Overall we had a good time. We are a family of 3 with a 12 yo son, traveling with another family with a 15 yo son. The boys had a good time, I was surprised they did not use the teen club, Galaxy Pavilion or slides as much as I thought they would.
Good was fair, some things were great (the bar menu at the Local and salmon) and some things were consistently not good (the steak and seafood). Room service was also not good and on sea days took FOREVER to receive (over an hour and by then hot items cold, cold items warm). Also, there is a surcharge for room service.
Service in general was lacking. There were a few occasions we received good service (mostly in the restaurants during dinner and the outside bar on deck 18), but overall I felt as if I was being a bother when I needed to ask for something.
Also I found it extremely annoying that, while you can sign up for a tender group, they do not provide ANY time of time estimate. So you basically have to get up and be ready to go by the time you dock, as you have no idea when they are going to start calling groups.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Great! Check in was fast and easy, team members were friendly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was mediocre. Some of the better food we had was at the Local bar, but the food at both the included dining rooms and specialty dining (we experienced the steakhouse and Italian restaurants) were 3 stars at best. The buffet was pretty good as was Indulge (but I prefer a sit down restaurant when I am on vacation).
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Speedway and darts (both incur add-on fees) were a hit with our kids, but the slides, pool and Galaxy pavilion not so much. Neither of our teens visited the teen club. The outdoor game area was also fun (ping pong, beer pong, mini soccer, mini golf).
Entertainment
3 out of 5
I thought the entertainment was lacking. We saw Noise Boys, it was OK, just nothing exciting or unusually cool about it (just a lot of tap dancing). Donna Summer 'musical' is more like a play of her life. There were parts that are not suitable for children, so that was disappointing to not have had a warning about that (mostly language/conversation topics that children do not need to hear). I also was disappointed that they did not perform much of her music in it's entirety. We were ready to 'chair dance' the night away and I thought it was a bit of a 'downer'. Price is Right is fun.
Children's Programs
The kids in our group did not go to the kids club.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
There were a few crew members we received good service from, but overall our group felt that the service was lacking all around. Some were overwhelmed and slow, some were just not friendly, some were just indifferent to meeting guests needs.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship is beautiful and the interior decor is very nice. However, the layout is bit odd and crowded in places. Everything seemed clean, except the day beds by the infinity pools. The covers were extremely dirty looking. They need to change those to more of a sunbrella fabric that dries faster and does not fade/show dirt.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabins are great. We had a balcony and it was spacious, with loads of space to store clothes and bathroom essentials. The shower is huge by cruising standards. The beds and bedding are comfortable. The sofa bed is VERY easy to put away/take out, which is nice. Balcony was also spacious with a set of very comfortable chairs and table.
Ship tip
Book shows and dinner as early as possible prior to boarding. We did not and once on the ship our choices were very limited.
This is our 3rd time in Cozumel. We decided that unless we have an excursion booked we won't be going in to town next time. It's basically a little shopping mall with a bunch of stores all selling the same stuff. The Senior Frogs is fun if you're in to that.
This is our 3rd time in Grand Cayman (2nd on a cruise). Grand Cayman is lovely, but again, the town is a lot of stores selling much of the same stuff. We did a short tour of the island (not NCL sponsored). For $30 we got a quick tour with a few stops. Since we've stayed on the island it probably wasn't worth it, but if you've never been it's a nice way to see the island. The last stop is the beach and I wish we would have just gone to the beach, as 7 Mile is one of the most beautiful you will find.
We did the Dunn's River Falls excursion. It was FUN! Not what I expected, but we all had a great time. My 12 yo son LOVED it!
Ochos Rios was OK, again, a lot of stores all selling the same stuff. This was our first time in Jamaica experiencing the aggressive sellers. The stores by the ship in the port area weren't too bad, but some of the sellers at the Dunn River Falls market were down right rude.
We enjoyed Stirup Cay. Our only other comparison is Disney's Castaway Cay, so the bar was set high. Knowing it's not really fair to compare we enjoyed the beach. The water is great, however the snorkeling is not (and renting the gear is VERY expensive). There are plenty of chairs for free and Clamshells can be rented for $50/day or 2 chairs and an Umbrella for $25/day (which is cheaper than renting at Cocoa Beach). There are a few bars located across the beach, so you never have to walk too far and a couple places to get food. The shopping market here was a disappointment too, about 15-20 sellers all with the same stuff.
We opted to walk off, so we could get home earlier. We left our room at 630 am and a line had already formed. We were in the casino area waiting for disembarkation to start, which worked out great, because we could sit. The line winds through the theater before you're led off the ship. I think we got to our car about 745. Customs was easy and fortunately we did not have to wait too long for an elevator in the parking ramp.
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