Embarkation went smooth. Nothing out of the ordinary. There were four of us (2 adults and 2 children) sharing a porthole room on deck 4. When we got to the room we expected to see two beds with two upper bunks. There was only one upper bunk and we were concerned. At guest services they said "Don't worry. The room steward will set it up for four people." So we went to O'Sheehan's and had lunch. Lunch was great. After the mandatory drill, some from our cruise critic group met up for a sail away party. We had the ultimate beverage package as a perk. I ordered a drink and the bartender was quick to point out I was only paying for the tax on the receipt. It was 70 cents tax for the beer. Between my wife and I we spent roughly $15 on taxes and tips prior to hitting international waters. The next day at the bar they would swipe the car when we ordered a drink and just give us back our card with no receipt. It's a good idea to have some small bills for tipping if you are going to hang out at the bar for a while (just my opinion). The service was great everywhere on the ship. Our 10 year old son ate almost every meal in the Garden Cafe (buffet). Our 14 year old daughter went with us to the main dining room or O'Sheehan's for lunch and dinner. The food was always really good. My daughter and I went to the Lotus Garden twice. The salt and pepper calamari was better there than the calamari in the main dining room. We also had sushi each time (there is an additional cost for sushi). We had the surf and turf roll and the two times tuna. Both were great. My daughter found the tuna roll to be a little spicy.

We had to tender at several of the ports. The cruise was completely sold out so tendering was a process. We didn't book any excursions ahead of time. We like to just wing it. The children and I went and enjoyed the pool and hot tub while crowds waited for the tender. The pool deck was almost empty and 3 of 4 hot tubs were empty. It was great. The weather was bad at several of the ports, so we mostly stayed on the ship. My wife and I used the gym and the jogging track almost every day. 5 and 1/2 laps for a mile. My wife planned on doing the morning stretch class. She told me on the last day the instructor was late or a no show. Our son was in the Splash Academy children's program for a lot of the time. He enjoyed playing with other children his age. There were quite a few events throughout the day. We participated in trivia, goofy golf, sudoku, origami, Nintendo Wii Sports almost every day. They give you activity cards and the cruise staff initial them after the event. Winners get extra initials on their cards. At the end of the cruise you can redeem the initials on your activity card for Norwegian branded prizes. Pens, playing cards, t-shirts, and such things. We got 3 t-shirts and 3 pens as I already won a t-shirt, pen, and some other stuff earlier in the cruise. There were several evening game shows where volunteers could win prizes. I won at "55 to stay alive" a knock-off of the Minute to Win it gameshow. It was fun to watch the ones I didn't get selected to participate in as well. Although the cruise was sold out, it never felt crowded like the Norwegian Breakaway. Overall the cruise was a great vacation for my family. Two inside rooms would have been a better option though.