We chose this cruise with friends as they were doing the 30 day transatlantic and we wanted to share the first week with them. There was a group of 10 of us that participated and overall it was a good experience. I was very anxious about this ship being so big with so many people after having read the reviews here, but having experienced it with fresh eyes, first hand for myself it was way better than I could have thought! I did a lot of homework on your website before we cruised so I tried to avoid the pitfalls one can encounter when on a ship this big. The embarkation was a breeze we were on board within 30 minutes. We carried off our own luggage which I would highly recommend! The balcony cabin was just fine for us and people complained about the bathroom/shower situation, it really didn't bother us at all. We chose the specialty dining package for which we chose the Cirque Dreams show, Cagneys and Le Bistro. First night was at the Manhattan Dining Room which was very lovely with beautiful food. The maitre'd was meticulous in dealing with the food allergies and sensitivities of our guests. The Cirque Dreams show was great, however, the food was subpar. We also had fabulous meals at Le Bistro and Cagneys which I would highly recommend! The Shanghai Chinese Restaurant is included in your regular dining so we tried that, they need to re-work the menu, the food was subpar. The Garden Cafe buffet on Deck 15 is awesome, and I would recommend it. We also subscribed to the Unlimited Alcohol package and that was a good deal, EXCEPT when in port you WILL be charged tax on your drinks so don't freak out when you see that on your bill. Please check your statements daily! We also took advantage of the Burn the Floor show which was the best show I've seen...period! We sat in on the Dueling Pianos and took in the Comedy Show as well which were both very entertaining. The piano bar singer in the Martini Bar should just play piano...The drinks were great though! We booked all our excursions through Trip Advisor and was very happy with them! We are scuba divers and I can recommend Cozumel H2O and Cayman University Divers in Grand Cayman, both excellent service providers and I will definitely use them again upon returning. In Ocho Rios, Jamaica we had a fabulous day with Richie from Excursions Ocho Rios, he's the best and I would definitely recommend and will use him again upon our return! When going to Great Stirrup Cay, do book a clamshell IN ADVANCE, it's worth it. You will be charged TAX on your drinks while there FYI....The island, snorkeling, and buffet luncheon was great. Things to do pre-cruise...book your excursions, book your specialty packages dining, shows in advance as they sell out quickly once on board. When on board...book your tenders to go off shore ASAP. Doing these things helped us enormously and made for a less stressful cruise. I read where many people were unhappy with the service on the ship and the crew being rude. I NEVER encountered one member of the staff who was rude, short, or not willing to go the distance to be helpful. People need to be courteous and respectful when traveling, it makes for a much more enjoyable experience! I thought Norwegian did a good job in managing 4100 guests overall. What can they do better? Communicate better directions on how to get to the tenders on board. Communication in general needs to be better to the guests. Once on board there are many sales opportunities so be prudent if you don't want to go home broke...I don't remember being on a cruise where I felt like it was nickel and diming all over the place, so be aware they try to sell you many extras. Overall a very enjoyable week!