We chose this cruise because the ports were interesting and places we had never visited. We have sailed with NCL several times and basically knew what to expect on board ship. The ports were very interesting so we were not disappointed. We usually plan shore excursions with small groups we meet through Cruise Critic which worked very well on this cruise. NCL delivers a middle of the road product which suits our tastes quite well. We enjoy no formal nights and the ability to eat when we want. It does seem that NCL is pushing the specialty dining and has lowered their standards quite a bit in the main dining rooms. We do not go to the buffet at all just due to our personal preferences so I cannot comment on the buffet. The nights we did not have specialty dining (part of our package) we checked the menu for the main dining room and often opted for Ginza which is a complimentary (for the most part) Japanese restaurant which never failed to satisfy. Having said this, we will sail with NCL again, and we did enjoy the cruise.