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Name: Mary Wright
Email: jeffrey@zeus.jersey.net
Age: 32
Occupation: secretary
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 6-21
Itinerary: Bermuda
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 1100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 100
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall:
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Jun 1997
Time: 15:31:53
Remote Name: 205.137.56.194
Remote User:
Comments
I was a little disappointed at the size of the Dreamward, rather small, HOWEVER it is
built to comfortably hold 1400, I was
rarely bumping into anyone and was always able to find a quiet space. The beds were very
comfy though the walking space in
the room nearly impossible, we were on the lowest deck and very quiet as well. The service
was EXCELLENT the food
servers were wonderful and always there to help, my water glass/coffee cup was never
empty. The variety of food was good,
as something like steak or chicken was always available, some in exotic recipes. If you
want anything special, you will get it!
My husband got delicious cookies every night for dessert even though they weren't on the
menu! The activities were varied
from an art auction to a stretching class, a $3400 jackpot bingo game, a vegetable carving
class, in other words there was
always something to do, but if not, just sun to the sounds of Level Vibes, a great reggae
group. We took advantage of the
shore excursions which were easily accessible by TV along with other ongoing daily
information, and even a movie channel
(only watched while getting ready to go out). The shows at night were great, elaborate and
professional. I have only been on
one other cruise, but I can tell that the service on this ship is exceptional.
Name: Brent Welch
Email: bwelch@tricon.net
Age: 38
Occupation: physician
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: june 14, 1997
Itinerary: NYC-Bermuda
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 88
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 75
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 88
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 50
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 75
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Jul 1997
Time: 22:13:32
Remote Name: 205.230.80.22
Remote User:
Comments
Overall, our experience on this cruise was quite good. We enjoyed visiting and departing
from NYC< although we did not seem to have much
flexibility on hotels, airlines, etc... Nevertheless, it was quite a spectacle to leave
midtown Manhattan past Empire State Bldg, World Trade Center,
Statue of Liberty, etc... on our way under the Verrazano bridge and into the Atlantic. The
crew were very friendly, helpful,and courteous.
The embarkation process could have been a little better organized as some lines moved
quickly and others seemed to takeforever. our trip was
slightly rocky due to stormy weather for the first 24 hours but not too bad and after that
the weather and sailing were both very nice. In
Bermuda,we went to St. George's first and found it mildly disappointing. The tour was ok
especially the visit to the lighthouse. However, the glass
blowing factory was a major waste of time and Fort St.Catherine (not on the tour) was
nothing special. If we had it to do over, we would have
either gone swimming at Tobacco Bay or taken a scooter or cab to other parts of the
island. As for Hamilton, it was very nice and lots to do. The
stores were very nice and had great variety. I played golf at the Mid-Ocean club which is
the nicest course in Bermuda. While quite pricey, it was
a great experience not only from the course but also the caddy, the views, etc... Of all
the excursions, our favorite was the Western Blue Cut
snorkeling trip where one can not only see coral,fish, etc but also 2 shipwrecks very
close to each other.The staff were all very attentive and
genuinely helpful when asked. I would recommend the 2nd seating for meals although this
tends to make the midnite buffet less enticing. the
pool and deck can get a little crowded especially when you are going or returning bet NYC
and Bermuda. Allin all, we had a very nice time on this
cruise and would recommend it to others.
Name: Mark E. French
Email: frenchm@sacredheart.edu
Age: 37
Occupation: College Administration
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 6/28/1997
Itinerary: New York-Bermuda
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 75
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 75
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 86
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Sep 1997
Time: 16:30:22
Remote Name: 148.166.28.1
Remote User:
Comments
First, a little background on why we chose NCL, over Celebrity and RCCL. We chose the
DREAMWARD because it was the only
ship sailing to Bermuda which offered rooms with verandahs. If you haven't had a cabin
with a verandah, do what ever you
have to, to secure one on your next cruise. So the DREAMWARD was our only choice.
The Positives: First, embarkation was a breeze. We waited in line for no more than 10
minutes, and walked right on to the
ship. Second, sailing out of New York is really a treat. We were blessed with an
absolutely beautiful day, so the trip out to sea
was wonderful. Third, the ship has two pools, the larger one in the center of the ship and
a smaller one aft. The larger pool is
definitely for the party crowd, which my wife and I definitely are not. The smaller pool
turned out to be much quieter and very
relaxing. The ship is well laid out and never really seemed crowded. The dining rooms were
very nice, a good idea to offer
three smaller restaurants and one slightly more upscale, non-assigned alternative. Also,
tables for two are available which we
found to be very nice.
The ship has a nice promenade deck with a wrap-around track, also there is a well equiped
although small fitness center.
The breakfast buffet was always very good, provided you are an early riser. Otherwise, go
to your assigned restaurant for
breakfast and lunch if you want to avoid large crowds. Room service was very limited,
however, it always arrived in a timely
manner, and the items that were available were very good.
The room was narrow but long and overall comfortable, and as previously stated the
verandah really made it special. Also,
the in-room pay movie selection was good, and we enjoyed a movie almost every evening.
Although, I am sure some would
object to paying extra for movies. There are free movies available from a very limited and
often repeated menu.
The Negative: First, although embarkation was a breeze, we were not escorted to our cabin.
Many other cruise lines provide
this service, and I think it is a very nice way to start a cruise. Second, the ship is
VERY tired looking. All software, carpets,
upholstery, curtains etc. need to be replaced now! Third, the food was O.K., maybe not a
true negative, but don't expect too
much. You won't go hungry, but you won't find anything truely good. Service was O.K., we
have experienced much better on
other cruise lines.
Name: Michael Mastroianni
Email: biddy01@msn.com
Age: 24
Occupation: store manager
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 8-2-97
Itinerary: Bermuda (7 days)
FoodDiningRoom: 93
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 89
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 89
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 92
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 89
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: N/A
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff: N/A
EntertainmentLounges: 93
WheelchairAccess: 89
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon: N/A
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: N/A
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 89
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 92
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Oct 1997
Time: 14:18:54
Remote Name: 207.220.5.26
Remote User:
Comments
Having been a first time cruiser I had a wonderful time onboard the Dreamward. The food
and service was great and waiters and bust-boys, always
remembered the little things that made the eating experience simply extravegant. The ship
itself is clean, and very spacious. There was truly nothing to
complain about. The cabin stewards were great also. Although I never seen them cleaning,
they would mysteriously pop in and turn your bed down every
evening and leave a little treat on your pillow . Unfortunately, I am very disappointed
that the Dreamward will no longer be going to Bermuda from NY. I
was looking forward to cruising again with NCL in June of '98, however the Norwegian Crown
was way to expensive for me and my traveling partner. We
booked with Royal Carribean and are hoping that we will have just as good of a time that
we had onboard the Dreamward.
Name: James D. Thornton
Email: jthorn@gte.net
Age: 63
Occupation: Retired Electronic Enginnering Manager
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 10/18/97
Itinerary: New York to Montreal
FoodDiningRoom: 70
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 70
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 70
CabinAmenities: 70
FoodLidoDeck: 50
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 70
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 50
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 50
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess: 30
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 50
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 70
EmbarkDisembark: 50
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 50
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 50
OverallCruiseValue: 60
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Nov 1997
Time: 17:11:25
Remote Name: 208.254.79.50
Remote User:
Comments
CABIN:
Cabin was a smoking cabin. Our travel agent requested a no smoking cabin and we showed NCL
on-board
personnel a copy of request to NCL. NCL showed us two lesser cabins that were available as
non-smoking -
one two decks lower with a porthole instead of a window and other with window obscured by
a lifeboat.
Cabin was always cold. It took two different technicians to open cabin heating vents.
Too few clothes hangers in cabin and too few drawers (four 12-inches x 6-inches x
12-inches). Very small
bathroom with a smaller-sized triangle-shape shower and no tub. We have cruised on Holland
America Lines
(HAL) to Alaska and Panama Canal and wanted to compare their service to another cruise
line. On HAL, we
had three times drawer space, etc.
Cabin had two single beds although we requested a queen. NCL just pushed beds together
with a thick
mattress cover to cover up bed separation. Blankets were two separate blankets, i.e., my
wife and I had
separate single bed blankets on a 'double' bed. Had real queen bed on HAL.
Cabin on deck 6 (catalog A) with large window (not a porthole) about four feet wide and
three feet high. Just
below main deck.
No escort to cabin. HAL does.
No fruit in cabin. HAL does every day.
No morning ship newspaper delivered to room. We had to go to Reception Desk (deck 9) and
hope that there
was still some papers left. HAL delivers paper to cabin under door.
One free bottle of wine and cock screw in cabin. HAL does not.
Baggage arrived late. We boarded at approximately 2:00 P.M., sailed at 4:00 P.M., and
didn’t receive our
luggage until nearly 6:00 P.M. Our first meal sitting was 6:00 P.M.
All cabins on lower decks and all restaurants on upper decks. Thus lots of stair climbing
as elevators were
very small and slow.
RESTAURANTS:
Had good dinner members - a table of eight on Sun Terraces’ third or highest level
overlooking stern. We
selected early seating.
There are five restaurants aboard - Bistro (deck 9), Four Seasons (deck 9), Terraces (deck
10), Sun Terraces
(deck 11), and Sports Grill (deck 12). Four Seasons, Terraces, and Sun Terraces are
assigned seating. Sport
Grill is a cafeteria-style fast food place and Bistro has a cover charge of $5.00 per
person per meal. Bistro is
a poor substitute for Holland America Line (HAL) Lido restaurant
Meals were tasteless or bland.
Early morning coffee was located six decks higher on most highest deck. And no lids for
coffee cups!
BARS:
Bar service was very slow and bars were not crowded. No hot d'oeuvres; just stale chips.
One waiter where
HAL had three. We tried all four inside bars to compare service. The service was same -
slow.
No entertainment in bars until after second dinner seating.
Several evenings all passengers were locked out of Observatory room, a large bar
overlooking bow, due to
private parties.
There were seven bars- four inside: Rendezvous Lounge (deck 9), Luckey’s (deck 10),
Sports Bar (deck 12),
and Observatory Lounge (deck 12); and three outdoors: Look-Out Bar (deck 9), Topsiders Bar
(deck 11), and
Champs Bar (deck 12).
Saw NCL crew search passengers’ packages looking for any liquor which NCL will not
return until passenger
leaves ship at final port. However, ship’s stores sell liquor that may be taken to
passengers’ cabin.
All drinks aboard include a 15 percent tip.
MISCELLANEOUS:
It was wonderful to set sail out of New York City at 4:00 P.M. and sail pass Manhattan,
Staten, and Ellis Islands
and under bridges and especially Statue of Liberty.
No evening meal menu package when reaching final port. HAL gave a special binding of
evening meal menus.
It was a nice touch.
Boarding ship is very difficult as gangway must always reach main deck. In morning, at low
tide, gangway is
nearly flat to dock, but when returning in afternoon, with high tide, gangway is at a much
sharper angle or
rise. This is most difficult for older passengers. HAL has a series of outdoors doors
lower than main deck so
that gangway was nearly always flat. NCL has no provision to assist happicapped or slow
walker. This often
delayed leaving ship up to 45 minutes.
No on-board movies - just pay-for-view or real old black-and-white movies in cabin. There
is no theater on
Dreamward. On HAL, we always had first-run movies in our cabin and in theater with fresh
popcorn.
NCL really pushes tipping by providing frequently suggested tipping guidelines and
providing tipping
envelopes.
Good on-shore tour packages of Boston, Halifax, and Quebec - poor tour guide in Portland,
Maine. The
Portland was more interested in talking to bus driver than providing a tour.
No on-board self-serve laundry service - NCL charges by piece, i.e., underwear (men’s
shorts) $1.25 each,
socks (one pair) $1.00, etc. HAL has several coin-operated self-service laundries.
To be able to sign for drinks or purchases aboard NCL, you must stand in a long line to
give NCL an imprint of
your credit card. This was not required on HAL.
This was next to last cruise of this ship as it is returning to Germany to be cut in half
and another 140 feet
added to its mid-section for another 200 more cabins. Ship will be renamed as Norway
Dream.
NCL Dreamward, built in 1992, is 25 percent larger than HAL’s Noordam, built in 1984,
and has 16 more
cabins but their crew size is 483 as compared to Noordam’s 542. Passenger to crew
ratio is 2.6 for
Dreamward and 2.2 for the Noordam. HAL pays more attention to their passengers.
Name: Karen T. Borchers
Email: Kborchers@sjmercury.com
Age: 40
Occupation: Photojournalist
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: August 2, 1997
Itinerary: to Bermuda
FoodDiningRoom: 97
CruiseDirector: 94
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 93
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 93
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 94
FoodMidnightBuffets: 94
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 93
FoodVariety: 96
DeckService: 94
ShoreExcValue: 91
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 96
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 99
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 96
GoodForSeniors: 94
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess: 97
ExerciseFacilities: 97
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 97
CruiseActivities: 96
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 98
DeckSpace: 93
Stabilization: 96
ShopsOnBoard: 99
SpaceRatio: 96
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 04 Nov 1997
Time: 16:58:09
Remote Name: 207.1.134.34
Remote User:
Comments
The Dreamward was a WONDERFUL ship to take a cruise on. My Mother treated 21 of us in my
family to this
cruise, so there was every age in our Joan's Crew group. There was always plenty to do on
board while sailing
the 36 hours to St. George, Bermuda, our first stop. The only complaint I had was that
while we were sailing
to Bermuda, the poolside was completely filled with people, sitting in the sun and
swimming in the pools. On
the sun deck, many people would put their towels on a chair and then disappear for longer
than the 30
minutes absence time allowed. The kids with us always had something to do: a circus,
variety show,
scavanager hunts etc. My brother gave the kids their own keys and they were off on their
own for most of the
day with the ship day-care counselors. My 72-year-old mother competed in the organzied
table tennis
tournament.
The activity director, Tim, was GREAT! My mother played against several competitors of
all ages
and ended up winning the tournament. At night, a group of us gathered in the lounge where
a trio group
(AMy and her husband) sang popular soft rock songs. The bartenders were very pleasant and
helpful. The
only problem is, the dance floor was very small; it could only accommodate about 6 people.
A large dance
floor would have been more fun.
Bermuda was FANTASTIC: Make sure you go to Elbow Beach, Horseshoe
Beach and Tabacco Bay Beach. The off-shore excursion called Undersea Walk was a BIG
disappointment. My
mother talked me into going with her. It involved motorboating out to a corral reef with
40 other people on
board, while Capt. Greg gave us an orientation. Once there, eight people at a time could
go underwater. We
climbed down a ladder off the side of the boat and a helmets were placed on our head.
Fresh water was then
pumped in so we could breathe underwater. That part was fine. The problem was that there
40 of us on
board (each paying $69). That meant 5 groups went under for 25 minutes. We were in the
last group and had
to wait 2 and a half hours for our turn. A storm came in, complete with lightening, but we
were told it was
nothing to worry about and we should take our turn. The whole excursion lasted about 4
hours and many
people were sea-sick and tired of waiting on the boat with nothing to do.
The food on the ship was VERY good,
every variety. the waiters and busboys were fantastic. The room service was mostly cold
food such as
sandwiches and salads. The teenagers got a kick out of ordering room service late at
night: ice cream and
brownies. I would LOVE to go on another cruise based on this trip and probably will. I
work at a newspaper
and wrote a special TRAVEL feature page about this cruise.
Name: Cynthia Black
Email: black@ns.sympatico.ca
Age: 42
Occupation: Real Estate Associate
NumberOfCruises: 9
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Dreamward
SailingDate: 11/01/97
Itinerary: Repositioning NY/Miami
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 70
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 60
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 75
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 70
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 40
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 20
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Nov 1997
Time: 09:11:12
Remote Name: 142.177.29.22
Remote User:
Comments
We booked our cruise 284 days before departure. As it was both a 20th anniversary cruise
for us as well as a gift
to my elderly parents and my sister, I expected everything to go smoothly in all ways. We
have cruised with
Norwegian twice before, but this was probably our last cruise with them unless things
change dramatically.
Although booked and paid for very well in advance, we never did receive our tickets. This
is the second time this
has happened to us with Norwegian. Not only that, on our last cruise with them, they
actually forgot, completely
forgot to book our airline tickets. Since on that occasion it was March break, they had
such difficulty in getting
reservations for us, it took almost 24 hours to get from Nova Scotia to Florida, and we
were bumped practically
all over the continental U.S. This time, air was supposedly included from Miami back to
New York, but as our
cruise agent said, it wasn't supposed to be rotten air. As most cruisers know , the day of
disembarkation begins
very early, and is not very pleasant. You are up early, and must leave your cabin so the
staff can begin cleaning.
But our flight back to New York did not leave until 7:30 that evening. Normally flights
are booked for late morning
or early afternoon. What were we supposed to do with these elderly people in an airport
for the whole day?
Embarkation in New York was absolutely awful. Of course, that was made worse because we
had no
documentation that we actually had tickets, none of our necessary forms were filled out,
etc. And, no fault of
Norwegian, New York does not have a very pleasant terminal, or sometimes even pleasant
people!
Most honest travel agents will tell you that Norwegian's air/sea department is in a mess.
And in our experience,
nothing goes smoothly with them. If you book with them, expect little problem after little
problem. Once on the
ship, there were supposed to be flowers, wine and champagne in each of several cabins. I
had arranged with
Norwegian's customer service dept. (and paid for) flower arrangements, wine and champagne
for my parents
and other travelling companions. These were supposed to be in the cabin upon our arrival.
They did not arrive
until the fourth day out, and then only because I went to the purser's office and did not
leave until I spoke with
the chief purser. Eventually the flower arrangement (which was supposed to be a tropical
arrangement) arrived,
but it was just a normal domestic flower arrangement. The fruit basket ended up being just
what they normally
put in your cabin, and the wine separate.
The carpets and upholstery on this ship are very much in need of replacement. I suspect
that they have
postponed doing it because this ship is going to drydock to be stretched. This stretching
will certainly change the
dynamics of the ship. It may be nice in some ways, but I think that there will be
significant crowding as they add
more passengers. Already the deck space on this ship is small, and very crowded when they
try to hold activities
on the deck.
Food was just alright in the main dining room. We noticed a real drop in the quality since
we last sailed on this
ship. The food on the deck was only fair. Even the signature chocoholic buffet was much
smaller and less
glamorous. The one absolutely excellent thing about the food is the Bistro restaurant. The
food and service there
were superb. Highly recommended.
Entertainment was poor, except for the two Broadway show nights. We did not expect
top-notch entertainment all
the time since this was a 15 day repositioning cruise, but it was obviously just stuff
tossed together. In the
lounges the entertainment was very good, especially a Canadian group from Montreal called
Escapade.
Staff onboard are very good, enthusiastic, for the most part. Unfortunately for them, they
are continually mopping
up problems caused by their behind the scenes administration. There were so many angry
passengers on this
cruise. Everywhere we went people were complaining about the service, the food, the
entertainment, and
especially the liquor policy. Our opinion is that your ship cabin is like your hotel room.
What you do there is up to
you. Norwegian, however, tries to restrict passengers from bringing their own liquor on
board. The last time we
sailed on Norwegian they had a wonderful arrangement- a store onboard where you could buy
bottles for use in
your cabin at very reasonable prices. That is gone, and not only that, if you try to bring
liquor onboard, it will be
confiscated, and not returned to you until the end of the cruise. They do not seem to
search hand-luggage,
however. So the trick is to simply put any liquor purchased in a handbag of some kind. If
you bring it openly, it will
be taken, unless alot of people like me complain loudly. Many did on this cruise.
Disembarkation was absolutely awful- to the point of riots. Many passengers missed their
flights, and no one
seemed to care. I actually heard one crew member say that it wasn't their problem. Then
when we finally were
given word that we could disembark, they actually still tried to hold back the passengers
who had flights in order
to get their precious tours off. We, among others, simply lifted the chain and left, with
security people practically
throwing up their hands in despair. I have honestly never seen to many unhappy people on a
cruise. We love to
cruise, and we still had a good time, but in comparison with some of our other cruises,
and even other cruises on
this line, this one was poor. We really wonder if Norwegian is once again in financial
trouble, because all of the
little touches were missing- like the flower arrangments in public areas, etc. Just not
the same. Too bad, really,
because they used to have a good cruise product. My advice- think about another line right
now, perhaps Royal
Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Costa.
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