The cruise started off on the wrong foot. NCL called us and asked us to not show up before 1 pm. We obliged, only to have to wait in a ridiculously long line and be told that this was the penalty for coming after 12. Apparently there had been cases of gastroenteritis on the cruise before us, so we were all forced to constantly be sprayed with some sort of antiseptic. Even if you had just done it at one door, they'd make you do it again at another. They'd even refuse to give you a plate at the buffet if they didn't see you sanitize. In another apparent attempt at sanitation, we all lined up at the buffets like school children and had our food spooned onto our plates. We couldn't even grab drinks or condiments on our own. Don't try doing anything yourself....you will be swatted. We decided maybe a sit down in one of their complimentary restaurants would be best. The first we tried was Indigo. Horrible service. We waited about an hour and a half for our food. Now, most items on the menu state whether or not they have alcohol in them. Had we not asked before hand, we would not have found out that they don't label if there is alcohol unless it is above a certain percent. If you do not consume alcohol for religious or personal reasons, or have kids, you are out of luck. We sat down at Indigo to give it another chance only to find that on the entire menu, the only thing that did not have alcohol in it was the salad and the rice pudding. The maitre d' was very rude when we asked why there was so much alcohol, saying that if we were cultured we would know that their kitchens would use alcohol. Unbelievable. The head of food services never got back to us, but thankfully his manager was helpful.

Also, this cruise seems geared towards senior citizens. Not enough activities for younger folks. And the entertainment sucked. We've done Royal before, and we rarely had a moments break. Honestly, we were never in our rooms but to sleep! Not the same for NCL. They really need to up their entertainment. Room service is free but rather slow and made a lot of mistakes. Embarkation and disembarkation at Tortola was a mess. Zero organization on this cruise. On Royal we knew so much of the staff, even the captain. NCL is more reserved. Overall, I was stressed more than relaxed the entire time. Would not recommend or cruise again. Sticking to Royal.