I will start by indicating that this is our 6th cruise, we are in our 50's, and have sailed on RCCL, Celebrity, Carnival and now Norwegian. I titled the review "would not recommend" for several reasons; specifically, the itinerary, the hidden fees, lack of activities, the embarkation port, and the overall tender hassles.

Our flight arrived late into Houston the night before and as such we were outside the hours of the hotel shuttle. We had to spend $40.00 to get a cab at 3:00 am to get us to our hotel ( first negative- watch the shuttle end times when you book your hotel) Houston is a very large city ( which we knew) but the cost to travel from the Airport hotels to the Cruise port is a factor that is a negative. We shared a taxi with another couple, which was good because it was a $110 ride! It is at least an hour from the airport to the cruise terminal. We arrived at 10:00 am and the cruise terminal was already full. Our embarkation group number was 9- we were onboard by 1:00 pm.

We learned once we ordered our first drink that there is a Texas tax that is applicable on all drinks while within 12 miles of the land, this meant that even though we had the drink package there was still an additional charge on all drinks ( negative). The smell of exhaust from the refineries is horrible, so the sail away on deck was not very pleasant, and there is nothing to see- it is not at all picturesque such as sailing out of Miami or San Juan. The weather was very cold, which is no one's fault ,but it added to the negative experience. Read more