We really liked the ports. The ship was good, but not great. Lots of fake wood that looked fake. There is a lot of nickel and diming on board. We were offered a "free" drink package as long as we were willing to pay $300 in gratuities on it. The crew was very friendly, but the service was only so-so. For example, in all of the times we were in the Garden Cafe (buffet), we were never offered refills on drinks at our table.
Ice tea, lemonade and various fruit drinks were free; however, when we asked for ice tea and lemonade in a sit down restaurant, it seemed to cause major trauma and took forever to get.
Our experience was very negatively impacted by the cancellation of the signature show (Footloose).
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Things were a bit chaotic at the bag drop on the curb, but not bad once we got into the terminal.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was good and the portions were larger than what we have experienced on other cruise lines, although I am not sure that is a plus. There were several premium (additional cost) restaurants that didn't seem to have any reason to cost more. Apparently most people agreed because they seemed to always be empty.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Lackluster. There was very little that enticed us to participate.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
The main show (Footloose) was cancelled after one performance (for medical reasons). We can't imagine what was so catastrophic to cause this. Particularly because the principles did a "Broadway Cabaret" show the afternoon after the cancellation was announced. Were there no understudies or sick tapes?
Children's Programs
We had no kids with us.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The staff was very friendly. However, the service in the dining room was ordinary - like any busy land-based restaurant. Our experience in the specialty restaurants was uneven. Most were very good; however, our experience at the Bistro was not good. While we were there, things seemed particularly choatic.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship was clean and well maintained. However, it didn't seem nearly as big as the gross tonnage would suggest. The main theater seemed to be particularly small for the size of the ship. It was also remarkably undecorated. It felt like a warehouse. Even though the ship was only at about 75% of double occupancy capacity, many of the entertainment events were standing room only.
We loved the Waterfront! That was the best thing about the ship. We also liked the observation lounge - particularly at tea time. There were very few places to quickly pick up food. Most of the time, it was only the buffet on deck 16.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The cabin was clean and the steward was good. However, the cabin was amazingly narrow and the bed was way too close to the wardrobe. Overall storage space was meager. If we'd had a third person, it would have been a problem. The bed was not terrible comfortable. We didn't sleep well. We wish that NCL would have followed the lead of other cruise lines and put night lighting in the bathroom, so that we didn't have to turn on the main bathroom light when we had a need in the middle of the night.
We went to the Fortress of Louisbourg. It is an awesome site. Unfortunately, the ship's excursion gave us less then 2 hours to explore. It is a full day destination.
We had to clear immigration before getting off the ship. That meant our 12:30 arrival really became 2pm. However, it was a nice stop. We took the Narrow gauge rail trip which is right at the foot of the pier. It was $18 p/p (senior discount). It was only about 40 minutes, but we learned something about Portland and got some nice views of the coast.
Boston is a great town! I wish I had known that there is a bus that goes from the pier to the T-stop at the south station. The thing to do in Boston is get a 1 day transit pass.
We had minimal luggage, so we decided to carry it off ourselves. Since we had already gone through immigration in Portland, disembarkation with a snap, although we had to walk a pretty good distance.
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