Every cruise line tries to find its niche. NCL seems to want to break the cruise mold and shake things up. Some good. Some bad. Entertainment on this cruise had the typical game shows and bands, etc. which is a welcome expectation on cruises. The shows are a better quality than the average cruise ships. Howl at the Moon piano bar, Jersey boys show, brat pack show. Production numbers were high quality and a lot to do. They also allow you to make reservations for some shows, which is nice when you have a big party. My only criticism is that some of the venues are too small for this megaship. For the non reservation entertainment, the game shows, etc. they were held in a smaller venue - the open atrium and the popular ones, you needed to be there at least 30 to 60 minutes in advance to get seats. That was unfortunate.

But cruise director and staff were great. I don't remember ever seeing a cruise director so much on a ship. Tyler was everywhere. The non specialty dining took way too long (2-2.5 hours) to eat a meal. Food was ok but not a great variety in the dining area. Hardly any seafood on dinner menus. Shopping guru Kevin was a huge help. Kind, informative and even was in town at each port to help out. That was surprising and refreshing. Made you feel more comfortable making purchases in port.

My biggest disappointment was the nickel and diming on this cruise line. There are certain expectations for cruising. Drink packages were highest on the high seas $79 per day and had severe exclusions (no premium liquor) and everyone in the room needed to get some kind of drink package - even if they don't drink. And doesn't even included bottled water. $8 service charge for room service. Extra $25 charge at the main dining for the premium meals that all cruise lines include like lobster, filet, etc. $10 charge for movies on the room tv? One channel with tv and one channel with movies, but pay per view for other movies. Casino paid less than normal pay outs. For a ship that doesn't have the lowest fare, the extra charges just seem to be a little ridiculous. Ship is new. Very clean and well decorated. For non smokers - casino is open to two floors and not secluded so makes the 6th and 7th floors sometimes difficult to walk through.