Norwegian Cruise LineReviews 233

We booked on the almost brand new Norwegian Bliss out of Seattle specifically to see the Bay of Glaciers (Glacier Bay National Preserve - Alaska) and when we got near to there and all of us were on deck chairs waiting to see this once in a lifetime sight the Captain without notice turned right into the waters which led to Skagway so that we (later found out) wouldn't miss a dockside mooring (sister ship which came in after us had to ferry folk ashore via motor launch. You decide whether these people are cheats or not? John and Louise Sydney Australia PS This cruise line seems more intent on onboard entertainment for Americans than sightseeing Watch Out!

Wait times on hold to make alterations to your reservation are almost an hour. Then when you get through, they can't make changes (like add a night before the cruise). They have major problems.

Booked cruise including flight and extended stay after for 2 days in quebec. Just got flight notice today 50 days out and flight from Montreal not quebec. Was told no flights from quebec that is lie 12 flights from quebec. We would have to pay extra for train from quebec to Montreal. Asked if could cancel extra days in quebec hotel and would charge a $400+ fee. We could have taken a ncl shuttle to montreal for $75 but not eligible because staying in hotel ncl booked for us. So if u don't want to pay extra costs at end don't use Ncl. This cruise is from Boston and ending in quebec. If u don't spend extra days in quebec u will not see quebec

BEWARE OF NORWEGIAN! My husband and I used to LOVE Norwegian cruise lines. We have taken 14 cruises with them since 2003. They are now terrible and lie to you! We purchased 2 $250 Cruise Next Certificates and they told us we could use both of them provided it was a 7 day or longer cruise... We just tried to use them... NOPE. They will only let us use one. You have to book out 6 months or longer to use both. We were booking 5 1/2 months. We also purchased a Cruise First certificate on the advice of a travel agent. That is you pay $150 and get a $300 certificate towards the cruise. The travel agent told us we could use this with the two Cruise Next certificates. She made a mistake. Okay mistakes happen... so 15 minutes later I called Norwegian to explain the mistake and ask for a refund on the Cruise First Certificate. The person on the phone seemed to understand elevated it for review. I just received this letter from Norwegian. NEVER EVER EVER EVER AGAIN WILL I CRUISE NORWEGIAN. Enjoy your money!
Re: Norwegian Bliss Voyage of 12/31/2022
Dear Mrs. Girard:
We have received your request for a monetary refund of your CruiseFirst coupon.
As CruiseFirst coupons are purchased coupons, they are subject to the terms and conditions agreed upon at time of purchase. Regrettably, we are unable to honor your request for monetary refund outside of the program's terms and conditions. We sincerely apologize for any disappointment as we understand this was not the outcome you were hoping for.
We kindly ask that you review the full terms for eligible refund requests at https://www.ncl.com/.../future-cruise-credit-refund-requests.
For any further questions or concerns regarding the CruiseFirst program, please contact our CruiseNext Department directly at *******@ncl.com.
Sincerely,
Brenda Jimenez
Resolution Specialist
Guest Services

Our cruise on Norwegian Star departed Barcelona 4/23/22. We were very excited as we upgraded to an aft penthouse balcony suite on the 8th deck. The first night was fine. Unfortunately, the following 7 nights at 10 pm the vibration from the base being played in the lounge shook our suite floor. The music typically ended at 1 a.m. We were not aware that the 8th deck aft staterooms were above the Bliss lounge, which apparently had no sound proofing. We brought the noise issue to the attention of our concierge as well as the General Manager with absolutely no resolution. Our concierge's solution was to have us sleep in another stateroom then return to our suite during the day…Really! We left 2 complaint letters with the General Manager who apparently was too busy to respond to either letter. We contacted Norwegian and their solution was to give us a token credit on a future cruise. I loved Norwegian until this last cruise, now they are on the do not sail with Norwegian list as far as we are concerned. There are certainly other cruise options. Based on our experience pick another cruise line who cares about the comfort of their passengers.

The beginning of the cruise was fantastic, then on the last excursion, "Butchart Gardens" in Victoria Canada. All of the excursions except that one was amazing. Because NCL did not get approved docking into Canada 2 hours after we arrived. So that time was taken away. Then it was in the evening and all but 15 minutes when the sun went down we were barely able to see anything. It was all in the dark. They had lights in the trees, but they would not turn them on. We basically had to rush through anyway because of the time. I then got Covid, the test I took yesterday was positive. I knew I was not feeling well, but the first test gave a false negative. I asked for a refund. But guess what, Pineapple express stated that it needed to be addressed while I was onsite. Every time we asked Nicole Andujar for anything it was like a bother to her. Do not use Pineapple Express travel service! Also, beware of their excursions.
So if you see the picture below, this is what I brought home from my cruise.

Have you ever booked a cruise and been confused after the deluge of documents they send? That's why you call customer service right? To speak with a human who can expertly help you understand the processes.
On 3 Apr 2022, I called Norwegian to ask about adding travel deviations so I could spend a couple of extra days in my starting and ending ports. They were booking my airfare so I wanted to understand the process and milestones for doing so. The agent told me airfare ticketing would be done at 45-days prior to my sail date. What the agent blatantly omitted was that I had to notify Norwegian no later than 75-days prior.
On 14 June (63-days before my sail date), I called to advise them of my deviation request and was told I missed the 75-day milestone. After speaking with an agent and two supervisors, I was told they reviewed the 3 Apr call and determined that I was not specifically lied to. Therefore, there was nothing they would do for me. Rather than take care of the customer and ensure repeat business, it appears Norwegian's goal was to look for any reason to deny my request and claim they did nothing wrong by failing to advise me of the 75-day milestone. Despite the fact that airline tickets had not even been secured yet, the supervisors still refused to try and help me.
It appears that the customer comes last in Norwegian's business model. I was dismissed without any assistance and the supervisor had the gall to say "I am sorry I could not help you" and "I hope you have a great trip with us." I let her know that she could help me, however, she was refusing to even try and that their lack of customer service was starting our trip in the worst possible way. This will be my first, and ONLY, trip with Norwegian.
If a business truly cares about their customers enjoying their product, they should make them a priority and work with them when issues arise. Don't mislead, ignore, and dismiss them!

You want an amazing cruise line - Virgin Voyage, the best cruise experience ever! Cannot wait for them to commission more ships.

I have been on Norwegian cruise lines several times but my upcoming cruise to Alaska will probably be my last. We took advantage of their special which provides free air for one passenger. They make the reservation. They have us leaving for Seattle at 6:00 AM which arrives at 8:17 with the change in time zones. We'll have to leave our home at 3:30 AM to make this flight. We return leaving Seattle at 11:05 PM and arrive at 4:45 AM. I called the cruise line and they wouldn't change it. The airline (Alaska couldn't change it due to their arrangement with Norwegian.) The only thing they could help with was changing our seats on the outgoing flight so we could sit together at an extra cost of $200. Not a happy camper!

I came on this cruise with my family. I come from the US and I had a negative covid test and vaccine and a booster. I sill contracted COVID while in the cruise and self isolated in my room with a balcony following CDC guidelines. As soon as the cruise learned about this they gave me a test, and since it was positive, they moved me to a different room where the bed would vibrate and the lights would flash as in an emergency, every time someone called or rang the bell. 5 days after my symptoms started, after 3 days without fever and once I had no longer any symptoms at all, I asked if I could be at least moved back into my room with a balcony as I was told I had to stay in this room even if I tested again and the test turned out negative, I've also been told that after the cruise ends I have to go into the hotel of their choosing and I wont have a chance to say goodbye to my family. I was also not offered a refund.
This has been the worst experience of my life. I had never felt like a prisoner, and I had never been treated so poorly. If you are thinking of a cruise, dont do it. Learn from my experience. If you are honest and you try to contain the virus you will be punished. And when I asked why I had to stay isolated still since according to CDC I was no longer contagious, I was told not to think about reason but just comply with my minimum 7 days and up to 21 days of confinement.

NCL advertises GREAT offers, but you'll never see those discounts. Then they tell you that you should be happy to get the cruise at the price they want you to pay, but refuse to acknowledge that their math doesn't make sense. Cruise offer was $399 for an inside cabin for a 7 day cruise out of New Orleans, with 70% off second guest and 3rd guest free. How in the world of simple math does that then equate to $1200? At FULL price of $399, I'd get $1200, but not at 70% off with free 3rd guest. 3 reps now and they still can't, or won't explain it. When you get to the final screen for payment, and click to show price breakdown, it reflects over $519 per guest, which certainly is NOT $399 and 70% off for second guest (port fees are added at the end and not figured in the $519). Looks like I'll just stick with other cruise lines where simple math rings true and the fare is what it's listed as without bait and switch. Do yourself a favor, stick with Disney, Carnival, or RCL.

NCL Nightmare from Hell! Just found an email from NCL that they have cancelled my cruise, not the whole cruise just a few of us. Seems they randomly chose people to cancel. No phone call, just found the email when I went into my NCL account to check my excursions. Keep in mind everything was paid in full and booked over a year ago. NEVER, EVER booking with this company again!

They offered a lower price on the site for a cabin for 3 guests. However, in the final stage the price jumped up almost 300.00 for the first 2 guests and the 3rd person was free. They offered, a 3rd person free, so I was told that was why it was a lower price quote. Then when we tried to inquire about the price increase we were told it was more because they were giving us the 3rd person free. I replied no, you increased the price of the first two guests to cover the 3 guest. I was told, was it Norwegian fault that I couldn't read that it was a per person price. No where on the site does it say it is a per person price, and there is a price increase to cover the free guests.
Secondly I was told that there is a yellow bar on the site at the top, then when I showed them I had no yellow bar, I was told well its very faint but it says at the very top that our prices start at that rate, and go up from there. I said you can't do that, I selected that price and you can't just wait until the last page and change it to a higher price. Victor hung up on me.
Stay away, they are cheats!

We waited 6 hours just to check in. Basically we wasted the whole day by checking in. To make it worse, we can't even book the dinning. All restaurants were always full. I bought two primary dinning but weren't able to eat. So wasted the money. All services were bad because they were under-staffed. It's our first trip on cruise and we were so disappointed. Won't take this cruise again.

Just got off NCL cruise from NYC to Bermuda. Staff was friendly, ship was extremely clean and the food was pretty good. However, the entertainment was weak. I was offended by the foul mouthed dueling pianist from Louisiana. Total idiot. Repetitive boring entertainment. There was one pool for thousands of guests. Pool usually filled with kids. Don't tip! You get charged a $16 per person per day "charge" to be shared amongst workers. If you eat in a restaurant, some restaurants have a cabin charge in addition to 18% gratuity. You also pay for tipping when you book! We purchased the drink package including alcoholic beverages. NCL forgets to tell you drinks are free up to $15.00 beyond that you pay the difference. Guess what? Every drink is over $15! Some as much as. 71 cents to $2 plus more! Finally, the Wi-Fi sucks! It's unsecured. My savings account got hacked for over $10,000 with more pending withdrawals. My checking accounts were hacked for thousands as well. The lines entering the ship and disembarking were painfully long. My gf bought $75 Wi-Fi package. She used it sparingly and used the app to log in and out accordingly, she was out of 75 min within 20 min of use! Maybe NCL counts minutes differently at sea?! In the future, I'd think twice about NCL

I have sailed with Norwegian before and enjoyed my cruises. I have received emails and paper mail advertising this too good to be true"second person sails for 70% off". I thought great, I will book a cruise! So when I chose a balcony room for approximately $1725, I expected the second person to cost 517.50. Much to my surprise the total was over 4000. The price quoted (1725) was the sale price per person. No where was that made clear until the summary page. I am disappointed that a reputable company like Norwegian would stoop to what is essentially a bait and switch ad to attract business.

I haven't even left yet and already it's horrible. All in one day my excursion was canceled. This is the excursion we were most looking forward to, surfing in Maui. Then I found out i was being charged for transportation they are not even providing and was told I'd have a penalty to cancel it. A penalty for something I didn't ask for, know I had or could even use!?! Then what sent me over the edge was another email sent in the same day that their kids program for the entire cruise was also canceled. This literally affects my daughters entire cruise and because she is 12 this is the last year she could even experience this. I called for each of these items and got nowhere. I legit spent 8 hrs one the phone today! They showed they do not care at all about their guests. I received this all AFTER the deadline to cancel! All excursions are booked up so no replacement available now that we would want or could afford. I was told I could just not go but I won't get a refund. That is how this cruise line operates!?!?! Horrible horrible experience so far and we havent even left! This is my first and last cruise with Norweigian. We will continue with Carnival as we have had several with them and never been treated this way! Oh and this is costing me $7600! I am livid! The guest relations who is supposedly the top of the top could not and would not do anything about this. My daughter was offered money for the arcade in the email. She is not a gamer kid at all! So this is not even close to an acceptable replacement taking the entire program away for the entire cruise! I really cannot believe your comoany treats it's guests this way. I am so so upset. $7,600 is a whole lot of money I've spent on this to be going through this EIGHT DAYS BEFORE WE LEAVE!

I booked a cruise with friends for May 2020, however due to COVID had to reschedule. Rescheduled cruise but due to NCL's vaccination requirement I cancelled the cruise altogether. Was sent an email stating my refund "preliminarily met" the refund criteria, however it's been almost 2 months since I cancelled and requested a refund and HAVE NOT RECEIVED A PENNY BACK YET, nor heard any further from them.
Can't get a live person on customer service line unless I wait hours on hold, and when I do, I get conflicting information. DO NOT BOOK WITH NCL UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO LOSE YOUR $$$!

Ryan Tran, my "personal cruise consultant" lied about several things. First, excursions are not "free". They are only 50 dollars off for one person, if you question that, the rehearsed reply is "well, there are excursions that are 50 off", but that still doesn't include the second person, at all.
Second and most important, is their "name change" policy. At no point did he ever say that we needed to provide a middle name. Every time we talked, never discussed, only vague emails about name changes. We never provide a middle name to fly Alaska, and it is never an issue, even with TSA pre check, we don't need to worry about middle names.
He calls my wife and says he needs the middle name, and says he will waive the 50 dollar fee a few days ago. Now today, they charged a 150 dollar per person fee to change our name, when it is not needed. Put me on hold for an hour, to speak to a supervisor, Mario, #******* from Miami, who gleefully upheld charging me 300 dollars to add a middle name to my flight when it isn't needed.
So 450 dollars worth of "free escursions, and 300 dollars in unneeded name change fees tacked on last minute, this is straight up lies and deceit. I will never travel on this cuise line again, I've been on Carnival and Celebrity, and never been shaken down like this before