Where to start? The first night there was a madi gras parade - really? It was a video (a poor one at that)in the main lobby of a madi gras parade and it was down hill from there. The most criticism I have is of the food service and quality in the Versailles dining room and the buffet. Almost every night we had to wait 30-45 minutes to be seated in the main dining room, while some big mouthed broad managed to get tables reserved for her. I'm sure they want you to pay extra to go to the other restaurants. The servers were nice for the most part but lacked organization. I blame poor management. It was like eating in a medium/low priced restaurant not a cruise ship dining room. We rarely were asked if we wanted a beverage. When we got our dessert I asked for herbal tea and got puzzled looks every time. Our coffee and tea usually arrived well after dessert, if at all. . . etc. Food was warm at best. Breakfast was never hot. They had the SAME menu for TWO WEEKS. Same with lunch at the Versailles. We tried it a few times then went up to the buffet.The Grill outside on the top deck was good and the french fries were great. The buffet inside was a disaster. Usually dirty. They had a pasta station but there was no one around and you couldn't help yourself. It was disorganized and messy. The soft serve was frequently liquid - uneatable. It was hard to find silverware and clean tables. No service as far as getting drinks refilled etc. No service, period.We had a balcony cabin which we enjoyed. I asked for a few things when we boarded and it was taken care of immediately. Sometimes we would come back from lunch and the room was still not made up. But all in all the cabin service was adequate. The balcony furniture was rusty and messy.The public restrooms needed refurbishing and were not very clean. The theatre was comfortable and large. They had lectures that were OK. Not terribly interesting in my opinion, but they left the house lights up and you could barely see the video screen. They brought the lights down during a show so I don't know why they wouldn't do it during the lecture.Now for the good things about the cruise. The entertainment was very good. Better than any other cruise I have been on. They had a group from Second City that was great. The entertainment director was on top of everything. Very hard working. The dancers and singers were talented and well rehearsed and costumes looked new and well taken care of. We booked the cruise because we liked the itinerary. I enjoy being waited on at meal time and having a nice experience. This was not the case. You get a different waiter/waitress each time and there is virtually no service - just in and out. The food was OK. We had a couple of birthdays in our group and I will say, they went out of their way to make a nice cake and make it special. BTW the cake desserts were wonderful. We met some nice people and had a good time in spite of the cruise line, not because of it. I would not recommend Norwegian and will not cruise with them again. I hope the other cruise lines do not adopt the "free style" cruising idea. It ruins the whole experience IMHO.