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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Matt & Midge Heredia
Email: mhered@mindspring.com
Age: 68
Occupation: Marketing Consultant
NumberOfCruises: 7
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 9 Jul 99
Itinerary: Scandinavian Capitals
Cabin: 6062 Atlantic Deck
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 42
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 55
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 88
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 92
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 82
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 60
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 60
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 40
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 50
SpaceRatio: 88
OverallCruiseValue: 60
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Sep 1999
Time: 16:21:15
Remote Name: user-38lcf1m.dialup.mindspring.com
Remote User:
Comments
We have cruised NCL four times. We were Latitude card holders. NCL Dream was spotlessly
clean. . Our
pre-cruise 2 day stay in London was poorly managed. Upon arriving at the Mount Royal
Thistle hotel our bags
were dumped onto a busy sidewalk. We had to struggle through fellow passenger crowds in
the hotel. Finally 1.5
hours later after confronting a hotel employee, we were assigned a room. The NCL staff
there was clueless. Never
again will we agree to a 'free' pre-cruise package. The (nautical)crew were totally
professional. I later learned, with
regret, of the ship's collision in the North Sea during a subsequent cruise.The Baltic
Capitals itinerary was easily
the most interesting of all of our 6 previous cruises. Our cabin (6062) on Atlantic deck
was comfortable, clean and
well maintained. Storage space was adequate. The safe was a major plus. TV fare consisted
of Gene Autry and
John Wayne movies circa 1938 over and over and over again. As a respite we were barraged
with programs
touting merchants ashore and "how-to" methods for gambling in the casino. Food
quality ranged from excellent to
poor. Breakfast buffets featured re-constituted eggs in a watery gruel and rubberized
sausages. Our waiters were
attentive and competent. Poor cruise director organization and lack of control aboard ship
turned the passenger
excursion line ups into mob scenes during which I received a sarcastic remark from a young
cruise ship tour
employee. When I reported it to the Cruise Director I got the distinct impression that he
had heard it all before.
Three feet away stood the culprit with a large smirk on her face. The "gift
shop" was grossly overpriced and
devoted microscopic space to essentials. Although the ship was quite clean our passageway
smelled of raw
sewage and mold frequently. The printed instructions on debarking omitted mention of Delta
airlines with the
result that when we arrived at Gatwick we had no idea which of two terminal buildings (a
mile or more apart) we
were to go to. The bus driver either did not know or did not care because even after we
asked him he shrugged
his shoulders and ignored us. I've heard of the "dumping syndrome" medically
speaking, NCL practices it with their
debarkation. I wrote to NCL through my travel agency and several weeks later I received a
perfunctory response
in which my name was mis-spelled twice in the same letter (using a different spelling each
time). I have told NCL
and my travel agent that we will carefully avoid NCL in the future.
Name: Stephen Chan
Email: shlchan@yahoo.com
Age: 51
Occupation: Gallery and Gift Store Owner
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 10/11/99
Itinerary: Greek Isles and Black Sea
Cabin: 8214/F
FoodDiningRoom: 70
CruiseDirector: 70
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 70
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff: 75
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 75
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 87
BeautySalonStaff: 80
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess: 80
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon: 80
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 70
MedicalFacilities: 80
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 70
DiscoNightclubs: 70
DeckSpace: 70
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 70
OverallCruiseValue: 70
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 05 Nov 1999
Time: 14:18:16
Remote Name: chans.ria.army.mil
Remote User:
Comments
Our journey started with some confusion after being picked up by the Norwegian Cruise Line
(NCL) Representative at
the airport. We were bused to the Sheraton Roma Hotel for lunch, but were not told
what’s going on. After the buffet
lunch we thought we would be taken to the Ship, Norwegian Dream, but the buses didn’t
show up until about 4pm. By
then, the hotel was full of anxious and tired travelers who had flown for many hours and
were anxious to get onboard.
One could imagine the chaos in loading a few hundred people at the same time. The
Norwegian Dream turned into a
Norwegian Nightmare. The trip from the hotel to the pier took about an hour. Our scheduled
‘Bon Voyage’ set sail time
of 6pm was postponed to 11pm. We were informed later that the ship didn’t make it in
time to Rome after her repair in
Germany (result of the accident in the English Channel in August when it collided with a
cargo ship).
Because of the delay in departure we missed the first port of call in Messina, Sicily. The
compensation was a mere $50
per person shipboard credit which, in our opinion, was not sufficient.
We disembarked promptly and efficiently when the 12-day cruise ended at Istanbul. The tour
of the Blue Mosque, the
Grand Bazaar, and Kariye Museum was included before checking into the hotel (a nice one)
where we reunited with our
luggage.
The overall rating of the cruise and the land tours was average. The prices on the land
excursions were a bit high.
The food was adequate but the quality needs vast improvement. The lobster dinner for the
last evening on board had
only half of a lobster tail. Our regular Philippine waiter was a hard worker but his
command in English was not good
enough to communicate clearly and he did not do things efficiently. Also, he mixed up our
dinner entrees for a number
of times. I considered it as lack of training. The busboy was OK but not great. At one
breakfast, I had to tell the waiter
(not our regular) about the rudeness of the busboy (not our regular). The waiter agreed
and said the busboy needs to
go home for a break (probably too long a time at sea). I was being kind for not reporting
it to the Maitre D and good
thing that he’s not our regular busboy.
We also noticed that the cabin steward did not clean our toilet for at least 2 days. We
found that out because the toilet
was plugged up when we left for a land excursion in the morning. Upon our return, it was
still plugged up even though
the cabin had been made up. I had to call for maintenance myself and it was finally fixed
when we returned after lunch.
The next day, I tested the toilet cleaning by placing a piece of paper inside the toilet
prior to going out for another land
tour. Once again, the room was made up when we returned but the piece of paper was still
floating in the toilet. That
proved that the cabin steward never bothered to lift up the seat to clean the toilet.
Also, I personally got the cabin
steward to clean the smudges off the glass table in the room. He did such a lousy cleaning
job that the smudges were
still there all throughout the cruise.
Entertainment was good but needed refinement. Of course, we understand we’re not
talking about real Broadway shows
here. We also realize that the entertainers on ship are either on their way up and on
their way down. One surprise was
the only noticeable things the cruise director ever did were making announcements even
though she has her own
support staff. She didn’t do any entertaining. She was also on the beefy side and so
were a few of the entertainers and
staff including the female dance instructor. The dance instruction team was like a mother
and her son (of course, they
were not).
A couple told us one of their suitcases was missing for the first few days. The man did
not have his tuxedo for the first
formal night. They were told to have their dinners in their suite due to lack of formal
wear. The ship has tuxedo rental
service and they wouldn’t even let them have a 'free rental.' How insensitive and
customer unfriendly could it get?
Unfortunately, they were booked to continue for another 12-day cruise to Cairo, Egypt. It
was their 12th cruise and the
first one with NCL and, needless to say, they were not happy campers.
Other inconveniences included no self-service laundry facilities on board. The PA system
only broadcasts over the
open area and not in the stateroom. So, to hear anything, we had to leave our door open.
Considering the size of the ship and the number of passengers (1600), they have done an
adequate job. We’ve been
on better cruises but you get what you pay for. I sure like the small ships and open
sitting much better. With all things
considered including the fiasco at the beginning of the cruise on getting on the buses at
Sheraton in Rome, it will be a
long time, if ever, that we cruise on NCL again albeit we’re Latitude Members.
Every one is welcome to email us for additional information.
Name: Henry Wong
Email: henryw@bluepencil.com
Age: 37
Occupation: Desktop Publishing
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 12/12/99
Itinerary: Southern Caribean
Cabin: 8027
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 69
CabinComfort: 79
FoodRoomService: 79
CruiseStaff: 79
CabinAmenities: 80
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 79
CabinQuietness: 79
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 79
ShoreExcVariety: 69
FoodVariety: 79
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 96
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 69
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 79
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 79
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 69
Casino: 69
AirSeaProgram: 79
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 89
EmbarkDisembark: 89
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 79
Stabilization: 89
ShopsOnBoard: 79
SpaceRatio: 79
OverallCruiseValue: 79
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Dec 1999
Time: 22:22:43
Remote Name: mail.bluepencil.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was our third NCL cruise and my wife and I found it to be as we expected. NCL has
staked out its spot
as the third in the line of cruise conglomerates and it seems happy to stay there. The
impression overall I
get is they just do enough, to get by. Mediocre food, service and cabin. We dined with
seasoned NCL
passengers that aggreed with our judgement of the Dream. As average as it was we didn't
have a bad
experience to focus in on. This was our first cruise at a Cat 2 and we found it pretty
much the same except
for the following things. You get the bath robe thing, the petit fours 4 times, free
bottled water, cheap
champagne and the ceremonial fruit bowl.
The concierge was useless offering nothing more then usual.
Our steward and waiter were competent, but not overly accomodating. Here again its that
attitude I will do
enough to get by. I feel that good service is really a luck of the draw type thing. I
didn't spend much time on
deck, but I never really saw alot of the Cruise director or her staff. The support people
for shore excursions
were present and helpful. The repeated message throughout the cruise was we just got back
from
European itinerary and we are not prepared. I found that to be a lame excuse. The food was
consistently
average. I enjoyed double entrees every night. I had no complaints about the buffets or
the service there. I
never did make it to the midnight buffets. The ports were fine but it seems like the
excursions get pricey
every year. We rode horses in St. Croix and the poor horses were in bad facilities and
there were no flush
toilets. They say you get a complimentary refreshment, in St. Croix that means H2o. We
took the
catamaran tour to the baths in Vrigin Gorda and let me warn you must be a good swimmer.
They say they
will tender you in but thats weather permitting. Other folks took the ferry and they said
it was a bumpy
ride.We did the sea kayaks in St. Johns in the p.m. and NCL screwed up the times. I would
recommend this
Eco tour but you you will have a good workout. I hope I wasn't too negative against NCL
and I think I might
sail with them again all things considered.
Please don't e-mail with contradictary reports because these are
my opinions and have had people actually get irate with my opinions. If you have questions
please feel
free. One thing I know for sure. The people at the airport on the way home had a horrible
time on the
Fascination. There cruise was 10% capacity and they were selling cabins 2 for 1 for $255!
They were
telling horror stories like I never hear about. One thing I would like to note is we did a
pre cruise package 2
days prior. I went fishing in San Jaun and caught 100lbs of Mahi-Mahi. I also went Tarpon
fishing in the
lagoon in San Juan that was not too productive. Fishing would probably been better if it
wasn't for that cold
front that was moving through. A cold front in San Juan is temps below 83 degrees!
Name: Marge Schechner
Email: momcactus@email.com
Age: 54
Occupation: Real estate appraiser
NumberOfCruises: 13
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: February 13, 2000
Itinerary: Aruba,Curacao,Tortola,St.Thomas
Cabin: 8030
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 75
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 20
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 89
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Feb 2000
Time: 16:28:30
Remote Name: cx931444-a.vbch1.va.home.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was not our first cruise on either this line or this ship. We had cruised on the ship before it was
extended and wanted to see how Norwegian stretched a ship and liked the itinerary. Our overall
impression was okay, but not great. Let's start with flights and embarkation. NCL put us on
Continental and our flights to San Juan went smoothly. However, at the airport in San Juan, we were
pretty much on our own. We are used to being met at our gate on cruises and this didn't happen.
We had to search for an NCL representative to find the bus to the ship. Once we arrived at the pier,
check in was smooth and quick, probably because we are Latitudes members.
Our cabin was typical
size for this type of cruise and the bathroom was same-small but adequate. There was a safe in the
room, which we really like. Adequate closet space but very few drawers to use. Nice bathroom
amenities. NCL has gone to small bottles rather than the paper packs they used to use. I know I am
being picky, but the body gel was slimy and the conditioning shampoo didn't condition. The bed was
very comfortable but the pillows were from hunger.
Our cabin stewardess, Jasmine, was very friendly
and kept our cabin immaculate. Since we had sailed twice with NCL(on the Dream and the Norway)
and looked forward to the fantastic cold fruit soups and yummy desserts. Not this cruise. The food
was mediocre at best. When we ordered steak Medium Rare, sometimes it was done correctly, other
times much too rare. Salads were very disappointing and variety of food the same. Our waiter, Stan,
was the highlight of the dining room. He was charming, friendly and very helpful in recommending
which foods to order and, more important, which ones not to order. The cruise director, Carey Sue
Majors, was outgoing without being obnoxious and very informative and friendly when we saw her
around the ship. The entertainment was quite good. We had three different comedians and three
shows. The young cast did a good job with "42nd Street", but the ship's band is sorry. The itinerary
was why we picked this ship.
We loved Curacao and Tortola and St. Thomas is a shopper's dream,
but Aruba was very disappointing. We took a snorkling tour off Curacao and it was fabulous, made
even better since the Dive-In staff was in the water with us, pointing out fish and coral. Tortola is
charming and the way all the islands probably were 40 years ago, delighfully undeveloped and
uncommercialized. We took the ferry over to Virgin Gorda and snorkeled at one of the most
beautiful beaches we had ever seen. Be prepared for a 45 minute ferry ride, a 10 minute jitney ride
and then a 350 yard hike down a rocky hill to the beach, but worth it. Ship board activities were not
well organized nor well run. We love to play the Trivia games and each one was run by a different
staff member, whoever had a free half hour.
There were no set rules, such as team size and the
whole thing was disappointing. The worst part of the whole trip was coming home. It turned a
"Dream" into a nightmare. When we disembarked, there was no Continental representative at the
pier. We were shuffled around with our luggage and eventually made it to the airport with our
luggage where we had to wait in another long line to check our bags. On all of our other cruises, we
checked luggage at the pier and didn't see it again until we got home. Then, in the San Juan airport,
we were told the wrong gate, the announcement for our flight didn't come over the PA system where
we were sitting and we missed our flight. The only way we got home that day was to purchase two
First Class tickets on Delta. We were furious and it really colored our whole trip. Overall impression
was that NCL is cutting expenses and the consumer suffers.
Name: Raymond Bayerl
Email: raymond@bo-hemian.com
Age: 38
Occupation: Patent Examiner
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 30 January 2000
Itinerary: Aruba/Southern Caribbean
Cabin: 5004/D
FoodDiningRoom: 93
CruiseDirector: 78
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 87
FoodLidoDeck: 87
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 92
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 92
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff: 87
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 89
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff: 88
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon: 82
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 78
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 50
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 92
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 79
Stabilization: 79
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 84
OverallCruiseValue: 83
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Mar 2000
Time: 11:47:26
Remote Name: ptohideb.uspto.gov
Remote User:
Comments
I take a trip south every winter in February, and for 2000, I decided to book 7 days to Aruba, Curacao,
Tortola and St. Thomas on the M/S Norwegian Dream. The air arrangements on Delta gave me some
trouble, to and from San Juan. Snow delays caused my checked luggage to get lost (it did not meet me
until Aruba), and the return flight, leaving at 5:40 PM, did not see me getting home until 1:30 AM in
Washington, DC. I would book my airfare separately next time, since I am not a good night person and I
had to sit all day in San Juan at the end.
Being a first-time cruise passenger, I suppose more of my impressions were comparisons with the many
land-based trips I've taken in the last few years, such as to Las Vegas. I have to agree with the industry
proponents who talk of it being a good value for the money. One always had good meals available,
especially in the dining rooms, though I am not used to being forced to a specific dinner schedule, since I
live alone. I was somewhat annoyed at having to sign for all of my drinks (even the Diet Cokes), but at
least it was all accounted for in the onboard credit folio at the end.
On this particular ship, I found myself walking quite a bit along the corridors and up and down stairs,
since I was almost fully forward on the 5th Deck but the dining hall was fully aft on the 9th. The plans did
not always afford easy access from one location to another on a given deck, as with 9th deck being
barred amidships by a dining room and 10th deck having the theatre lounge frequently closed to through
traffic, as when the shows were rehearsing. I'd think some would call this "exercise" good for me.
The cabin was suitable enough for my needs, though smaller in size than even the smallest hotel rooms. I
booked a single inside guarantee ticket and got upgraded, which was much to my liking, though the
"oceanview" consisted of two portholes looking out through about 30 inches of ship's structure. They
could have had more television channels on the in-stateroom cable system, even with the free first- run
movies and CNN. I was of the impression that television-watching was not a big concern for passengers,
just as it does not seem well-provided for guests in the big Las Vegas hotels. I was sorry to miss the
Dream's installation of an internet cafe service, since I spend so much time online. I found a place to log
on in St. Thomas, to offset some of this inconvenience. The high cost of ship-to-shore telephone calling,
of course, meant I was forced to use on-shore phones or just not call.
My biggest impression of all when I was on this cruise was that I was being herded and manipulated
according to the rule of others. Certain things were only open at certain times, and woe be to me if I didn't
make the life jackets drill at 10:00 AM, day 2. They insisted that I toss all of my packed baggage into the
hall the night before the end, meaning I'd have to carry everything by hand to breakfast that I might want
in the interim. Still, there was a certain comfort, almost like that of being a kid again, in having so much
taken care of for me. The rules don't seem that bad from the perspective of a month later, and I'd sail the
Norwegian Way again.
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