Excellent vacation cruise!

A great selection of dinner options exist on NCL ships. However, if you think that "freestyle dining" means that you can just drop in any time to eat, you will be dissappointed. Except for the main dining rooms and the buffet, reservations are a must. I had good luck eating where I wanted, but I saw many dissappointed people who could not get into their restaraunts of choice because they were always full. The food in all the specialty restaurants in which I ate, was excellent, as was the service. The main dining room had good (albeit typical) 5 course meals, and the service there was excellent, as well. The buffet was not as good as other ships on which I've traveled. The dishes were generally not labeled, and there were little (if any) "heart-healthy" choices (fresh or sauce-free veggies or lean meats). On the up side, even when very busy, you could still get a quick meal in the buffet restaurant.

The evening entertainment was typical cruise ship stuff--song and dance, comedian, and magician. We enjoyed some of that. We did not participate in the daytime activities as we were typically off the ship.

We had read many reviews complaining about the service (due to an American staff). We had nothing but EXCELLENT service throughout the ship. Many of the wait persons were young men and women (early 20'), and they were cheerful, careful, respectful, consciencious, genuine, and full of life. I didn't have a single moment where I felt ignored or unhelped by any of the staff throughout the ship.

The ship holds to the usual cruiise ship layout, which is a good thing for those who want to find services quickly. I like, however, that the many restaurants on board are spread around the ship, which leads one to explore more of the ship, takes advantage of the different views, and reduces congestion at dinnertime. I also really liked the shopping boutique, which is a huge room unto itself. The ease of shopping and the selection of merchandise was better than any other ship on which I've traveled (and it was open most of the time).

Other than being a bit tight (we had an inside cabin on deck 10), the stateroom was a nice retreat. Quality wood-finish closets held all of our ample supply of clothing, and my oversized suitcases fit nicely under the bed. A safe, fridge and coffee maker are included, which is always a plus. A small corner table and chair is really only good as a catch all. No couch--sitting is done on the bed. I liked the bathroom-nice tile and shower. My husband thought there was too little leg room when sitting on the toilet. That part was a little "camp-trailerish." White bedding was a reftreshing change from the bright decor of the rest of the ship.