Embarkation went very smoothly. We arrived at the terminal about an hour before our reserved time, and that was a good idea. Our cabin was a mid-ship balcony. Others have mentioned the balcony is small, but it was completely adequate for two people reading or sitting companionably. Our cabin steward was wonderful. She accommodated our needs whenever we had a request, and got a repair person to our cabin quickly when our safe didn't work and our remote malfunctioned.

I enjoyed that the vast majority of staff were from all over the globe, and not just local. They work very hard. We tipped our steward on the first day, mid-cruise and at the end, and I think it is unconscionable to skip tipping. The stewards seem to work 10-12 hour days seven days a week. We also tipped wait staff in the specialty restaurants.

About the specialty restaurants: We enjoyed La Cucina best, and really didn't like Le Bistro at all. Almost all the dishes were oversalted considerably. Teppanyaki was meh. If I were to go with Norwegian again, I'd skip the specialty restaurants altogether, and stick with the big Garden Cafe and the included reservation restaurants. Read more