We were encouraged to accompany a friend on the cruise--a milestone birthday celebration. And one member in our party also ran into a former work colleague. As such, we always enjoyed great company during our cruise, falling into a regular schedule to meet for meals, sunbathing, happy hours, and evening entertainment.

Having previously cruised on other lines, we really enjoyed NCL's variety of meals (package-deal buffets, readily available thru the day, package-deal restaurants, etc.) and especially the flexible timing for dining (no assigned "early vs. late" shifts). We also opted for the drink package, again enjoying the variety offered (especially as the rougher Nor'easter seas nixed our island stop and delayed our Nassau day-in-port). As such, the variety of beverages and locations of bars made our days at sea quite relaxing.

Speaking of the drink package, we found our mixologist, Vladimir, to be a most cordial and talented server thruout the cruise. Also adding entertainment to our review, guitarist/vocalist Ben was a nightly treat for us (especially his tributes to Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones). I regret I didn't get the names of our servers in that centrally-located bar, but they also were first-rate, especially in so promptly serving the many patrons who likewise were there for Ben's sets. Read more