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Name: David Furman
Email: Furmancor@aol.com
Age: 43
Occupation: Human Resources
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Leeward
SailingDate: August 29, 1998
Itinerary: Montreal to Alexandria, Virginia
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 80
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 75
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 75
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 70
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 07 Sep 1998
Time: 20:30:07
Remote Name: 205.188.193.31
Remote User:
Comments
This was the first cruise for me, my wife and 9 year old
daughter. The cruise offered by special arrangement by Didion
offered a great itinerary (Montreal,
Quebec, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Provincetown) with a end of week
return to Alexandria where we live. We elected to spend an extra
day in Montreal before
the cruise began and we were glad we did as we got to spend a
full day seeing the sights of Montreal. This was an extra offered
by Didion. When we
arrived at the airport in Montreal, Didion had representatives
awaiting our plane for a quick bus trip to our hotel. Along the
way, our guide started
sharing useful information about the city and things to do. When
we arrived at the hotel it was too early to check in so our
luggage was unloaded and
stored away, and we were told our rooms would be ready by 3:00.
This gave us nearly the whole day to explore this beautiful city,
and just as promised
when we returned to the hotel, our room keys were ready and our
bags were already in place.
Early the next morning, we started with a bus tour of the city
provided as part of the package. It was a great 2 1/2 hour tour
to all the sights, and finally
to the port where the Leeward awaited. Getting aboard was easy
after some brief confusion. We were shown immediately to our
cabin, and our bags
were already awaiting us outside the door. We immediately went to
have lunch in our assigned dining room. Lunch was very good, and
the service
excellent. All in all...a very good start.
We set sail that evening for Quebec. In our cabin, there was
information about the excursions that would be available in
Quebec. Making reservations
was easy, and generally, the excursion staff were good at getting
a lot of people off the ship and to the right bus quickly. Only
one snafu in 4 days of
different ports! Excursions had something for everyone...bus
tours, whale watching, horse drawn carriage rides, walking tours,
etc. Lots of choices each
day, and reasonably priced.
Food was excellent in the dining room (we chose the earlier of
two seatings). Service was great (kudos to Byron and Neville),
and the food offered daily
variety. Experienced cruisers who sat at our table told us the
food was more consistent than on other ships they had traveled
on, but not as elegant. I
sure wouldn't complain as the variety and quality of dinner was
superb. We often ate breakfast and lunch in the Sports Bar where
daughter Kate could
get simple things that kids and some adults prefer like hotdogs,
hamburgers, french fries, and spaghetti. And in the morning,
there was a great
assortment of breakfast items. The only thing I missed were snack
foods in the afternoon and around 9:00p.m. My bad habits from
home simply weren't
met with the cookies and ice cream treats in mid afternoon, nor
could I even think about eating at midnight.
I guess my final thoughts are about the ship itself, and it's
amenities. The ship is a refitted ferry, and thus does not have a
deep keel, (if it did we wouldn't
have been able to sail up the Potomac to Alexandria), so when it
got rough one day, we did move around a bit. Don't know if
another ship would have
handled the seas better. The ship's pool was too cold to even
consider swimming in, but the two hot tubs were nice on the cool
evenings and mornings.
The lounges were nice, and offered variety. And the main show
lounge was really nice with good entertainment. Johnny Thunder of
Drifters fame was
particularly good, with two comedians bringing laughter to the
house with very clean material!!! Only thing I disliked was the
lack of information about
where we were. Since we were traveling to several destinations,
it would have been a lot better for the captain or crew to give
better updates on our
position than was given on the outdated map in the main area.
Just my preference, and maybe not one that bothered anyone else.
The ship had a youth
cruise director, a bubbly young lady named Michelle. She offered
the few children on board a full variety of activities. But since
this was our family
vacation, our daughter spent most of her time with us. At the end
of the trip, Michelle came to our cabin with a bag full of games
for Kate.
Didion and Norwegian Cruise Line have a real winner here. I think
we'll do it again..but will have to save our pennies!!!!
Bon Voyage
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