Check in at the Barcelona port was relatively easy. Took less than an hour total from when we got there and when we were physically on the ship. You enter the ship in the casino area, so it's tacky and smells like smoke but don't let that get you down, it gets better. Room was fine, balcony was great (I saw 4 shooting stars at night!) and there was a lot of salt all over the balcony that I wiped down. I agree the room's bathroom is not great, and the bathroom door can rattle so you have to be very precise making sure it's in a good spot not to rattle all night. The couch in the room takes up too much space- we never sat on it, but that's being picky. Room was clean, and attendant was great- laid back but happy to provide excellent service. There are two smoking areas- one in the casino and one near the family pool. Other than that no one should be smoking on the ship. Also note- they give you a shampoo/conditioner combo that is not that great- fine for a week but if you prefer to have your own stuff then you should bring what you want. Bring a USB charger/outlet. Our room manager gave us extra hangers upon on our request.

We downloaded the app, tried to familiarize ourselves with the ship. You can use the app even if you don't have any wifi package. They really should have a ship map available on the app, or show you where your reservations are- so the app could use some work, hopefully that will improve soon. We wanted to watch NFL but they didn't show any of the games - they showed European Football. They also show cruise-event shows that can be embarrassingly hilarious. The "Mr. Sexy Legs" competition that we didn't see in person happened to be on the TV, so did a couples show and a dance show from the ship- funny and awkward stuff, if you sign up to be a contestant, just remember you might be broadcast to the entire ship!

Dining was fine, better than I could make for 4000 people. Buffets were to be expected and main dining was nice but forgettable. The Manhattan Room had live music so if you like that I recommend heading there. Teppanyaki was pretty much the same you would find in any American Teppenyaki restaurant. I loved the freestyle dining though. I would sail NCL just because of how great the freestyle dining is, eat when you want. Also, they have dress codes such as no shorts in Manhattan but it's more of a suggestion and they let plenty of people in that were wearing shorts. We liked eating at O'Sheehans after an excursion, they are open all the time and the servers were fantastic. We never had to wait long for any of our food. Read more