We travel as a couple and don't expect a ship to babysit kids or provide nursemaids to toddlers too young to even remember they were on a cruise. We choose NCL because of the freestyle theme, the modern amenities and the size of the penthouse rooms. The cost was about the same as Carnival and even our cruise-centric travel agent was surprised at how much more of a cabin we were getting for the price.

Because we are past cruisers, arrived within a half-hour of the start of embarkation and the class of our room, we went from the curb to our cabin in less than 20 minutes. Since we weren't in a hurry to get off the ship, we skipped the VIP process and just strolled off at our leisure. Again, it was in less than 20 minutes. NCL uses Pier 66 in Seattle, a much better spot in a nicer part of downtown than most other lines.

I'm at a loss to understand some of the negative reviews of this ship and this line. From what we've seen on the Travel Channel, Disney is the pre-teen cruise expert and I don't understand how someone with younger children couldn't stash their kids with friends or family before dropping lots of money on a cruise like this. Read more