This was my first trip on a Norwegian ship (NJ). Previously, I have cruised on Royal Caribbean ships (RC). So, I will make some comparisons. Contrary to reviews I had seen here previously, the NJ was in good shape, clean, colorful and refurbished, with a welcoming crew. The NJ passengers are a much broader age group than the RC ships overall and had fewer scooters. Unlike RC in Galveston, departure and return were very smooth from Bayport Terminal and occurred on Deck 7.

Shore excursions used Deck 4, easily accessed as compared to RC which often requires the use of interior stairways. Tendering to Trujillo on the lifeboats was exciting, especially the return journey which occurred in heavy tropical rain and rough waves due to the swollen river currents meeting the incoming sea currents. However, the pilots of these tenders did an outstanding job for long hours. I enjoyed the historical tour of Trujillo and the shopping area at the dock. I had been to Belize and Cozumel previously.

The overall layout of the NJ was quite different from the RC ships and I prefer the RC layout. NJ hallways in cabin areas were more narrow and the cabins are smaller overall. Dining rooms are all over the ship and the major shopping area is at one end of Deck 7. There are plenty of elevators (3 sets, forward/mid/aft) but some of them only go to certain floors. The very rear area of the buffet facility (the Garden Room) on Deck 12 is outdoors, largely covered, has good seating and a smaller food service area which made it my favorite place on the ship for relaxing, people watching, and reading. Unfortunately, the very windy weather often hindered the use of Deck 7, but you could walk around the entire ship on that deck. There do not seem to be as many deck chairs on the NJ as on RC. I prefer the RC pool deck facilities and the RC miniature golf. Read more