In addition to eateries, the ships also have multiple bars and lounges. NCL is serious about enterta

AmaWaterways Avalon Waterways Azamara Club Cruises Carnival Cruise Lines Celebrity Cruises Compagnie du Ponant Costa Cruises Crystal Cruises Cunard Line Disney Cruise Line Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Holland America Line Hurtigruten MSC Cruises Norwegian Cruise Line Oceania Cruises Paul Gauguin Cruises Princess Cruises Regent Seven Seas Cruises Royal Caribbean International Seabourn Cruise Line SeaDream Yacht Club Silversea Cruises Star Clippers Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection Viking River Cruises Windstar Cruises
Alaska Bahamas Bermuda Canada & New England Caribbean - All Caribbean - Eastern Caribbean - Southern Caribbean - Western Cruise to Nowhere Europe - All Europe - Baltic/Northern Europe - British Isles/Western Europe - E. Mediterranean Europe - Mediterranean All Europe - W. Mediterranean Hawaii Mexican Riviera Pacific Coastal Panama Canal/Central America Transatlantic
Jun. 2012 Jul. 2012 Aug. 2012 Sep. 2012 Oct. 2012 Nov. 2012 Dec. 2012 Jan. 2013 Feb. 2013 Mar. 2013 Apr. 2013 May. 2013 Jun. 2013 Jul. 2013 Aug. 2013 Sep. 2013 Oct. 2013 Nov. 2013 Dec. 2013 Jan. 2014 Feb. 2014 Mar. 2014 Apr. 2014 May. 2014 Jun. 2014 Jul. 2014 Aug. 2014 Sep. 2014 Oct. 2014 Nov. 2014 Dec. 2014 Jan. 2015 Feb. 2015 Mar. 2015
Norwegian Cruise Line offers a hybrid cruising experience, mixing traditional elements with innovative features, amenities and ambience. Decor is colorful, fun and occasionally loud, especially on newer ships. The dress code is flexible and very casual. It's not unusual to see T-shirt-clad passengers dining among their more dressed up shipmates. (Tuxedos are rare.)
All ships have multiple dining venues, ranging from French bistros to steakhouses and sushi bars. Room service is available around the clock. Specialty dining generally comes with a $10 to $25 cover charge and/or a la carte menus ranging from $8 to $25. All specialty dining venues require reservations. Another don't-miss is NCL's signature Chocoholic's Buffet, held once per cruise on each ship. It's a magnificent sight to behold.
In addition to eateries, the ships also have multiple bars and lounges. NCL is serious about entertainment, and offers exuberant musical productions (including Broadway and off-Broadway shows), comedy from Second City, live bands, lounge singers, piano bars and D.J.'s in the discos. The casinos are a good size and offer the expected games. The requisite libraries, game rooms, shuffleboard, Ping-Pong, art auctions, perfume seminars, gaming lessons and port talks are available every day. Steiner-run Mandara Spas offer luxe treatments at luxe prices, with recent additions of teeth whitening and acupuncture sessions, as well as Botox by visiting onboard doctors. All have fitness centers.
Well-trained counselors staff the children's programs; age-appropriate offerings range from parties and video arcades to kid-friendly learning sessions. There are teen centers, discos and kids' pools, too. The newer ships in the NCL fleet are particularly welcoming to children, and although standard cabins run substantially smaller -- at an average of 160 square feet -- than those on other new vessels, NCL does boast a large number of adjoining staterooms and family-centric suites.
As a result of the line's above-mentioned Freestyle 2.0 initiative, implemented fleetwide as of summer 2008, ships have received a number of new enhancements. Among them are a Lobster Galore dining promotion that promises to serve lobster at least one night in every dining venue onboard every cruise (and at other times for a $10 cover charge), customized in-cabin mini-bars, an expanded Kids Crew program and the introduction of NCL "U" -- an enrichment option that specializes in digital photography, destination education, wine and spirits, and humor.
The crowd is diverse -- primarily American -- ranging in age from young families to older folks, and as well as a good many cruisers with disabilities. NCL has cultivated a broad appeal, which means its ships are oriented to both families and couples. They're appropriate for gay and lesbian travelers, too.
NCL is also carving out a major niche for itself in the U.K. and is offering some homeport options there. As well, it targets passengers from other English-speaking countries, such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.