Perhaps in each review we should state our biases and backgrounds first. We are older, and have taken over 50 cruises, only one of which was on NCL. The cruise lines we use most are Princess, HAL, X, and RCCL. We preferred traditional dining when we arrived at the ship and still do.

Embarkation. This was the worst part of the cruise. It took over two hours to get on board, over one of which was spent standing outside the pier. I know it wasn't NCLs fault that the computers weren't working well (I guess that was only part of the problem, but when we checked in, the man in front of us took 15 minutes to clear), but it would have been quite gracious of them to send out some water to those of us waiting, as it was a really warm day for San Francisco.

Restaurants. When we boarded, the Seven Seas Restaurant was open for lunch until 2:30 (fortunately). This was the restaurant we used for most meals for the cruise. It is understated, and very attractive - the wait stations are combined into just two about 3 tables away from the windows on each side. There are many tables for 2 or 4, a great improvement over our cruise on the Sky about 8 years ago. We had heard that the dining room might be cold, but it was always comfortable. We really prefer a traditional early seating, and dh was able to talk to the maitre d' to have the same table every night at 6:00. Unfortunately, the staff circulates, so you don't get the same waiter every night. This still meant standing (no place to sit except the stairs) in line for about 10 minutes before six, as one day we arrived about 5 minutes after six and our table had been taken by someone else. The breakfast menu was extensive - I recommend the French toast and the Salmon Benedict (not the waffles - flat and overcooked). At the end of the cruise I found out that those of us in balconies and above were allowed to have breakfast in the Four Seasons, a much handier location, but we enjoyed the other dining room. Lunch also had far more choices than I needed - often it seemed to have a better choice of food than the dinner menu. The service was always outstanding. However, dinner was also well done, and we never felt the need to stray to another restaurant. Read more