This was our 4th cruise in the past 15 months. We chose NCL to try something different - hoping to broaden our cruising options. We started having concerns when we realized we called NCL prior to the cruise and would get different answers to the same question, depending on who answered the phone at NCL. The lack of training and education they provide their cruise specialists is obvious and had a very negative impact on our experience.

We still approached the vacation with an open mind, hoping the bad Cruise Critic reviews we read and our first impression were wrong. We booked a "mini-suite". I use this term very carefully because there were absolutely no suite-type perks associated with this room. (A perfect example of how a little training would help the cruise specialists better communicate this to guests). A balcony room would have sufficed.

Embarkation and debarkation were a breeze - probably the best part of the experience. Little did we know we would both be very violently ill within hours of the first meal on board. From here the cruise went south. Read more