Just a wonderful cruise, met many lovely families, relaxed so much it was exhausting.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was so easy - park, pass through security, get on line for check-in, get a boarding number, walk on when called. Run to buffet for lunch because seats are hard to come by.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Every meal in the MDR was fabulous. This was our 6th NCL cruise and the meals on this cruise were better than all of the others. Buffet was tasty, but repetitive. Cagney's, Le Bistro and Teppanyaki are always stellar. Even the reuben in The Local was great. And Coco's, oh my.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The Mandara spa thermal suite was just the best part of vacation. Worth the money for the pass since it's open until 10 PM. Kids loved Splash Academy, but we were pushing 1000+ kids on board and the club only lets in 106! For high capacity cruises get on line on port days a half hour before opening in the evenings or else the kids are coming with you to dinner
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Six was amazing. Saw it, went back and saw the next show. Beau Tehana in District Brewhouse is an NCL fave as we saw him on the Escape and jjst loved his sense of humor.
Siglo does great rock classics.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
NCL knows how to do their kid's club right. Never a complaint from my kids and they look forward to going. They wanted to spend Christmas in there!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I loved the crew on this ship. Despite it being Christmas and a fully loaded ship, they kept their spirits high. We also make sure to tip extra when they go extra for us.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
So this cruise was hit by some illness. Flu maybe. One day the tables had sugar packets and salt & pepper shakers, the next day: nothing. Vomit bags appeared on the stairwell (not rough seas at all). Some passengers are just rude and gross, the crew was everywhere with an eye wiping and spraying down. We didn't get sick (but we love hand sanitizer and washy washy)
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Large, 4 person minisuite with double sink in the bathroom. Twin beds pushed together for a king, hard comfy mattress. Bunk bed pulls down from ceiling and couch converts to a comfy bed. Not tons of storage space, but we don't tend to over pack. Bathroom has lots of drawer space.
Ship tip
Use the touch screem TVs by the elevators to make reservations as soon as you board. NCL opens reservations up and we booked Cagneys and Le Bistro at 7:30 PM on sea days. In fact, you can book all types of things, get your show reservations too
We went to Atlantis on Christmas eve with 5 cruise ships in port - horribly packed. Lines for slides were obscene, we left early. Won't be visiting there
We watched the Royal Caribbean ship dock, NCL has no pier so it tenders. COuldn't tender Christmas day because the seas were too rough. We had 3 sea days then going home
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