I rarely write reviews but felt the need to after our recent cruise. This was my 9th cruise and second with NCL and in terms of the total cruise experience, easily the worst. It is funny because the embarkation processes was probably the easiest, most organized, and best in my cruising experience. Port of Tampa was set up very well and we moved through the registration process very easily. Boarding of the ship was quick and organized. From there, it went downhill.

For what we surmised was due to the offering of the ultimate (alcohol) beverage package, gone were the days of amazing bar service. If you want a drink on this ship, you have to go to the bar. During days at sea there may have been 2 bar waiters making rounds on deck to take drink orders, but most of the time there was not a single waiter to be found. We talked with a couple who told us they were sitting on deck for 3 hours and never had a single waiter come up to ask if they wanted anything. At the main pool bar, there were only 2 bartenders working at a time and it could take up to 20 minutes to get a drink at peak times. This kind of thing can be expected at a bar back home, but not on a cruise. During the shows at night there was one poor waiter responsible for the entire lower level. He did his best, but you could only get one drink during the show, if at all. All bars were under staffed. I don't blame the waiters and bartenders, they were doing their best and seemed frustrated by it all as well. Part of the cruise experience is having waiters bring you drinks and quick service, and that is gone with this NCL ship.

The dinner service was also very, very SLOW. The quickest our party of 8 was in and out for dinner was an hour and a half, with one service taking nearly 3 hours. We all figured that they want you to spend the extra $ to go to the specialty restaurants and have put their resources there. We did go to La Cucina, their Italian restaurant, one evening and the service was much quicker there. The dinner service food was average cruise food in line with other cruises we have been on. The buffet options were very limited. There was one main buffet room that did not offer many options, usually 8-10 different items including side dishes. The late night food options ended around midnight and from there you had to order food at the Sports Bar. This was the earliest I have seen buffet service ending on a cruise. Read more