2nd The Food on NCL

Great! In one word...Great. That sums up the food experience. On board the NCL cruise line you will experience what is called 'Freestyle Cruising'. You don't have a set time for your meals, you are free to choose the times.

There are several specialty restaurants, two elegant main dining rooms, and last, but not least, the buffet cafeteria. (Plus 24/7 room service) The specialty restaurants charge a small cover charge of around $10 to $20 dollars us, and you will enjoy at least a $100 meal for just that cover charge. otherwise the cost of admission and food was paid for when you booked your cruise.

In Freestyle cruising you really are free to order what you want, and how ever much you want. So eat up and enjoy.

1st The Cruise Experience

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll post some of the sights, and perhaps a sound or two, from Alaska. But to begin, I want to share some information about the cruise experience.

This was my second cruise, both of my cruise experiences so far, have been with NCL. I cannot imagine, a better way, to take in the beauty, that is Alaska. Alaska is described as 'the last frontier', and most of what I saw was unsettled, breathtaking nature.

But, here are some of the lessons, that I learned, on this cruise. The 11th deck on the NCL Star, is the highest deck for lodging, the rooms are larger, and you won't have a cabin of unruly children above your head all day. The ideal scenario aboard the ship, is to have a balcony room, you have more space, and fresh air. This cruise offered spectacular sightseeing right from the ship itself, having a balcony room was especially nice.

However, we had, the whole trip, above our heads,several families, with adjoining rooms, how did we know the were adjoining rooms? From the moment we first entered the room, the pounding, the running, the yelling. of children had already started.

Advice, ask the agent, at the time of booking, for the top floor, or if you want a restful and quiet time, without pounding above your head, ask for assurance, that a family, with numerous children, won't be above you!

Otherwise it was smooth sailing. Cruising the waters of Alaska was like being on a lake. No sea sick experiences.