If this was my very first cruise on NCL I probably would never cruise again!! However I have had some really good experiences on NCL. This was not one of them. Embarkation:Filthy Dirty New York City, the pier was probably much less hospitable than Ellis Island in its heyday!. We were yelled at by an officious woman who herded us into lines four abreast surrounded by ropes,where we stood and were verbally berated for not standing close enough. Then a Immigration Officer yelled at us to have our tickets on show with our passports, those without tickets (e tickets were further berated) Lovely start. We then proceeded to a vast dirty 'shed' with a few folding chairs where we were separated into Latitude/Non Latitude. Waited for about fifteen minutes in line and then were dealt with by an unsmiling clerk who demanded our passports and said they would be held until we returned. I had to be quite firm to get even a receipt.

We made it onto the Spirit.

The cabin was small, with a Balcony. The beds were hard, a plank would have offered more comfort, requests for a egg crate cover were turned down. The washroom was tiny, and this was a 2 category 'upgrade'. We had the privilege of having the Childcare center above us so the noise most of the cruise was dreadful.The room crew were polite and efficient, as were all the room and wait staff. No towel animals for us though! Read more