Greek Isles Explorer with Athens and Venice Stays, 8 October 2027 (11 nights)

Great holiday Only gripe would be no tea and coffee in the stateroom

Enjoyed the cruise as a whole. Great itinerary. The evening shows were OK but not the best I've seen, but the performers were good. Only 4 shows in 11 nights though. Other nights were a comedian or magician. One of the smaller buffet areas I've seen on a ship, but probably the best food I've had from a ship buffet. Plentiful choices for a non red meat eater like me. Had to restrain myself from overdoing the self serve soft serve ice cream! Porthole cabin on deck 4 was fine. Similar in size and layout to most ocean view cabins I've stayed in. Shower a good size with a door, not an annoying curtain. Toilet in a cubicle, could be an issue for very large people, I banged my head on the wall a few times as I sat or stood. I was in 4578. It was quiet save for being next to a 3 berth cabin and the 3 occupants in it didn't seem to know how to speak quietly, or even at a normal level. I did notice a loud hum when walking towards the mid ship lifts and made a mental note to avoid the cabins as you got nearer to the lifts if I ever booked again.

A great Itinerary for this cruise and we enjoyed all the destinations. Embarkment/disembarkment straightforward and well organised. Cabin was small and dull but adequate. Staff efficient and friendly and ship always clean. The MAS package worked well for drinks, speciality dining and $50 dollars off excursions. The food was good and plentiful but menu for MDR was uninspiring and repetitive and service hit or miss sometimes waiting long between courses and coffee not always offered. Bar area and open deck at back of ship was a lovely place to sit and relax and have a drink and bite to eat. Atrium was busy and noisy and it was hard to hear when seeking assistance at Reception or Tour desk. The cocktail bar in the Atrium was great but in the wrong place. Again too noisy there to just be able to sit and chat. The lounge chairs around the ship looked comfortable but weren't - too deep for short people, if you sat back in them your legs couldn't reach the floor and if your legs were on the floor your back ached as support was too far back. The tours we took were good especially in Panama and Costa Rica. One tour operator/guide snuck in an extra visit to a banana plantation and souvenir shop when we would rather have spent the time at the places the tour advertised . Beware the disembarkment tours - do check small print and itinerary. We booked Everglades tour and we expected to be dropped at airport at 3pm. The tour was short and we arrived at the airport by 12. 30 - 9 hours before our flight. Overall though we had a great time and would definitely travel with NCL again if we find an itinerary and price to suit.

Lovely ship, nice size cabins, kept nice and cleaned daily, great food in restaurants and buffet, great atmosphere.