NCL Viva Not Getting Good Reviews?

[ontheweb]

2 minutes ago, ZsaZsa2019 said:

 

I was talking to the band there one night and while they agreed Syd's is small, they really enjoyed and appreciated the "intimate" atmosphere for them to play and interact with the audience.

I also managed to talk to 2 of the singers telling them about my experience at the original 1969. Woodstock festival. The conversation first started when one of them like my Grateful Dead tee shirt and said it was her favorite. band.

[asctony]

On 1/4/2024 at 3:24 AM, zackarykeef said:

Everyone sees the negative reviews and gets nervous and starts posting about cancelling, but no one sees the positive reviews and gets excited and starts posting about packing.

 

If you look on the posts here that may be a negative review, or the posts on another popular social media website that are negative reviews, there are hundreds of comments from people saying the opposite. People tend to read the main post but fail to read the comment.

 

Literally, on the other site, there will be one long, negative review, and all the comments underneath are "disagree," "we had the opposite experience," "it was awesome," etc.

 

People are more likely to post when they had a negative experience...we know this. People with positive experiences only tend to comment/post when they are opposing something negative.

 

Don't cancel or be nervous about something because of what people you have never met think. They function/like/need things that are completely different from you.

 

I sailed on Prima and loved it. Extremely upscale, modern ship design with good food, drinks, and service. That's all I need, and there was nothing to complain about. Viva is the same, and I can't wait to board un 3 days!

Why not be more explicit on your positives?

'Extremely upscale, modern ship design with good food, drinks, and service.'

TIA

[BingoBoy]

We did a Mediterranean cruise on the Viva last month and loved it. This was our fourth cruise in the past two years and absolutely the best. While the Viva is a big ship, for some reason people seem to be able to spread out a lot more. My wife and I both noticed how often we weren't in crowded elevators or hallways. I like the addition of the Indulge Food Hall. It's a nice compromise between the food court and the restaurants. There's a good variety and I was shocked at how quickly the food arrived after ordering. Yes, the buffet is smaller, but it still has plenty of food. Our secret was to get our food and eat in the Food Republic. More space without the hectic sound of the buffet. We had a balcony cabin and it was great. The bathroom is just slightly larger and you will notice that. For the free dining we preferred Hudson's over Commodore because it has bigger windows and doesn't seem as dark. We liked the modern design and fresh style of the ship. We'd definitely book another cruise on the Viva!

[Travelling2Some]

We just got off the Viva (Med cruise, first half of June) and liked the ship very much.  I really liked that it had an Observation Lounge and I liked the decor more than I expected to.  (Frankly it had looked like a whole lot of white plastic in photos.)  Did find the Local and Indulge frequently overwhelmed so had to default to the buffet more than we would have liked.  Loved the huge deck areas on Deck 8.  (Small complaint there would be people who sit smack in the middle of a sofa designed to hold a large group. - Husband and I had a fun giggle over a wicked urge to go sit right up on either side of them, lol.)  The buffet really is too limited.  I had expected this not to matter, thinking that the extra offerings like Indulge would make up for it.  There is plenty of variety but I found I really missed having the full Indian section at the buffet.

 

The comedians were entertaining and the acrobatic couple outstanding. We had looked forward to Beetlejuice but didn't really enjoy it.  Although it was well done, it was very "dark" and the material was just not our cup of tea. I missed having a dedicated martini bar.  Hudson's was a beautiful room that we really enjoyed.  Specialty dining was all very good.  Syds may have been great but I'm not going to stand in line for over an hour to see anything.  Entertainment I can't reasonably access is functionally worthless.  The Viva was a good experience overall and would sail her again.

[KeithJenner]

We were on the Viva a few months ago and it is probably now my favourite NCL ship.

[david_sobe]

There have been several threads about this.  Both Prima and Viva do score low in cruise reviews.  The poor reviews seem to be by traditional cruisers that want a more traditional cruise ship with much bigger and open spaces.  When Virgin debuted they got flamed for the small pool, the small showers, odd cabins, chopped up layout, etc.  Now they are a hot commodity and the non-traditional cruisers love them.  NCL clearly is targeting a new demographic in the design of these new ships.  Having said that, it seems NCL admits some of their ideas were not executed properly and needed to expand several areas thus the Aqua and future ships are 10% bigger.  Will this 10% expansion solve many of the complaints of crowding?   We will see.  

[jrsegrl]

We loved the Viva.  Our 89th cruise was on the Nov. transatlantic.  We'd been on the Prima so were prepared for the smaller buffet and atrium.  Buffet area is small and some of the seats are the high ones that do not work for us.  But there were other options like Hudson's, Indulge or the Local. My husbands big complaint is the atrium area where the band is is very small surrounded by a bookcase divider thing,  They did set out folding chairs for more seating but awkward.   Turned out not be a problem for us though since we liked going to see the singers at the Metropolitan at night instead on both Prima and Viva.  

[BrianLo]

Very positive experience with the Viva in Med. It shines with port intensity and warm weather. 
 

They are not perfect ships, not many first in their class can claim to be. It’s a trade off from having the number of venues a big ship has with still a smaller ship feel. The balance was missed resulting in several venues being under-sized, but I foresee most of the biggest flaws being remedied on Aqua.

 

The main pool deck, atrium are both upsized and hopefully Syd’s is as well. The two other biggest pinch points are the buffet (which I ignore) and Indulge (which I understand how to navigate around), so we’ll see how those are sized.

 

The ship is missing a bliss lounge like venue. 
 

But I’d wholeheartedly recommend Viva, whose entertainment I felt like was more solid than Prima.

Edited June 29 by BrianLo

[Rglad]

Also was on the Viva transatlantic cruise last November and found the food and food choices and locations outstanding...never had trouble with getting reservations or seats.  No complaints.  We did enjoy Beatlejuice  although we would never have gone to see it on Broadway...but included for no additional fee. great. Amazed at how they did such a large production.