Focused on extra spending and less value for the money

We were a family of 4. When researching this vacation, we found that the ship was attractive, the amenities were attractive and price was competitive. There were also some extra perks included.

We have cruised with Royal Caribbean before so this is our point of comparison.

While the ship itself was nice (see pros below), there were many disappointing aspects:

- the pool was too small to enjoy it. for the size of the ship, it should have been double the current size

- the sun deck did not have enough space so it felt crowded all the time and not enough shady areas

- the freestyle dining was a plus. no set times to work around. however, the complimentary options were sub par compared to other ships. they seem to focus on specialty dining and enticing customers to spend more to dine at these restaurants. This can be expensive for a family of 4. it also reduces the value of the vacation price.

- we found many employees not as friendly as we have experienced in other ships. they seem to be somewhat overworked or not well trained. our stateroom steward was not friendly at all and seemed annoyed by our requests. One time, we came back relatively early from excursion (around 2 pm) and wanted to shower and then head out to lunch on the ship. He had not made the room yet and when I let him that we will heading out, he said that this would be after his shift is done and he will not be able to do it. We had left the cabin the entire morning and he did not have the time to clean the room. He was very rude and this showed me both lack of customer service skills and perhaps stress of being overworked.

- the entertainment on board was not great. We enjoyed the dance and the magic shows but that's about it. many shows are not appropriate for children and some shows cost extra which again reduces the value as with dining. On at sea days, there were not many things to do so we spent them relaxing instead

- The TV in the cabin has barely 5 or 6 channels. Most of them are news. No kids channels. Very disappointing

- Long lines to customer service and shore excursion desks

- Too much sale attempts by marketing staff for casino, games, next cruise...etc taking time from other activities.

Some of the pros:

- Ship itself is nice. The touchscreens are useful to get you around. Elevators were fast

- Many staff were welcoming and helpful especially at the restaurants (though again some of them were not as courteous)

- Photographers were very good. We got many nice portrait pictures. Prices were outrageous but we had an offer for a package of 25 photos which we were happy with

- Rope course was amazing. Nice to be up there while ship is sailing. The plank was thrilling. Zip line was short but fun

- Water slides were fun (though 2 out of 4 were not functional throughout the trip)

- When coming back from port day, staff were welcoming with cold water and lemonade as well as wet face towels which was nice and appreciated

- The itinerary was excellent. We enjoyed Roatan (a must destination for beach/snorkeling), Harvest Key (my wife's favorite: clean beach, large pool, many activities), Costa Maya (nice waterpark), and Cozumel (nice clear kayak and snorkeling experience though not as pretty as Roatan)

Overall, this was our first Norwegian cruise and we all agreed that we will likely go back to Royal Caribbean in the future

Good size. Nice layout. Shower is very good. Toilet was clunky. Small fridge filled with alcohol/soda so very little room for any other items. Good storage space under bed. Nice balcony. Furniture was decent