Great ship, good ports, wonderful dining. Entertainment was average but the many bars are awesome. Beautiful ship layout, extremely clean with well designed cabins. Lots of daily planned activities. Tiny pool with more than normal amount of lounge chair "savers".
Embarkation
4 out of 5
smooth and effortless. a well-oiled machine
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Very charming and sweet staff in all dining. Food was well prepared and presented in the main dining rooms with a short wait during peak times. Especially liked dining in the Tropicana room. The Garden Cafe buffet was better than average, but the crowds made it not very appealing. Specialty restaurants with a preset up-charge (Teppanyaki, Moderno) were worth the cost and very very good. The restaurants that were priced ala carte (Cagneys, Le Bistro, La Cucina, Ocean Blue) were as expensive as any high end restaurant off ship, but also high quality. Dinner for 2 at Cagneys can easily run more than $100. Margaritaville is fun but a little pricey ($14.95) for what you get, which is basically fancy hamburgers.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The "pool" was a tiny little thing always packed with guests. The hot tubs were the same. Norwegian must do something about the disgusting practice of lounge chair hogging and saving. If you want a beautiful, relaxing experience, go to the spa and thermal suites. Either pay for a day, a week or get a spa-included room. Worth every penny. The fitness center was wonderful. My daughter loved the rock wall and we all had a blast on the ropes course.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Absolutely loved the Cirque Steam show and the dinner was really quite good. However you have to eat fairly quickly. I thought the lounge singers and pianists around the ship were average at best. People rave about the Million Dollar Quartet and Burn the Floor, but I would rate both of them 7 of 10. We walked out of the dueling pianos and comedian because they were actually boring.
Children's Programs
no children
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The charm and sweetness of the daily staff was amazing. I adored them. Room stewards, cleaners, bartenders, wait staff. The only slight complaints I have were with the dressy executive personnel in the 6th floor area: Shore Excursions, Guest Services etc. They could be a bit snippy. I really disliked the cruise director, Paquito. Annoying, abrasive, loud and sometimes hard to understand. He has a teeth-grating voice and likes sexual innuendos.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Very clean and well kept ship. Loved the spread out of the common areas without everything being clustered in one giant atrium level. Desperately needs another pool.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was always clean and neat. The balcony was huge and so nice to have. Tons of storage and a large bathroom with a big glass shower with 6 body sprays. Lighting was very well done. Pillows were a little lumpy.
Ship tip
do not eat at the ala carte restaurants... way too expensive. Moderno and Teppanyaki have wonderful beef.
Disneyland in Belize. Manicured little mangrove island where everything will cost you plenty. Huge (free) shallow pool, rock-sand beach (eh), and $6 beers. Get the morning water ferry to Placencia and escape. Book a snorkel or beach trip there. Sit on the wonderful beaches and drink $2 beers. Walk the 2 mile boardwalk that winds thru town and buy something you dont need.
The port IS the town. Very clean, neat and safe. Tons of shops and a free pool at the end of the pier. Get out and book your own excursion. There are tons to choose from.
Cozumel is the queen of ports. Tons of ships in port at once (9 for us), most are tendering. Loads of shopping and eating along the malecon. They know how to handle 20,000 cruisers a day. Best excursions involve water: superb diving and snorkeling, great beaches and boat tours. Rent an electric bike and explore the north shore... best secluded beaches, funky cool bars and no crowds.
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