This was my husband and my eighth cruise and out 2 year olds third, our first on NCL. Embarkation went smoothly, but once you've been checked in, you are sent to a holding area. we sat in that area for over an hour before we boarded the ship, and sent to the buffet because the were not ready, this was a lot of fun with a cranky 2 year old who needed a nap.
We met our cabin steward the first day, and did not see him for the next two days, he did not make up or turn down our cabin. when we confronted him, he said that everytime he came by, we were in the room (not true). Each morning we would be out of the room by 8:30 / 9:00, and not return until around 2:00 or three for a nap. Each night we would be out about 6:00, and not return until 10:30, or later, and never even saw him in the hallway. If you complain about anything, you were just told "I'm so sorry to hear that", and that it.
I agree with a couple of the other reviews I've read, NCL DOES charge for EVERYTHING, and yet prices are not listed for anything. We love the concept of freestyle dining, but NCL really need to work the bugs out of it, you can only make reservations for dining for the next day starting at 7:00 AM they say you can make them on the phone, but NO I NEVER got an answer when I tried the phone. I had to get up ant 6:15 every morning and wait in line at Mombo's to make my reservation. The food at Cagney's was cold, and My husband cooks a much better steak on our grill in the backyard, not worth the $20.00 cover.