We picked this cruise primarily for the itinerary, along with our general preference for NCL. We arranged to disembark in Bergen when we first booked the cruise in November, and later learned that early disembarkations were no longer allowed. Since we had arranged it before the policy changed, they did honor it, but there was definitely some difficulty getting it arranged.

Our embarkation from Southampton was more difficult than usual, since they had a computer glitch that ground the line to a halt for much too long. Once on board, all went smoothly, and we were definitely happy with our mid-ship mini-suite cabin. Our Latitudes Gold status got us one bottle of champagne in our room, and the fact that we were celebrating our anniversary got us another. I am not sure what factors got us the letter saying we could have breakfast and lunch in Cagney's Steakhouse, but it was a wonderful perk - really appreciated it!

I organized the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle for the first time, and the crew was very accommodating and helpful. It was held in Le Bistro, and we had some ships officers attend, and they provided coffee & tea and cookies.