I had traveled with NCL 10 years before with a lackluster experience and decided to give them a second chance. As a dedicated Royal cruiser my expectations were high but once again NCL didn’t even come close. Given their disadvantage compared to my normal cruise experiences I paid the extra $99 for priority boarding which was a mistake. All cruisers entered the same door and were put in one of two lines regardless of their priority status from payment or loyalty. The freestyle dining leaves cruisers seeking the high quality level of service and translates to a turn and burn approach to dining with food quality to match. We left the children at home and traveled as a couple and it’s good that we did as the ship had very few activities and public spaces to peak the interests of our 4 children. They have grown accustomed to miniature golf courses, surf simulators, and small parades while the sky produced a small kid zone and basketball court, not even a large screen in the pool area for movies. Bartenders were busy most of the time and due to the standard tipping schedule no one was willing to go the extra mile for high quality service. Typically you know your stateroom attendant and front waiter’s name by the end of the sailing but I can say the only day I saw our room attendant was the morning of disembarkation where he was rushing us out of the room covered in sweat. Even with the package deals offered, we won’t be back.