This was our very 1st cruise and probably our last on such a large ship. The ship was very noisy in the public areas. Because we were at sea so long, many wanted to play cards or other games. At first we were kicked out of the Garden Cafe area; finally they opened one of the restaurants for game players. The theater only held 500-600 guests so we either needed reservations or had to arrive 30-40 minutes early to insure a seat. The entertainment was excellent. The balcony room seemed fine---we live on our own 44' boat for 5 months each year, so we didn't have a data base for large ship state rooms. The service was very good. They worked very hard to please lots of disappointed customers. This transatlantic cruise was suppose to have 5 ports of call. We missed the Azores because of weather. Brest, France was next. All I can say is it was a bust. The captain must have been clueless about the 20' tide changes; departing the ship was dangerous and there was no excuse for passengers waiting 2 hours in line to get back on the ship. Southampton was next--another cluster and most tours were shorted---a small $$$ compensation was made by NCL. Next was Brussels, which was a bye because of engine problems.They crew finally got their act together for Rotterdam; that's 1 out of 4 ports. We had a very good tour there. Next stop was Copenhagen; they managed to unload us in a timely manner. Sure they were happy to get rid of many disappointed customers. Luckily, we were with a wonderful group that made the cruise enjoyable.