We chose this cruise for length and destinations of warmth to escape the long Ohio winter. This was our first time sailing Norwegian and we boarded with ease at Port NOLA. Helpful tips we wished we knew: while in port, you are still taxed on all your beverages, so hold off on all those drinks until after the ship embarks; the mini-suite can sleep 4, but the beds are left out the entire cruise making it difficult to feel like you have a living area, we wish we had just found a way to book the bigger suites as our daughters are teenagers. By far the best entertainment is the band! They rocked the shows (Rock of Ages and Burn the Floor are MUST DO’s) and made each one even better! Plus, 80’s music!

Plan to take more dress clothes than what other cruisers recommend- we only took two dressier outfits and due to dress codes in the better dining rooms you will not be allowed to eat there (even the complimentary Manhattan Room) if not dressed for dinner. Food was fantastic in the Manhattan Dinng Room and honestly we would have like to have eaten dinner there every night. We tried Taste and Savor for breakfast- waste of time considering the food is mostly the same as the buffet- and everyone can get what they what. Breakfast buffet is the best time and the grilling buffet is the next best! We did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants as we decided to do more shore excursions rather than buy the package and every time we wanted to just buy the dinner they were booked up. So if you decide to pay for the specialty dining, make your reservations early!

Every time we came back to the cruise ship from port we were sprayed with antibacterial stuff for our hands, and at every meal... I like that they want to stop the spread of any germs, but I’d rather just wash my hands. Read more