Norwegian Cruise Line is considered a mass-market cruise line. They also own Regent Seven Seas which is a luxury cruise line and Oceania Cruises which is a premier cruise line.
We cruised on the Norwegian Sun for 7 days in May 2015 to Alaska. We left Seward (Alaska) and went to Sitka, Icy Straight, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Vancouver (Canada).
We also cruised with them on the Norwegian Pearl for 7 days in October 2016. We left from New York City and went to Portland (Maine), Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Saint John (New Brunswick). We were supposed to go to Bar Harbor (Maine) but it was very foggy that day and the port was canceled leaving us with an additional sea day.
The Rooms
Our rooms on NCL were very clean and the room steward was very friendly. A neat thing they do on NCL includes a dial on the outside of your door where you can adjust it if you want your room cleaned or if you don't want to be disturbed. I liked having that so the Room Steward would know we had left our room for the day or evening and wanted it cleaned.
Entertainment
We really enjoyed the game shows on NCL. We participated in a singing one where you had to sing a song and if you couldn't within 5 seconds you were kicked out of the game. We also participated in a couples game where you competed against other couples to see who was the best. Then on the final night, they have an 18+ game show that's a scavenger hunt. Passengers can get into groups as they choose and the Cruise Director will ask for an item, like a woman's high heel and whoever can run to the front with that item gets a point. It gets 18+ when they start asking for a ladies' bra or other items that people might need to take off their bodies during the show!
I don't remember NCL having outdoor movies. They did have a great library with large windows so you could sit and play games or read a book inside/out of the cold but also see the amazing views of Alaska!
Food
NCL was one of the first cruise lines to implement anytime dining, meaning you don't need a reservation for dinner and can show up whenever you want to eat in the main dining room. This is really nice if you don't like to plan when you'll eat. I also liked that NCL has mini restaurants around the ship that you can go to and eat or grab snacks in a sit-down setting. On the Norwegian Pearl, we would go back to the ship for lunch and have sandwiches at their pub restaurant. The buffet also had many choices to choose from and was quite large.
Since we cruised to Alaska and the East Coast with NCL we loved the variety of tea that NCL had. Their apple spice tea was delicious.
Pools
I don't remember either NCL ship having an adult area that we enjoyed. It might have been because it was Alaska and the East Coast so we weren't looking for a pool area. I do remember using their hot tubs and they were warmed at around body temperature which I think is a regulation they follow. This leads to the hot tubs not being hot when you actually want to warm up and enjoy a hot tub. Many of the cruise lines we've been on haven't had hot tubs that were warmer than body temperature.
Rating
I rate NCL a 7/10 for the cruises we've been on. They offer some great shows to participate in the evenings and have a variety of food options for everyone.
If you have questions about cruising and want to book your next vacation, you can visitwww.thegypseatraveller.com and click on "Schedule Consult" to choose a date/time to zoom with Libbi, The Gypsea Traveller
