Wanted to see Bermuda and New York so this cruise was perfect. We were surprised how well so many people dispersed around the ship so not as crowded as we expected. Our cabin (8710) was large, bigger than other cruise ships we have travelled on, with plenty of storage space. The food was great. We paid for a meal in Moderno which was excellent and well worth the extra $20. The buffet always looked crowded but there were 5 identical stations so little queuing and we always got a table. It is en route to the pool so always lots of people passing by but, hey, you can't have it all ways! The pool was small for such a large ship so don't expect to do any serious swimming on board but plenty of that in Bermuda. Music and competitions made it a fun place if you want that sort of thing. Only one deck above you couldn't hear the music. We think the glass panels on the sun deck cleverly act as wind and sound breaks. We had tried to book the $99 Vibe Club pass to ensure a sunbed but it was booked by the time we boarded and we really didn't need it. We are smokers (sorry!) and they are well catered for. On the entertainment Deck 8 you can smoke outside and it really was the best place to socialise. We are from England and got to know many lovely people on that deck. We watched Cirque and Rock of Ages which were great.

Bermuda was beautiful, quaint with friendly locals. We bought a 2-day bus/ferry pass to get round the island. The first morning is naturally very crowded at the port as everyone is doing the same thing but it improves after that. We visited Horseshoe Bay which is crowded as everyone must see it, but if you walk for 10 minutes or more you find gorgeous coves almost empty and then you get a seat on the return bus which becomes very crowded once you reach Horseshoe Bay again. Our favourite place, recommended by a local, was Cooper's Island which used to be a US naval base and is now a nature reserve. You take a no. 6 bus from St. Georges (very quaint) then walk for 10 minutes as no cars are allowed in the reserve. It is absolutely stunning yet we didn't meet any cruisers, even those who had visited Bermuda before, who had heard of the place.

Disembarkation in New York was a bit chaotic, mainly because everyone is given coloured timed luggage tags but no staff policed the process so it became chaotic and we snaked around the ship in a queue for 90 minutes. That is something NCL could improve on. All in all a wonderful trip and we would definitely travel with NCL again.