Cruiser background: Couple in late 30's/early 40's with a significant number of cruises predominantly on Princess (pre-carnival acquisition mostly but a few post acquisition too), Celebrity and a smattering of P&O, HAL, Cunard and other smaller lines. We usually book a balcony cabin but have stayed in inside rooms as well as suites. We like the balcony cabins as we generally have enough space for the amount of time we spend in the cabin. My husband and I also have a "system" for getting ready for dinner where one of us sits on the balcony with a "relaxing beverage" while the other gets ready. We found this prevents much of the marital strife that is associated with one bathroom and limited space. We booked this cruise (just DH and I) the day before departure, as a result of a cancellation, and had absolutely no idea what to expect as we had never cruised NCL before. All we knew was that it was a Christmas cruise, completely full and that we HAD to be at Berth 91 (San Pedro) in LA, by 2pm or we were not getting on. We filled out the cruise "paperwork" on line at about 10pm the night before departure and was very surprised to see we had a cabin assigned. This was one of the easiest websites to work with and the e-documents and ability to print luggage tags were a pleasant and convenient surprise. Embarkation and Day 1: Driving to the pier and parking was a breeze. Our arrival was @12:05pm, which of course turned out to be prime time for check in. We had carry on luggage and did not plan to check anything (although we did print out the tags and had them attached just in case someone did not agree with our assessment). Initially we were directed to what we thought was check in but instead turned out to be the luggage check. The porters agreed with us that we could carry on and we were directed back to where we had just been. Security then tried to send us back to the porters but backed off when we told them the porter's said our carry-on's were OK. They reluctantly let us through where we were met with a substantial snaking line of humanity. Not having cruised with NCL before and not being in a villa or suite we became part of the mass. I hate lines and can become temperamentally challenged when having to wait so this was not pleasant. NCL did have wait staff offering pastries, which I found odd as everyone had carry ons, kids, documents, etc, but it was a nice touch that I had not seen on other lines. IMHO, champagne outside would have aided the "line challenged" better than pastries The line took about 20 minutes before we were at check in. Check in went badly as our assigned cabin was apparently double assigned and they were looking for the other passengers (who were already checked in but could not be located). We spent over 2 hours at the outside desk trying to get this sorted out (complete detail will be avoided as I do not think what happened with us will re-occur). Of note though, the right answer was not to look for the other passengers to upgrade them and keep us outside. The family (several family groups) next to us was also having issues as they were from Canada and one of the families had adopted a child from Ecuador a few months before and apparently a needed document was missing for the child. A lesson to be learned is that this line is fanatical about policy and if you are not in accord with their policy there is no appeal. We saw the Canadian family, on the dock, as the ship pulled away and felt very badly for them and hope they made it home or found a way to still have a happy holiday. As stated, it took quite a bit of time to get checked in and then came the liquor confiscation. The 2 bottles of wine we had planned on bringing aboard were not in accord with NCL policy. I was already in foul spirits due to the wait and this did not add to NCL's appeal. We always brought wine with us on other cruises and were prepared to pay the corkage fee on board if we brought the wine to dinner, but that is not how NCL works. You either pay $15 per bottle beforehand or they will "hold" your alcohol for you until you return. As our car was outside, that is where the wine went. After more issues regarding the double booking inside the ship, we arrived in our cabin, unescorted and not knowing if we were going to find the other passengers first, just before the life boat drill. We also learned about freestyle dining on day 1, which while it may work for others, was definitely not for us. Lines and daily reservations do not equate to what you want when you want. Our first try with freestyle dining at Endless Summer began with an ice cold reception and ended with us walking out. In short, day 1 was very bad, the worst I have ever experienced. If it could go wrong it pretty much did. We were fully planning on leaving the ship and flying home from Cabo (our first port) based on our initial experience. Our dissatisfaction was brought to the attention of the hotel director Jean-Michel, who set an appointment to meet with us on Day 2, before we went to bed on night 1. The cabin: We had a balcony on deck 9 and although not as big as some on other ships was surprisingly easy to live in. The bathroom had the biggest shower I have had in a regular cabin although the toilet area, if you closed the glass partition, gives you the feel of a being a minimalist caterpillar in its cocoon. The design is good as you could have more than one person use the bathroom at once. Soap and Shampoo are provided via a dispenser so if you use hair conditioner you need to bring your own. I prefer to have the little bottles that other lines provide. Storage for your toiletries is ample. Closet space is also good for a 7 day but would be challenging for longer voyages. The lightweight tables and chair are easily movable to provide more room. I have had my share of bruises from Celebrity coffee tables so this was a particularly welcome option. Balcony had two adjustable chairs and while not overly roomy worked out nicely. The bed was very comfy and we had several pillow choices and ample pillows which was great. Our cabin stewards were, as we have always been fortunate to experience on all lines, great. We also liked the little dial outside of our room which you could use to indicate the room was needing to be made up, do not disturb or a couple of other messages. There was also an absence of your name on the door and your cruise line status which I was used to but came to appreciate the anonymity factor. Coffee pots in the room are excellent!!! No need to wait for room service. Other lines should take note..... Ship Space: This ship is in great shape for its age. Decorated nicely without the garishness of some lines, there appeared to be something for everyone. Although the ship was full we only felt it a few times. Those times were around the main pool area on sea days and at the buffet during lunch. Not unexpected at all on a holiday cruise and we were careful to avoid the "prime times" and areas and as a result had no real issues. The main pool was the coldest water I have ever felt on a cruise ship and one dip was more than sufficient. Celebrity definitely wins here. The quiet area on deck 13 also had a hot tube and really was quiet to our surprise. For my sports minded spouse the Red Lion Pub was the only area that had football and was not very large. However we managed to get a table when we were there and the pretzels (fresh made) and assortment of beers kept us pleased. The cruise director's questionable decision to have team trivia at the Red Lion, in the middle of the Bears-Packers game brought about a near riot, but clearer heads prevailed and all was settled. Princess is the clear winner on sports bars and events. The spa was OK but falls way short of Celebrity. Although we do not have kids, I took a walk around the kids areas one evening (when they were all closed) and was very impressed by the different age specific areas and activities. One day I took a wrong turn when trying to get outside and accidently ended up nearby an area which was only for children and was immediately stopped by a vigilant crew member from going further. She explained that only parents with children or children in the care of the staff were allowed there and gave me very polite but firm directions on how to immediately get where I was looking to go. I was impressed and would feel comfortable if my nieces or nephews were in the ship's care. We only found one set of lost kids on an elevator and a ship staff member was outside the elevator when we got off and she immediately took charge of the 2 when we pointed them out (they were stopping at each floor looking for something familiar to get remind them how to get back to their room) even though they protested that they knew where they were going. Tendering when on a full ship is always a challenge, so plan on a leisurely breakfast and let everyone who is dying to get off do it. The time you spend having breakfast or sleeping in is much better than waiting in line.....and you will be surprised that you have not lost all that much time by waiting. Restaurants: Ginza was by far one of the best experiences we have had. We ate there twice and the staff were outstanding as was the food. We also ate at Le Bistro and at Versailles and had breakfast at Blue Lagoon. After the first bad experience at Endless Summer we did not go back but heard very positive things about the Soho and Cagney's from other passengers. We saw Aqua but did not go there. Room service was a bit slow, but again this was a full holiday cruise which likely impacted the time. Fresh made breads, especially the pretzel bread are superb. Like Celebrity, the buffet was well designed (as opposed to the dumb design of the new Princess ships) but can become confusing when lots of people are there as people tend to forget to go in one direction. Freestyle cruising does not mean you can wear shorts at night which was remarkably disappointing for my DH as that is his version of casual wear. He only brought one pair of dress pants which he had to wear every night. Versailles does not allow jeans at night although the other restaurants do. The food was very good and we had several special curry dishes which were not on the published menu. One fish curry was literally the best curry we ever have had anywhere. With all of the restaurants and food options, our praise to executive chef Andreas Dymke and his staff could not be higher. Ports: Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo. All were fine. We do not do ship tours so nothing to comment on. Our experience on this trip had Cabo with the best prices on the decorative plates and other items of a tourist nature. Graeme, the ship's shopping expert was really out and about among the passengers in the shopping areas. I was most impressed that he remembered us from asking one question on day 2 about white sapphires and he actually had found some for us on our last port day when we had run into him in town. Entertainment: Shows were OK. Jana Seale was the exception, or better stated, was exceptional. We planned dinner two nights at specific tables to be able to hear her after her first performance. Daily Activities were also light but this is apparently purposely designed as part of "freestyle cruising". Celebrity and Princess do a better job overall. Distinguishing Notes: As stated earlier we had a very bad day 1 and our meeting with the hotel director provided significant resolution of a number of the issues. It was a good and timely response and we very much appreciated not having to take the matter further than the ship for a mutually agreeable resolution. At the cruise critic gathering NCL had top representatives of the ship at the meet & greet. This is something that you do not normally see on the other lines. NCL also had a complete continental breakfast for the meet & greet. This stood out in our minds. We also were able to arrange bridge and galley tours which we enjoyed immensely. The ship's officers and executive staff also seemed to be much more out and about and friendly with passengers than other lines. For example, the executive chef was in every restaurant every night and freely interacted with all passengers, not just the the top ones. This was very impressive. We also heard about the special crew festivities during the Christmas week which were designed to honor the crew. One of which was a lunch served by the executive staff, who also did the clean up. This type of extra care for the staff makes for better passenger service in the long run as the crew are made to feel valued as opposed to threatened as at least one industry giant seems to specialize in. Towel animals; we have never had them before and delighted in the "zoo" we amassed during our voyage. It certainly takes talent and patience to do this and we felt like kids coming home at night to see what new creature was joining us! Class system was very apparent. Villa people are very special and you can see it. What we were worried about when we booked on Cunard (not realized though) was what we found on NCL. But with what the villa people pay, I would expect to be treated like that also! Regarding NCL and alcohol policies (buying on shore)....they are the strictest line we have ever been on and our tequila was confiscated and "safely held" until the night before we got home. You have to be really good to sneak alcohol by these guys! Security measures are also high and we had to show photo id more on this ship than we have had to on others. De-embarkation: Like with tendering, wait and enjoy breakfast. We got off with no problems or lines (with the carry-on's) although we did wait for half an hour to get out of the parking lot. That could be improved but is not really an NCL issue as Princes was also there and the lot belonged to the pier. Summary: Although it started rough, we definitely enjoyed our trip and the NCL Star and its crew. We would likely go with NCL again. Our family used to cruise for Thanksgiving (before my dad's passing) and have been talking about re-starting the tradition but were looking for a line that could provide good kid's programs as well as adults only refuge when needed. NCL provides this better than Celebrity and had more younger kid's specific areas than Princess. However, for relaxation and more of the traditional cruise experience (which we like) we would prefer Celebrity. One thing NCL may want to consider is an optional traditional dining option like Princess does. All in all, for a full holiday sailing....good job NCL!