This was my 6th cruise. 4th time with NCL. 1st time on a smaller ship. However, i think the ship is just the perfect size. It’s a 9-day cruise. Our itinerary changed 2 weeks before sailing because of Hurricane Irma and Maria. And it changed again on the 7th day while we were on board. From St Croix to St Thomas. Debarking at Puerto Rico was not a good idea as there were still a lot of damage. When the ship arrived, it looked like a war zone there as the cruise port itself is severely damaged and it’s right next to a National Guard station where LOTS of military helicopters and airplanes were taking off and landing. I also felt weird that while most part of the island is still without electricity and probably still needed supplies, we just got off a fancy ship and took a cab using their valuable gasoline to get to the airport. Lots of traffic signals were still out and we saw lots of devastation on our way to airport.

Pro: Recently refurbished so it feels new. Not too big so you don’t have to walk far to everything and you get to see the same people throughout the ship everyday. Good food in main dining room and in Cagney’s and Teppanyaki. Good youth programs. Attentive stewardess. Service is excellent overall. Both embarkation and debarkation were fast and smooth.

Con: Very hard to navigate. Always need to use alternate hallway/elevator to go to different part/floor of ship. Our stateroom bathroom has a funny smell which wouldn’t go away. Maybe because of old piping. The ship is from 2002. Only one 110v outlet in stateroom. Ventilation in Casino is nonexistent. I feel sorry for the folks in Gatsby’s as it’s located between the casino and the cigar lounge. Smoking is not permitted at Gatsby’s but you always smell smoke there. Food in buffet is the worst I’ve ever eaten in a cruise ship. Always the same food especially during lunch. Always have 2 or more different kinds of curry on the same hot plate. Everything tasted meh. Beef is always tough. Food in Bamboo restaurant does not taste Asian at all. Moderno is not great. Meats are just so so. They’re actually cooked in the same kitchen as Cagney’s. Lots of public restrooms were out of order (again, maybe because of old piping). Unexpected water outage on the 7th night at about 11:30pm. Water was not restored again until 3am. No announcement or sign posted. Read more