This was our first cruise and for my 50th birthday. Being a due diligence type of person I researched, called NCL and did everything I could do before hand to insure a great time. What I found is that NCL was dishonest on a quite a few things. I had read a few different stories on the pre authorization, credit hostage if you will when you board the ship. When I called NCL they said they only pre auth $300 and only add another $300 when your account goes below $100. This is false, as when I was standing at the finance counter, and I stood there for 12 minutes before the 2 women behind the counter acknowledged me, and they were on the phone trying to authorize $500 on an acct, it didn't go through, then they tried $400 etc.......Not to mention this person had money on their account. Before we boarded we put $1000 on our account and double checked with guest relations when we boarded that it was there, and they verfied it was.

However, the first 2 days, we were denied room service and drinks and told to go to guest relations as they had no monies on our account. We made four trips there, and on the fifth trip I demanded to speak to a manager, Joe Boyle, he was even worse, unprofessional and outright rude. His words to me were your right its unacceptable, I can't explain it, let me know if it happens again and showed me the door. I went outside call NCL from the ship and they told me, Handle it on the ship and hung up. HOws that? THey did say they would send a message to ship and someone would contact me, THAT NEVER happened. Lastly, it was my 50th bday, granted we were seated a the second to last seating, my husband told the server it was my bday, and they said they were busy and closing and never ackowleged it on my bday, 2 days later in Azura they did. But not on the actual day.

If after reading this you still wish to go, here is some info for first time cruisers: Read more