Typical itineraries for this ship are Bahama/Florida and Caribbean runs in the winter; as well as Bermuda runs and New England/Canada runs in Spring, Summer and Fall. During 2026, it will be home ported in Boston and sail both the Bermuda and New England/Canada runs.
We chose this cruise solely because of its price and our familiarity with NCL and its Breakaway class of ships. It's rare that I see NCL selling 8 day cruises for under $100/night/pp including Auto Gratuities. A couple of years ago, I wanted to gift my partner a cruise for Xmas, but she didn't want to risk sailing a similar route on MSC. This year, I was able to give her almost the same cruise on NCL this year. My partner added both a soda package and streaming internet to this cruise, bringing our effective combined cost to roughly $2,300 total. (If we had selected the drink package, we would have likely spent $2,700 for the cruise.)
Consider what the normal "Free at Sea" package provides for this cruise:
- The cruise itself.
- Three meals in a specialty restaurant. (Optional w. $20.00 / meal Gratuities)
- "Unlimited" Drinks (Optional w.$28.50 / day Gratuities)
- Adult Beverages (up to $15)
- Sodas - 150 minutes of Internet (one device)
Ground Transit:
Embarkation and First Day Headaches
At the cruise terminal, we breezed through security (I always get wanded for some reason) and made it to the check-in line reserved for Platinum (and above) level loyalty status cruisers. We were on the ship within 20 minutes of arriving at the pier, but the fun had yet to begin.
We were on the ship by 1:00 pm, and they had yet to officially open the cabins to embarking cruisers. As usual, I ignored the official rules and dumped our carry-on luggage in our cabin. From there, we went to the Restaurant Reservations desk (located in Cagney's for the first afternoon of this cruise), waited on a long line, and updated our Specialty Restaurant reservations to include 5 meals (1 for each specialty restaurant).
Since we were hungry, we now trekked upstairs to the buffet and made a big mistake. No one was leaving their tables, as the cabins weren't officially available to us - so I ended up taking a plate full of food and discarded it before heading to the ship's "pub" restaurant (O'Sheehan's) to get something to eat. We were told that it'd be a 45 minute wait - so we went back to our cabin (which was still not yet officially open to us) to rest before returning for our long delayed lunch.
We chose a guaranteed inside cabin because of its cost. And we got, what I feel is the smallest double occupancy cabin one can find on this ship. There is barely enough room on each side of the bed for us to get up, Closet space is small, and there no drawers in which to unpack one's clothes. Yes, there are small nooks in which we could tore things. But there is barely enough storage space for two people if they are careful. Yet, the most interesting part of this cabin lies just outside the front door - a pillar which makes the entrance to the cabin feel smaller than it is.
None of these ports interest me that much. There is "no there there" in Port Canaveral. Yet, it is one of the most active and largest of ports in the USA. If one doesn't want to go to the Kennedy Space Center, there is not much to do nearby, save visit Cocoa Beach. The Orlando theme parks are at least 90 minutes away, and worth visiting on their own dedicated trips.
Port Canaveral, FL
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- Kennedy Space Center
- Kayaking at Manatee Cove
- Theme Park Transfers (Universal, Disney, SeaWorld)
- Surfing lessons at Cocoa Beach
- Day at the Beach
- and more...
Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas
- Snorkels
- Soft foam floats
- Premier cabanas
- Paddle boards
- and more...
- Wave runner tour
- Osprey, Seahawk, and Island Ziplines
- Stingray City and Swimming Pigs on Treasure Island
- and more...
Nassau, Bahamas
Shore excursion options at this port include:
- Nassau Walking Tour
- Nassau Beach Experience and Sightseeing
- Shark Encounter and Snorkel at Blue Lagoon Island
- Champagne Sunset Yacht Harbor Cruise
- Gourmet Tour - Authentic Bahamian Food
- and more....
Return to Manhattan, NYC
Entertainment
Ship's Theater:
Show - Red, White and British:
Food Venues and Availability
Buffet:
We went to the buffet for lunch on our first sea day. The offerings were tasty, but not up to the same standards NCL has for its Served Restaurants. Unlike embarkation day, it wasn't hard to find a seat at lunch time. The one thing I noticed that wasn't working right was the self-serve soda machines installed during the 2025 retrofit of the ship. To use these machines, one has to scan their cruise card in a nearby reader before pouring the soda. However, the buffet staff has yet to learn when to reload soda flavor cartridges to prevent people from pouring plain soda water when a flavored bubbly beverage is desired. With this being said, most of the time on this cruise, the self-service soda machines were working as expected.
One of the favorite things I look for in a mass market ship's buffet area is the pizza area. Unlike Cunard, whose pizza is fit for a trash can, and both Princess's and MSC's pizza that my partner and I would gladly eat anytime, NCL's pizza tastes like it came from a decent frozen pizza pie company. It's edible, but you'll wish you had chosen something to eat that NCL does well.
On later visits, the buffet became less crowded than on the first sea day. We easily found seating after the lunch time rush, and were able to enjoy a leisurely snack there.
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Complimentary Dining Room (Taste / Savor):
Breakfasts:
I usually order things that are simple to prepare, such as Orange Juice, Fruit Salad, White Toast, Eggs Benedict and Coffee. Any well organized ship's restaurant should be able to handle these items well. However, on this cruise, breakfast service did a lot to make us wish we had gone to the buffet to eat the first meal of the day.
On the first sea day of the cruise, we had to wait a few minutes for a table. And from there, we had decent service - albeit with a minor issue: No Jam/Jelly was provided with the toast I ordered. (Does one have to request this as well?) However, on the second sea day, service was much worse. After waiting 20 minutes for a table, we waited at least another 15 minutes for service. And even then, I had to flag down someone from the wait staff to get things rolling. After placing our orders, we still had no water in our glasses, nor was there coffee in our cups. Eventually, both water and coffee came. A few minutes later, my partner was presented with the entirety of her breakfast order, while I only received the fruit salad. I had to ask about the eggs benedict, toast, and orange juice before then came to the table. While I was finishing up my meal (with coffee pitchers still on the table), one of the wait staff took away our creamers. And then, before I had finished buttering my toast, another person removed the butter pats. They were cleaning things up before we had the chance to finish our breakfast - all due to their slow service.
Based on my first impressions of breakfast service on this cruise, I feel that NCL has cut back too far on restaurant service, hoping that discerning cruisers won't notice or care. Given that I've been cruising with NCL for almost 15 years, I do notice and I do care.
Lunch:
Lunch service was a bit better than breakfast service. This may be a result of people eating at the buffet, so that they can enjoy themselves in the pools/hot tubs, and on the Lido deck's lounge chairs. Towards the end of the cruise, we went to one of these rooms on a sea day and had a meal we enjoyed more than the meal we had at the Italian restaurant on the ship. The service was good, and the food matched our expectations of both presentation and taste.
My advice to those wishing to dine at Taste/Savor restaurants - only try to eat here when it is not excessively crowded, as they tend to have problems towards the end of a dining period and when the restaurants are crowded.
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Complimentary Dining Room (Manhattan Room):
- Caesar Salad (not delivered)
- Cheese Ravioli (in lobster cream sauce)
- Pasta e Fagioli (Bean soup w Bacon & Pasta)
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Cannoli
Both my partner and I placed our orders, and the first round of appetizers were delivered to our table. The Cheese Ravioli was not what I remembered from several cruises ago. The portion size was smaller, and the sauce recipe had changed for the worse. Next came the soup. I tasted it and immediately knew something was missing, something that no chef in a NYC "Red Sauce Joint" would ever miss: the touch of tomato in the soup base with beans that would give the soup texture. I just couldn't finish the soup, as I've gotten better soup from a Progresso Soup can. Although I was expecting a Caesar Salad, it never came. The waitress either didn't hear me order it, or didn't bother to confirm what we ordered earlier.
Complimentary Dining Room (Shanghai's):
Dinner - 01/10/28:
- Pork Pot Stickers
- Vegetable Spring Roll
- Spicy Seafood Udon Noodles
- Peking Style Chicken
- Combination Fried Rice
- Panda Salad
- Five Spice Chocolate Cake
Complimentary Dining Room (Manhattan Room):
Dinner - 01/11/28:
- Bruschetta
- Caesar Salad
- Montreal Spice Rubbed Brisket
- Ice Cream
- Strawberry Shortcake
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Complimentary Dining Area (American Diner):
On our visit to this venue, we noticed that the area wasn't sheltered from ocean breezes. This might not mean much when the ship is in tropical climes, but the venue can be uncomfortably cool on some winter cruises.
The waiter took our order shortly after being seated. However, service was slow after that. The Caesar Salad had fresh greens. However, it tasted as if they forgot to add the cheese and dressing that gives this dish flavor. After another wait, our sandwiches came out. My partner enjoyed her burger, and I enjoyed my fish sandwich. Unfortunately, the buns were a little greasy, and I ended up eating my sandwich with a knife and fork.
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Complimentary Dining Area (O'Sheehan's):
This venue is NCL's 24/7 restaurant on the ship. (It is also known as "The Local" on other ships.) It serves predictable pub food, and can be a go-to place when other dining venues are closed. Unfortunately, it is a loud venue with downstairs entertainment often making it impossible to hold a quiet conversation. Due to the crowds on embarkation day, we ended up going to this venue for a "pub lunch". I ordered the chili and the fish and chips. Neither were that memorable, nor were they bad. Both were merely enjoyable and forgettable at the same time. Although there were other times we visited this venue, the first time on this cruise was the most memorable only because of the long wait to have our lunch.
On the day we visited Great Stirrup Cay, O'Sheehan's was virtually empty. This made it a pleasure to eat here, as it was quiet enough to have a good conversation, and there was no implied rush for us to vacate our table for others to be serviced. Breakfast here was a pleasure, even though there was nothing special to say about the food - a simple dish of fried eggs, sausage, bacon and hash browns. If one wants to eat here, try to make sure to visit when most cruisers are away from the ship.
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Specialty Dining Areas:
- Escargot
- Onion Soup
- Roasted Pork Chop
- Wine Poached Pear
with Spices, Vanilla Ice Cream and Warm Chocolate Sauce
- Lobster Bisque
- Shrimp Cocktail
- Prime Rib
- Side 1: Creamed Spinach
- Side 2: Parmesan Dusted Truffle Fries
- Raspberry Creme Brulee
- Grilled Octopus
- Thalassini Salad (Shared)
- Festoni (Scallops)
- French Apple Tart ala Mode
- Vanilla Cheesecake in a Jar
- Seaweed Salad
- Miso
- Steak and Chicken
- Fruit "Sushi".
- Calamari Fritti
- Spaghetti Carbonara
- Pork Scaloppini Marsala
- Italian Cheesecake
Disembarkation:
This process is relatively straight forward. Unlike other cruise lines, one is responsible for picking up one's colored luggage tags in the guest services area. It's easy to be unaware of this, and be stuck NOT leaving the ship in time for one's planned departure. With this being known, the debarkation process is easy - tag one's bags and leave them in the hallway for porter service. On the night before disembarkation, one should have their bags in the hallway between 5 & 10 pm, so that they can arrive on the pier as cruisers are leaving the ship.
On disembarkation day, one waits until their luggage tag color is called, and then proceeds to the exit (in our case, a door off of the Manhattan Room) and scans their cruise card one last time. From there, one walks to the escalator bank (or elevator, for those with mobility issues), and picks up their luggage on the pier. Due to facial recognition being used, one can simply walk to the exit stations, match their face to the image on file, and leaves the terminal.
One thing to watch out for - hailing a cab across from the terminal. In our case, we knew that the fare between the cruise terminal and Grand Central is between $20-$25. Yet, one Ganeff (a German word for swindler) was trying to con me into paying him $65 for the ride. Luckily, I knew the NYC cab fare rates, and went to the main cab station where I briefly chatted with a cop who confirmed my feelings about this fellow. We got an honest NYC cabbie whose meter gave an honest fare - so he got a very good tip for his service.
Miscellaneous
In areas where service was provided by ship staff, it seemed like NCL may have understaffed both dining venues and cabin service. When I started cruising with NCL, each cabin was serviced twice each day. As cruising resumed after the pandemic, NCL started its cost-cutting actions. In the case of cabin service, cabins were now serviced once each day. Room stewards were tasked with servicing twice as many rooms, yet providing half as much service to each room.
Ship entertainment has been degraded in the past few years. Several years ago, I remember seeing abbreviated versions of "Six" and "Footloose" which were being performed on the Broadway stage. This is no longer the case. I feel that NCL is developing its own shows simply because it doesn't want to pay licensing fees for the Broadway shows.
Dining venues have also taken a hit. In the complimentary venues, each restaurant seems a little understaffed. This has been most notable at breakfast, as the staff seems to be too busy to service the diners in the Taste and Savor venues.
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Our cabin, 13401, was the most forward inside cabin on the ship. We had a long walk from our cabin to most of the dining venues. Most of the time, this wasn't an issue. But when the ship held an emergency drill for the crew during our stop in Port Canaveral, we had to deal with the watertight doors being closed while going to lunch - and hoof it quickly to the staircase before the doors were shut for 15-30 minutes. It's good to see the crew practice for an emergency which no one wants to happen, but it's sometimes inconvenient for the cruisers when this happens.
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There was one service animal on the ship during the cruise. I noticed a parent at poolside NOT telling her children NOT to touch the dog unless its human gave permission. Luckily for the young children, the dog was extremely well behaved and comfortable with kids. Later on, I saw the same dog with its human at guest services, playing fetch with its human while leashed. Although it's impolite to ask how the animal benefits its human, it's nice to know that this cruise line is comfortable accommodating people with special needs.
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This would be the second time this ship has stopped at Great Stirrup Cay since the pier was opened for use. This pier is a great improvement over the tender boats once used to reach this island, as the pier allows for more people to get to enjoy this island in a shorter amount of time. Although the pier is not complete (they plan to accommodate two large ships when complete), it is a very welcome addition for people wanting to enjoy NCL's private island.
Something of note: NCL's private island is named Great Stirrup Cay. Next door is Little Stirrup Cay. Virtually no one calls it that, as Royal Caribbean renamed its island "Perfect Day at Coco Cay" for its marketing purposes. It's amazing how many cruise lines now have their own private islands and share them with other lines owned by their respective holding corporations.
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Nassau is one of the largest cruise ports in North America, handling up to 7 ships at a time. When we docked, we could see RCCL's resort area on Paradise Island from our ship. Given that I am not a person who enjoys working on a sunburn, I doubt that I will visit this place on a potential future sailing with this line.
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One area that should be improved more is air quality in the areas bordering the Casino. We noticed that when we entered the casino area, heading towards the rear of the ship, that the stale tobacco odor got stronger until we left the casino area. If one wants to avoid the smell of tobacco, one might want to avoid this area on deck 7, and reach the rear of the ship via other decks.
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Conclusions:
This vacation was good value for the money - but not as good as it was just a couple of years ago. Food quality in the complimentary restaurants has dropped down a notch or two. Service in these restaurants has also taken a hit as well. I'm glad that 5 of our 8 dinners were at specialty restaurants, as I would be saying "Never Again!" to NCL if all of our meals were like the first one we had in the Manhattan Room.
In general, hotel service (i.e. Room Attendants) is very good, although it can be stretched to the limits due to staffing decisions made at corporate headquarters. Our room attendant, Arnold, did an excellent job with our cabin, and I'd be happy to have him service our cabin on another cruise.
NCL cruises are not for everyone. I feel that their prime market is for families with children who want to be entertained at a reasonable cost. The cruise line has a large target demographic from solo cruisers, to young families, and to seniors. It's ships often have zip lines, ropes courses, and other thrills found on lines such as Royal Caribbean, but little of the "Urban" clientele that often sails on Carnival. But, the line also has theater productions that entertain adults. It is not the most expensive mainstream cruise line, nor is it the cheapest cruise line. It is simply in the middle of the road, and hugs that center line very well.
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Breakfast and Lunch Menus:
O'Sheehan's - Breakfast:
O'Sheehan's - Lunch:
American Diner - Lunch:
Dinner Menus and Images:
Day 1 - Le Bistro:
Day 2 - Cagney's:
Day 3 - Palomar:
Day 4 - Manhattan Dining Room:
Day 5 - Teppanyaki:
Day 6 - La Cucina:
Day 7 - Shanghai's Noodle Bar:
Day 8 - Manhattan Room:
