We were on the 2nd trip of this ship out of port, and we agree it was the worst cruise experience we've ever had. Even before we were on the ship, dock workers seized our two bags out of the hotel shuttle, detained us, and demanded a "tip" -- as if we had a choice -- these guys were the size of NFL linebackers. We thought they were NCL employees, as we were only a few tens of feet from the ship and only several feet from the NCL baggage trolleys. Turns out they are union Port of Miami workers. We are not against tipping for services rendered, but this was a matter of getting shaken down by union thugs. Again, not exactly an NCL problem, but one NCLcould easily address with the Port of Miami on behalf their customers. We happened to mention our experience to a couple of Canadian travelers who happened not to have US dollars for a tip. "Strange," they said, "our bags got to our cabin hours later than anyone else in that area."

The biggest disappointment was the strong odor of cigarettes throughout most of the mid-ship. There is a HUGE casino mid-ship and smoking was apparently allowed, or if not allowed, not policed. The smoke then drifted down throughout the multi-deck atrium area. We ended up avoiding most of these areas and events in the central part of the ship. Really, really awful. This is a NEW SHIP and it will take forever, if they even try, to remove the smoke smell from the carpets, tapestries, etc. They should probably give up and rename the ship "Old Stinky". This, alone, made the cruise experience miserable for us.

This is a ship that caters to young people. I say that because the 15th deck -- where there are usually pools and hot tubs -- is almost entirely taken over by water tubes and children's water sports. There was a near constant pounding and blaring of hard band music, and children monopolized the hot tubs. We wandered all over the ship and finally found a small area called the "H2O lounge" at the extreme rear of the ship on the 16th deck. No kids. No loud music. But it was so small -- two hot tubs seating 6 each -- that we had to wait and wait for a space in a hot tub. Read more