Even before we went on a cruise we knew it wasn't going to be great. The disappointment started when we got notified by NCL after the booking that due to some technical problems our itinerary was changed. However, not only the port of call was changed but the times of stay in other ports were cut. After looking for alternatives and being that we could only go during this particular week (spring break ) we didn't cancel the trip. I travelled with my husband and 6 yrs old child. The traffic to the port was ridiculous, took us like 1 hour to get from W11 to the pier on WestSide Highway. We got to the port around 2pm to find out that the line to check-in started outside apparently due to the ship arriving late in to the port. After standing in a line which was not even moving for about 15min, we managed to get inside by some lucky accident. We saw tons of people inside, some of them were there since 11 am. Finally got on the ship at 3:30 (by the way with another cruise line it only took us 20 min to embark). Our luggage didn't arrive until about 8 pm which was ok since it was not that warm at this time of the day to lie in the sun or go into the pool. SHIP - The most annoying part during the entire cruise was the temperature of the water in the kid's and adult pool. apparently the ship takes the water from the sea but does not heat it even though throughout the entire cruise the TV showed that the water was about 80F. In fact it felt much colder even when we were in the Caribbean. We were very lucky with the weather the whole trip. The first day wasn't that warm, but was nice and sunny. The second day at sea was very warm, and it took us an hour to find a chair on the deck. When we found it we were able to relax and use the pools. The rest of the trip it still took us some time to find chairs but quicker. Another annoying part was that people put their stuff on chairs and go someplace else to only come back 4 hours later to get their stuff. FOOD - For breakfast we usually went to Raffles. No complaints here, the lines for eggs and waffles were pretty quick except for omelets. Finding seats was ok. The only thing - the quality and selection of fruits was pretty poor. Glad that we never went to Windows for breakfast, as based on review before me there were long lines. For lunch, Raffles or Bier Garten, again no complaints. The selection - stir fry, sandwiches made to order, salads etc. were of good quality and diverse. We loved the chilled fruit soups!!! Simply the best and very different every day. For dinner, we mostly ate at Garden Dining room - the appetizers, soups and salads, deserts were good, the main course was just ok. They had the same menu at Windows, but the lines for some reason were longer. We tried the Asian specialty restaurant, and hated it - the wait, the food, and the poor selection. We tried to make reservations at Teppanyaki, but were put on waiting list and never got in. The ports - San Juan - got off the ship, rented a car and went to Rainforest. The traffic was pretty bad, so took us 1.5 hr instead of 40 min to get there, so only had about 1.5 hr there since they close at 6pm. Tortola, BVI - great time at the Cane Bay Beach. After getting some info prior to the cruise, we didn't book anything overpriced on the ship , and just got off the ship, the taxi was waiting for us for only $6 per person one way (they charge like $59 for the same thing on the ship). The beach is great for adults and kids. Samana - after some research, the only safe option was to take a ship excursion. So we booked a Cayo Levantado beach escape which was great. It's a private beach and there are rentals of paddle boats, banana boats, snorkeling equipment (which was all sold out by the time we got there). We had a blast just hanging out on the beach and swimming there. Need to add that when we tried to book the excursion on the ship, we were put on a waiting list, and up until the night before we didn't get any reply (the must've added more boats to take us there since many people were on waiting list). Entertainment - the night shows sucked. The Broadway musical show by the NCL production company was great. Other than that, the comedian, the Second City and international show were really poor comparing to what we've seen on other ships. Kids program - My daughter loved the kids program. But the lines to sign up every night were really long.

The ride was bumpy for about 2 days, even though the sea was ok. I guess the ship is smaller than the other cruise lines plus I've heard that the stabilizer was broken. We choose the express disembarkation which didn't feel like express. It took us about 30-40 min which wasn't bad but being able to get off the ship in 15 min with other cruise lines made a difference. Overall for us it was better than expected after reading some of the prior reviews since no bed bugs or norovirus happened and the weather was great. I'm not sure if I take another NCL. Obviously, it would depend on the deal and the timing.