We chose this cruise because we love Norwegian and the freestyle dining and because we wanted to go to New England and Canada in the fall. Upon arrival at the port we were given Canadian customs forms to fill out as we moved along the first line. Be sure to take a pen because they aren't provided. After going through security you're directed to the next lines. We had a penthouse so we were taken to a separate lounge where our butler escorted us through the process of checking in and took us up to Cagney's for lunch. In Halifax we had signed up for the tour of Peggy's Cove. We had an excellent tour guide but unfortunately it poured so we didn't get to explore much of Peggy's Cove. Plus we were only given 35 minutes and there were about 13 other buses there at the same time. Fortunately we had our Gortex pants and coats on and had purchased waterproof shoes from LLBean prior to the trip so we were warm and dry. Others weren't so fortunate. Our next stop was Nova Scotia, We signed up for the trolley ride which lasted about 1 1/2 hrs. The driver and guide were very funny and told us a lot about the town. You're given the choice of getting off in town and walking back to the ship or they will take you back. I opted to walk. Be sure and go through the City Market if you do. In Portland we got an Uber taxi to take us to Freeport to LLBean. We had a nice morning of shopping before returning to Portland. Someone had told us to eat at Gilberts where they have good lobster rolls. We were disappointed. Next time I'd find a place with lobster and clarified butter! I walked around the town but there aren't many shops. Newport was the highlight. We toured the Breakers and Marble Hall. I would have liked to have wandered around the town more but my husband wasn't feeling well.

As for the ship, we loved Teppanyaki, La Cucina, and Moderno. We ate at Le Bistro one night but the service was poor and the food was average or below. The shops on the ship weren't quite as good as some on other NCL ships. Activities were fair but we didn't find much hat we were interested in doing. The entertainment was good and the magician was great. We had a forward penthouse and it was worth the money when we sailed out of NYC. The balcony is huge! Our penthouse was great and our concierge, Elvira, and our butler, Lea saw to our every need. We were pampered each afternoon with goodies. The only complaint I had was upon disembarkation. We had signed up for the NYC tour since our flight didn't leave until 4:30. It was supposed to start at 8:45, however, we didn't leave the ship until 9:15, just as the entire ship was given the okay to disembark so it was very chaotic. Our guide was not helpful and told us to go to buses 12 an 13 - they weren't marked! Then the poor bus driver was left with the job of organizing the luggage by airline and trying to load it while 4 employees from the ship just stood there. We finally left at 10:00. The tour was a good one but sometimes hard to see our the bus windows, They do make stops at Rockefeller Center and Ground Zero so you can get off and walk around. One bus takes people to JFK and one to LaGuardia. We arrived at the airport by 1:30 in plenty of time for our flight. All-in-all it was a great trip.