We went on this cruise just so we could see Havana and Great Stirrup Cay. The ship was clean and our cabin was also clean and comfortable. The bath curtain rings were broken and the wall where it meets the floor was cracked/dirty, but the room was nice. We dined in the buffet for breakfast daily and there are plenty of choices for a quick bite, both hot and cold. Nothing stood out, however, as far as flavor, except for mini cinnamon rolls which it seemed they started rationing after the first day. We had dinner in the main dining rooms daily, Crossings and the Palace. The menus are identical, which was disappointing, but at least we got a nice sit down meal w/complimentary wine. The three dinners we had were good, but not exceptional, but the service was very good. They did have several appetizers/salads/entrees to pick from as well as 5-6 desserts, and everything we had was good. Since drinks were all included, we had more than our normal allowance of frozen cocktails, which were all quite tasty. The entertainment on board was like entertainment at Six Flags, young people, singing & dancing to oldies (60s thru 90s), so somewhat disappointing, since they also sang & danced poolside, so it seemed redundant. The comedian, Rick (?) Acevedo was great, but his last show, the adult show, was at 11 pm on the last night, which was way too late for early rising to disembark the next morning.

The port of Havana was the only port we visited and we spent a day & a half there, more than needed, really, as it was very, very hot and very little in Havana has A/C. The city is definitely not ready for the hordes of tourists that are descending on it daily as much of it is dilapidated and in ruins. They are starting to repair the old structures and clean up a bit, but it is still stuck in 1960, which would be great if they hadn't let the city disintegrate over the last 50 years. Disappointing, but you could see the beauty that once was of the original architecture and grandeur of some of the buildings and hopefully, will be again. We chose NOT to go on ship sponsored excursions bc of the cost. The ship's sightseeing tour, i.e. was about 3-4 hrs long and about $100pp but we found a private company that did a private tour for four for 7 hours for less than half the price pp. Sorry NCL, but your prices are way, way too high for Havana. Unfortunately, we were unable to port in Great Stirrup Cay, but it was just as well. We thought it was a resort where there were activities on shore besides baking in the sun, but it seems there's not a lot to do unless you want to pay exorbitant fees for snorkeling/playing w/dolphins. I'm sure it's as pretty as the pictures make it, but not a lot to do, so best we didn't get to visit. Disappointing, still, since we paid for 2 ports and only got one, which has happened before to us on NCL.

The activities on board are what they always offer: bingo, trivia games, scavenger hunts, deal/no deal, art auction, etc. These were ok the first few cruises, but this is our 5th and now they seem kinda boring. Definitely need new on board activities. The casino is small and very smoky. Maybe its time to ban smoking in the casino? I'm a former smoker so it doesn't bother me, but my clothes reeked even just walking through. The embarkation & disembarkation was very well organized so that was wonderful. The internet service was extremely slow and I was never able to connect to my website, but was still charged a connection fee and a 4 minute usage fee. Won't make that mistake again. They also charged us almost $100 for in room phone use, which we didn't use at all, but it was removed from the bill. We all got a credit for the taxes for not visiting GSC, but I haven't seen it on my cc yet. Hopefully it will show up. All in all, it was an ok cruise but for the cost, it wasn't enough. I wouldn't go on this one again. But we would sail w/NCL again, just not to Havana or GSC. Still love the freestyle cruising it offers.