Here's a brief overview:

Check-in - painless

First impression - The main lobby on the ship is less than unimpressive. You don't get the feeling of entering a grand hotel the way you do on some Princess and RCCL ships.  The decor on the ship is more Holiday Inn than Four Seasons.  Maintenance was lacking in some places, and several public areas need new carpeting.

Cabin - We had the larger of the two sizes of outside cabins (940). The smaller one is a closet, ours was just livable. The biggest complaint of our fellow passengers was the size of the cabins. The maintenance in our cabin was horrible. It evidently is one of the originals (before the stretch). The dressing table chair had tattered upholstery, one of the cabinet doors was hanging from one hinge, and the bathroom had a worn/tired look. The safe was operated using a credit card, which meant that you had to keep the credit card with you at all times (kind of defeats the purpose of having a safe). A minor complaint, but still an inconvenience. The refrigerator was in desperate need of defrosting. Our room steward was great, and responsive to our requests.

Pool deck - The pools are small, but were never crowded. The two Jacuzzi's (one for adults only) are small and inadequate for the number of people who wanted to use them. This is something that I read in several cruise reviews, so it wasn't just the mix of passengers on this cruise. The wood trim around the pools was in bad need of a facelift (the lax maintenance was very evident in the pool area). The constant haranguing of the poolside cocktail "pushers" was so overdone it was almost comical. The poolside loungers are metal frame with plastic webbing, and were stained and rusted looking. No cushions were available. The poolside games were stale, and the prizes lame (Norwegian Cruise Line bookmarks). On any Princess ship I've been on, the staff helped people move the deck chairs around, or found one if there were none available. No such help on this ship.

Public areas - The shops were the worst I've ever encountered on any ship, but the personnel was pleasant and helpful. The other areas are small and generic in feel. We don't gamble, so no feedback here. It did look cramped and dark. The bar personnel was generally pleasant, but ranged from "cheerleader" happy and helpful to "seven dwarves" grumpy. The theatre has some poles in strange places, and you could have a front row seat with an obstructed view. The gangway area on deck 2 always smelled like raw sewage. We didn't try the disco this trip, but it was also small. I didn't use the gym (really lazy trip), but it was pretty small (only two treadmills).

Food - The food in the dining room was decent, but the presentation was uninspired (food was compartmentalized on the plate). The buffets (breakfast and lunch) were horrible, with the exception of the chocoholic midnight buffet. If you wanted an afternoon snack (3:30-4:00) you were limited to cookies, little sandwiches, or pizza, hamburgers, or hot dogs. One of our concerns was the service on a "relaxed cruising" ship. All the waiters we had were just as attentive and accommodating as those we've had on traditional cruises. We ate in the Four Seasons dining room because the Seven Seas was uncomfortable. It's in the stern of the ship and shook and vibrated constantly from the engines. The vibrations were abnormally high, and the noise was a din, not a soft rumble; it also creaked and rattled. I had a massage one day, and the spa was in the stern as well. I thought the table had an electronic vibrator until I realized that it was the ship. There has to be something wrong with the engineering of the vessel when they stretched it, because I've never experienced anything like it. But I digress...............the Four Seasons was small and the tables were crammed together, but it was better than the alternative. We didn't try the Bistro or the Royal Observatory. We never ordered room service because there was no place to put a tray, or sit and eat.

Snorkeling - Norwegian's Dive-In staff continues to be the best in the industry. They always spend ample time with beginners, and guide the entire group through every snorkeling expedition. There were three staff members along on every dive, which ranged from 20 people to @60. We went snorkeling in three different ports-of-call. If you ever get a chance, try Coki Beach in St. Thomas.

Entertainment - The comedians were OK, but the productions were contrived and boring. The costumes were ugly. There was a couple who sang in one of the bars, and did a show one night in the theatre. They were so terrible that half the audience walked out. We walked in during the show, and immediately walked out. Good thing we hooked-up with some of our fellow passengers and made our own fun. The parties on the pool deck were the saving grace.

Debarkation - The debarkation "talk" was broadcast on the TV, so we passed on the meeting and watched the replay. The scene at the pier was organized and smooth-running. There were plenty of porters to help with luggage.

In summary: We had great weather, met lots of really nice people, got to go to a few of our favorite places, and some new ones. We laughed, drank, danced, swam, ate, and relaxed. All-in-all a good trip; next year we'll be back on Princess - there is a difference.

Happy cruisin'

Lou

P.S. I guess I've now written my review!