The spirit makes 4 stops out of new orleans...compared to carnivals 3 stops...thats why we chose the spirit.the boat is pretty nice..could use some updating...pros:-food is decent-plenty of laying out areas on ship-nightly entertainment is fabulous!cons:-stateroom and beach towels felt like they were 20 years old. some even had shreads hanging down. at the ports, i noticed carnival and RCI cruisers had much better towel.-the food service was subpar to other cruiselines..especially in the buffet areas. the workers will literally run you over if you dont get out of their way.-the dinning room menus could offer some better options. my wife is picky and was never happy with what they offered..-weird wall plugs - no good hair dryer-at some ports, cruisers who booked excursions through ncl get preference to tenders first - this seemed unfair to me.- i spent more for a balcony - had chain smokers on both sides of me. one of whom had smokers cough about every three minutes. (all cruise lines should kick the smokers to the curb imo)all in all, i enjoyed the cruise. the ports are great.