Aside from the Gem's pool deck it was ok, but the pools were really awful! Cramming 2,000 people into 2 backyard-sized pools. The "Main Pool" is like a mosh pit for kids and parents, no rules, no lifeguards... and the "Adult Pool" is crowded with drunk couples cuddling. The whole pool deck feels like Times Square during peak hour - a lot of noise and a thousand people in your face. I think people who like this ship are the people who like drinking and partying, regardless of the atmosphere. The giant slides were disappointing, most people got stuck and had to push themselves through. We have 3 kids, and I took my 2-year old into the only kiddie pool, which was a tiny slide into a big puddle, and the whole area is enclosed so it's sweltering!

The restaurants were pretty good, especially O'Sheehan's and the Grand Pacific (main) dining room. The cafe is a disaster! The food there is terrible. It seems like a big selection at first but most of it isn't stuff you really want, and if it is, it's not prepared well. We went to the Churrascaria one night. Prices were very reasonable, but the food was "meh" and definitely not Brazilian... The Chinese restaurant serves the smallest portions I could imagine. Tasty, but small. As a ship-wide policy, we avoided all chicken dishes because it was very tough and dry everywhere! Stick with the main dining rooms and O'Sheehans, you'll survive! I was kind of disappointed that people didn't dress a little nicer for the dining rooms. Some did, but the overall mood of the ship was t-shirts and shorts at dinner.

We didn't spend much time in any of the ports. The cruise was more about the ship than the destinations, which was ok because Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's island) was just as crowded as the ship itself, but I would've liked another day in the Bahamas. Read more