Gonna try to put as much info as I can on here.
First Norwegian Cruise, but 2nd cruise overall (we did Carnival Sensation before this one).
Food:
As opposed to Carnival, the food here is MUCH better. They have a much wider buffet area, being that the ship was twice the size as the Carnival ship we had been on. They have soft serve as well as scooped ice cream (in many flavors). The big drawback was that the buffet was the same everyday. Same breakfast. Lunch/Diner weren't varied from each other, and they were the same everyday with slight changes here and there. The desserts were amazing. They are also open a lot more and later in the day, compared to Carnival.
Dining:
Along with teh buffet, which I wrote about above, there are some dining rooms, which are very nice looking (it was a nice change to be there for Thanksgiving Diner), as well as some complimentary restaurants. O'Sheehans is an irish pub, which has decent food - though not that great. Shanghai is an asian noodle restaurant which also had decent food. Both are nice if you want to spice things up so you don't just do buffet or any of the dining rooms the entire time.
Entertainment:
We got to see Million Dollar Quartet and Burn the Floor. Both shows took our breath away and we were amazed by the talent that was put up on the stage for us. We highly suggest that everyone go and enjoy the performances while cruising. The welcome show is basically snippets of all other shows, and the finale show wasn't my favorite. The final show on last day had the singers all sing too much, and the burn the floor dancers only got to do two short numbers, which was too short.
Entertainment pt2:
I'm separating this from the actual shows. On carnival anything that was entertainment was done BIG, whether it was putting some fun shows in theater or having everyone gather in atrium and rocking it out together, as a HUGE cruise family. On this ship, however, the fun shows/gatherings were done in the atrium near the pub, which meant only 2 levels of people that can see, vs the 8 stories of people that can see/participate in carnival. the couples game show, etc, was done here too, which felt more informal that putting it in the theater like carnival did. Also, it just felt so discombobulated that I didn't enjoy this, especially since I enver wanted to go since there was never enough chairs, or room to see, so small. It also felt unorganized. I hated this part of the cruise, and it was the ONE THING that made carnival stand out as my favorite cruise line.
Cabin:
Very spacious, nice.
Fitness Center:
Bigger than Carnival, but less room since more people. If you go, try to go at 6 when they open or at 6 in the evening, since those are the dead hours, otherwise good luck. Wasn't a fan of the trainers either, who linger around.
Boat/Overall:
The boat is luxurious, with many places to eat, shop, explore, etc. There is a ropes course (crowded/long line - go on first day when you get on board) atop the ship, which is awesome. There is also mini golf (crowded, always). Track (which you are allowed a certain amount of time since its crowded). Rock Climbing wall (somewhat crowded). A few water slides. A pool,w hich was surprisingly empty. A few jacuzzis (ALWAYS crowded). And a lot of space to tan, which was always also crowded. Cleaning of our room wasn't really ontop of it like it was on Carnival, they know how to do it there.
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Ports
Roatan, Honduras:
We went on an excursion, the Maya Key Private Island, which was phenomenal. We got to see several animals, THE SNORKELLING IS AMAZING HERE IF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN SNORKEL (free), you can take pictures with monkeys and some birds, you get a bbq meal (not a buffet), and its a nice island that is far away from everyone but only a 5 min boat ride from main ship.
Belize (Norwegian Private Island):
The place itself was stellar and amazing. There is a chocolate shop here, BUY THE CHOCOLATE IT IS HANDMADE AND AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We went back to the ship early (after an hour or two) because it was just bad weather. Next time :/
Cozumel, Mexico:
wasn't what we expected. We ate great tacos and had amazing margaritas on the main street. Saw some shops. Had amazing ice cream and horchata at the MEGA store (it was on teh first floor - VISIT HER AND BUY IT, SO GOOD!). We spend most of the time snorkelling at No Name Bar, which is supposed to be for crew, but hey... whatev's!
Costa Maya, Mexico:
We did another excursion here: Maya, Lost Mayan Kingdom. With only 1 year in existence, it is easily the BEST waterpark you'll ever go to. Seriously, super amazing and fun. It had it all: amazing water slides, which will scare the shit out of you, zip lining, zip lining coaster, lazy river, pools and all. I would say that it might be the best excursion here and thing to do in general if you're not wanting to do temples.
All in all it was an amazing time, but I still prefer Carnival for memorable moments. read more