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[quote=Anonymous]We took a carribean cruise a year and a half ago for spring break on the Norwegian gem. It was my 3rd cruise after a P&O (British company) to the Baltic and a Queen Mary 2 crossing from UK-&gt;NY). I mention these as reference points--these were my points of comparison for the NCL experience.

I actually was really disappointed in NCL, for these reasons:
Clientele was overall sort of tacky--I mean lots of overweight middle aged men in tank tops, sort of thing, lots of &quot;happy hours&quot; on deck all the time. I wonder if it is because it started from the NYC area (I can say this--I'm from there!) or just what NCL attracts. The freestyle (=no formal /semiformal dress requirements at dinner) meant that people really dressed down and often broke the dress code (like no shorts in the formal restaurants) (I may sound like an old fussy-Duddy, but I'm not old --and it's just that in a nice dining room I would like to feel like it's a fancy experience ).

There were 2 minuscule pools only--one adults only, the other kids/only. So if you wanted to swim with your small child, it was not set up for that. (And imagine a pool about 20 ft on each side, but serving the 1000s of families on the ship. I also found too few quiet areas of the ship--music was always pulsating from the center deck/pool area and radiating out to other public areas.

The kids club was suitable, but they didn't serve food or take them to the restaurant (on the P&O cruise, you could leave the child there for lunch and dinner although you end up not actually putting them there for 12 hrs straight because that would feel too long). On the NCL cruise, you HAD TO collect your children at 11:45 and check them in again at 1, then had to collect at 5;00 or thereabouts. You and dozens of other parents waiting to sign out your kid.

That said, on NCL you could put your child in the kids club in port days and arrange to leave them there all day (meals included) even if you left the ship (P&O didn't allow that). Very nice option.
Our kids, 4 and 6, seemed to like the kids club, although it was a little more of a zoo than the other cruises. There was a varied, fun program. [/quote]

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