My husband and I are 38 years old, and this is only our second cruise. Our first was on RCI to Alaska. I had researched NCL extensively before booking so we had few surprises. We chose this cruise because of the itinerary (Istanbul, Izmir, Dubrovnik, Athens, Venice, Naples, Rome, Barcelona)and the price. RCI was the only other line to come close to the price of NCL, but we couldn't get quite the same ports or the dates we needed.
We made our own air travel arrangements since we don't live near a major airport. We flew through Chicago O'Hare to London Heathrow to Istanbul on American Airlines. Everything went smoothly although we did have a very tight connection in London and had to run. AA fed us several times and it was all palatable - on the leg from London to Istanbul it was actually quite good. We arrived in Istanbul on time after 18 hours.
We found NCL reps at the airport and could have taken the ship's shuttle and had it charged to our account, but we chose to take a taxi. Quite an experience! As good as a roller coaster ride! We made it to the port and were able to embark quickly and easily. I had filled out all our paperwork on the NCL website beforehand. No one helped us after we boarded, but we really didn't pause to ask. We knew where our stateroom was and went straight to it. It was neatly made up and ready for us.
Nice cabin, close to midship elevator and stair. Quiet, nice view from balcony.