We've sailed on several other cruise lines and decided to try NCL on their cruise to nowhere out of Tampa. The ship itself was beautiful and clean. We opened our cabin to find old soda bottles that had been refilled with water still in our cabin. We never met/saw a steward... not a big deal because we're not high maintenance, but a notable difference from the other cruise lines.

The food on the buffet was ok. It was often out of food (ex. ran out of bacon, fruit trays were empty, etc.) and not refilled. We decided to go to the 24 hour Blue Lagoon for breakfast. We were seated and sat for 20 minutes without an acknowledgement that we were there. The passengers next to us had cruised the Dawn previously and said the service the year before was excellent but it was horrible this trip. A woman at a different table said she finally got up and got her own water. We finally walked out. The dining room meals were better; however, it took 2.5 hours to get through dinner. A lot of the staff did not look happy to be there. Our cabin was on the 8th floor aft right over Spinnaker's Lounge. I could enjoy the disco without having to leave my room! :o)

Overall NCL made a very poor first impression. With all the competition for cruising, we feel the other lines offer a better value, better experience, and better service.