We chose Norwegian because it was only one of two cruise lines that leave from Manhattan. We wanted a quick seven day get away and wanted to leave from Manhattan where we live. Problems started on day one before we even got under way when we boarded and the staterooms were not ready. We had to wait a few hours before we could go to our rooms and settle in. The food aboard the ship, with the exception of one specialty restaurant, was horrible. Service was not the best, either. For example, it took a very long time to get a waiter to come over to take a drink order when sitting in a lounge. The theatre entertainment was very good, but there was very little of interest to me to do aboard the ship. This was acutely felt when one of the excursions was canceled because of rough seas and we had to spend three straight days aboard the ship. I could not wait to get off. Many of our fellow passengers were very loud and unruly. There was a lot of drinking aboard the ship. Finally, disembarking the ship was an absolute nightmare. We stood on line for over two hours waiting to get off the ship when we arrived back in NYC. Then, on the pier, the lines for customs clearance were unbelievable. With the exception of a few very wonderful staff members, the overall cruise was terrible. I will never cruise with NCL again nor would I recommend the cruise line to anyone, friend or foe.
I always believed that during rough seas it was best to be in the center of the ship. I tried to get a cabin there, but an NCL adviser with whom I spoke before booking the cruise suggested that I try an aft cabin because, he claimed, that is the best place to be during rough seas. He could not have been more wrong.