NCL Viva: The Good, The Bad, the DISSAPOINTING: Italy, Turkey, Croatia, and Greece (with hints, tips, and help)

[Travel R]

The one thing I hate about reviews is the bashing of a ship, port, food venue, or other part of the vacation without providing any context or details.  In all my prior reviews I have always tried to be a detailed and provide my reasoning. However, the one thing different with this and my past reviews is that it will not be as glowing for the cruise line.

 

Don’t get me wrong. We had a great vacation, but there were many disappointments along the way.  Some of which I plant squarely upon the shoulders of NCL, some that were actus reus, others that were bad luck and bad timing, and I cannot get away without blaming some of the issues upon myself for misunderstanding and yes, even lack of planning.

The disappointments include:

·       Uninspiring food

·       Overworked staff

·       Poor communication

·       Uninteresting entertainment, sometimes

·       Insufficient spaces

·       Illness

·       Heat and humidity

·       And unfortunately, there were other “lows”

 

While on the cruise it did not seem that there were so many. But in hindsight, they reared their ugly heads multiple on several occasions.

 

No matter how many valleys we experienced, [with one glaring exception] we were always able to brush them aside and roll with the punches, quickly rising above the peaks to our utmost enjoyment. [No, I am not talking about the drink package.]

 

Some of the many highlights of the vacation including:

·       Amazing itinerary (plus pre- and post-cruise adventures)

·       Sharing bucket-list worthy sights and experiences with friends and loved ones

·       Nice stateroom

·       Amazing entertainment, sometimes

·       New friends

·       Facebook group

·       Teaching and learning

·       And many others

 

The mere act of writing a review an especially complaining about it is what many would consider a “First-World problem.”  I would agree.  I am always thankful and feel privileged every time I am able to go on a vacation like this.  Growing up, my family had no money.  My annual vacation was usually a week or two packed into my dad’s station wagon along with clothing, food, gear, and a large baker tent to sleep in. 

 

Don’t get me wrong, they were great memories I will always hold special, but I do not think I stayed in a motel/hotel until I was 10, on an airplane until 15, and my first time outside the country (besides Canada) was not until I was 22 or 23, and that was just a short walk over the border from California to Tijuana.

 

Overall, my biggest disappointment was the food both on the Viva and abroad. Taste is very subjective, so only take food or similar reviews with a grain of salt. However, as a former chef at a restaurant, I would hope it counts for at least two grains of salt. I am also basing this opinion on my comparison with our former (and only other) NCL sailing.

 

My greatest highlight cannot be singularly provided in that it is experiencing such amazing sites during our 16-day adventure that took us across two time zones, 5 countries, and a dozen amazing cities; and that I was able to do so with my amazing wife and two of our dearest friends.

 

However, my greatest wonderment is that I was able to do this.  I have experienced multiple health issues during the last year and a half.  A few months ago, I had the hope of going on this vacation, but seriously considering cancelling (or postponing) this vacation if did not begin feeling better.  And although I still had issues, such as an almost constant pain, I made it through till the end.  Some activities did need to be cut short (which I will explain in the days to come) and some nights ended earlier than expected.  I still shake my head in amazement that I was able to walk 15 to 20 thousand steps early on in this vacation in that heat and humidity. I tried to keep my pain to myself as to not infringe on the enjoyment of my DW and friends, but not so sure I was able to always fool them.

 

Although I am back home today, is also my first day back to work, so I will continue with this review when I get a chance (and it may even be 2 days between posts).  I will also try to respond to any questions ASAP.

 

Also, for the voyeurs out there – I will be slow to posting any pictures at first. I need to download then (possibly) edit them from my camera (I still use one), so it will take a few days, although I have a few on my phone that I can share shortly.

 

Besides the usual “story” review, I will try to provide hints, tips, and other helpful information about each port and city we visited in addition to each venue and segment of the Viva itself. I will also provide the details as to why we liked/enjoyed something as well as why we did not.

 

Please provide your own comments and opinions when apropos.

 

I have learned a lot from this community over the years and these reviews are a way for me to give back. As an FY, I will also be including the Rome walking tour I had given.  It not only provides the walking directions and info about the major sites, but also the “little things” a person will see while walking down each street (plaques, fountains, churches, etc.).

 

To be continued . . . .

 

Edited September 3 by Travel R

[Travel R]

[Travel R]

From the Acropolis Museum (unedited)

[Travel R]

Morning Streets of Trieste . . . .

[Travel R]

My first sighting of the Viva (in Trieste) and confirmation that it was docking near the Town Center and not Pier 57. . . .

[complawyer]

travel r.

 

as i interpret your post, seems like the positives far outweighed the listed negatives. we have been to all the ports you listed, had a great time, like you, saw sights i never thought i'd see in  my lifetime, ( i'm almost 77).

 

that being said, i'd like to throw my 2 cents in (having been on 30 ncl cruises)

 

(1) I acknowledge, that many  people cruise with the anticipations of amazing  meals.

 

as a chef, you outta know "uninspiring meals"  personally, i always cut them some slack. the kitchen is providing meals, multiple x's per day, night, and in between, for a few 1000 people or more. not everything served is going to get a Michellin star. i'm sure that due to the length or your cruise, there must have been some meals that you fully enjoyed

 

(2) due to the size of a cruise ship (even the smaller   ones in ncl's fleet) there are going to be staff that are seemingly overworked. i agree, but   in all my cruises, i have rarely come across any staff member that didnt have a smile on their faces. although it isn't an excuse, remember most  of the staff are from 3rd world countries, and are making money to send home to support their families. yes, it's hard work, and yes they work long and grueling hrs with little time off, but  the alternative would be hire more staff, but then the prices will go up. "choose your poison"

(3)  entertainment, i know i must be in the minority, but the entertainment (or quality therein) doesn't, and has never factored into my choice of cruise.  I don't care about that.

( 4) who did you have a problem communicating with? remember, most of the staff are from foreign countries, and English is not their native language. Talk about 1st world problems, at an ncl cocktail party, i requested a Chivas on the rocks, and the waitress didn't understand, and had no idea what I wanted. Nor could she even pronounce Chivas! communication with people that speak a language other than English just requires a little more patience.

(5) insufficient spaces. knowing the size of the ship and the number of passengers sailing, should give you some idea of the personal space available. you can always retreat to the safety and comfort of your cabin. Some ships like the Bliss have an amazing observation room.

sometimes we go up to the topsider bar. if you think there is insufficient space on a cruise ship, go to a major sporting event. i don't know where you're from, but observe a Michigan vs Ohio football game at the "big house". At full capacity, there are more people then in some cities, try getting a beer, or using the restroom.. Nuff said about that!

(6) finally, im going to lump illness and heat/humidity in one. Neither can be helped. getting sick while on vacation, cruise, land or air SUCKS! bigtime 

heat and humidity comes with the territory of where you're sailing.

 

sorry about the length of this answer, but IMHO, its just the flip side of your coin.

Regardless, you went to some spectacular ports, amazing cities, and by the overall tenor of your post, the good more than outweighed the bad.

(

[www3traveler]

Welcome Home

 

I hope you have some time for your body to recover from your wonderful adventure before diving head first into work and activities at home (laundry, yard work and now getting ready for the holidays).

[nimbex1970]

Need to hear about the food... we did 19 nights on the Viva and loved it! Now not the buffet, but even loved the majority of main dining and we are foodies.  What on earth happened?  Can you do a post on just food please. 

[drew69]

1 minute ago, nimbex1970 said:

Need to hear about the food... we did 19 nights on the Viva and loved it! Now not the buffet, but even loved the majority of main dining and we are foodies.  What on earth happened?  Can you do a post on just food please. 

Especially as OP was also disappointed in their food abroad off of the ship too.  Odd that the ship as well as multiple restaurants in multiple countries were all disappointing.  

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, nimbex1970 said:

Need to hear about the food... we did 19 nights on the Viva and loved it! Now not the buffet, but even loved the majority of main dining and we are foodies.  What on earth happened?  Can you do a post on just food please. 

Food is subjective and Americans, in general, don’t appreciate food. It it isn’t “American” it is uninspired.
 

There was an uproar when the canned chicken noodle soup was replaced by Pho on the lunch menu a few years back. And when the fish sticks were replaced with poached salmon. Today, there is an uproar because the boxed, frozen, deep fried hashbrowns have been replaced with hand cut and cooked country potatoes. 

 

We cruise on MSC a couple of times a year and it is amusing to listen to the Americans criticize the pasta and pizza because it’s not “Dominos”. It is pretty authentic to Italy, not the US. Therefore it’s “bad”.  

[drew69]

8 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Food is subjective and Americans, in general, don’t appreciate food. It it isn’t “American” it is uninspired.
 

There was an uproar when the canned chicken noodle soup was replaced by Pho on the lunch menu a few years back. And when the fish sticks were replaced with poached salmon. Today, there is an uproar because the boxed, frozen, deep fried hashbrowns have been replaced with hand cut and cooked country potatoes. 

 

We cruise on MSC a couple of times a year and it is amusing to listen to the Americans criticize the pasta and pizza because it’s not “Dominos”. It is pretty authentic to Italy, not the US. Therefore it’s “bad”.  

So true!!!

[bluesea777]

We are non-Americans and are real foodies … we will not go to chain restaurants in the states or have pizzas in the US either. 
 

We love the food in most restaurants here in Bermuda and in Europe, and in most specialty restaurants on ships. Palomar on Viva is one of our faves and also Onda on various ships. 
 

 

[KeithJenner]

I’m also interested in the good comments. It seems very odd that there were issues with it both in and off the ship, which does make be share the suspicion that this is a personal issue rather than a general problem.

 

For what it’s worth, we thought the food on the Viva was generally very good and we have never had any food in places around the Med that wasn’t excellent.

[Travel R]

The Food, Overall (Viva)

 

There have been a number of responses regarding the food and how I (and my party) found it “uninspiring.”  Although I was going to keep to a more linear review based on chronology of events, I think a deviation may be warranted.  Whereas I may still provide my assessment of individual dishes, I will begin herein with an overall discussion of our culinary encounters.

 

However, and a big however, one’s opine of food is usually unhelpful because taste is highly subjective.   There are those that love vanilla ice cream while others prefer chocolate.  Neither is right or wrong.  Regardless of how much one knows about cooking and food, it does not dictate that one’s taste is superior to another.  What one that knows their way around the kitchen does have expertise in is if a dish is prepared correctly.

 

Also allow me to state the following: You Will Not Go Hungry on This (or any other) Cruise. “Uninspiring” does not mean I starved, but it did not meet my expectations based on former cruises and there were no dishes that left me saying “wow, I need to make this when I return home.”

 

MDR and Specialty Restaurants

 

One every cruise, even on our singular Carnival cruise, there were dishes that were outstanding, dishes that were horrible, and the remaining majority of which fall somewhere in-between.  Fortunately, there were very few dishes that fell into the second category, but none that really fell into the first category.

 

I must also come clean that I have obtained an allergy to cheese over the last few years and due to my health issues I did try to eat a little healthier when possible.  However, when dining out, this should not be an obstacle to outstanding food.  As a chef I know that there are certain quick tricks to enhance food with little effort by adding extra salt, sugar, butter, and cheese.  I have served a full dining room as well as ran kitchens for charity events for up to 250 people, and sometimes these do call for these cheats to be implemented. But sometimes, they are just not warranted and are performed because the chefs are unable to recreate the dish as it was intended.

 

The biggest violation of this occurred at one of the Specialty Restaurants, Le Bistro.  I happen to really enjoy escargot. This is a dish which historically does not include cheese, but to make the dish more palatable or because they cannot reproduce a decent dish without the cheat.  But when, in this French restaurant, I was told not only that the escargot was made with cheese, it was made with Parmesan cheese, I felt several dead French chefs turn in their graves. The addition of cheese to various dishes was widespread and severely limited the choices available to me; and the variation of items to chose from has been severely limited since our last NCL cruise.  Another example of this was the Shakshuka, which included feta cheese.  Yes, this is a dish made in many different variations throughout the Mediterranean, but most do not include any type of cheese. [I have made this dish for a charity breakfast and refrained from adding cheese as one of the ingredients.

 

As mentioned, I am not going to discuss taste, but I can reasonably discuss how a dish is prepared and cooked.  Let’s go to another specialty restaurant  . . . Cagney's.  I have had a lot of red meat over the previous few days, so I opted for the Grilled Seafood Platter.  It was good, but nothing exceptional (and would have been nicer with a lobster tail). However, my DW and friends ordered steak.  The steaks, especially the NY Strip was: (1) not cooked to order and (2) very fatty.   For one of our community dinners at home, we have steak.  We usually cook out on the patio under an electric light, but one year it (the circuitry) was busted. I cooked 72 steaks to order on charcoal drums, with nothing but the light of the grills and a partial moon.  It is a lot, lot easier to cook in a lighted kitchen on professional grills, so there is little excuse for them not getting it right.  There was also a great amount of fat which could have been easily trimmed.

 

The worst dish I experienced during our nine days onboard was the Hungarian Goulash.  This was surprising since it was one of the exceptional dishes I still remember from the Getaway 5-6 years ago.  The meat was hard/tough and instead of wide noodles, they used some type of short campanelle-like pasta. The flavoring was also more of a spicy sauce than a traditional gravy.  I am almost surprised they did not add cheese to this dish to try to save it as well.

 

Random thought – It would have been nice to see geographically-related cuisine or theme for certain ports. Italian for Ravenna, Turkish for Kusadasi & Istanbul, Greek for any of the Greek islands etc.  I do understand what a huge undertaking it would be, but I do remember such offerings during past cruises, and would have been a nice add.

 

I am not going to go dish-by-dish, but the above three examples should be suffice for my initial argument.  But to cement my argument, I cannot look back and say that any particular meal or individual dish stood out at the MDR or the Specialties.

 

However, once again, everyone’s taste is different. If you loved the food, great. It just was not for me (and I also did not experience the Haven restaurant, which had different options).

 

Different Food Venues on the Viva

 

Once again, no one is going to starve on the Viva. While I may not have found the food to be “inspiring,” there was a plethora of options to chose from.  Yes, some venues were notably smaller than other ships, there were more options, especially complimentary with the Indulge Food Hall idea.

 

One thought, however, relates to the time these venues are open.  I had read several complaints, and created a chart for the times these venues were open to counter-act their comments.  However after experiencing this cruise, I understand what they were eluding to.  On a port-intensive cruise, such as this, where many pax arrive back to the ship in the late afternoons when some of the venues are beginning to close, there are too many people and not enough seats. I know that is is a huge effort to change the process, but moving the opening or closing times for some of these venues would have helped greatly.

Here's a few comments on the various venues, but will provide more details when I arrive at such venues during the full review . . . .

 

Buffet

 

I will begin with this, since it is the quickest to access.  I am not a big fan of buffets on cruise ships.  I have very low expectations when it comes to the food and rarely have been proven wrong.  Because of the time of excursions and shows, the noise, congestion, and irreverence towards food and fellow diners, it was a necessary evil.

 

There were a few highlights, such as the pineapple on burgers fur lunch, and for breakfast, the raisin French Toast and they had a decent selection of fruit and sugarless cold cereals for breakfast.  Although there was always a seat to be found outside (especially when it was hot), it was always a madhouse.

 

Indulge Food Hall

 

Perhaps my favorite food venue on the Viva.  It is a new concept where there are various “stations” providing different varieties of food which you can order from a monitor/kiosk.  Although many dishes are “small” they are not all tiny, such as the sandwiches from Smokehouse.  If I were to chose my favorite food on the Viva, it would have to be the Indian food from the Tandoor station.  As mentioned, the items from Smokehouse were also tasty.

 

Although some dishes were not to my liking, there were many that were.  Due to the venue and the tapas-like dishes, I really did not analyze the dishes here with as much scrutiny – it was a place to eat and “fill the tummy.”

 

The Local

 

The only place on the ship that is open 24/7 for food, and I did take advantage of it at midnight one evening. However, we did have lunch there at least twice and had my favorite meal aboard the ship.  Yes, I cheated and cheated badly (for myself), which included the following . . . . . Sweet Chili Wings, Sausage Sliders, and Fish Sandwich with French Fries. It, to me, was the most satisfying meal during the nine days aboard.   I like the sauce they use for the wings (same as the Thai Chili sauce at O'Sheehan’s). The sausage sliders satisfied my sodium craving, and the fried fish was nice deviation from my diet.

 

But when it comes to the concept of inspiring, the fare was your basic bar food.

  

Where are the Cookies?

 

Cookies were far and few between.  If you wanted cookies, the only time to find them was during the afternoon in the Observation Lounge – not even in the buffet, which I had always found them on prior cruises.

 

In the same vein as the deprivation of cookies, is the lack of sweets in the evenings. There is a coffee/tea pot available in the Buffet and Observation Lounge, but no sweets to go with it.

 

We did inquire about the lack of sweets at night with the head waiter and she told us that it was because they did not have anyone there watching it 24/7.  Understood, but why not set up a table at The Local where someone could watch it 24/7?

 

On a side note, after the inquiry by our friend, the head water sent up a tray of cookies that evening to his room.   A very nice gesture on their part.

 

A short summary of our dining outside the ship shall be provided in the next day or two and I'll answer specific questions when I get a few moments free - still busy catching up with work

Viva Food Time Chart.docx

Edited September 4 by Travel R

[Travel R]

22 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Welcome Home

 

I hope you have some time for your body to recover from your wonderful adventure before diving head first into work and activities at home (laundry, yard work and now getting ready for the holidays).

Thanks. Unfortunately, after taking 10 days off for this vacation and multiple days beforehand for doctors, etc. no time to rest until the weekend, then plan on two days of relaxation (although work needs to be done around the house).

[Travel R]

21 hours ago, nimbex1970 said:

Need to hear about the food... we did 19 nights on the Viva and loved it! Now not the buffet, but even loved the majority of main dining and we are foodies.  What on earth happened?  Can you do a post on just food please. 

I provided an overall post below and will go into more details as I write the full review.  Food and taste are subjective - just because we did not love it, does not mean others will.  There was plenty of good food, just nothing IMHO that was "WOW"

[Travel R]

2 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

We are non-Americans and are real foodies … we will not go to chain restaurants in the states or have pizzas in the US either. 
 

We love the food in most restaurants here in Bermuda and in Europe, and in most specialty restaurants on ships. Palomar on Viva is one of our faves and also Onda on various ships. 
 

 

On a thread on Facebook there was a person that was stating how they hoped the food in Italy would be as good as Olive Garden.  Yes, you read that right.  Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, so when it comes to taste, it is something personal - it is whether the food is properly prepared and presented that one can argue.  As to pizza - my family has had a tradition of eating pizza wherever we go (various countries and different states). If you ask any of us where the best pizza is - we will unanimously say Brooklyn, NY (L&B being the best).

[nimbex1970]

31 minutes ago, Travel R said:

I provided an overall post below and will go into more details as I write the full review.  Food and taste are subjective - just because we did not love it, does not mean others will.  There was plenty of good food, just nothing IMHO that was "WOW"

Thank you for your time and details.  I never expect 5 star dining on a cruise ship, just well prepared and prepared correctly.  There were wings on this ship that I made a special complaint to the head chef when we were in the steak house.  He stated, they are par boiling them ahead of time, it was a change!  This Buffalo gal, gave her two cents.  I hope it changes.

[Travel R]

20 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Food is subjective and Americans, in general, don’t appreciate food. It it isn’t “American” it is uninspired.
 

There was an uproar when the canned chicken noodle soup was replaced by Pho on the lunch menu a few years back. And when the fish sticks were replaced with poached salmon. Today, there is an uproar because the boxed, frozen, deep fried hashbrowns have been replaced with hand cut and cooked country potatoes. 

 

We cruise on MSC a couple of times a year and it is amusing to listen to the Americans criticize the pasta and pizza because it’s not “Dominos”. It is pretty authentic to Italy, not the US. Therefore it’s “bad”.  

 

I have deleted my original post and just not going to respond to this.

 

If that is what you think, fine. Just as food from England has historically been thought of being on the bottom of the food chain in International circles (both literally and figuratively), I would never say so since I have cooked several dishes myself (including an amazing Pudding) and know that statement would be untrue.  Yet, this idea about British cooking still persists.

 

Edited September 4 by Travel R

[nimbex1970]

I would leave that up, as food is subjective, I appreciated your background and thoughts on it.  There were venues on the Viva we enjoyed, even the dining room.  Also, areas where I sent an occasional dish back and didn't prefer it, still had palatable options.  Another example, hit LeBistro three times, two nights ordered the same entre and it wasn't cooked properly second night. So it can be hit or miss.

[erisajd]

Being in pain colors any experience . . . .

 

Magnificent cruise ship meals in the main dining rooms ended in the 1970s

 

There is a choice for a better experience - the Haven.  Yes - it costs twice as much but if you have limited mobility there are no lines on or off the ship, a private dining room, plus the two or more specialty dining choices.  

 

Cruise line can't do anything about weather - so if your complaint was about the heat and humidity perhaps choosing a time other than summer would be the better choice. September is a fantastic time to cruise the Med. 

 

I NEVER go on a cruise for the entertainment, either.  

 

Glad overall you had a good time .

 

 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Travel R said:

 

I have deleted my original post and just not going to respond to this.

 

If that is what you think, fine. Just as food from England has historically been thought of being on the bottom of the food chain in International circles (both literally and figuratively), I would never say so since I have cooked several dishes myself (including an amazing Pudding) and know that statement would be untrue.  Yet, this idea about British cooking still persists.

 

I lived in England for many years and at ate the local pubs and high street cafes. I loved the food. But I have also sat next to Americans who, for no other reason than reputation, would bad mouth English food. Yup, if you are used to eating processed grain fed US beef and pork, the grass fed meat in the UK may "taste funny". We had friends that would drive 2 hours each way to get to a Costco which sold US beef for that reason. 

 

And if uninspired equates to the lack of cookies (something you obviously read on the internet) and lack of cakes sitting around at night (versus going to The Local for a proper dessert), then, yes, the food is uninspired. If you have read some of my prior posts on the subject, if a butler or room service leaves cookies in my stateroom, they immediately go in the trash. 

 

Yup, you're on a mass market cruise line. And when a ship prepares 15,000 lbs of beef, 12,000 lbs of pork, and 25,000 lbs of seafood every week, maybe you're not going to buy the top market wagyu to serve in your restaurants. And, you are catering to a clientele that will consume 800 lbs of bacon every morning, 1500 hot dogs every lunch/dinner, and 300 lbs of chicken wings a day,,, so you need to provision to your target market.  

Edited September 4 by BirdTravels

[FLAHAM]

I have always enjoyed the twin double lamb chops at Cagney’s, cooked medium with pink centers.  I also like Indulge on the new ships.  Plenty of chocolate, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies on the Star last week.

[yakcruiser]

18 minutes ago, FLAHAM said:

I have always enjoyed the twin double lamb chops at Cagney’s, cooked medium with pink centers.

Had this on cruise in May/June. By far best meal in 28 days.

[TPgal]

As a planner, I am happily waiting on each new post and set basic Internet security aside to download the food venue schedule.  

I printed it, to put in my folder for our July Viva cruise (Athens, Kudasai, Istanbul, some islands), and failed to see that there were nine other pages of info that I'm now pouring over.  If I can't cruise this week at least I can follow your logic for dinner planning.