I sailed the Inspiration in November 2001 from New Orleans. I found little to complain about and lots to applaud. The ship is very clean, food very good, entertainment was great, lots of activities. I haven't sailed the Nordic Empress but did have this ship under consideration for a Spring cruise this year. My research yielded the fact that standard cabins on this ship are less than 120 sq ft compared to 185 sq ft on the Inspiration. Also, the Nordic is much smaller and I became concerned about her stability. To each his own, but given the 2 choices, I'd opt for the larger ship with larger cabins every time.