This was my seventh cruise, second with Norwegian as we did the epic last year in Rome.

this cruise included myself, my wife and my two teenage sons. My boys came on a 3rd and 4th person free deal so we were 4 in the cabin this was a 50th b'day surprise for me from my family. I usually do all the travel planning so some of the things that might have been scheduled earlier created minor issues due to my wife's inexperience.

Restaurant planning for example left us with sketchy choices due to our waiting until embarkation to get reservations. all that was left were 5pm and 9:30 pm reservations but we (mostly) got what we wanted. it should be a lesson for first time cruisers, particularly on the ncl line, if you want to experience the best the ship has to offer, you have to make all your reservations BEFORE you leave home. In fact ASAP is the call on this particular ship where I found the specialty dining venues to be quite small with a good deal of grumbling by fellow passengers who waited until the first full day to make dining reservations with their "eat for free" credits. Read more