Well were to begin...

This was my second cruise, my first was on the Norwegian Pearl out of Miami in Feb 2008 and it was absolutely amazing!! I purchased this cruise as a gift for my girlfriend who had never cruised and was very excited to give it to her. 4 months and about a week before the cruise date I started checking out reviews on this website and others, and begin to get nervous from all the negative reviews. But I stayed positive and thought that "these people must complain about anything" BOY WAS I WRONG! I really wish I had read the reviews BEFORE I bought because a lot of them (the bad ones) were spot on.

We arrived at the port of Baltimore which is about 25 minutes from my home in Annapolis to find a very long line. After 3 hours, 3 lines, constant standing and a very unorganized process we FINALLY got on the ship. Never were we welcomed like when I was on the Norwegian ship (free champagne and a wonderful greeting). My first impression was that ship was dark, dirty and cold. Nothing great stood out, the art was bad, the floors, the decor, the rooms. We made our way up to the buffet because we were starved only to find the other 2,000+ people. We couldn't find a seat, actually got denied a hamburger because they had to close the line for the security drill. Another reviewer said the buffet was like a bunch of seagulls fighting for food on a dock, he was right. Read more