This was our first time traveling on NCL. Our room was great! But be careful about booking forward balcony rooms. You may be overlooking the bow of the ship if you're on a lower floor and that would really suck. We were in room 12102, so high enough that our view wasn't obstructed but the deck was TINY.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was very easy. No long lines or disorganization.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food was mostly great. We were unimpressed with the majority of the food served at the buffet. Also, I hate buffets. The dining rooms were great though. Special shout out to Cagney's (steakhouse), Los Lobos (Mexican), the seafood place and the Asian fusion place. All were really good.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The main pool was a disappointment. It was a salt water pool so my girls really couldn't enjoy it. It was also really small. The go karts were cool, and so was the putt putt and slides. Riders must be 55" to participate in The Drop, the water slide and to drive the Go-Karts. They also have a darts area that was fun.
There were some smaller infinity pools on deck 8 that were awesome. They were like bath water, which was nice because it was still March/April and there were some cool days.
The spa is gorgeous!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Simon (cruise director) was lovely. Very energetic and always brought the party. The Donna Summer stage show was nice too.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My girls LOVED Splash Academy! They don't really care for the children's programming on Royal Caribbean (maybe because that cruise line has so much more to offer children?) but Splash Academy regularly filled up and families were on a wait list. Crazy! They figured it out for sure.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As with every cruise I've been on, service was impeccable.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
My main issue with this ship is the lack of space. I think it's narrow but tall. The dining areas don't have enough seating at all. Forget finding a table for a family of 4 at the buffet or any of the restaurants that don't require a reservation. It was a nightmare. Even trying to go to Syd's Pour House for some of the entertainment was fruitless because the venue was too small to accommodate the interested guests.
This port was great! There's a huge free pool (albeit salt water) that patrons can enjoy. There are also many souvenir shops. My daughters got pedicures in basins filled with fish that bite the dead skin off of your feet. They were tickled by this experience.
My understanding is that this is Norwegian's private island (I could be wrong here). If that's the case, I couldn't understand why the food and drinks weren't included as they would be on the ship. They did have a great pool though, along with a kid water area, butterfly aviary, ice cream shop, souvenir shops, etc. There was enough space here to enjoy the facilities.
Because we stayed in a suite, we had the privilege of waiting at Cagney's (steakhouse) in comfort until we were ready to disembark. The process was seamless and effortless.
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