norwegian, there’s no pretense—just good old-fashioned fun with modern conveniences and a touch of luxury. They’ve elevated their cruise experience to ensure it appeals to everyone, making them a great in-between option compared to other major cruise lines.
Norwegian Sky: Best for budget travelers
However, there's a downside for everyone else on board the ships that have them, which is that they take away from the deck-top lounge space available to everybody else. As is the case with the Galaxy Pavilion attractions mentioned above, the go-kart and laser tag experiences on Norwegian ships don't come cheap. You'll pay $15 per person for an eight-lap romp on the go-karts. All but one Norwegian ship (Pride of America) has a casino, and on the line's bigger vessels, they are huge operations.
When we went to get more information on the Freestyle vs. Free at Sea vs. Free at Sea Plus differences, every result link we got when we searched gave us a 404 Not Found error. And, when we went to reach out for help via live chat, it took a long time to connect with an agent - and even when we did, the chat was super-slow and we waited over 10 minutes to get an answer to our one question. Our reviewers evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. If you're sure Norwegian is your line, look for a travel agent who specializes in trips with the brand. You want someone who understands all the little quirks that are unique to Norwegian's cabin categories and, preferably, has done ship inspections to see the cabins firsthand. A good travel agent will quiz you about your particular interests, travel style and preferences, and steer you to the perfect cruise line, ship, itinerary and cabin for you.
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. Norwegian designs its ships to appeal to a broad mix of people, in part by offering a wide range of cabin types at varying price points. On a typical sailing, you might find an entry-level cabin for around $100 a night while a high-end suite is five to 15 times that amount. You'll find an exclusive, extra-charge, adults-only VIP sunning area on seven Norwegian ships called Vibe Beach Club.
THE 25 BEST Norwegian (NCL) Romantic & Couples Cruises (with Prices) on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
THE 25 BEST Norwegian (NCL) Romantic & Couples Cruises (with Prices) on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 23:19:04 GMT [source]
I gathered rather quickly that these employees were working long hard hours. I started asking questions and researching and found that the majority of employees work 12 plus hours a day, 7 days a week, with no days off for 8 months straight! The reason the cruise line hires crew from poor countires is to avoid labor laws so they can work the crew like animals and pay them very little.
Each villa comes with a private bathroom, a TV with on-demand movies, air conditioning, a retractable glass wall, and access to the upscale Silver Cove buffet. Norwegian sails to over 450 destinations from 17 departure ports across Europe and North America. No, but you can pay for a Wi-Fi package, which starts at $29.99 per day per device. Earn one point for every night you spend on a sailing and double points in suites or The Haven category accommodations. Norwegian Viva launched in the summer of 2023, making it the newest ship for NCL. It has special features like a three-tier race track, the fastest slides at sea, a food hall with 11 complimentary eateries and a sustainable cocktail bar.
Depending on the cruise you are on, there can be many other specialty restaurants as well. Additionally, Norwegian is the leading cruise line in the field of solo cruising. NCL has some unique Studio Staterooms that are specially designed for solo travelers and come with their own exclusive amenities and benefits. In contrast, I have not experienced this problem on older Norwegian Cruise Line ships.
That means the cruise line is more limited when it comes to U.S. departure ports. Smaller ports typically don’t have as many sailing options as you will find with larger lines. You can board a cruise anywhere from London to Lisbon to Los Angeles. In total, the cruise line has sailings from more than 40 ports worldwide.
On a nice sunny day, it can be hard to find a lounge chair by the pool, or even a chair in the pool area. However, on Norwegian, almost every passenger is super friendly and is just looking to have a good time. In the main areas, you can often see crew members disinfecting the elevators, railings and bathrooms, to ensure that the ship is always clean. Since Norwegian has such a wide variety of staterooms, this makes the cruising experience enjoyable for everyone.
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