We sailed the same cruise. 2/7/4 - 2/14/4 from Houston. Couldn't believe how wonderful EVERYONE was!! We had a family of 5, three kids aged 13,12, and 8. ( If you went to Island night, that was our little dancer that won a frisbee and was shown on the TV the next day.) We had two rooms on deck 6. Not palacial, but absolutely perfect for our family. Convenient to everything. We ate EVERYWHERE! Big Apple was great for us between different activities. Always enough of a choice to be pleasant and certainly convenient. Pool side bbq was always great, too. We did eat in the dining rooms and La Bistro, too. All incredible!! Spent quite a bit of time in Gatzby's Martini Bar - the best view on the ship; and Anna from Poland to ease the day as waitress. I don't remember waiting in a single line after embarkation. (well, I guess getting off in Cancun had a bit of a wait, but enough other great stuff happened to allow me to block that!! Mexico's tender laws govern that issue, not NCL) We did Chekanaab Park in Cozumel w/snuba and Royal Dolphin swim (arranged that online ahead of time, better deal than excursion. Not cheaper, just more time w/dolphins) We got a taxi to Half-Moon Bay in Roatan; this came with a bonus of Rose, the tour guide who also watched our stuff while we snorkeled, kept the bartender and waiter handy, kept soliciters at bay, and reminded us when it was time to leave so we didn't have to worry. We did the Shark and Ray Alley, San Pedro beach excursion from the ship (when you tender, scheduling a excursion from ship allows you to be the first off and last on!!). This excursion was excellent!! We met great people and I guarantee we'll go back to San Pedro again!!! In Cancun we went to the Tres Rios, the eco park. We weren't sure what to expect and were VERY PLEASED with that excursion, too. WOW! freshwater snorkeling to see underground rivers - that was cool. The jungle grew right over our little river, which was only as wide as a sidewalk! Then the beach was awsome. Kayaking to see alligators - ooohhh. We didn't make time to horseback ride, but everyone looked very happy on their horses.
The weather turned bad on the last day at sea (again, not NCL's fault) but our 8 year old still swam in the pool with all her new friends, ate ice cream from Lickety Splits, and warmed up in the hot tub. I read on a deck chair and drank Irish Coffe. Everyone was happy in spite of the cold. The older kids played basketball until they lost them all in the ocean!! Then they had some down-time playing cards in the Library and watching movies in the room. My husband slept. Then we ate some more!!!
We didn't do the express checkout, so we hung out until they called us (near the end). Not a problem, we weren't exactly anxious to leave our little floating paradise!!
We went to most of the shows, loved the piano bar and the "name that tune" game. LOVED the disco (even with the older kids til 11:00) won some rock n roll trivia game. Kareoke was a little too serious for our taste. Lotsa Bette Midler's "ROSE" and old country and western. But the people involved were having a blast!! We had other stuff to try.
This was the kids' first cruise, but not ours. Somehow I don't think we'll ever get to cruise alone again. But that's okay - they were great fun!!!
