Family cruise that made memories for a lifetime for my 2 grandsons. The oldest referred to it as "living the life of luxury ". I am so happy that we got to share the experience with them.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
NOLA was the most expedient embarkation process that we have ever experienced.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room, OSheehan's, and Ocean Blue did not disappoint as usual. Do yourself a favor and head to Margaritaville for breakfast buffet, it is a hidden gem. Most do not know that it is there, the buffet is abbreviated but very good and a lot less traffic. We were disappointed that they did not offer bananas at the crepe station at the Garden buffet for Nutella and banana crepes.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We had so much fun at the ropes course. The dueling pianos were sub par compared to other performances we have enjoyed on other ships and other sailing on the Getaway. The family glow party was great for our family. Million Dollar Quartet is an awesome performance, we saw it in Toronto a couple of years ago and this performance was as good. The comedian/magician was good.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
See above
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
10 and 4 year old grandsons both took advantage of Splash Academy. The 4 year old loved it and asked to go frequently. The 10 year old wasn't as impressed but still liked it.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
We did not have bad service but it was not not over the top like we have been accustom to on past NCL cruises. The bartenders seemed put out to have to make a drink except for Marco at the Ice Bar, he was a riot. No towel animals which I get as a time saver/conservation saver but wish that the boys could have experienced them. Never met our room steward when on past cruises our steward has made a point of introducing themselves on the first day or two. Ocean Blue wait staff was impeccable.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship was clean. Poolside seating is minimal. We prefer the layout and bar central of the Jewel class better.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Don't waste your money on a mini suite unless a bathtub and double sink in the bathroom is important to you, bots basically a balcony room. We liked the adjoining rooms that we shatednwoth our family. Our room was noisy in the bathroom. There must have been some sort of main line that ran through because it sounded like flushing very frequently. We did not spend much time in the room so it did not bother us and you could only hear it if you were in the bathroom.
Ship tip
Eat early to avoid waits at the main dining room, 530pm is a good time.
Swam with the dolphins at Chakanuub, booked through a third party dolphindiscovery.com. It was a great experience. Taxi from port to Chakanuub was $24 for all 8 of us.
We didn't do an excursion, we walked to the beach. Not very clean, vendors were very pushy. We are usually quite tolerant of the vendors because we understand that is how they make a living.
Did you have a family mini-suite? Most mini-suites have a big shower, not a tub. Having a bigger bathroom is a big plus for some people, especially bigger people like myself.
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