ncl-dream9

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: David Baines
Email: D.Baines@andorra.ad
Age: 69
Occupation: retired Airline Pilot
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 18 Feb 01
Itinerary: Valparaiso to Buenos Aires
Cabin: 7230 outside deluxe
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 87
CabinQuietness: 92
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 89
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 60
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 87
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 89
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 82
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 70
EntertShowLounge: 89
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 82
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 69
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 83
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 Mar 2001
Time: 12:19:27
Remote Name: cache33.andorpac.ad
Remote User:

Comments

Feb 7th 2001 I’m writing this the day before we fly to South America before joining the Norwegian
Dream on a voyage from Chile to Buenos Aires.We are arranging our own transport. I say ‘Chile’
because I have various instructions where the cruise starts, San Antonio, Valparaiso and even
Santiago have been mentioned on various documents that I have received, ignoring the fact that the
latter is 60 miles inland, and an NCL brochure with no information on the Dream except that this ship is
sailing in the Caribbean at this time. I did fax the office in Miami asking for clarification and an
up-to-date brochure, but got no reply. I think we are off to a bad start. The last information indicated
Valparaiso and that is where we are going by our own travel arrangements. Feb 18th we joined the
ship in Valparaiso, and our earlier impressions of the Norwegian Dream were very good. The cabin
was clean and modern and the public areas were well presented. Our cabin was on the promenade
deck and their was regular maintenance of the passenger areas.

The food which had been criticized
on previous reports was of a good choice, variety, and amount, and there is a very good baker on
board. One minor fault of the dining room (The Terrace) where we ate dinner, table 60, was that some
of the tables were too close together hindering both diners and waiters, though other meals eaten
randomly in other restaurants perhaps had more space. One irritating fault of NCL management is
their hefty surcharges above the published cost of the cruise and their attitude towards this is
exemplified by the book of tickets that came with the boarding information, one of which invites the
passenger to "have a free drink on us" for a special cocktail for $6, "providing a second drink is
ordered at the same time".

They were missing a chance to be hospitable, and duty-free, the drinks
shouldn't cost much anyway. Indeed throughout the voyage there was a general feeling that the
majority of the events and services were introduced as a money generating endeavor for NCL, rather
than an entertainment or benefit to the passenger and this includes the high price of wines and other
drinks, even nonalcoholic mixtures, the frequent Art Auctions, the Casino with a double zero on the
roulette wheel, the $10 shuttle bus at the ports, and the overpriced shore excursions. I noticed that few
of the tables purchased any wine and wondered if NCL would make more profit if they reduced their
prices at least 50% and sold a lot more bottles. Duty free booze was available in one of the shops, but
it would not be delivered until the last day to protect the high prices of ship-sold drinks. It pays to take
a bottle or two of your own. Also of the several shops on board the emphasis was on souvenirs and
expensive trinkets and not enough space for forgotten necesseties. It was explained to me that
interline competition required the shipping companies to offer a low price to prospective passengers,
and then to try to recover their profits on the extras.

We did not go on any ship organized excursions,
but generally arranged our own sightseeing at a quarter of the ship price. Speaking a bit of Spanish
helped. A passenger taking the cheapest NCL excursion at each port would pay about $300, and for
the most expensive land excursions $1500, and if the flying options were taken $2500 There was a lot
of stress on the tipping policy, which explained that the staff weren’t paid much and relied on tips,
which for the Dining Room and Cabin Staff amounted to about $300. Unusually too, the Cabin Steward
only attends the cabin for bed making, cleaning and towels, and supplied ice, other passenger
demands are supplied from the kitchen directly where additional tipping is recommended. On previous
tours with other companies, the cabin steward attended to everything. A circular delivered to the cabin
said that in future, tips would be automatically added to the bill. Reading the above it seems that I am
having a good old grumble, and perhaps I am having my judgment impaired by living in Andorra where
wine is frequently given away with the meal. There is a lot of things that went well on the ship, daily
facsimile newspapers were available from the USA Canada, Germany sometimes England, and a
Spanish language paper. Each cabin had good television with adequate news broadcasts and we were
impressed by the floor shows that even included fountains and cascades. If any contemplate the same
cruise I would recommend the anti-clockwise, eastbound trip staying a few days in Santiago
beforehand, and avoiding Valparaiso as much as possible because it is the dirtiest town I’ve been in,
and cruising to Buenos Aires which is the most impressive city I’ve seen, this way everything improves
as you are sailing. If you are arranging your own transportation. NCL offers a $75 bus service from the
airport to the docks. There is a good local bus from Santiago, every 15 minutes, clean and
comfortable, for $5 plus a taxi charge at each end costing no more than $10 total.

Name: Ann Carroll
Email: donaldcarroll@worldnet.att.net
Age: 59
Occupation: Office Manager
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: January 21, 2001
Itinerary: S. America - Valpairaiso - Buenos Aires
Cabin: 6065
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Mar 2001
Time: 14:29:03
Remote Name: 144.manchester-06-07rs.nh.dial-access.att.net
Remote User:

Comments

We really didn't know what to expect of South America but enjoyed it very much. For early booking, NCL
offered us a free two day either before or after cruise. Since we were doing our own air fare, we chose two
nights in Santiago, Chile before the cruise started. The Crowne Plaza hotel was very good and centrally
located for exploring the city on foot.

We were transferred to Valparaiso, about an hour's ride from Santiago, and checked into our cabins and
enjoyed lunch in the Terrace Dining Room. I understand that people later in the day had a much longer wait
for check in.

Both our waiters and our room steward were excellent and seating at dinner was still at an assigned table
rather than freestyle which NCL is switching over to. We would prefer NCL to keep assigned seating for
dinner. The food was good, but their baker of rolls and breads was the best.

We have sailed on the Wind before and the Dream is identical and like the Atlantic Deck with picture windows
but the vibration of the engines in our cabin was very bad at times.

As suggested by NCL, we had signed up for shore excursions ahead of time, and even then we didn't get one
of them. Some people had not and then were complaining about tours being full, but when you have seen
some of these towns, you realize that they are really not equipped to handle the number of boats coming to
them. On the whole we were very pleased with the shore excursions. The penguins at Otway Sound in Punta
Arenas was excellent, but Penguin Discovery at Ushuaia was disappointing because the boat ride to them
was too long. We were warned that some of the buses would not be up to our standard but we could find no
fault with them, actually very good, and all the guides we had, were excellent especially since English their
second or third language. We had to tender in at several ports but were given advance tickets if on a shore
excursion and never had a wait for a tender.

The scenery in Chile was fantastic and more spectacular than Inside Passage of Alaska.

On the whole we had great weather, warned to dress in layers and be prepared for rain but think we lucked
out with the sun in most ports.

Enjoyed the enrichment lectures given by Larry Rudner and South America and explorers/navigators and
also gave hands-on lessons in sextant operation.

Enjoy dancing of an evening and there was a great Argentina professional couple on board - Duo Mira - who
did shows but also gave Argentina tango lessons. They were great.

The entertainment was good and on a 14 day cruise, there were many single acts and all were good apart
from a female comedienne who people thought was either great or terrible, I am among the latter.

On the whole we enjoyed the cruise very much but if we were to do this itinerary again, we would start in
Buenos Aires and sail to Valpariaso. Because of weather, we did miss the Falkland Islands which was
disappointing, but one has to understand that this itinerary features some of the worst weather in the world,
even tho Cape Horn was very smooth on the day we were there.

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