This was our second cruise and first on Norwegian. It was a cruise from hell!
We booked a boarding time of 10:30 a.m., so booked a flight from Calgary to Vancouver arriving at 9:00 a.m. Got to the port and advised that boarding had been changed to 7:00 p.m. We had the whole day to kill so were given a recommendation to take the seabus to North Vancouver. We did that, and thankfully the weather was nice. Walked around and basically watched our ship floating in the middle of the water - all day. The onboarding process was horrendous and no one was happy. We were supposed to board at 7:00 pm - waited in line since 6:30 pm. We were herded like cattle into a gymnasium type area and sat there with no water or communication. Long process!! Finally got on the ship around 9:30 p.m. Had to go to the muster stations at 11:00 p.m. - had no food at that point and the crew were not pleasant. Didn't get our luggage until midnight. The next morning I noticed a $30.00 service charge to our room. We didn't cruise the first day and they still had the gall to charge us. I complained to customer service and their only answer was that they couldn't do anything about it.
The food in the buffet was terrible. Very bland and no variety. Part of our package included 3 specialty dining restaurants. What they don't tell you is that only includes limited items on the menu. You can't order the 35.00 steak. The Local was about the only place that had great food. We loved their chicken wings and decided to order them one night to take to our room. I asked for a plate and when asked why I said we wanted to take it to our room. We were told that wasn't allowed due to "sanitary" reason, but we could order room service (and pay for it) and that would be okay. Really?? Not sanitary for us to take it - but hell - you can load up at the buffet and take it to your room - that's okay. They nickel and dime you to death.
Took the seabus to North Vancouver. As it was a pleasant day, we enjoyed the market and walks
Haven't been to San Francisco in 30 years, so went to Pier 39 and walked the boardwalk. Had lunch and snacks - did a bit of shopping. The weather was good, so this part was enjoyable.