Imagine a complete vacation on the sea, at an all-inclusive resort on the sea.
With the flexibility to design the ideal vacation, without fixed times for meals and entertainment and without a formal dress code.
329 meters long, 41 meters wide, 19 floors and 4,100 guests in 2,114 cabins.
This is the ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) on its winter cruises from Israel.
The Norwegian from outside.
329 meters long, photo: Dafna Dagan
After a short check-in at the port and a little shopping at the duty free, you enter the ship and receive the ticket for the awaited room at the reception office.
The room, with a balcony (there are also some without), is designed in the style typical of the ship, with wood-like furniture, compact and functional and includes a bed, sofa, shower and mini bar.
The sea view from the balcony is stunning.
It's great fun to be surrounded by deep, endless and relaxing blue, and to enjoy the uplifting, relaxing and light feeling of an enveloping sea.
An escapist experience that accompanies the entire voyage, ventilating and filling batteries -, for fans of the genre.
At night it is recommended to relax on the balcony and watch the sea and the sky full of shining stars, pure pleasure.
You can even imagine the dolphins jumping in the distance.
During the cruise, which takes place mainly at night, there is no feeling of imbalance, because the weights surrounding the ship stabilize it.
A room with a balcony on the ship, photo: Dafna Dagan
The cruise package includes restaurants (there are special restaurants with an additional charge), entertainment shows, Wi-Fi (limited package) and beach tours (some with an additional charge).
There are several types of rooms: double, family, suites with a balcony, spa suites, and a luxurious room complex of a ship within a ship, known as The Haven.
The Cavern Club hall.
Tribute shows to the Beatles, photo: Dafna Dagan
The ship has 16 different quality concept restaurants: some are included in the price.
Asian: Shanghai, Noodle Bar;
Japanese: wasabi and teppanyaki;
American: Cagney, Manhattan and Taste;
Oceans English;
Brazilian Moderno;
The Italian La Cucina and the French La Bistro.
17 bars and lounges, including a unique ice bar.
Two main dining rooms: Garden Cafe and open buffet in Dek, and Starbucks Cafe.
On top of that, there is of course room service to the room.
The restaurants we dined at were really great.
The casino on the ship, photo: Dafna Dagan
In the entertainment sector, there are comedy clubs, the "Cavern" club with a "Beatles" cover band, and a huge night club.
Shows like "Persilia Queen of the Desert" and "Burn the Square".
On the upper level there is a water park with slides and pools, an outdoor jacuzzi, a climbing wall and a children's playground.
Additional attractions on the ship: spa, open sun deck with sunbeds.
A large sports complex, gyms, unique mini golf and bowling games.
A luxurious casino, art galleries and duty-free shops.
A tip from us:
it is recommended to stock up on your favorite snacks, and personal farm equipment that is less readily available on the ship.
We did not come across a mini market, and the duty free shops are only open when the ship is in the middle of the sea.
Careful design.
Interior of the ship, photo: Dafna Dagan
It is recommended to tour the floors of the ship, among the various attractions, the restaurants and the designed spaces, and thus the general sense of orientation in the huge ship will improve wonders.
It is recommended to sit in the open upper deck, indulge in the silence, the sun and the view.
You can also sign up for a tour from the ship's list of tours.
We went on a culinary tour, in a picturesque village in Limassol, with a visit and wine tasting at a winery.
On top of that, we visited the restaurant at the farm, with authentic Cypriot home-cooked food.
It was delicious and lovely.
A vineyard in Limassol as part of a winery tour, photo: Dafna Dagan
The ship, which sailed the course for 11 days, anchors in the ports of: Ashdod, Limassol, Rhodes, Kusadasi and Istanbul, Patmos and Piraeus, Naples, Livorno and Rome.
In conclusion, we were definitely left with a taste for more.
Additional cruises will depart on this route in the months of November and December 2023 and March and October 2024. The new ship, Norwegian Viva, will also dock in Haifa during 2025. The ship Norwegian Jade will arrive at the port of Haifa during October and November 2023.
The writer was a guest of Norwegian Cruise Line
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