I have only cruised on NCL and have only NCL to compare to. I did make "Gold" status the 2nd night of the ship (although NCL doesn't recognize a change in status until after the cruise is complete), so I have done a few cruises on NCL. The port is very convenient since I live in NH...no need to mess around with airfare and hotels.

I think the ship is beautiful. I love the Atrium. The staff does a nice job of keeping public areas clean. It does seem, however, that the public bathrooms around the ship have issues and they are often "closed for service". I went into one bathroom and the door was literally off the hinges and propped up against the wall. Not sure what that was all about. It seems like since they instituted the "beverage package", it's not as easy to get a drink. I am by far not a drinker (I didn't even have the beverage package) but I remember my first cruise in 2003 where the servers were constantly walking around out by the pool hollering the popular chant "lots of booze". On this cruise, it seemed quite difficult to get a drink if you wanted on. It was even challenging to get a drink in the casino. I was traveling with my sister and a friend and my sister would have to leave her machine to go get a drink. I understand that with the "beverage package" they are at risk of losing money if they "give" out too many "free" drinks, but it seemed to be a little extreme. I also found the service from the room steward a little lacking. On every cruise I have been on, the room steward has always stopped by to introduce themselves and welcome us. I'm not certain I ever even saw our room steward. Some evenings we didn't have our chocolate in our room (hey, I had to spend lots of money to get the free chocolate :-)). The shows were okay. Because I've been on this ship three times in the last year and a half, I'd already seen a lot of the shows, so it seemed a little boring. I did, however, miss the Staff Talent Show. It might have been because I just missed it in the itinerary (which they should have more copies of readily available in public areas.) We were traveling in a group of three solo travelers but they would only leave one in the room and we weren't always together. The food was good. The menu at the Venetian never really changed, but food and service at the Aqua was great. The food selections on the buffet were always fine. I'm a pretty picky eater and I always managed to find something I liked. Our cabin was good for what it was. We usually get a balcony or mini suite, but because this was an extra "splurge" we opted for a less expensive room. I thought the location was going to be awful (we were literally right next to where you disembark at the port) but it didn't end up being an issue at all and was actually pretty convenient. Bermuda is a lovely island and I enjoy it every time I go. I love Snorkel Park and it is so convenient to the location. We did do one excursion and it was okay. Due to the rough waters, we weren't able to snorkel where the excursion normally takes you, but they did offer you a refund. We didn't care where we snorkeled (although snorkeling over shipwrecks really would have been cool), so we went anyways. The alternate location was great and we still had a great time. Although I like the flexibility of walking off the ship with my luggage, the process can be a bit of a cluster. I did find on this trip if you don't try to get off first and wait a little longer, it's an easier process. It's not like this was the worst trip I've ever been on and I had a good time, it's just that it seems like things have changed from my first cruise. Up until this cruise I hadn't really ever thought about cruising on another line and now I'm actually looking at another cruise line for my 2016 cruise.