Well designed ship. CLEAN. Great food!!

I was nervous about the large ship = crowds factor. My husband and I prefer elegance and quiet. So we were apprehensive! We chose this one for the extended family (kids) but found we genuinely liked it! We were impressed at Norwegian's ability to control/disperse the crowds. We were still able to find some nice quiet places to enjoy. Tips:

Balcony room: If you like the relaxation factor, go for the balcony! The views of the vast ocean and coming in/out of ports were stunning.

Beverage package: YES. YES. YES. Totally worth it.

Dining package: Meh. The specialty restaurants seemed to struggle with service - understaffed? underpaid? slow kitchens? Not sure. And they were reasonably priced so I'd recommend to pass on the package and just pick one or two to check out and pay a la carte. The Tapas bar was the best - very quiet, nice outdoor seating, personalized service and GREAT food. We had very poor service at Moderno but it might have just been the specific server. Manhattan room (included) was very pretty, we went 2x, both times they tried VERY hard but also seemed very understaffed and so was VERY slow: like, 20 mins for a drink to arrive slow. Tip: Run out to the hallway and grab a drink at the bar out there, it's quicker than waiting for the server! Savor/Taste both provided phenomenal service. And we didn't think we would use the buffet too much but OMG. Yes we did. The food was surprisingly great, impeccably clean, and extremely attentive staff. The kids were obsessed. Easy to find window seats - yes - go to the furthest back great views and less crowded. Peak times do get busy but people come and go so quickly you could always snag a nice table. If you go specialty and have a large party, you HAVE to book early. We had 7 and grabbed reservations 3 months in advance, they were all late (9 pm-ish) and we could not change them. But smaller parties seemed to have an easier time, I overheard a hostess say to a party of two she could squeeze them in with no reservation.

Bars: Tobacco Road, 5 o'clock Somewhere, District Brew House, O'Sheehan's. All lovely spots. I miss them! If you come across bartender Lorenzo De Leon: Tip him a lot and prepare yourself! Lorenzo put me under the table with his drinks a few nights - LOL. He was amazing! Thank you Lorenzo!!

We didn't participate in any activities but there seemed to be always something happening at various spots. Fun to stroll by and see the fun atmosphere.

For ports:

Tortola is FANTASTIC. Clean, well-tended, safe, gorgeous. We sought a secluded beautiful beach (aka, no kids!) and were directed to Long Bay Beach. It was a 30 minute open air taxi ride, so we got a nice island tour on the way. The beach was STUNNING and very quiet. Note: Afterward we found that particular beach is the one on many magnets and advertisements, it's definitely a showpiece. My sister took her 6 and 8 year old to Brewers Bay and it was perfect for them - great swimming spots and the needed amenities for little ones. Also very pretty!

St. Thomas: Not exactly "pretty", it's a shopping spot. But if you like history at all: PLEASE check out Blackbeards Castle. When you get past the little market stands, look for the "99 Stairs" (you'll see signs) we just wandered up and suddenly people were directly us, little stands of bottled water etc and then we were suddenly there! $15 for adults, Kids are free. The castle is a fort and is really neat with phenomenal views of the islands. But then you are directed on this nice little self-tour of 3 or 4 historic furnished homes, with lots of neat history. There was a surprising amount of staff around, all very excited to talk about the history of their spot and to direct you onward. Totally worth it. We were there for 1.5 hours but I could have stayed twice as long to soak it all in.

Nassau was rather sketchy! Very busy port, neat to see. But the area was a touch rough, my husband was approached in a 'nice looking' souvenir shop and offered cocaine and marijuana! LOL. The Straw Market area... I have shopped at markets in asia and the Caribbean before and so was familiar with this type of 'haggling market' but sadly, the sellers here were incredibly aggressive, one grabbed my sister by the arm and dragged her off deep into this dark warehouse of goods to show her their items. When you politely try to step away from them they immediately turn on you - one spoke loudly and negatively about these 'tourists wasting their time' (when you are just passing by anyways and they were the ones to harass you??) Was not a very inviting environment! It was interesting to see but I didn't find that to be a "fun" haggling experience and that kind of tactic makes me run the other way. The excursions were all sold out except for this one called "Glass Bottom Boat" - when the boat pulled up I was moderately disappointed in the appearance, pretty tired little boat. But really - once we got on it, it was very fun and cute! The organizers were pretty funny with their announcements and gave a nice little harbor tour (mostly of the homes of the rich & famous who live along the harbor) and then you stop for a while over a little reef, very neat to see all the fish. So that turned out really nice - I'd recommend! **Make sure you sit on the 2nd level though - open air!

Overall the ship was a good solid large cruise ship. Impeccably clean. Great food. Moderate to good service (I really only saw one employee that looked miserable, all the other staff seemed to be smiling and wanting to help and provide good service!). Another cute sidenote - my 8 year old nephew stopped a housekeeper in the hall to excitedly ask about technical ship details (he loves ships) and the housekeeper was so excited and knowledgeable, he fist-bumped my nephew and proceeded to provide surprising details on the ship. Long after my nephew bounded off the gentleman kept talking to my sister and I about the ship technicalities! I got the impression most of the employees are genuinely happy to be a part of the cruise industry.

If you are looking for a larger style ship - I would recommend this one! And another tip - they seem to really appreciate return customers, my father has cruised with NCL before and so for this trip he had complimentary champagne and chocolate covered strawberries delivered over multiple days as thank you and quite a few other perks.

Oh and lastly - I read so many complaints before this cruise about the elevators. Just prepare to walk the stairs if you are able-bodied. It's worth avoiding crowds. Also makes you feel better to burn off some of these calories!! We walked those stairs all day long and it was no big deal. Even the 6 and 8 year old did it (it was extra fun for them because they could race and run and jump, I would have looked weird doing as much so walked like a grown up. Boo.).