BA check-in at Gatwick was quick and easy and it was good to see a rep from NCL there too. In Barcelona we had to wait quite a while for passengers on later flights to join us for the bus transfer to the port. Embarkation was extremely efficient, quick, friendly and professional - full marks for that. Finding our stateroom (deck 10, mid-ship, balcony) was a little tricky because of the way the rooms are numbered and when we did find it, it wasn’t ready for use. Our room steward wasn’t particularly welcoming and seemed to be quite stressed and under pressure. When we returned to our room a couple of hours later, all was ready and luggage delivered. Our first impression of the stateroom was that it was rather small and a bit cramped. The balcony was particularly disappointing – very narrow with barely enough room for 2 seats. I know it’s impossible to keep glass free from salt spray but the glass screen of the balcony and the sliding glass door leading onto the balcony looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned properly for months. Our bed was made up as a double, meaning that one side had to be very close to the wall and there was only one small bedside unit. Reading lights were good but in an awkward place – sitting up in bed meant almost having to lean against the light bulb. The bed proved to be very hard and sleep quality was zero. There was plenty of hanging space in the wardrobe but very short of shelf and drawer space. Generally, the furnishings in the room were quite dated, carpet and curtains looked tired. The TV was in a ridiculous place, up so high on the top shelf of a corner unit that is was impossible to operate the remote control from the bed. This stateroom was designed to accommodate 3 people so there was a huge couch which could be folded down into a 3rd bed – but really, could 3 people fit comfortably in this tight space?

The bathroom was the best part – arranged in 3 distinct sections: toilet, wash-basin and shower. All attractively tiled with plenty of shelf space and good lighting. The shower was excellent – powerful, easy to operate and a spacious cubicle. It was also better to have a sliding door rather than a shower curtain. The only problem was that over the 9 days of the cruise bits of tile grouting gradually came away and by the last day several tiles were very loose. The area around the wash-basin was quite restricted for drying after a shower. Soap and shampoo dispensed from wall units and no shower caps provided. The hair dryer was pretty old-fashioned – wall mounted with a long flexible hose - but got the job done somehow.

As mentioned above, our room steward could have been more cheerful. The speed of cleaning the rooms was often disappointing and was sometimes as late as 2pm. Room service (morning tea/breakfast) was always prompt and courteous. Crew members were mostly friendly, polite and cheerful but Front Desk staff we found often abrupt and impatient – some of them a bit difficult to understand too. Read more