I have cruised NCL in the past and enjoy the overall cruise experience they offer. This was our first 14 day cruise and we chose it because of the ports. We have not been to the east coast for vacation at all so it was all new to us. We opted for a category SC 2 bedroom suite as there were three of us traveling together and the separate spaces worked very well for us. We booked this in 2014 so our booking perks were the UBP and UDP and 600.00 OBC. Our cards had the UPB and UDP imprinted on them. The bartenders always swiped the cards for alcoholic drinks but it was hit and miss for sodas. You needed to have two cards to get two drinks. The UDP worked out without a hitch at the ala carte restaurants, the bill came showing the a la carte charges and then an equal amount in UDC credit so the balance was 0.00.

Embarkation was OK - not was I was used to in Seattle - we went through security and the rest of the process with the rest of the herd (unlike in Seattle where the suites and VIPs were escorted through security and had a special area for check-in) The only separate area was a small curtained off area just prior to boarding the ship. We did not feel as much of a VIP as I am used to.

Almost every day was a different port to explore. That also meant that we often times did not feel like getting dressed up for dinner so we often used O'Sheehans and the Buffet a lot. Being in a suite we were able to get our breakfast in Moderno - which we used often. Read more