I am an experienced cruiser (14 cruises in 6 years, and a Diamond member of RCL's Crown & Anchor), but this was our first NCL cruise. I must admit I had no great expectations for this cruise (it wasn't MY choice- we cruise with friends once a year, and my DH and I were out of town when we voted on this year's cruise!), but any cruise is a good cruise, right?? So, going in with no expectations...

Took a red-eye through Atlanta to FLL- except for the turbulence and rain in Atlanta (yeah!) it was fine. Arrival & check in at the pier was also VERY smooth and easy. It was great until we were herded into a row, and told to sit RIGHT THERE and wait our turn to board. My husband gets a bit claustrophobic and wasn't having any of that! We tried to sit elsewhere where it wasn't so crowded, but we were messing with their system and they weren't happy.(It felt a bit like being back in kindergarten!)We finally went outside to wait for our friends to arrive- and came back just as they were starting to board the ship. Boarding was easy, and even though our room wasn't ready yet (it was about 11:30 am) we were able to drop off our carry-ons before going up for lunch.

Our favorite spot on this "floating food court" was The Great Outdoors. We had breakfast there most mornings, and after-dinner cappuccinos nearly every evening! Lovely!! Read more