We were a family of 8 and this was (for most) our first cruise ever so we have nothing to compare it to. We were a multi generational group with different lifestylesWe arrived 2 days prior and stayed at Embassy Suites Miami Intl. Airport-because of the free food, free alcohol and port shuttle package. Not the most scenic of locations, but it suited our needs. Embarkation was fairly smooth. We arrived by hotel shuttle at 12pm and were on board by 1pm. Deck 15 was packed with sunbathers and those just walking around. The Garden Cafe buffet area was insane! We hung out in the pool, went on the water slides and spent some $ in the arcade. I believe it was about 3pm when they announced that the cabins were ready, so we assumed our luggage was there also. WRONG. Luggage didnt arrive in our cabins for almost 2 more hours. We had cabin 9712, 9714, 9718 and 9720 which are all large balcony (B6) cabins. We then met Rodrigo, our cabin steward and he attended to 3 of 4 of our rooms for the trip. I dont think I saw him more than 3 or 4 times the entire stay. But everday, twice a day our cabins were freshened up, a new pot of ice, daily planner and a new towel animal was waiting for us. We prepaid for the service charges/tips, but still left him $3-5 a night extra. We all had the UDP and had it not been "included" in our promo, I dont think most of us would do that again. I myself only had at most 5 drinks per day and even none one day. For dinners we used our 3 night dining option and ate at Teppanyaki, Moderno, Tropicana Room, Le Bistro, Taste and ended our last night celebrating a birthday and an early Father's Day at Cagney's. That ribeye and the prime rib with au jus was outstanding! All but Tropicana Room was outstanding. Our waiter at Tropicana was cold and unwelcoming for the entire meal. At one point even arguing with my brother over what a steak knife was. I wish I wrote his name down to report him. He was that rude. To top that night off the photographer kept snapping photos of us along with others nearby and with his strobe flashing, it induced intense migraines in my oldest son-causing him to cry and we had to send the photographer away. We did eat lunch at the buffet once and also breakfast and late night snack once also. Was not a big fan of the food though. O'Sheehans was where we mostly ate our casual lunches or breakfasts when time allowed. Also tried the room service twice. A $7.95 service fee was added-which we were well aware of already. We hung out at the Atrium Bar, Sunset Bar and Sugarcane's Mojito Bar mostly. We attended Burn the Floor and thought that was ok.

Costa Maya was nice. We went to Chacchoben for a Mayan history tour, then spent the remainder of the afternoon at the port village until the rains came pouring down. Harvest Caye was just a madhouse. All the photos and videos Id ever seen did not show the amount of people that were there Wednesday. Every cabana was rented ($300+/each) and the beach and pool was packed. 5 in our group did the zipline-that wasted 2+ hours while they waited their turns. But they all agreed they had fun. 4 of the 5 never did it before. Roatan was nice. We went to Tabyana Beach for the day and were catered to. Did some snorkeling and sunbathing, then went shopping in port. Cozumel was horrible. Rained almost all day and intense at times. Had to cancel our excursions due to weather, luckily I just found my deposits were refunded today! The port in Cozumel was packed with Carnival and an MSC ships in port also. The vendors in Cozumel were some of the most friendly that i had ever dealt with. The security in the port was something i never expected though. There were areas flooded inland so part of our group was in a taxi and were turned around and driven back to the port area for safety. Friday night we attended the GLOW PARTY in the Tropicana Room due to the rain storm that wouldn't leave us. After about 45 minutes we decided to leave when all the teenagers showed up. It was still fun though. We attended the final art auction on Saturday and are now expecting delivery of 3 new pieces we won. OUCH, thank you Jared for the upsell! At disembarkation, I left a piece of luggage in the baggage claim area, only to realize this after clearing customs. So I sent my other 7 family members off on the shuttle I set up for us and waited over 2 more hours for every passenger and crew member to leave the ship and customs area. Boy will I never make that mistake again.

So yes, we had fun. Yes, we have memories to share forever. This was not the itinerary we originally booked for and we purchased non-refundable plane tickets ourselves we were already massively disappointed having to see these places, but we made the most of it. None in our party said they would ever go back to these ports again. All 8 of us did agree that NCL and their "freestyle" cruising method worked to our advantage. Read more