Convenience to New Orleans was the major reason we chose this cruise, plus, we had enjoyed a Norwegian cruise from there several years ago. We had a pleasant time - the food was fine, service in the Venetian dining room was very good when we were there, Garden Cafe was usually busy but we were always able to find seating and a nice selection from buffet. The pool area is small and quite crowded on sea days but acceptable. The smoking section occupies a large amount of the area. It would be interesting to know if the percentage of smokers on board equates with the percentage of allotted space. The crew was pleasant but we did not feel the same level of friendliness/helpfulness that we experienced on our earlier Norwegian cruise. The entertainment was typical of cruise ships and we recognized the format of the production shows as the same as earlier. It was a good cruise and satisfied our reasons for being there.