This was my husband's and my first time on Norwegian Cruise Line. This was the only cruise sailing on our anniversary so we decided to try it. In brief: we stayed on the 8th floor, aft ship. The room was clean and we had no problems with any outside noise. The bed was terrible! For this one reason I am thankful the cruise was only four nights - I don't think my back could have taken any more! The majority of people on the ship were 30+ years old. There were few children although NCL did offer a kids program. Possibly because of the age difference from other cruise lines, there seemed to always be easy access to the pool, Jacuzzi, and lounge chairs on the lido deck. The food was very good, both in the restaurants and the buffet. The coffee was terrible, so thank goodness for the coffee bar (which was cheaper than Starbucks). We ate in the restaurants every night and met some interesting people (and some not so interesting). We thoroughly enjoyed the laid back feel of eating at our own time. We did eat at the French restaurant one night, a $20 per person up charge, which we highly recommend! They served the best escargot I have ever had. There was no assigned formal night but rather it seemed that people dressed up on whatever night they felt like. The entertainment was good although we do wish the bands would have rotated the lounges they were assigned to. NCL does seem to nickel-and-dime you for everything so be sure to watch those receipts.

I spent hours before the cruise researching decent parking away from the port. The port charges a ridiculous $20 per day, however, this being downtown Miami there were no other safe alternatives that I could locate. We decided to spend the extra money and ensure the end of our vacation wasn't ruined by a broken into or stolen vehicle. That being said, the cruise terminal is conveniently located across the street from the port's parking garage. We arrived around 1:00 pm and were able to board the ship with minimal wait. My husband did not have his passport on him (we had filed for it but of course it arrived while we were away) and he was easily allowed on the ship with his birth certificate, however, he had to sign a waiver that if he did not return to the US on the ship (such as in the event of becoming injured and needing to fly home) he would not be allowed entry into the US. Just something to keep in mind for the non-passport holders... The ship had a full buffet for lunch, a surprise to us since we were used to other cruise lines offering traditional pizza and hamburgers on the date of sailing. The dreaded muster drills were not as rigid as on other cruise lines.

The first port was Freeport. We took the Garden of the Groves excursion offered by NCL. When we first visit an island, we generally like to take an excursion offered by the cruise line in order to orient ourselves. While we enjoyed this tour, Freeport does not seem to have as much history as some of the other islands. The the majority of the city tour comprised pointing out their local Pizza Hut, Costco, Subway, Hertz, Burger King, etc. The Gardens were lovely and I wish we had more time to spend there. The marketplace was typical for what you would find in the Bahamas and I wouldn't consider spending more than an hour there. We did find a gentleman by the docks who fried fresh conch fritters while you wait. 4 for $1 - a definite must if you out that way! Unfortunately, most of the resorts on the island have closed due to economic difficulties. We weren't overly impressed with Freeport and won't go out of our way to return. If there is a next time, we make stick with the beach or the cruise ship pool. Read more