First time cruisers (H&W 49, Daughters 17 & 21). We had a mini suite w/ a balcony and the Girls had the inside cabin across the hall. The rooms were immaculate, as was most of the ship. A+ for cleanliness. The lines at the pier were long, but we were heading on vacation, so we weren't bothered by it. It was a nice surprise to have access to our cabins as soon as we boarded (we had heard that we might have to wait until at least 2:00). No clocks in the room. NCL says "not that you need one", but, yes you need one. If you don't make dinner reservations, even in the two free dining rooms, you'll get a beeper and a 45 minute wait. Also, activities (except bingo) tend to start on time, so you don't want to be late.

The great outdoors turned out to be the best place to eat (a tip I got from CC). We had lunch and were going to hit the pool, but it was already packed - pretty much the norm for the rest of the cruise. Checked bags came in a few hours.

We averaged 11MPH down to Bermuda. We already knew that we'd spend more time going down than back, but after bobbing around going that slow - enough was enough. The trip home was much smoother since we were going almost twice as fast. We knew the itinerary but, being first timers, we had no idea as to why the difference in going and coming. It now seems that NCL wants to keep you on the ship as long as possible while you still have $$. Once you spend on shore, you're apt to spend less on board... Read more