AVOID this ship if you have any BREATHING/HEALTH ISSUES and if you want to avoid SECOND-HAND SMOKE. The Casino, where smoking is permitted, is not enclosed, but is part of a passageway necessary to move around the ship. The smoke emanating from the casino spreads freely to Deck 6 & Deck 7, including the lounge areas, Asian complimentary restaurant, Starlight theatre, Indigo dining hall, to name a few. Smoking is also permitted at the Sky-High Bar, even though Customer Service did not identify it as a smoking area. "Customer Service" is a misnomer - it should be called "Customer DIS-Service".

Unfortunately the smoke situation detracted from every other part of the cruise. The food at the Summer Palace was excellent in both presentation and flavour. But inexplicably, the hostess tried to sit us next to the service area stacked with dirty dishes two of the four times we dined there. The indoor and outdoor buffets were excellent - lots of variety, but the desserts were just average. The entertainment was good in the venues we could attend (away from smoky areas) and Tiara the cruise director was hilarious. The cabin was a decent size (oceanview picture window) and all the cabin stewards we encountered in the hallways were very pleasant.

This was our 9th cruise and our 3rd one with NCL. Due to the smoke situation and the Customer Dis-Service, it will very likely be our last NCL cruise.