This is my third cruise with NCL. Chose this itinerary given the ports and variety of countries. NCL does a great job at insuring the comfort of its guests and running a smooth operation. There were no major glitches with embarkation. We had purchased the transfers from the airport and were met once deplaning and were quickly transported to the port. We did need to wait to board but the process was quick and efficient. The only downside was that we were told there would be a "safety drill" at 4:30 PM so instead of leaving the ship to go to Venice, we stayed aboard until 5 PM and missed several hours of seeing the sights in town. There were many passengers missing so there was no reason for us to have stayed.

Cabin was very small. We had selected the cabin in the same category as our cruise on the Norwegian Sun but this room was very cramped in comparison and we had to shuffle around each other or the furniture to get from one end of the room to the other. The bathroom was outdated but sufficient. The steward was fabulous and helped us rearrange the furniture to make the room more passable.

We had two days at sea initially. It looks like there is more time in Venice than there is (the ship leaves at 1AM and you are onboard for a full two days). We had terrific weather so we could relax, explore the ship, settle into the cabin, and take it easy. VERY necessary given what the next four days were to be like. Meals onboard ranged from good to very good. The buffet was handy with a variety of food. Liked the set up on the decks for lunch. The two main restaurants offered a variety of menu choices each night. The only major complaint was that often the food was cold and had to be sent back to be microwaved. The wait staff was extremely accommodating.