We are a family of four with 7-8 previous cruises under our belts (all on Carnival). I was lured with BOGO deal, UBP, on board credit and the itinerary. I felt Carnival has gotten predictable and boring and I was looking for a relaxed but new experience. NCL delivered. We loved the freestyle concept and the options for dining. We did not do any specialty restaurants, but we had plenty of choices without those. Received an upsell to the Haven just 3 days prior to embarkation. WOW-2 bedroom/2 bath suite with Butler and conceirge service. No waiting in lines, additional dining room in the Haven area, our own hots tubs, steam rooms, sauna, gym etc. It was fantastic. It will make regular balcony rooms on any line a let down from now on!

UBP was awesome. I loved not worrying about my account and left the ship owing ZERO! Ship is large and has so many options for things to do. A November cruise to Western Med does not allow for much use of pools, slides, etc. but there were a few hearty souls out there. My 17 yr old did climb rock wall and attended some teen club (Entourage) activities. She's a bit of a cynic, but overall, had a good time at the events she participated in.

Food was ok...not great, not bad, just ok. Service staff (bartenders, wait staff) were pleasant, but not very engaging. We are used to making buddies with at least a couple of staff members during our trips and we tip them generously-unable to do that on this trip as most would not even make eye contact. Itinerary is great but exhausting. Travel from port to sights requires additional transportation and expense. We knew this and factored it in, but the process was not always easy (shuttles, buses, trains). We did enjoy our ports of call immensely and I would do them again. Read more