I should give a frame of reference by saying we’re experienced cruisers. Crystal, Princess, Royal Caribbean. This was our first Norwegian Cruise and it was done as part of a group booking which I was asked to lead, due to my prior cruise experience.

PROS: New ship is in excellent condition. The ship was kept pretty immaculate. Jersey Boys, The Beatles and Prohibition: The Musical were all great shows. Havana! was so-so. The main showroom is very large with stadium-style seating. The restaurants were plentiful. Le Bistro and Q (the Texas-style barbecue restaurant) were exceptionally good. Starbucks at sea! Who could want more? And the prices at the onboard Starbucks weren’t that much more than at a Starbucks ashore. The bars were also plentiful and the bartenders were accommodating and some were downright hilarious. No, that interpretation was not made through martini goggles. In general, the staff was excellent. As anywhere else, there were a couple crew members who were less than conscientious. This was an Alaska cruise and the ports were the usual stops. The excursions we did were well organized, reasonably priced and worthwhile. My wife did a zip line adventure and had a great time. I would recommend, as always, booking excursions through the cruise line. That way, if you’re delayed the ship will wait for you. If you book separately, the ship will leave at the scheduled departure time whether you’re onboard or not.

CONS: The ship is too crowded and there were too many unruly children, which staff took no steps to deal with. It was impossible to find a quiet, cozy nook anywhere outside our cabin. Noise levels tended to be high, except in the specialty restaurants. Both Cagney’s Steakhouse and Ocean Blue were disappointing. It wasn’t that the food wasn’t good, but it wasn’t special. And considering that Ocean Blue has an upcharge, even with the dining package, the quality was not what we’ve come to expect from specialty cruise ship restaurants. The Garden Cafe, the ship’s buffet, had food that, while plentiful in variety, was unexceptional and disappointing for cruise ship food. At one point I bit down on a quarter-inch size rock in a rice dish. I brought it to the attention of the chef, who promised to review procedures for preparing rice. The food quality in the main (complimentary) dining rooms was somewhat better, but still not quite up to cruise ship standards. Disturbingly, on two separate occasions I saw restaurant wait staff use a restroom I was in, then leave without washing their hands. Considering the emphasis placed on having passengers wash their hands, particularly in restaurants, I was surprised. I did report these incidents to supervisors. There are eight forward elevators and eight aft elevators. The forward elevators were always crowded and the aft elevators were far less used. I think this is because the buffet, the Garden Cafe, and the main showroom are in the bow and attract a lot of passengers throughout the day. After reboarding at ports, the forward elevator lobbies were packed on multiple decks and it could be ten or fifteen minutes before one could get on an elevator. We learned to go to the aft elevators where there would be no wait at all. The kart track, which was a big draw for me, was virtually unusable because of all the children driving on it. It was impossible to get a lap without being slowed down by inexperienced drivers. It was about as exciting as Autopia at Disneyland. Maybe not as. There should be times set aside for adults only, maybe later in the evening. Having said all that, the price for the cruise was very reasonable. Nevertheless, I would probably not cruise on Norwegian again. Cost is important, but the food has always been the star of any cruise and Norwegian fell far short in this respect.