I just returned from a wonderful cruise to Florida and the Bahamas! I took one of my best friends on her very first cruise (she just turned 55!) and we had a blast! I was a bit skeptical after reading all the various reviews but decided that I was going to go with an open mind. And I am glad I did! Yes, there is some truth to some of the negative reviews BUT for the most part, the rest is just a matter of opinion. And I noticed that most of the negative reviews were from travelers with larger groups or families. This was my 2nd NCL cruise (I cruised the Star last October to Bermuda) and it was terrific!

Let's start at the beginning. We traveled from Boston to NYC via JetBlue and took car service from JFK to Terminal. Embarkation was a breeze! Since I am a Latitude and Casino member, there was no line, no waiting. I think we may have waited about 15mins to be called but we were so excited, the wait was barely noticed. Our cabin wasn't quite ready, so we explored the ship, checked out the casino and had a cocktail. When we stopped to grab some lunch, we me the most amazing person. She is a 'perpetual cruiser' and a self-proclaimed NCL Ambassador! She gave us some great insight and tips as she re-upped and was cruising again (apparently she didn't get off the ship). She has been on 200+ cruises of which majority of them have been with NCL.

Our cabin was AWESOME! We had a Mid ship Mini-Suite and yes, the balcony is small but since its only the two of us, it was perfect. We had plenty of storage space throughout the cabin, from the closet to under couch drawers to the bathroom. Between us two girls, there was space to spare! Since it was her birthday cruise, I had wine and strawberries delivered to the room and they were delicious! We met, Edwin, our room steward, who was wonderful! He remembered that we needed extra towels and always came after 10am to make up our room (we like to sleep in). We even had some cute towel animals to greet us! Read more