We chose Norwegian after a friend recommended it as a higher end cruise from Royal Caribbean, who we have cruised on before. The boarding process was awful. We waited 2 hours in line, with no water or snacks for no apparent reason. Fortunately our room was ready when we finally got on the ship, we dropped off our stuff and went to eat. The buffet on Deck 15 was a zoo, needless to say. Our bags arrived in spurts, with the final bag arriving just prior to 8pm, even though we had put them all on the cart together.

The cruise itself was very nice. The crew members were all incredibly friendly and all greeted us every time they saw us. Our steward was wonderful and kept the room spotless. I had read reviews, so i understood the process of putting a room key in the slot by the bathroom to turn on the lights. If you go to the customer relations area on Deck 6, they will give you an extra card to use in the slot so you don't have to use your room key. The card operates a light outside the room to let the steward know if you are there. Card in the slot, white light on. There are also switches for "Do Not Disturb" and "Make Up Room". Not sure if that was exactly what it said, but you get the gist.

The food was all good at the restaurants. Savor and Taste provided the same menu, but allowed you to sit at a table with only your party. That was very nice for my husband an I since it was our 20th anniversary and we didn't really want to sit with strangers. The buffet was always a bit crazy. The people eating there did not hesitate to jump in line, push me out of the way and just plain......be rude. Our 3 specialty restaurants we chose were Tapanyaki (sp), Ocean Blue and Moderno. All were really great. We had the most fun at Tapanyaki as it was the Japanese Steak house style where they cook in front of you. Ocean Blue was the seafood restaurant and the food was wonderful. Moderno was a Brazilian steakhouse where they just keep bringing meat until you just can't take it anymore. Read more