This was our sixth and longest cruise. We had used NCL twice b/4 and have been pleased with the results. We did not partake in any of the on board activities accept a couple of lectures on the excursions (we had already booked our excursions but went anyway). If you don't book excursions prior to embarkation, this is very informative.

The service on board has never been a problem for us with NCL or Carnival and was great this time as well. The embarkation however was not so great. We had arranged to use the NCL shuttle service and when I mentioned our flight arrival was 3 hours before we were supposed to arrive at the port, I was told that the NCL representatives would be at the airport and would not be a problem. Maybe they meant not a problem for them. After we went through the usual lines and security it was still over an hour before boarding time so we all were directed to a huge waiting area with one bathroom that didn't work. We sat there well after boarding should have begun. Due to someone being ambulanced away and mechanical problems the ship left port almost 2 hours late. The airport would have been a much better place to wait until boarding time. Lesson learned – Do not arrive at the port early, even if it’s through the cruise line. Once we left port things went fine.

This was our first time in a Mini-Suite. I liked the larger balcony that you get on deck 11. Our balcony roof did not extend all the way out like most balconies which gave it a more open feel. The tub/shower gives you a little more room to shower. The TV was a very small flat screen. Our cabin was under the kitchen service area and was a bit noisy at 3am. It wasn't much of a problem for us until the last night of the cruise. The location did give us easy access to the garden café buffet. We may go back to just a balcony next time to use the extra $$ for other things. Read more