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It was the first cruise line to eliminate the traditional set dining times when it introduced Freestyle Dining, allowing guests to eat at any time at up to 28 different locations on each ship. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents. While the food was decent, even Hayley noted that even some of Norwegian’s classic entrees and desserts didn’t seem to be the same quality that she’d experienced on other ships.
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If you're sailing from a port outside of your country of citizenship, you must have a passport with at least six months' validity from the time your sailing ends. Audience interaction includes bringing some attendees up on stage for drinks, as well as singing and dancing in the aisles. It's free, but you'll need to make reservations if you don't want to miss out. Of particular note is 678 Ocean Place, a three-story promenade that rises from Deck 6 to Deck 8 and serves as the ship's central hub.
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However, while Norwegian Encore is big enough to offer something for everyone, it clearly caters more to some people than others. Sun worshippers might be disappointed in the compressed pool and complimentary sun deck spaces, with outdoor thrill rides and extra-fee sun decks spanning a huge chunk of the ship's top decks. Families with young children are stuck with the Norwegian Encore Splash Academy, a windowless space in the bowels of the ship; a small water play area, and restaurants and shows that are very much geared toward adults.
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If you have a dining package, you can select any four food items, including desserts. This specialty restaurant on Deck 7 is as elegant as they come, featuring a bright atmosphere with light blue accents and high-end decor, including giant floor-to-ceiling crystal chandeliers that are stunning. There's no dress code to dine at Le Bistro, but you might want to embrace the experience by making an effort. Another hot mess is the corridor that runs along Deck 8 aft on the starboard side. It feels narrow, and it travels right through The Local, a 24-hour eatery that serves free pub grub and is, strangely, split into two sections. When trying to find The Local, I unwittingly walked right through without realizing it.
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Norwegian became the first cruise line to charge for mini-golf — free on all other ships that have it — when it launched its Prima Class vessels. A single round at Tee Time on the course's nine holes costs $10 per person, and teams can accommodate up to six people. NCL is notorious for charging extra for everything from dining to activities, and Norwegian Viva is no exception. Although nightly entertainment is free, many of the best daytime activities come with an additional price tag. There's also a bar in the casino and one by the pool (Waves Pool Bar). For passengers in the mood for Asian cuisine, Nama sushi and Hasuki teppanyaki on Deck 7 aft are both solid options.
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Neither of the pools was too crowded on my Alaska sailing — even on sea days — due to the cooler temperatures, which hovered between the high 60s and low 70s. The ship offers accessible lifts for onboard pools but not hot tubs. Spending on the Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® won’t earn you Latitude Rewards points (the only way to do that is by sailing with NCL), but it will earn you WorldPoints.
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Norwegian Viva restaurants and bars
After 12 nights on the Prima going from London to Barcelona via several stops in France, Portugal and Spain, we discovered there was a lot to like about the ship, but there were also several quirks. 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. "Freestyle" cruising, a term the line coined, means you can wear just about anything wherever and whenever you'd like.
Syd Norman's Pour House, which debuted on Norwegian Breakaway in 2018 and offers tribute performances by a fantastic band, also returns on Norwegian Viva. Syd Norman, a fictional character whose face appears on the lounge's logo, draws from the personas of club owners who found success during rock 'n' roll's heyday. Two of Norwegian Viva's top shows weren't ready when I sailed on the ship's inaugural sailing.
How much does it cost to go on Norwegian Breakaway?
During my dinner at Q, the ship's barbecue restaurant, a band inexplicably played an entire set of ABBA tunes while we ate. It was an odd choice of genre for that venue, but it was fantastic nonetheless. A couple of days before the cruise ended, I had to choose a disembarkation time and collect appropriate luggage tags from the guest services area. No, but all sailings do include accommodations, activities, food and beverages, and entertainment. If you want to partake in specialty dining reservations, Wi-Fi, Norwegian cruise excursions or upgraded beverage packages, you'll have to pay fees (sometimes bundled for greater savings).
The ship can carry 4,544 passengers, and among them you'll find couples, friend groups and families. The best part was spending time with my parents and making memories. Cruising is a great way to do that because there are a variety of activities and options available, and everyone does not need to be together all the time. People were already lined up to board the Prima for the next cruise. The Prima was scheduled to dock in Barcelona at 5 a.m., and disembarkation was set to begin as soon as local authorities cleared the ship.
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Those areas include the casino, Humidor Cigar Lounge (cigars only) and a portion of the pool deck on Deck 16, starboard. At least one performance will be in the main theater, while the rest are held in The Social Comedy & Night Club on Deck 7. Of the two comedians I saw, one was impressive without being vulgar, which I appreciated, while the other was just so-so in terms of laugh factor. If a day of pampering is more your speed, treatments are available at the Mandara Spa, near the fitness center.
In collaboration with the Port of Dover, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines enhances its 2024 cruise packages with free parking and onboard credit. Norwegian Cruise Line has announced new culinary experiences that include their first Thai restaurant that will debut on their next new ship, Norwegian Aqua. We also weren't overly impressed with the online booking experience and the NCL website overall. 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.
Note that the experience begins with a quick virtual-reality primer that gives you the backstory. The crew was amazing, and after just a few days, the ladies at Starbucks were calling me by my first name when I approached the counter. Most crew members usually had a smile on their face and were willing to help.
When I placed a late-night order for an 11-inch pizza, a cheese plate and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it cost me $11.94, and it took an hour and 13 minutes to arrive. The pizza was lukewarm with way too much garlic, and the sandwich bread was stale. Food Republic is a street food restaurant that leans heavily Asian. You'll be seated when you arrive, and you order from a touchpad. Items are priced a la carte and will be made to order, with each delivered when ready, rather than all at once. Although the meal was great, the service was a bit on the slow side.
This cruise line has a large fleet with 18 vessels sailing around the world. The Norwegian Getaway ship was built for socializing, and its deck plans make it easy. Most of the action takes place around 678 Ocean Place, the three-deck open space around which many of Getaway's bars are located. Have dinner in Le Bistro on Deck 6, and then catch an improv comedy show across the way at Headliners, before finishing the night at Sugarcane Mojito Bar on Deck 8 without missing a beat.
I suspect they had no intention of making these stops and it’s a bait and switch. It appears they have been consistently pulling this bait and switch on a number of destinations. 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.
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