I dont know why anyone would give this line a bad review. While this was my first cruise ever, I do know great service and a great bargain. For the price that was paid for this cruise, we got impeccable service from every member of the staff. I never ate anything that I didnt enjoy and we ate at all the included restaurants AND the ones you have to pay for. The first day out, the seas were a little rough, but since I fish, I love that. If you have not cruised before, DEF go to Tsars for lunch as soon as you get on board. DONT bother going upstairs to the buffet. Also, the pool deck is going to be PACKED the first day, so just deal with it or dont go. The beach at Stirrup Cay is small, but it really is pretty. I didnt bother to rent the snorkeling stuff, but getting the 4 person inflatable raft was well worth it. Also, you REALLY do have to get on the first boat in order to get a lounge chair. I thought it was horse poopey cause I was on the Second Boat, but luckily members of my family went on the first. If you have a ticket for an excursion, you can get on the first boat, or any of them. It was hot out, but the beach was great. BRING sunscreen. We had 65 SPF and I still got burned. Hubby and daughter went parasailing and they loved it. When we went to Florida, we went into Cocoa Beach. Met family there, so it was fine. If you are going to have 2 or more people in your party, just hire a cab to get you there, it is cheaper than taking the bus NCL charges you 18 bucks for. Nassau was nice too. Found some GREAT deals on Bacardi and yep, I got Cubans back with me..YAYYY!! Oh, I also snuck lots of booze on the boat with me, but I think I will post that seperately. I didnt really use it though. The price of the liquor on the boat was actually good, especially when you went to the bars with the specials. If you have a few people with you, go to one of the Karaoke Rooms. OH MY GOD did we have fun!! We were in there for 5 hours. Christian at the bar was a great bartender! BRING a watch with you. We didnt have one and could never tell what time it was..lol. Also, bring sunscreen for your lips. Go to the shows, they are great! The Bingo I feel is a bit of a rip off, but the staff made it fun. The Casino is good too. Join the Players club and you get some great coupons. Parker the Cruise Director is sooo funny and I found him to be a very nice man. With all the people on the ship, anytime I saw him he was very friendly and helpful. I bought most of my liquor on the boat. It was actually better priced than in Nassau EXCEPT for the Bacardi. Go to the Bacardi store. I paid 8.95 for a regular bottle of Rum. YES REALLY!! We came home with 8 bottles of booze..lol. Told them I had six and had to pay for 4..was only 12 bucks. We were all THRILLED with NCL. Again, anyone who gives it a negative review is out of their minds or are so rich that they can travel on the high priced lines. At no point on our trip was something not addressed or taken care of when we asked. I dont have a little kid, but my sister does and the kids programs were OUT OF THIS WORLD. My sister and her husband have a 4 yr old and were so amazingly happy with the staff. They never worried once about their daughter. THIS IS A GREAT CRUISE AND A GREAT LINE!! It is perfect for anyone on a budget. We had a porthole room and it was FINE. No need to spend an extra 500 bucks for a balcony room. Save your money and do an excursion!! All the food we had was fine. Some was great, some was just very good, but we never went hungry. In fact, we were sick of eating. We ate and drank ALOT. Again, the staff was just so great, they were always there whether you were in a restaurant or at the buffet. Go to the Tapas bar in the Mexican Restaurant. The bartender is great. Have some of the Tapas, but beware, they are spicy hot..we loved them. The wings at the Blue Lagoon are good too. Not hot enough, but they were yummy. Also, so many people in my family were so worried about getting sea sick. They got all sorts of pills and such. I told them they were nuts, and they were. We had some rough seas and still everyone was GREAT! There is a great deal on beer. Buy 5, get one free. Do it once you leave port cause you wont have to pay tax. You have to put down a deposit for the bucket, but you get it back. And there are SOOOOO many beers to choose from. We got at least one a day and it cost about 26 bucks. Coors light is the cheapest at 4.25. The regular ones like Heineken, Bud, Miller, Corona..they were 4.95. The drinks of the day are 7.95. All the drinks or beer they tack on a 15% gratuity. I tipped a few people cash cause they were great. I never "met" our steward, but the room was always neat and tidy. One thing I can say is dont bother with the Italian restaurant. Why would you eat Italian anywhere but in New York??? LOL. The Japanese restaurant was nice. The Mexican is great..and we LOVED the 3 guys singing. It was an amazing trip and would recommend it to anyone. Dont let any of the naysayers on here scare you. They must all own yachts or something..lol

Happy Sailing!!!!!

Christina