We live in NJ, so this cruise was super easy for us, just a bus and taxi ride to the port. This was our 2nd cruise with NCL and after testing other cruiselines, NCL is by far our favorite. We aren't 400 pounds and bumble to the buffet, we are an active couple in our late 20s and prefer a modern cruise line that gives us options. We have also traveled to 22 countries, so we know our stuff! For example on Holland America all of our money went to the casino because there was nothing to do...on NCL we didn't gamble once besides the crane machine lol. We also enjoy freestyle cruising, we were celebrating a vow renewal so it's nice to be able to request a table for 2 and eat when you want.

We were on the ship in 1/2 hour and our rooms were ready after lunch.

Food: There are so many places to eat! We didn't even get to half of the restaurants, but here's what we did. Le Bistro-French, we went here twice, the french food tasted just as good as Paris, worth the $20 extra. The food is different than the main dining rooms, we tested it. The service was spectacular, I have a gluten allergy and they were more than accommodating anywhere we went, but at the French restaurant the 2nd time they remembered my allergy before getting my room card! Manahattan Room-delicious, always had a live band or dancing. Jungle Fantasy-did this the first night, it was 25% off, but we made reservations ahead of time and they adjusted the price for us...worth the show, but could be scary for those under age 5. Garden buffet-has everything you could want, really. Uptown Grill-specialty burgers and waffle fries, went there once. O'Sheehan's-delicious and 24 hours. Wasabi-good sushi....went the first night for a snack. My only complaint about the food is when they have the parties at night it would be nice if they had people walking around with food or a small appetizer buffet so if you get hungry you don't have to leave the party. Read more