Great First Cruise!

We were invited on this cruise by another couple. I had never been on a cruise before, but my boyfriend had been on one over 10 years ago. Having nothing to compare it to, I thought this cruise was great! The ship was smaller than others that we saw, but other than a windy first night, that wasn't really noticeable. Boarding was very easy. Having your drinks included in the fare is great for the price, convenient, and prevents the shock at the end of the trip when you get your bill! While there was often a short wait for drinks, you never waited more than a few minutes, which was a pleasant surprise considering everyone's drinks were included. (Be sure to try a Miami Vice!) 

Our stateroom was "fine" - we did get one with a window, but not a balcony. Upon boarding, we were told our stateroom was ready and to expect our luggage to arrive in about 2 hours. We each kept a backpack of necessities with us. When we arrived at the stateroom, it seemed...half-ready. No towel animal (no big deal), the tent with the stewards name was tossed on a shelf, no waters (which we initially didn't realize should have been there) and a pair of shoes and dirty socks were still in the drawers, but the bed was made including a plastic piece to toss your luggage on. We tossed our backpacks in the room, unpacked a bit, and left in search of sunshine. When we came back, the shoes and dirty socks were gone and the tent was on the bed. How they knew those shoes needed to go and the other shoes we had tossed in the room didn't need to go is a bit of a mystery. Maybe the person came back? We didn't see our Steward Sandro until the last night. We never got any beach towels (the couple we traveled with did). Overall, probably below average. 

The complimentary food is average. We typically used the buffets out of convenience. The food is good, but nothing fantastic. I was surprised by how few seafood options there were. The buffets are nice for breakfast because breakfast and mimosas on the back deck is picturesque. We did go to the Palace once for dinner and it was slightly above average. We went to Cagney's the last night (it was Easter and my birthday) and it was PHENOMENAL. Our server was Bosco and he could not have made our experience any better. I don't know what he's getting paid, but it's not enough. He made me feel very special once he found out it was my birthday, he honored my request that they NOT sing, and the guy literally cut my steak for me. One of the best parts of the whole cruise. 

Due to the weather, we only stopped at Nassau and did not leave that port for Great Stirrup Cay. Disappointing, yes, but safety first and I understood. We went to a different beach the next day at Nassau and it was almost like you were at a different stop anyway! The downside is that you would have had free drinks and tacos at the private island, because we stayed at Nassau, that was an additional day where you had to pay at restaurants and for drinks unless you chose to stay on the boat. Overall, safety is definitely the priority so I have no complaints with us staying especially considering the high winds and anticipated 9 foot swells. 

The onboard events were great! Some of my favorites were Bandaoke, White Hot Party, Piano Bar at Captain Cooks, Perfect Couple Game Show, the Casino, and the gift shop (be sure to go to the tasting and try Sheridans!). We had some photographs taken in addition to the ones they take of you boarding and coming off the ship each day. When we went to the gallery, we had 7-8 pictures. I wanted 5 of them at about $20 each. My boyfriend asked one of the staff if that was a firm price. After some back and forth negotiations, he offered to pay $50 and give her $10 cash. She tried to say the machines only allow $20 increments (maybe that's true, but I doubt it). They finally agreed to $60. When he went to pay, he handed her $60 cash. She then asked for his room key and he asked why she needed it and she kind of stumbled on an answer and it quickly became obvious she was going to charge an additional $60 to the room. He finally told her if she was going to charge the transaction to the room, he would need his $60 cash back. She was very obviously unhappy about this, took the cash out of her back pocket and slammed it on the counter. We probably should have known better than to use cash when everything can be charged, but it was obviously she was trying to make an extra $60 off of us. I'm not sure if she thought we wouldn't notice, but neither of us appreciated that. (Her name was Melissa, by the way. We were so untrusting of the transaction that we made sure to keep the receipt and it had her name on it). 

Overall, this was a great experience and a great first cruise. I definitely hope to take more cruises in the future and would definitely be open to using Norwegian again!