Cruise Norway - Worldwide Expeditions — Local services in New York

Review of My Norwegian Cruise

I recently sailed with Norwegian. While I did have some fun and enjoyed parts of the trip, I left disappointed and frustrated by how many things didn’t match what was promised.

Promised Amenities Not Delivered One of the biggest frustrations was with a dining venue that was advertised as being open 24/7. In reality, it only stayed open around the clock for the first two days. After that, it closed at 10 PM every night. This was misleading and false advertising.

Dining Experience There were two main complimentary restaurants. However, both main dining rooms for lunch were only open from 12:00 to 1:30 PM — an extremely short window. One day, since everything else was closed, we went to the American Diner. On the menu was lechón asado, which should have been a Spanish-style pork dish with rice, beans, and plantains. Instead, it turned out to be barbecue pork covered in BBQ sauce, with what tasted like microwaved short-grain rice (like Uncle Ben’s). It was a huge disappointment.

We also tried O’Sheehan’s (another complimentary spot), which was supposed to be open 24/7 but followed the same pattern — only open late the first two days. After that, the menu felt very limited, and there wasn’t much worth ordering.

The buffet wasn’t much better. Dinner ran only from 5:30 to 9:30 PM, and they made a hard cut-off at 9:30. When we showed up around 9:00 one night, they were already shutting everything down. There was no midnight buffet or late-night food option, which is something most cruisers expect.

Water, Room Service, and Extra Charges We were charged for room service just to get bottled water in our cabin. Even though we prepaid gratuities, additional service charges were added when we used our refund credit at a restaurant. It felt like we were being nickel-and-dimed constantly.

Compensation We were given $100 back, but it didn’t come close to covering all of these issues.

Port Stop Disappointment Our Bermuda stop was so short it felt like we were only there for “two minutes.” This was one of the main reasons we booked this itinerary, so it was a major disappointment.

Activities & Amenities Scheduled activities often didn’t start on time, if they happened at all. Events listed for 8 PM might not happen until later, or sometimes not at all. It felt like the staff was pushing people back into their cabins early.

The kids’ pool closed very early every night, and the water slides and ropes course weren’t even open for the first two days.

Hot Tub Issues There were four hot tubs, but the two in the adult-only section had no shade. On top of that, one hot tub was damaged when a passenger ignored safety signs and stepped on a weak spot, breaking part of it. I had to warn people myself just to keep things safe.

Service The food itself was hit-or-miss, but the staff was generally good. Mark at Mix was easily the best bartender — professional, friendly, and helpful. He even looked out for guests when drinks were being charged differently in port. Unfortunately, service was inconsistent elsewhere, with some staff charging us before meals and drinks were even served.

Hurricane Changes We were rushed through parts of the trip to “beat” a hurricane — which ended up going out to sea anyway. The next cruise after ours was rerouted from Bermuda to Canada. Imagine packing for Bermuda only to find out you’re suddenly being sent to Canada instead. That would be extremely frustrating.

Overall Experience Despite enjoying some food, drinks, and staff interactions, the misleading advertising, dining limitations, extra charges, broken amenities, poor scheduling, and shortened Bermuda stop left me feeling that Norwegian did not deliver the cruise experience we paid for.

Norwegian needs to provide the services they advertise and be more transparent and consistent...

I could not be more pleased with the services provided by Ann Sinclair of Cruise Norway. Her many years of experience combined with Cruise Norway's policies meant I received the best price, benefits, and service possible for my Hurtigruten Expedition entitled "Greenland Summer Explorer: Cruising the Land of the Midnight Sun." Ann provided well-grounded guidance on every aspect of the trip, always encouraging in tone and sensible. Her extensive history of cruises taken means her input is the product of many years of personal experience. In addition, having Ann coordinate the details of both my air travel and the cruise proved invaluable. I was able to focus on planning for the days of free time in Reykjavik, both pre- and post-cruise, with minimal stress about transportation and the cruise portion itself. My hope for the future is to participate in the Hurtigruten Expedition to the Falklands, South Georgia Island, and the Antarctic, with Ann as my travel planner and advisor. Cruising the Land of the Midnight Sun was, without a doubt, The Trip of a Lifetime for me. The ship, named the MS Maud, was perfect in size, had well-designed floor plans on each level, featured plenty of large windows that let in lots of natural light, and was beautifully appointed. It quickly became "home" - very comfortable, with inviting interior spaces, outdoor decks, lecture and large group programming facilities, and an abundance of floor to ceiling observation windows. Our cabin was cleverly designed for efficiency. Hurtigruten's daily agendas were packed with lectures, workshops, Science Center presentations, and Science Boat activities led by a very talented, highly educated "Expedition Team." Their extensive backgrounds ranged from PhDs in wildlife studies to the geology of Greenland to Viking history and lore. The team was assisted by several dynamic graduate level science students who lectured and led Science Center activities that enriched our program. I packed my schedule to include as many of the excellently presented educational offerings as possible! The ship’s staff and crew were outstanding. We came to know a great many on a first name basis. All joyfully shared their enthusiasm for the programming Hurtigruten provided in which they, too, often participated. The icing on the cake was the two nights of rock band performances they gave that had us dancing and singing, amazed by their talents on guitar, keyboard, and drums, their extensive library of music of all types, and their vocals. The food served on board was varied daily. During the week, dinner was served a la carte, offering opportunities to try all kinds of beautifully plated, unusual entrees and interesting desserts. For breakfasts, lunches, and weekend dinners, an extensive buffet fed us well. One night we were surprised with a huge seafood feast. No one goes hungry on a Hurtigruten cruise! Other activities abounded. Tasting sessions on the top deck. A celebration and "baptism" as we crossed over the Arctic Circle, with a certificate awarded to those who endured the ice water shower . A hilarious night of Bingo in the lounge. I could easily write a book about this Hurtigruten voyage -- the beauty of the country that often stunned us speechless -- onshore activities, extensive and informative guided walking tours, performances, and onboard programming. I did not merely "visit" Greenland. I became immersed in it, so much so that I didn't want to go home when the ship reached the dock in Reykjavik. Thank you, Cruise Norway and Hurtigruten Expeditions, for making it...

Our trip on the Havila Polaris from Bergen to Kirkenes and back (12 days) in May-June 2024 was beyond wonderful. The ship is new and beautifully designed with Scandinavian simplicity as well as with energy savings in mind (it runs on batteries and LNG gas). Unlike the huge cruise ships, the Havila ships hold only about 600 passengers and have no kitschy entertainment nor pressure selling. The food is delicious and healthy, changing over the days to reflect the food customs of each part of Norway. The dining seating arrangements take into consideration passengers’ desire to share tables or not. Overall, we found the service to be excellent and we enjoyed getting to know some of the staff (as we always do). Our Junior Suite with ceiling to floor windows and balcony provided the ideal venue to view the extraordinary Norwegian scenery (I especially appreciated this since I have some health issues). There are also many lounge areas around the ship providing many other places to enjoy the fjords, islands, ocean, and villages that the ship passes along the way. The ship also serves as a ferry for people, cars and goods - this means that passengers get to see even more of the country than they would otherwise and can get to understand the economy of Norway with its over 80,000km of coastal areas (island coasts included). Finally, many thanks to Matthew who helped me find just the right cruise for us and responding to all...