We got a great deal at $999 for an inside cabin and had always wanted to see the Panama Canal. The ship's decor is at first disconcerting as there doesn't seem to be a theme. But by the end of the cruise we were used to it. Our cabin 5559 was bigger than some other cabins we have had on various ships and the bathroom had a wonderful shower that gave you room and actually had a sliding door instead of a shower curtain. It was well situated without any noise in the hallway.

We miss the days of assigned seating for meals. The food was OK--but surprised us a lot because their preparation of some old standbys weren't done the way we would have expected them, e.g., prime rib had a gravy rather than au jus (maybe because the head chef was Indian). Service in the dining rooms was just OK, nothing exceptional. Our cabin steward was better than the wait staff.

The excursions were REALLY disappointing except for the El Rosario Equestrian show in Nicaragua and the old city tour of Cartagena, Columbia. Entertainment was very good except for the hypnotist. (We've now seen the "Oh What a Night Tribute" twice, once on the Jewel and once on the Pride of America.) The absolutely worse thing about the cruise was that NCL tried to sell you something all the time--watches, jewels, excursions, photographs, spa treatments, etc. They had very few shipboard activities that didn't involve selling something. We're glad we got to experience the Panama Canal but really miss old style cruising when EVERYTHING was superb both on and off the ship!