We were on the Oct. 1-12, sailing of the Sun. The trip was our first time with NCL. We've sailed with Princess and Carnival before. We sailed out of San Francisco, which is a 35-minute drive from our home. That part was wonderful. Plus, it was almost a religious experience sailing through the Golden Gate, under the bridge from the Bay into the Pacific Ocean. We had a balcony cabin, very conveniently located on Deck 9, and we took full advantage of the balcony throughout the cruise.

As for the trip, it was a bit mixed, but mostly a great experience - and a great deal for an 11-day vacation.

Embarkation was awful. It was an unusually warm day in SF and most of us waited out in the hot sun for more than an hour. The staff didn't try to let us know what was going on or check on folks in line or anything. Two people collapsed in line in the heat. We heard later that there was a delay because of computer problems. It didn't ruin our cruise, but it was a poor way to start off. Read more