This was our first Norwegian cruise after close to 15 other cruises on various lines. We traveled with another couple (with in excess of 25 cruises under their belts). We booked this one as the timing was right for us along with the excellent price/incentives we got. Especially as Canadians (that dollar is brutal right now!!). Before leaving I read the most recent reviews of the few weeks leading up to our departure and they had me VERY nervous I gotta say! All for not!!!! We had a wonderful time and really found very little fault with anything. Certainly nothing to an extent that it could possibly spoil our time. We got on and off this ship painlessly and quickly. Yes, the ship is older. So what? We knew that going in as should anyone booking it! You had to look hard for signs of aging, they weren't screaming at you as if it was falling apart. Staff were painting and cleaning often and dilligently. I was on the brand new Regal Princess last January, so yes if you want to compare it to that, that's just not fair. We actually found this ship to be much more intimate and less crowded than the Regal. It's a lovely smaller ship with all the amenities you'd need. A pretty atrium with a very old fashioned feel to it. The food was very good and in some cases above average. We ate most nights in the Garden dining room, but also tried Windows. Tapenyaki was EXCELLENT and actually exceeded my expectations. The portions were so big, I couldn't even eat half of the excellent steak!! We had the wings/fish and chips one night, also good. The pool deck food at lunch was our go to when on board. Two levels to choose from, top deck just burgers, hotdogs and fries kind of thing, down below the larger one with paella as well as other meat choices and salads. The last day there, there were ribs that were fabulous! Raffles buffet for breakfast was more than adequate although busy on port days. We had a balcony room, cabin 10066. No complaints. Our room steward "Johnson" was wonderful. Attentive and always on the ball. Bathroom was dated, but clean. I've read some complaints on that area, but ours truly was ok. Adequate storage space although weird angular cubbies. AC was great, never turned on the tv (why on earth would I?)The Galaxy Lounge and Henry's Pub were our favourites. Henry's before dinner. Galaxy Lounge after. We tried to do our dinner around the schedule of the various interactive games going on, trivia, karaoke etc. My husband participated in one of them, some kind of trivia survivor kind of thing. Funny! The 80's show on the last night in that lounge was awesome! We found the overall service everywhere on the ship to be overwhelmingly positive. No grumpy servers, no cold food. None of that. My one and only complaint was St. Thomas port. I've been there 7 or 8 times, and it's one of my favourites. Unfortunately for whatever reason the time there is way too short, not arriving until noon?? Then we had to tender (Never tendered there before) and it was painful! I had booked a very expensive flyboarding event (not through NCL) based on the scheduled arrival time of 11 a.m. which was in the itinerary. That was then changed to noon arrival (flyboarding at 1 p.m.) and then we had to get tender tickets! ugh.....fortunately we managed to get off after talking to the cruise director and only be 30 minutes late. So 1:30 before you got on land??! People talked about pouring rain and funny we were only 10 minutes from the port and only had some sprinkles! :-) In Tortola we did the Van Jost afternoon. OMG, was to die for beautiful! Although the trip there was really expensive at $200 US/two (for us as Canadians especiallly!!) as it really was only a basic "taxi" service, it was still worth it though. The Soggy Dollar bar/painkillers and the fabulously gorgeous beach were worth it. A must do. Probably my favourite day. All in all we had a great time and I wouldn't hesitate to go back on this ship. Although I would choose a different itinerary as I'm not a HUGE fan of too many sea days and Nassau is really a stop I could care less to see again. Ignore the bad reviews....there are always people who will complain incessantly about anything and everything. We heard a few while on board, trust me!