ncl-dream7

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: John Fisher
Email: jomifish97@aol.com
Age: 30
Occupation: marketing
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: February 13-20, 2000
Itinerary: Aruba-Curacao-Tortola-St. Thomas
Cabin: Cat E: 4046
FoodDiningRoom: 89
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 86
FoodRoomService: 89
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 92
CabinQuietness: 60
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 89
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 89
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 87
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 75
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 89
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 92
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 89
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 89
OverallCruiseValue: 91
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Mar 2000
Time: 20:56:47
Remote Name: spider-we083.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

Prior to Cruising Things we learned: you don’t need your own towels. NCL has an endless supply. My wife
is pregnant, so she had to clear her traveling with NCL ahead of time. NCL is very strict on their 24-week
rule. Luckily, we were just under the time limit. Her pregnancy did not cause her any discomfort while
sailing. You don’t need two sets of clothes per day. We overpacked, because we forgot that for the 2
days at sea, we would get out of bed into our bathing suits until dinner. We took our own snorkeling
masks and snorkels. You can use the NCL fins without having to take their masks.

Embarkation An NCL rep was located near the baggage area. After claiming our luggage, we walked out
the doors of the terminal to the baggage trucks. There were two trucks with a banner reading ‘Norwegian
Dream.’ We gave our luggage to the workers, and boarded a bus that took us to the port. Since we
landed at 3:00pm and got to the port at almost 4:00pm, there was no line and we were in our Stateroom
quickly.

In our carry-on bags we had packed our bathing suits, because we didn’t know what time we’d be getting
our luggage. As a matter of fact, we didn’t get our bags until almost 9:00pm, which didn’t matter to us
because the first night is very casual and laid back. But, pack your suit and any toiletries if you want to
freshen up once you get to your cabin.

During the lifeboat drill the next morning, a man behind us was talking to his wife about his bags that had
been taken to another ship. I don’t know how this could have happened without this man having made
some mistake – the only NCL ship at port that day was the Dream, and NCL had sent instructions to
clearly label your bags with their NCL tags that indicated the ship name. The Cabin The accommodations
were nice. We were in Cabin 4046, lowest passenger deck, aft, outside cabin. The brochure photo
showed a large picture window. We actually had 2 portholes. No big deal – at least we had a view. The
cabin itself was clean, the steward had left on our bed the NCL “Cruise News”, which details each day’s
activities. Reading the Cruise News helps you know what’s going on each day on the ship.

Since our cabin was aft on the lower deck, I guessed that we were pretty much above the engine room. It
was fairly noisy because the ship traveled at night. Also, the ceiling or the fixtures rattled with the
vibrations. It was annoying the first night, but I was able to sleep the rest of the cruise. Next time my wife
and I will make sure that our cabin is toward the center or the bow of the ship.

Movement The ship rolled more than I thought it would. It was noticeable but not discomforting, and we
found it a bit relaxing while we lay down to sleep. We saw a number of passengers with those seasick
patches behind their ears, and on the islands I could tell who was from a cruise ship because people still
wore them on land. Neither my wife nor I became seasick. A couple times, though, when we were sitting in
the Stardust lounge or spending a few minutes in the Casino, I felt the need to get up and walk around
for a minute.

The Food We found the food very good. Each night offered a nice selection of appetizers and entrees.
The chefs seemed to have in mind the fact that you will have a salad and an appetizer or soup along with
the main entrée –meaning that the entrée was not so big that you couldn’t finish the plate after 3
appetizers. Good sized portions.

On one of the nights we made a reservation at Le Bistro, the small French-style restaurant on board. We
wanted to have dinner alone, and this place was great. Don’t pass up this opportunity. The Staff All of the
NCL staff – from the ticket people at port, to the wait staff to the activity people – were all very friendly
and nice. Our waiter and busboy were especially friendly and entertaining.

The Passengers The make-up of the passengers was generally 40-70, with a few teens and couples our
age (28-30). Our travel agent at Cruise.Com took our ages, so we had hoped that NCL would have put
younger people at our dinner table, but we were with 2 other couples, one in their 40s and the other
couple in their 60s. But my wife and I only saw them at dinner and entertained ourselves afterwards
speculating on their lives.

Time for my soapbox: some passengers were very rude to the staff. Keep in mind that many of these
workers are thousands of miles from home, working to support their families. Just because you spent a
couple thousand dollars on this cruise does not mean that everything is going to be perfect. Although the
staff work hard, things will inevitably go wrong. Be patient and treat them with respect.

Shore Excursions: Some of the excursions seem overpriced, but that didn’t stop us (there’s enough of us
out there who have this attitude). The excursions began early in the morning and were done by 1:00pm,
which gave us time to relax and do our own thing on each island.

Each island was different. We snorkeled at Aruba, then walked around in the small shopping area.
Curacao was a pretty island. Tortola was totally different – very ‘Caribbean’ and beautiful, and St.
Thomas was just as fun. This cruise had a nice mix of islands and experiences.

Overall My wife and I agreed that NCL was better than what the reviews were. We will definitely go back. It
was great being alone this first time, but we saw a lot of groups of friends, who looked like they were
having a great time at happy hour. Next time we’ll ask some friends to come along. Also, NCL was
relaxing. I do want to try Royal Caribbean next time, just to see what that line offers, but I’d do an NCL
cruise again someday.

Name: Mike Auger
Email: mikeauger@prodigy.net
Age: 47
Occupation: Television Station Manager
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: February 20-27, 2000
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: 4132
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 88
FoodMidnightBuffets: 79
CabinSteward: 89
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 88
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 89
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 70
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 89
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 19 Mar 2000
Time: 22:19:29
Remote Name: rochb109-05.splitrock.net
Remote User:

Comments

Five couples from upstate NY sailed February 20-27 in the Southern Caribbean on the ship Norwegian
Dream. This was our third cruise together as a group. Our previous cruises had been with Carnival
Cruise Lines on the Festival in 1989, and the Tropicale in 1993. This was to be the celebration of the
25th anniversaries for most of us, and since we booked this trip seven months in advance we anticipated
a much smoother and more relaxing vacation than what we got. While there was much good to be said
about the cruise, there were many moments of stress, and almost nothing happened without some sort of
complication. After much planning and debate we had decided on the Norwegian Dream, based on its
itinerary which included four islands we had never been to (St. Lucia, Antigua, St.Kitts, and St. Croix).
Due to last year’s hurricane, St. Kitts was closed and Tortola was named as a replacement port. No big
deal there, we had never been to Tortola either. In the NCL brochures it says: “All cruise and air
documents will be sent to you approximately 21 days prior to departure provided full payment has been
received.”

We booked and deposited in July, 1999 and had been fully paid since December 1999, yet we
did not receive our documents until they were sent to us by Federal Express just THREE DAYS before
departure. We also found to our dismay that we had received NO upgrade at all, and that the air
arrangements made by NCL were inconvenient at best. All ten of us booked at the same time and we
found that not only was the group split up, not only were couples split up, but only eight out of ten of us
had confirmed seats to Chicago. When we told the American Airlines boarding agent that we eight did not
want to board, until all ten of us had seats, she threatened that if we did not get on the plane right now,
our tickets would be the ones given away. By upping the ante to a $1500.00 travel voucher per bump,
she eventually got us all on the plane. What a way to start a vacation! Then in Chicago, we find the same
problem, only a different couple in our group were without confirmed seats.

Once again we all ended up
on the flight, but once again were all (even couples) split up in different rows of the aircraft. Finally we
arrived in San Juan, and the NCL representative was waiting for us. We deposited our bags, check-in
was a breeze, and we were sure even with the trepidation up to now, that our troubles were over. Our
complaints with the ship itself were mostly quite minor. It might be because of the recent stretching of the
ship that the layout seemed (at times) inconvenient. In some cases you have to walk through one public
room to get to another. Generally we felt that the decks and public areas were not as clean and polished
as we had been used to, some of the deck staff seemed oblivious to debris blowing around on the decks,
and there seemed to be a serious lack of convenient trash receptacles. We noticed more motion on this
ship that we had on the other two, perhaps it was just rougher seas. We were upset that despite booking
seven months in advance (as a group of ten), and despite the fact that the Norwegian Dream has three
dining rooms, NCL had been unable to grant our request of putting us all at one dinner table. After a long
discussion by one of our group with the Maitre d’ about the unacceptability of this, the ten of us were
squeezed into a table for eight.

Although a little bit crowded, this worked out OK, and the waiter and
busboy (Felix and Joau) made up for it. They were great! It was just another complication we shouldn’t
have had to deal with. As far as the food goes, it was good, but a bit more “gourmet” than a meat and
potatoes guy like me is partial to. Nearly everything had a fancy name, and was covered in some sort of
sauce. After a couple of days, I learned that you can order entrees without the sauce, and this made a
big difference. A few notable exceptions were the delicious Steak Diane, the Lobster Tail and the Prime
Rib. They also have a Chicken Breast with grilled veggies available every night and this was quite good.
Portions were small, but adequate, and you could order two entrees if you wanted, with no questions
asked. They were breaking in an all new menu on the ship that week, and this (according to the Maitre d’
) was the reason for service that was quite slow each night. We did not try the Le Bistro restaurant, as
the menu there did not appeal to us, and was the same each night. We did hear from other passengers
that it was quite good.

We found the burgers, fries and buffet in the Sports Bar quite tasty, and the pizza
in the Sun Deck Cafe and Pizzeria was good as well. Breakfast buffet was much better in the Sports Bar
than the Sun Deck, and the Four Seasons Dining Room offered a Breakfast Buffet with fresh made to
order omelets. Coffee was made from fresh grounds, not a syrup mix, but we found a couple of times that
the machines had not been cleaned, leaving an oily film on the top (and sides of the cup). Midnight buffet
was fair except for the wonderfully decedent chocaholic buffet (gained at least a couple of pounds on that
one alone). After all the recent publicity about troubles aboard cruise ships, we did have our one brief
scare. During dinner one night the ship experienced a total blackout. One quick buzz heard over the
intercom, and everything went out. All the lights went dark and the engines went totally dead. The
emergency lighting lit up within a couple of seconds, but as the ship drifted and turned slightly, it listed
noticeably.

After only a couple of minutes, the lights came back on, and the captain announced that they
had experienced a small power glitch, but they would have all systems back up in a few moments. Dinner
went right on, but it was noticeably quieter in the Terraces Dining Room for the rest on the evening. We
later learned from a crew member that this had happened before, a few weeks ago. Entertainment was
the best we had seen on any cruise. The Musical Reviews by the talented Jean Ann Ryan Company (On
Broadway, Sea Legs at Sea, and 42nd Street) were marvelous! Comedian Fred Klett was extremely
funny, and Magician John Ferrentino combined his comedy and magic wonderfully! Singer Elvy Rose was
so full of vim and vigor, that she energized the audience as well. The cruise director Carey Sue Majors,
was very nice, and despite her busy schedule, would always stop and chat for a bit. We thought some of
the side trips were a bit pricey, and more disturbing was the fact many of the ferry boats and busses
offered only transportation. It would have been nice to get a little background information on an island or
something more than the roar of the engines during a 40 minute ferry ride.

An exception to this was the
captain and crew of the Carnival II catamaran during our “Catamaran Sail to Volcano” side trip on St.
Lucia! That group of people who provided a few hours of music, dancing and Rum Punch were to be
commended for a very memorable side trip. This view was not held by passengers on some of the other
catamarans in this tour. “Your boat had all the fun,” was something we heard a lot of from others. The
islands were quite lovely, but offered a stark contrast as you sometimes taxied through extremely poor
neighborhoods, and would suddenly emerge from the dreadful poverty right into a multi-million dollar
resort. The view from the top of the mountain on our side trip to Virgin Gorda, was worth the scary ride up
the mountain, which at times seemed almost vertical. Disembarkation was the usual “hurry up and wait,
but the San Juan City Tour we took was worth it! Despite being there three times, we had only seen the
road between the Airport and the Cruise Dock. Finally we come to the return home(once again, arranged
by NCL). Our charter flight with Miami Air was described by some as “four hours in a tin can!” The space
was very limited and constraining, and there was no movie or audio entertainment available. The only
landmark for the entire flight was Bermuda. We had been told in advance that when we arrived in Boston,
we were responsible for claiming and transporting our bags to be rechecked at the US Airways counter
for the flight to N.Y. What we weren’t told was that US Airways was clear on the opposite side of Logan
Airport, and even with a rented cart this took the better part of an hour. Thank goodness we had a two
hour layover, or we never would have made our flight! All in all we had a fine time, but because of these
assorted problems, and the stress they placed on what should have been a week of pure relaxation and
celebration, it is unlikely that we would consider Norwegian Cruise Lines for our group’s future travels.

Name: Robert Schippers
Email: RobertJ48@aol.com
Age: 51
Occupation: teacher
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: April 2
Itinerary: St. Lucia, Antigua, Tortola, St. Croix, St. Thomas
Cabin: 730
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 70
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 70
Casino: 70
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Apr 2000
Time: 23:09:56
Remote Name: spider-wl013.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

My wife and I, along with another couple, (we are in our late forties and early fifties) just finished our
cruise on the Norwegian Dream. Our cruise took us to St. Lucia, Antigua, Tortola, St. Croix, and St.
Thomas. We left Grand Rapids April 2 at 8:30 in the morning, and after a stopover in Detroit, arrived in
San Juan about 2:30 PM. It took us awhile to locate the Norwegian representative as he was hiding down
by the baggage claim area. After finding him, getting to, and boarding the ship was uneventful and went
smoothly.

This is our second cruise; two years ago we traveled on Carnival's Fascination. We were happy with
both cruises; they each had their strengths and weaknesses. Both served good food and had excellent
service, but of the two, Norwegian's food was superior to Carnival's. Both had very good shows, but
again, Norwegian's were better than Carnival's.

However, after the evening meal, except for the shows, there was little to do on the Dream. The
Fascination had a great piano bar, and lots of other excellent entertainment in various locations. The
Norwegian's evening entertainment was often of poor quality. Food was available at all hours on the
Fascination. On the Dream, except for coffee and juice in the sports bar, no food is available outside the
dining rooms in the evening until the midnight buffet is served.

I am not a casino regular but I did enjoy the nickel slots on the Fascination. If you wanted to play on the
Dream, you had to use quarters and they didn't last long. Few slot machines were in use on the Dream,
probably because most people playing them soon ran out of money.

On Tuesday, we visited our first island, St. Lucia. We began by taking a ship sponsored excursion, a
four-hour horseback ride. This was not my idea as I hate horses, but it turned out all right for the most
part. They put me on a horse that wanted to bite the one in front of me, and then after he tired of that,
he tried to throw me. I hung on for dear life and yelled out to the guide, "What's on earth is the matter
with this horse?"

"He called Spanky," the guide said. "Spanky don't like to be anything but first."

So he put Spanky and me first in line and it went well after that. I have to admit I even enjoyed it. We
traveled down a trail until we got to the Atlantic coast and that was really beautiful.

In the afternoon, we took a ferry ride into town to do some shopping. Prices were good, but some of the
areas we went into were a little scary. Fish were being cut up with huge machete's and sold on one
street corner; that was a sight to see. We decided we'd gone far enough into town when we came upon
a woman beating a drunk with a rope, so we headed back to the ship and called it a day.

On Wednesday, we visited Antigua. We took another ship sponsored excursion: a five and 1/2 hour sail
on a catamaran, which included a great lunch, snorkeling, swimming, and rum punch. This catamaran
ride was one of the highlights of our cruise and I strongly recommend it. The crew was a lot of fun and it
was just a wonderful day. We were tired after a day of fun so we headed back to the ship. We really
didn't see much of Antigua itself, except for its coastline.

Thursday, we made our way to Tortola. Here we got off the ship and took an open air truck tour of the
island for fifteen dollars each. It was a great tour. Our driver took us up to a really high point on the
island called Sky World Restaurant. We all went on the roof of the restaurant and he spent lots of time
telling us about the island and pointing out landmarks. Our driver was a former policeman. He pointed
out the jail and told us there were only fifteen people in it and none of them were locals. Tortola, he
claimed, is one of the safest places around. His tour lasted for about three and a half hours and was
really great so we tipped him well. After lunch on the ship we took a cab to the botanical gardens which
were nearby. The gardens were nice but not a "must see." The botanical gardens weren't that far from
the dock so we just strolled through town from the gardens back to the ship.

On Friday, the ship docked in St. Croix. We hired our own cab to take us on an island tour and then to
Christiansted which was on the other side of the island from where our ship was docked. In
Christiansted, we visited a marina where we rented snorkel equipment and had a good time in the water.
After that, he took us to tour the Whim sugar cane plantation; if you like history, you'll really appreciate
Whim. We considered the $45 each we paid our driver for the six hours he spent with us money well
spent.

Saturday, we visited St. Thomas, an island we visited previously on the Fascination. I tagged along on a
shopping excursion for a few hours in the morning. Then we took a taxi to the tram for a ride to the top
of a mountain. ($12 each) It was really beautiful up there, and there was a hiking trail that took you even
higher up so we walked that too.

After lunch on the ship, we boarded the "Kon-Tiki" party boat for a three hour cruise. The boat had a
glass bottom so we went over the reefs and saw lots of colorful tropical fish. After that, we stopped at a
beach and swam awhile. We had fun on the Kon-Tiki, but I wouldn't recommend it. The boat was pretty
old, music was overly loud, and the boat's announcer spent a lot time talking about the joys of getting
stoned and drunk.

Our last day, Sunday, was spent back in San Juan. Our plane didn't leave until after four, so we signed
up for the ship sponsored San Juan City tour. This was a real smart move as it got us off the ship before
most of the passengers and gave us something to do for the morning.

All in all, we had an excellent cruise and I'd recommend the Dream to others. It had a great five island
itinerary, a fine crew, and we had a wonderful time!

You are welcome to e-mail me if you have questions.

Name: mary witek
Email: kirbymew1@aol.com
Age: 34
Occupation: consultant
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 04/09/2000
Itinerary: 8day southern caribbean
Cabin: 7026
FoodDiningRoom: 60
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 70
CruiseStaff: 75
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 65
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 70
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 50
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 70
OverallCruiseValue: 75
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Apr 2000
Time: 12:40:10
Remote Name: 63.88.132.95
Remote User:

Comments

First of all, let me say I read almost all the reviews I could before booking. There where mixed reviews
regarding the Dreamward, so I was expecting the worst and hoping for the best. What the major censes was;
poor food, poor embarkation and so-so service. Well that is about right.

We embarked in San Juan and as a Lattitudes memeber, thought this would be a quick and easy process,as
promised by the brochure... I was wrong! There were only 2 booths for the Latitude memebers, which backed
up for quite a long time. However after about 45 minutes in line, we were finally able to board the ship.Once on
board we found our cabin and too my surprise was better then i expected. The room had a large queen size
bed with an amble sitting area and space to move, i must say i was impressed.

We met our cabin steward Denton, who, throughout the cruise proved to be sufficent. He was always pleasent
and smiling and promptly cleaned our room while we were gone.

The food was my biggest disappointment, actually worse then i thoguht it would be. The Bistro was the only
glimmer of light, which we took advantage of on 2 nights. If the menu changed, (which it doesn't) I would of
eaten there every night ! better food and better service, worth the $5 per person tip, (we actually tipped more,
because we thought the service was that much better!!!!)

Now to the highlight of the cruise. Someone fell off the ship the first night out at sea!!!!! yes you heard right,
and it was confirmed by the captain at the first captains dinner the next day ! Well, as the story goes, he
partook in too many adult beverages that night and was playing I'm the king of the word, a la the Titantic
movie, and well, unlike the movie, fell off from his 8 story balcony room at around 2:00 a.m. ! well, he was
apprently rescued alive!!! an hour later. We saw him almost everyday of the cruise with a broken ankle and
bruises all over his legs.!!!! Me, well, I would of wanted to get off the ship as fast as i could but....... The
opinion of my fellow cruisers was,That guy seems to be enjoying his celebrity status. No thank's pal, that's one
story i wouldn't want to be telling my grandchildern.

I am not going to drag on about what i liked or didn't like, but would like to sum up the quality and our cruise
expereince. We picked this line and this particular ship for it's itinerary. I was not expecting good food, good
services, good ammenities, or decor. (it unfortunelty lived up to that expectation.) However, I picked it for the
islands and there shore exursions, which were excellent!!!. I am not disappointed i picked this trip, although
my ratings are rather low, I knew this going into it I loved all the excursions !! from sailing to Kayaking !!! it
really was wonderful!! If you are looking for a 4 star cruise line, or have been on the Holland, Royal
Caribbean, Princess or Celebrity, I would recommend staying away from this line, unless you are like me, and
was looking for a different itinerary and excellent variety in shore excursions. One review I saw prior to this trip,
really hit the nail on the head when he said..... The Norweign cruise line settles to be medicore and that is
true. They cut costs by cutting the quality. They stirve only to be so-so, no more, no less. It's a shame,
because with a little extra effort and better food, they really can be contenders.

Would I cruise with again with Norweign? No.

Name: Ed Parrey
Email: edparrey@home.com
Age: 72
Occupation: Retired
NumberOfCruises: 19
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: June 13, 1999
Itinerary: North Cape & the Fjords
Cabin: A-6014
FoodDiningRoom: 70
CruiseDirector: 89
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 89
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 78
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 89
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 82
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 89
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 81
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Apr 2000
Time: 21:42:33
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Comments

The itinerary was very interesting and of primary importance when we selected this cruise. Cabin & Dining
Room service was close to excellent. Skipping of Trondheim due to weather must be excused. There are only
two major items to fault. First the preparation of the food left much to be desired. The quality may have been
there but much of it was bungled when presented. For instance, I just love cold fruit soups, however these
seemed to be made from a powdered milk base, possibly with food coloring to identify the flavor, which wasn't
present. Our waiter and bus boy were fast on their feet, which meant that we had a better chance to obtain
properly warm food since the galley was far away from our table. This galley also served more than one dining
room and was said to be congested most of the time with waiters trying to obtain the food expeditiously. It is
too bad that so much good food turned out bland. I shall try not to be sarcastic, but I recommend that the
so-called chefs take a paid vacation cruise with similar competion, such as the Princess Cruises or Norwegian
Cruise Lines. Since this itinerary was up and down the Norwegian coast, we also missed real Norwegian food.
On one of our shore excursions, we had the best lunch, surpassing anything offered onboard. If and when the
food gets better we may try NCL again. There was a small alternative restaurant the Le Bistro where advance
reservations were necessary. The notice at the door suggested a minimum of five dollars gratuity per person.
Somewhat tacky to be sure. Also the wine list was abnormally expensive. The other observation was the
casual so called Lido Deck restaurant or Sports Bar. It was much too small, the lines were always very long
and hardly enough seating for those who tried. At least half of this restaurant allowed smoking. With the
smoke blowing into the rest of the place, it did keep more guests from eating there. These were the two main
items of annoyance. That the President of NCL happened to be onboard this cruise was a surprise and we
won't hold it against him for trying to get the passengers to buy stock in his company. In closing I would like to
quote two of the passengers, when one asked the other: 'How did you like the food on this ship?' The answer
was, 'I thought it was terrible.' Whereupon the first one said, 'I didn't think it was that good.'

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