A Terrific First-Time Cruise Experience!

The food overall was pretty great. The two main dining rooms are excellent. But the premium restaurants are a level above. We ate at East Meets West, which costs an extra $20 per person, and it was *outstanding*. The filet mignon was the best I'd ever had. Another night we ate at Pacific Heights, and again, excellent. The vegetarian lasagna that was delicious. My one complaint is the additional cover charge at some of these restaurants. The two buffets, The Garden Cafe and The Great Outdoor Cafe, are pretty standard, but better than the average buffet. They're open most of the day, and we ended up eating there often, as we'd come back from the ports in the late afternoon, too late for lunch in the dining room. One hint is that they offer a soda plan you can purchase for the length of the cruise. It was about $6 a day, which is well worth it, if you drink soda. Otherwise, the buffets and dining rooms always have water and either juice or iced tea available, free of charge.

There's lots to do on the ship - art auctions, shopping, shows, movies, bingo, casino gambling. The best time was one night they had a big party on the pool deck, with live music, and special drinks, and an ice-carving show. It would have been nice if they had something like that every night. Most nights, the outside decks were empty.

The staff is my number one reason to go back to NCL. They were completely professional, friendly, engaging, and always wanting to help. I've never seen anything like it. Every single employee smiles and says hello as they pass you in the hall. They all ask how your day was, and they genuinely want to know. And they make sure you never want for anything. Spectacular.

The ship was in great condition, and always clean. The rooms were kept very tidy, and the dining rooms were impeccable. Even in the buffet areas and out on the decks, no sooner would you finish your meal or drink and someone would come to clear away your plate or glass.

We had a balcony stateroom, which I think was the right way to go. Across the hall were inside cabins which we could sometimes peek inside. With no windows, I think I'd get a little claustrophobic in them. The balcony was excellent. We'd sleep with the door open at night, and even just stepping out sometimes, being right there above the water, made the balcony well worth it. One thing to note about the room is that they have DVD players, so since there are almost no TV channels, it's worth bringing DVD's. Sometimes you just need time to crash in the room.