We were on the exact same cruise as the previous reviewer, and I got to say, that review was pretty spot on. Having said that, we did have positive experience in certain areas.

Let me first start by saying we picked NCL among all the other cruise lines offering comparable rates and itineraries for 2 reasons - Free Style dining, and most importantly, the Youth Program. For that, I would say NCL met our expectation.

Especially their Splash Academy, I can't say enough good things about them! This review is only based on 1 of their Youth Programs, for the 6-9 age group. They have one for the littlest ones, I *think* 1 other program for the tweens and one for teens. With a just turned 6-year-old and a almost 9-year-old, I knew that Alaska was not going to be as 'exciting' for them as it would be for my husband and I. After all, as Seattleites, Alaska is almost our own backyard, and the scenary wasn't going to be as exotic to them. The Splash Academy filled in all the waking moments when we weren't on land and during meal times as well as family time when we wanted to. Kids got to have all kinds of fun activities, they actually went outside on deck for running around time (instead of being inside and sitting on their behind watching the screen), and got to participate in a Circus where they performed on the main stage! When cruising Glacier Bay Nation Park, they had a Park Ranger on board to talk to them about the wild lifes and geography about the national park, did fun stuff with the Ranger and got to earn their Jr Ranger badges. Read more