• Travel To Port of Embarkation: We drove, parked, and got on. That's about it. The embarkation was a breeze, the people friendly, water, orange juice and cookies and Danish while you waited, which was very short. The photographer was a bit harassed acting, like he was in a hurry. Even the luggage was in the stateroom very quickly • Ship: The ship was nice, very clean, none of the garish neon, easy to maneuver, only the garden restaurant is kind of hard to find, but not too bad. • Stateroom: We had a balcony, very nice, would never cruise without one again. The bathroom was a bit bigger than we were used to, but the toilet had its own little stall, which was nice for a little person, but not too comfortable for a husband over 6 foot. The shower was a little temperamental, getting a little hotter and a little colder while in use. The TV was the smallest I have ever seen on a ship, but then, I don't go on a cruise to watch TV. The closet was fine, the safe was fine. The usual $4.50 water bottle was ignored by us. The service was not what I was used to. It took the steward 3 days to wipe of the table on the balcony, and just as long for a clean ash tray. The bathroom had mold growing in the corner, and that was not cleaned during our stay. The obligatory souvenir glasses were not cleaned at all, I washed them out myself after a day or two. And I did miss the towel animals, we only got one on the last day. Our friends had separate beds, and it took them quite a while to have them moved together. She did not get an ashtray, either. • Activities: Not bad, but not overwhelmingly great either. There were the usual bar games, the karaoke, bingo and art auction, but that's about it. And it was hard to find out about it. The daily "newspaper" was a disappointment, since it was not very informative about the days activities. I heard several parents mention that the children's activities did not keep the kids busy, and were very limited. • Entertainment: The shows very great, the comedy group was awesome, the singers were ok, all but one, I don't know who picked here, she sounded like a cat. But overall, the evening shows were good. • Dining: Buffet was awful, no other word for it. The selection was dismal, the quality so-so. I was easy to see that lunch was the leftovers from yesterday's dinner. I understand that they have to do that, but why don't they disguise it, like all the other cruise lines do? Towards the end of the cruise it was even worse. The desserts were a joke, drinks impossible to get, and the wait for the servers to put food on your plate was usually quite long. No self-service, you had to wait and tell them what you wanted of the buffet. Only during the last days were we "allowed" to serve ourselves. Dining room for dinner was better. The selection was fine, quality was good, but the service was lacking. We are not big drinkers, so no bar service for us during dinner, and it seemed to be an imposition on the waiter to ask for tea. • Service: Buffet - non-existing. Dining room - ok, but not great. Shore excursion desk- not rude, but not friendly either. Reception desk - professional, but not friendly. Restaurant reservations - straight up awful. We tried to make reservations for la Trattoria, since that was my birthday dinner, and were told that they were booked for the next two days. Yet we saw several people being seated without reservations. When I went to the desk the next day to inquire, I was blown off, not even a sorry. However, the steak house was wonderful. And by the way, we had arranged for a meet and great, and were promised canapEs and service, and got nothing. • Drinks: Its weird, there is no standard on this ship. The foo-foo drinks come in souvenir glasses by the pool. If you ask for them to be in regular glasses, they are about $2.00 cheaper, but at the casino, and some other places they will tell you that this is not possible. If you tell the wait staff that you have been drinking them for a few days now out of regular glasses all over the ship, they will look at you as if you are a liar, and tend to ignore you after that. • Casino: The usual slots and tables, I really liked the rewards card. If you show up at 6 pm on the last day of the cruise, you can get some money back. One dollar for every point on your card. They don't push it, you have to go to the casino desk and ask for the card, but its worth it. • The Spa was a minor disappointment. I always treat myself on a cruise, and this was not really a treat. Granted, the lady did not push her product as much as I expected, but it was not a very friendly atmosphere, more business that retreat. • Shore Excursions: We had to skip Santo Thomas De Castillo, since something with the motor was broken. If you ever go to Roatan, skip the part where the ship docks, and go straight to the other side of the island, since that the only part that is nice. Right beyond the pier you will see poverty, dirt and trash. In Belize we took the Maya ruin tour to Xunantunich, and it was wonderful. Great tour guide, very informative, nice lunch, good experience, great day. In Cozumel we got of the ship on own, and did some shopping and swimming. Nice free public beach, easy to get back on the ship. • Disembarkation: Just as easy as getting on the ship, fast, painless, no problems. We did the express walk off, which we expected to wait much longer than 8:30 am, since the flyer told us we would not be able to get off until after 9:15 am, but it was a breeze. • Summary: NCL is fine, if you are ok with being on your own, and don't need to entertained. If food is a big deal for you, don't. If not being bothered is, do. Even the photographers were not pushy, matter of fact, other than the steak house dinner and during port calls, I did not see any. Kids? Don't recommend it, heard way too much complaining about the poor children's activities. If you expect to be waited on hand and foot, forget it. Special treatment for a special day? Nope. I have had several birthdays on ships, and always got the little things, balloons, cards, nice gestures from the cabin steward, but not here. I got the card, and a piece of cake in the dining room, but that was it.