Embarkation: It was clear that NCL does not have its own terminal building in Miami, however we used the RCI Terminal for check in and boarding, (disembarkation was completed at the end of the voyage in the Carnival Terminal). Upon arrival at the pier, luggage was left with the porters and we headed to the terminal. There was a long snaking line outside the facility. Once in this line it moved fairly quickly into the building, up an escalator and snaked around inside, before getting to the security check point. Two x-ray machines and metal detectors were in place to screen all passengers. Once through security check in was fairly quick and painless. Then onto the ship...or so we thought, the line moved up to another level and stalled again, this time for photos. It would be nice to have an option to wait in line for the welcome aboard photo or not (this is freestyle cruising after all). After completion of the obligatory welcome aboard photo it was on to the ship for the champagne reception or room temperature orange juice as the actual case was...there was no more champagne at the table we passed to enter the ship.

Public Areas: The public areas of the ship were very well maintained, colorful and very pleasant overall. I think the most fantastic space on this ship (or any other for that matter) has got to be the Bliss Ultra Lounge, the warmth and richness of this space, particularly at night make it stand out as a definite winning space design wise. Other areas that were well laid out were the Stardust Theater with not a bad seat in the house that I could see, the Spinnaker Lounge with its funky seating and amazing sea views. Bar City on deck 6 seemed to me to be one large bar with three different types of seating with different colored carpet trying to differentiate the space into three distinct spaces. This area for the most part appeared to be underutilized. The Crystal Atrium is a very pleasant space that is used throughout the cruise for a multitude of purposes, entertainment, informative talks, Wii on the giant screen which is also used at night to show movies. I thoroughly enjoyed the "music video montage" that was shown throughout the cruise featuring the ship's crew lip synching to Robert Palmer. The Tahitian Pool area is quite whimsical with it's Carnival themed hot tub covers and band stand adding to the whimsical feel. The pools were both very large and one was dedicated to adults only and seemed to be enforced. Plenty of comfortable seating was available and the port and starboard seating areas were equipped with a misting system that kept the areas comfortable on the hottest days.

Food Service: I did not use any of the "fee for service" restaurants, therefore can only comment on the Summer Palace, Indigo (both serving the same menu) The Blue Lagoon, Garden Cafe and the Great Outdoors. I found the food in the two main restaurants to be good, with somewhat limited menu selections at times. Service in both restaurants was good to excellent once seated. I mention this as nearly daily I was told at the Hostess station that there was a 30-40 minute wait for a table, when I offered to be seated with others each time we were then seated immediately. I really enjoyed the Blue Lagoon for Breakfast nearly daily as it was located just down the hall from my obstructed view cabin (more about that later). I found the seating in the Garden Cafe area to be inadequate particularly upon boarding the vessel, where we were directed to go for lunch as the cabins would not be ready until 2pm. We got to the Garden Cafe and got food only to find there was nowhere to sit and eat, many tables occupied by people sitting and waiting with their carry on items and no longer eating. The Great Outdoors was similar offerings with outdoor seating as the name suggests. Read more