My husband and I sailed on the NCL Spirit in early May of 2011. This was our first experience with NCL, and I am happy to say it will not be our last. We loved the laid back feel of the ship and the service was excellent throughout our sailing. We sailed from New Orleans and the embarkation process was fast and painless. We arrived at the terminal about 2:00 pm, dropped off our luggage, and headed upstairs to check in. We stood in line for about a minute, checked in, and headed to the ship. Within an hour, we had our luggage. I would advise packing your swimsuit in your carry on because the pool was open.Our first day was a sea day, so we hung around the pool all day. The buffet on the pool deck was very good. Bar service was good, but the drinks are very over-priced-frozen drinks were $9 plus gratuity, beer was $4.25 each but they had a special buy 5 get one free (with gratuity it came out to around $25 for a bucket). That night, we went to the show On Broadway which was very good and to dinner in the Garden Dining room which was good but not excellent. The second day was Costa Maya. We went to a private beach hangout called Maya Chan which is wonderful! I would highly recommend it. You get your own personal beach hut complete with chairs and a comfy lounger the size of a twin bed plus all you can drink and a fabulous lunch. The bartender is the bomb!!!! Be sure to ask for a Christmas Tree. They had very good homemade guacamole and salsa too!! Glass bottom kayaks and a 9 hole golf challenge is also included in the price. This place is a great value and tons of fun, don't miss it! The drinks were so good we ended up trying out room service that night which was good as well. Also, that night I went up to the Blue Lagoon for some snacks, and the guys insisted on bringing them to our room for me. One of the best kept secrets on the ship is the Blue Lagoon. Try the delicious hot wings and artichoke dip. This restaurant is one that is included on the cruise. Unfortunately, we missed the acrobatic show that night so I don't have a report on it.On Day 3, we were in Roatan. We made the mistake of not planning an excursion ahead of time so we just got off the ship in search of something to do. One of the kiosks at the port offered zip lining and a park tour, so we tried that. We went zip lining and to Gumbalina Park. The zip lining seemed safe enough and was fun. We ended at the park which had a very small beach and an OK pool. Hung out there for a bit and then took a tour of the park. It was OK. If you like monkeys, you can hold one. There is probably something better to do in Roatan if you do your research. The island itself is very pretty. Dinner that night was again in the Garden Dining room and again was good. We went to the Rock and Soul show which again was excellent. Day 4 was Belize, and we had booked cave tubing with cavetubing.bz before we left. This excursion was fabulous!!!! I would definitely recommend it. They are very knowledgeable and make sure you have lots of fun. The lunch and rum punch afterward were very delicious too. That night we ate at the Italian specialty restaurant. I love Italian food and thought it was very good and definitely worth the extra $5. My husband doesn't really like Italian that much and he thought it was just ok. We went to the Second City show that night and it was very good.Day 5 we were in Cozumel with no real plans. We hung out at Margaritaville, did a little snorkling, and played on their water toys. It was fun and cheap! That night we did dinner in the dining room again and went to the Elements Show which was excellent and then to the Second City improv show which was also very entertaining.Last day was a sea day so we were lazy. The buffet that day was super. Debarkation was easy and we were back to our car by 8:30 am on Sunday.Overall, we really liked NCL. We enjoyed not having to dress up, but lots of people were very dressy so you can truly go either way with it. We liked not having a scheduled dinner time. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The service was outstanding throughout the ship. The food could have been better, but it was not awful. Believe me, I had plenty to eat!! The ship does have a little wear and tear, but it was clean and still very nice. We liked the smaller size of the ship because it made coming and going from the ship quicker and easier. Also, we have found that we get to know more people on a smaller ship which is one of the pleasures of cruising. We enjoyed our vacation very much and felt it was a good value for the money.