This was our first NCL cruise. Embarkation was very smooth. However we were told our luggage would be delivered to our stateroom within 2 hours. Four hours later we were still waiting for it. When I called , the customer service rep said "if you don't have it by 7:00 PM call back". Since the ship left NY at 4:00, I was curious as to what would happen if our luggage didn't make it onboard. He couldn't answer. We actually found a piece of our luggage alone in a hallway no where near our room. Eventually, all our luggage arrived.
Then came NCL's much touted "Freestyle dining". We made reservations for dinners on their website. When we arrived at the dining room, there was a significant line of people. We walked up front and told the desk clerk we had a reservation - she smiled and said "So do all these people; please join the line". So why bother with reservations?? The dining room staff just kept smiling and not answering any questions. People were getting truly annoyed; the staff just kept smiling and not answering questions.
We were finally seated. The menu was very pedestrian and a course was eliminated in the complementary dining rooms. If you paid extra to go to one of their "specialty" restaurants, all courses were served.
Our stateroom was listed as mid-ship but it was definitely aft and small. The veranda wasn't big enough for 2 adults to sit comfortably. This was the first cruise I've taken where we didn't use our veranda at all - very disappointing since we paid for it. The bed was short sheeted which we particularly hated. Why can't they use sheets that actually fit the mattress? There was enough storage space and the bathroom was a surprisingly good size.