My wife and I are NCL regulars and this is our fourth cruise with Norwegian since 2008 and the longest in duration. We have not cruised on other lines partly, I think, because our first cruising experience with NCL was so good and perhaps because we are used to the way things are done. When you find a good thing why mess with it? We have had two on the Dawn (eastern Caribbean 2008 and New England 2013) and two on the Star (Alaska 2009 and Panama Canal 2015) and since they are sister ships we are very familiar with their layout. These ships are a perfect size. In fact, we’re not sure we would like the new mega-ships. The other and most important advantage of NCL for us is that we can dine as a party of two whenever and wherever we wish.

We have always booked suite level accommodations because of the perks that go along with the NCL suites and this is where NCL really shines for us. Butler service in addition to a wonderful room steward, treats brought to the room every afternoon, a concierge to make our restaurant reservations, complimentary breakfast and lunch in the upscale Cagney’s steakhouse plus priority embarkation and debarkation. Every need is taken care of. Before this cruise, we always stayed in one of the aft facing penthouses (which are really nice!) but for this particular cruise, we splurged and booked the Picasso Suite #10506, an owner’s suite with 2 balconies, one in the bow and one on the side of the ship, because we wanted the best possible view as we went through the canal. What a wonderful room and view (plus some special amenities). Not only that, but plenty of space to have guests over on canal transit day. It is no wonder that suites on NCL ships book up so quickly. The Dawn and the Star are unique in that they offer four of these suite configurations so it pays to plan ahead. But, in truth, any of the suites are wonderful!

It seems that over the course of the years we have been cruising on NCL we have noticed a real improvement in the variety and quality of the menu options available in the main dining rooms. The menu has some items that are always offered but this cruise we noticed that there were many things that changed every night including a unique “chef’s special” for each day. We did eat at some of the specialty venues including Le Bistro (French), Ginza (pan Asian) and La Cucina (Italian). They are quieter and less busy than the main dining rooms so as to make for an elegant, relaxed dining experience. The food is really excellent in these venues as well as the service. No matter where we ate though, we enjoyed the meal. One of the real joys of cruising is getting to know the servers and wait staff as well as all of the crew. Everyone was always friendly, helpful and polite. Read more