Ever Cruise out of Norfolk Va?

[dustanltye]

Was wondering if anyone had ever cruised out of this port and how there experience was?

[cb at sea]

My brother did....lives in Va. Beach, so it was about a 20 min. ride to port! He thought the process was easy!

[Poomah]

Live in Suffolk and have cruised twice from Norfolk. 1st time the terminal was not quite complete but things went very wel.

 

Cruised from there last fall and it was a great experience. Terminal is well laid out and the staff was great. The only drawback is the parking is one mile away at a secured lot. They did provide free shuttle service and you could drop off your luggage before going to park if you wanted to. A good start to a great cruise!

[Poomah]

Oh - and there are several nice hotels in the area if you need an overnight stay - shuttle to the pier is provided by many of them as is week long free parking.

 

Even though we are "local" we opted to stay the night before our cruise at the Crown Plaza - the cost of the overnight stay was the same as what it would have cost us to park in the lot up the road. Had a great "free" breakfast the next morning - put our overnight cases in the car and away we went to the terminal. The car was safely parked for the week, we had a shuttle to and from the ship at no extra charge and we didn't have to drive an hour to get there the morning of departure. One of the most relaxed embarkations we ever had.

[NCTribeFan]

Have twice - the Triumph CTN in October 2009 then Bermuda last October on Glory.

 

First time, since it was just a quickie, drove up that morning. Last October, drove up the day before, stayed at the Crowne Plaza (they offered a parking package). Enjoyed walking to a restaurant with some Roll Call folks for dinner the night before we sailed.

 

Nice port. Lots of traffic on the return, but the local police did a great job of keeping it flowing.

 

I would definitely sail from there again. Just like Baltimore, though, you tend to have cruises that "only" go to the Bahamas. I can drive a little farther and get better itineraries.

 

If they offered more, at reasonable prices, I'd be sailing from there a lot. But since I really sail for the ports, the options are just too limited. If they'd offer sailings to Bermuda that were in port for longer than the 1-1/2 days we got, I would definitely go again.

[crusinfamof4]

I wish! We live in Richmond, but the cruises out of Norfolk are not at convenient times for us with the kids in school, wish they offered more!

[sassy~one]

Expensive! Limited! I want HAL back!

[Bunkie103]

We checked out the port while in Norfolk Memorial Day. Looks really nice and wish they had better itineraries. It's about 2 1/2 hours for us so it would be a no-brainer because the airport is 90 minutes.

[backdro69]

I wish there were more options out of Norfolk. I am going out of Baltimore next month, but only live about 45 mins. from Norfolk (near Yorktown). I would be tempted to go on another cruise, but the only things that leave from there are during school and since I am a teacher...:(

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

The port is nice...didn't sail out of there but sailed back in on a repo cruise that started in San Juan. It's small enough that it's pretty easy to navigate around, and there are plenty of things nearby.

 

I would love to sail out of there more often if there were some more affordable cruise options year round.

[kicker]

Nice port, traffic's a bit tight, but to me the best part of cruising out of Norfolk (Enchantment OTS, 2010) was my fellow passengers. You'll get a lot of Virginians, No. Carolinans, etc. who are all loaded with Southern Hospitality - nicest group of people I ever cruised with.:)

 

PS: You didn't mention kids or time of year, but Virginia Beach is close by, Portsmouth has a Children's Museum. Lots of good restaurants for adults too.

[NCTribeFan]

We checked out the port while in Norfolk Memorial Day. Looks really nice and wish they had better itineraries. It's about 2 1/2 hours for us so it would be a no-brainer because the airport is 90 minutes.

 

DD and her fiance are in Greenville, too. Both ECU grads. Their wedding is 10/20. I told her I'd put them on Glory on 10/22 or Fantasy 10/27 with my cruise buddy and I (I'm going down the day after the wedding for a solo on Leg 1 of my B2B). She really liked Glory when she sailed it before.

 

But when I told her 6 nights on Glory to Freeport & Nassau vs 7 nights on Fantasy to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau, she didn't hesitate to pick Fantasy.

 

Many of us really do sail for the itinerary and not the ship.

[emelvee]

DD and her fiance are in Greenville, too. Both ECU grads. Their wedding is 10/20. I told her I'd put them on Glory on 10/22 or Fantasy 10/27 with my cruise buddy and I (I'm going down the day after the wedding for a solo on Leg 1 of my B2B). She really liked Glory when she sailed it before.

 

But when I told her 6 nights on Glory to Freeport & Nassau vs 7 nights on Fantasy to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau, she didn't hesitate to pick Fantasy.

 

Many of us really do sail for the itinerary and not the ship.

We lived in Greenville NC from 2005-2009!

Sailed out of Norfolk once...easy port. Baltimore is probably our favorite so far.

[Gypsywych]

One of the easiest embark/debarks we have had. Traffic right there at the port can be a bit of a snarl, but the rest was a breeze. I wish they had more out of Norfolk.

[TabFox]

Sailed from there 3 times, going again in May. I live near Roanoke, so even with a 4 1/2 hr drive it's not bad at all. I park at the Towne Pointe garage directly across the street from the pier. Same price as the "cruise" lot, but it's about a mile or more away. I park, and walk across the street and get on the ship. The terminal is comfortable, and next to the Nauticus museum. I also wish they had different itineraries. Getting a little tired of doing the Nassau/Freeport run, but I really like the Glory.

[going to see the world]

Glad I read this thread! Prior to seeing this, I've only seen bad reviews.

[cruisecrazy82]

We sailed out of Norfolk this past May and it was fine. A little chaotic with the passengers debarking but then again what cruise port isn't!!:p We will be sailing again out of Norfolk next May. Pretty cool sail-away too IMO:D

[djd7292]

Glad to see this thread. Will be sailing out of Norfolk in May & have never been before.

 

We are driving there from MI, so will need a place to stay (that includes parking) before & after our cruise.

[Potstech]

if the state and the city hadn't got greedy there would be many more ships and cruises out of Norfolk. Maybe if some in Charleston, SC get there way more cruises will come out of Norfolk. This would be a great mid coast departure point for many places. Would be easier in and out than Baltimore and closer than New Jersey and New York.

[NCTribeFan]

Yes, but again, it's the itineraries. Sort of like the West Coast. Very limited ports to visit.

 

I don't know about you folks, but I can only sail to the Bahamas so many times. I guess if you cruise just to cruise then it wouldn't be such a big deal, but my main reason to cruise is to get to the ports.

 

Would love to see more options out of Baltimore, Norfolk and Charleston.

 

Wonder why there aren't cruise ships out of Wilmington, NC?

[vacruizer]

I loved sailing from Norfolk, just wish they'd get more dates and itineraries. Even though my parents live nearby which saves us on parking and hotel (got to love Mom's free hotel, parking, and port shuttle service,) :p we tend to opt for Baltimore if we aren't worried about ports. We can pick any date year round and it's usually cheaper for a 7 day vs. 5 or 6 from Norfolk, even with a hotel and parking in Baltimore.

[emelvee]

Yes, but again, it's the itineraries. Sort of like the West Coast. Very limited ports to visit.

 

I don't know about you folks, but I can only sail to the Bahamas so many times. I guess if you cruise just to cruise then it wouldn't be such a big deal, but my main reason to cruise is to get to the ports.

 

Would love to see more options out of Baltimore, Norfolk and Charleston.

 

Wonder why there aren't cruise ships out of Wilmington, NC?

 

Same here...we're planning on driving or flying to Florida the next cruise or two just to try new cruise ports.

 

Regent Seven Seas has cruised into Wilmington, with something like a 490 passenger ship. Don't think the port can handle large ships.

[sunshine252]

Norfolk is our local port and I've been out of there twice. Downtown can be busy but the terminal is well marked. Traffic in the drop-off area is rarely "bad" and it's fairly easy to navigate. The first time we used the ship's parking and shuttle services and were pleased with them. The second time we parked in one of the nearby garages and were pleased with that also. The terminal is nice and easy to navigate. Foot traffic can be moderate, but not usually too bad and the workers are nice, which helps. LOL If you have time to kill, Nauticus is next door and Norfolk Waterside is withing walking distance. I LOVE Norfolk and would go out of there more often if the itinerary were better. I think we may take the kids out of there for their first cruise though. They won't know that the Bahamas suck! LOL

 

& kicker is just sucking up... ROFL

[Sea Raven]

Living within 20 minutes of the port, it is a given that I have sailed out of Norfolk for my short, but growing, cruise history. I too really wish that Carnival would consider longer iteneraries. I would gladly take an 8 or 9 day Western itenerary. Even with keeping the Bahamas, it would be nice to go to HMC for once.

 

Since the Glory has more cruises scheduled for next year than they have ever sailed out of Norfolk - I am keeping my fingers crossed for something spectacular like our own year-round ship. (I know I'm probably just dreaming here, though)

 

PS - *whispering* i would not be opposed to another line adding a ship in Norfolk...

[agc291]

Live in Suffolk and have cruised twice from Norfolk. 1st time the terminal was not quite complete but things went very wel. Cruised from there last fall and it was a great experience. Terminal is well laid out and the staff was great. The only drawback is the parking is one mile away at a secured lot. They did provide free shuttle service and you could drop off your luggage before going to park if you wanted to. A good start to a great cruise!

 

There are different parking lots, that is just the one Carnival recommends you use. There is one across the street that is walkablw.

 

Expensive! Limited! I want HAL back!

All of the ones from Norfolk start at a little more than $400pp :confused: Super cheap for people who can drive to the port vs flying somewhere.

 

 

I loved sailing from Norfolk, just wish they'd get more dates and itineraries. Even though my parents live nearby which saves us on parking and hotel (got to love Mom's free hotel, parking, and port shuttle service,) :p we tend to opt for Baltimore if we aren't worried about ports. We can pick any date year round and it's usually cheaper for a 7 day vs. 5 or 6 from Norfolk, even with a hotel and parking in Baltimore.

 

 

I just cant believe this. Baltimore is the most expensive port we have ever looked at. It is $449pp for our Norfolk cruise vs $700+pp for Baltimore. Baltimore always costs WAYYYY more than us flying to Florida and doing the cruise. Do you find these deals in the Winter? If so isnt it freezing for half the cruise?