CruiseOpinion.com Ship Reviews

Note -this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Phil & Mary Brown
Email: phil.brown@seConcepts.com
Age: 57
Occupation: Systems Engineer
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-NorwegianCrown
SailingDate: 2/13/99
Itinerary: Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 93
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 92
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 50
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 60
LoungeService: 75
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 87
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 82
EntertShowLounge: 78
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 93
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 Mar 1999
Time: 14:07:14
Remote Name: 209-30-178-224.flash.net
Remote User:

Comments

This 14-day cruise around the southern tip of South America exceeded our expectations. We were quite impressed
with the efficiency of the crew. And pleased with the cleanliness of the public areas and the galleys. The food,
especially the fish, was quite good. Disappointments were the absence of regional entertainment (after seeing it
touted on NCL's web page) and the rather ordinary entertainment in the show lounge.

According to the ship's hotel director, the average age of passengers on the cruise was 65. Average age for this
cruise normally runs between 63 and 67 years of age. There were 939 passengers on board. Later in the year,
when the Norwegian Crown sails to Bermuda, average age is expected to be 37. The majority of passengers were
Americans, with the preponderance seemingly coming from either California or Florida.

While we expected to encounter some rough weather, we were surprised by how quickly the weather changed. One
Chilean guide observed that was the norm for Southern Chile. At the Falklands, winds of fifty knots compelled the
Captain to prematurely stop tendering passengers into Stanley. He also sent word out to those passengers already
on the island to return to the ship. No doubt he was worried he might have to leave passengers on the island, as
the Royal Princess had to do earlier in the season. According to a Falkland local, more than 200 passengers were
stranded overnight. As for the Norwegian Crown, ours was only the second time in five trips that conditions were
good enough to tender folks into Port Stanley. When passengers asked the Captain about the 20 foot waves
experienced as we steamed away from the Falklands, he responded with, 'what waves?'. He went on to explain how
on the previous trip forty foot waves had prevented the ship from the scheduled rounding of Cape Horn. (The seas
were positively calm when we rounded Cape Horn.) Surprisingly there didn't appear to be that many seasick
passengers.

The shore excursion manager was first rate. He was very candid about the merits, and demerits, of the offered
excursions. On two occasions his frank descriptions resulted in enough people cancelling to cause the excursions
to be cancelled. The trips appeared geared to older people who either could not or did not want to mingle with the
local citizens. At almost every port, alternative means of transportation were available. One couple at our table
hired a cab for a personal tour at every port with the exception of Port Stanley (they were among those that didn't
get to go ashore). A surprising amount of information about the ports is already being posted on the net. One
enterprising fellow passenger booked a couple of tours with local agents who then met him at the dock. We
enjoyed our encounters with the locals at all the ports.

Two guest lecturers gave 'enrichment' talks. The geologist was very good and gave lots of practical information on
each port visited. The cultural lecturer was disappointing.

Embarkation and debarkation were quite efficient. By choice, we were among the last group to leave the ship in
Buenos Aires. The Captain greeted us as we disembarked at 8:55 a.m., fifty minutes ahead of the published
schedule.

Prior to the cruise we had one day in Santiago (an American Airlines pilot labor action disrupted our original plan to
spend two days in Santiago. It also caused many passengers to miss the departure from Valparaiso.) Santiago is a
very interesting city where one can see the results of the ongoing economic transformation started by the "Chicago
Boys" after the 1973 overthrow of Salvador Allende. The Chileans we talked with were very proud of what their
country had accomplished economically. We spent three nights in Buenos Aires. We felt that was enough to get a
sense of this complex city. While there are many fine things to see and experience in Buenos Aires, the poverty of
many of the people is a sobering reminder of Argentina's history of economic and political problems.


Name: Harriet Williamson
Email: wil4jazz@aol.com
Age: 61
Occupation: retired
NumberOfCruises: 30
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-NorwegianCrown
SailingDate: Feb. 27, 1999 & Mar. 13, 1999
Itinerary: Buenos Aires-Valparaiso-Pt. Canaveral
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 75
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 99
TenderService: 89
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 25
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 65
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 25
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 May 1999
Time: 19:13:28
Remote Name: spider-wj054.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

We were on the Norwegian Crown for 30 days on back-to-back cruises sailing first from Buenos Aires, Argentina to
Valparaiso/Santiago, Chile and then from Valparaiso to Port Canveral, Florida.

The ship was, in a word, gorgeous. Cabins were spacious and possessed of more drawer space than we had ever
before experienced on our previous 28 cruises. Our cabin steward was attentive and on the ball. When we asked for
extra hangers, they were there immediately.

We typically ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet in the indoor/outdoor casual restaurant called the Yacht Club.
There were buffets both inside and out. The one outside always had loads of fresh shrimp along with all the
expected other things. Also, they grilled T-bone steaks outside almost every day.

Dinners and some lunches in the dining room were always special occasions because of the attention paid us by
our waiter, busboy and assistant maitre D'. They memorized that my husband likes iced tea and that I never want
sauces of any kind on my entrees. When we occasionally didn't like something, it was whisked away and our second
choice was brought promptly.

There were the usual waiter/busboy parades _ all done with panache.

We were blessed to have two guest lecturers aboard _ geologists who kept us versed on the spendid sights we
were seeing _ glaciers, volcanos, mountains, ice fields and all manner of sealife _ whales, seals, sea lions, penguins
and, of course, birds galore. One of the lecturers also added to the lecture in the Panama Canal provided courtesy
of the Canal Pilots' Association.

We viewed many of these sights from the Crown's spectacular Top of the Crown panoramic lounge, whose beauty
was marred only by the cruise line's peculiar position of designating the back of it as being Cigar Friendly. As
anyone knows, cigar smoke permeates everything and is far-reaching. Those of us who are allergic to tobacco
smoke were often driven from the lovely room out of self-preservation. That half of the room is designated Smoking
is bad enough. That we had to wade through cigar smoke to find a seat was unpardonable. One can only hope NCL
will get beyond trendiness and choose instead, common sense. Also, the only way to get to the outer deck from the
Top of the Crown was through the Cigar Friendly aft area.

Entertainment was not the highpoint of this cruise. That's good because it wasn't good. The dance company,
although OK, performed in shabby costumes held together with safety pins and masking tapes _ where they were
held together at all. One thinks a seamstress should travel with the company.

One comedian was quite good. The others were ho-hum. The illusionist was good. Singers over and above those in
the song and dance company were good. Overall, the entertainment just wasn't memorable.

Lounge acts were worse. In the aforementioned Top of the Crown, a very tasty piano player and an in-the-pocket
drummer were fronted by one of the worst singers we've ever heard. He probably was the bandleader. He wouldn't
have been chosen otherwise.

A keyboardist in another lounge was good but limited. He planned themes and wouldn't deviate from them to include
pre-dinner requests from passengers.

A weird duo in another lounge consisted of a fair guitarist and his terrible singing fiancee. She had a wispy little
voice with no breath control. This was strictly a budget musical group.

The design of the ship is outstanding. Sightlines in the show lounge are among the best we've ever enjoyed. There
wasn't a bad seat in the house.

Placement of other lounges, gift shops, the pursor's desk, the shore excursion desk and other areas were all easy
to find. The movie theater was a special perk especially on the second cruise for us. Since, by then, we had already
seen all the shows, we had the option of going to the movies every night. They were all first-run films.

Four dance hosts spread their talents among all the single female passengers wishing to dance. Two professional
dancers that opened several shows during the cruise, also conducted daily dance classes that were heavily
attended. They, too, danced with passengers during pre-dinner and pre-show dancing to the ship's orchestra,
whose pianist was the best of the bunch.

Shore excursions during the first leg of the voyage exceeded our expectations. The same couldn't be said for the
voyage up the coast of Chile, Peru and Equador. Earlier, we were in exciting territory and had opportunities to travel
to volcanos, waterfalls, on catamarans on lakes and on cats to go out to see the penguins. Excursions were handled
efficiently and gave us our money's worth.

During the second cruise, though, we paid lots for little. Ports along the Pacific Coast were drab and air-polluted.
We wished NCL had tried harder to come up with interesting tours, if, in fact, such a thing was even available. The
Equadorian tour to the panama hat factory was a total rip-off. P.A. systems in the buses didn't work and passengers
were hassled by beggers and vendors in arrogant, in-your-face style. A change is needed there.

Special celebrations were held poolside on two occasions: when we reach Cape Horn and when we crossed the
Equator. There was a bunch of goofiness poolside and a lot of fun for all.

A special effort was made at one of the calving glaciers. The captain lowered a crewed launchboat to go fetch a
100-pound iceberg and bring it aboard. They did and it made for a wonderful photo opportunity.

The captain was wonderfully efficient as well as being witty. Each morning's repartee included lots of funny stuff.

The cruise director Linda was peppy and perky and did an excellent job. The entire cruise staff was on the ball.

At the pursor's desk, personnel were courteous, quick and efficient.

The Tour Desk was handled well and shore excursion lectures were comprehensive except for San Andres,
Colombia. That was noticably neglected. What a shame. It was a delightful island.

Because of the ship's excellent design, when we went through the Panama Canal, there were ample places from
which to view that awesome work of engineering. People could wander in and out and almost always find a good
viewing spot.

Embarkation was the fastest we've ever experienced. Disembarkation was slower but still within expected
frameworks.

We would definitely sail on this ship again. I've heard rumors that it will be moved to Europe next summer. If that's
true, we'll be on it.


Name: Kim Hundelt
Email: kchundelt@shellus.com
Age: 37
Occupation: Environmental
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-NorwegianCrown
SailingDate: 5/1
Itinerary: NYC to Bermuda
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 50
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 100
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 70
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 100
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 87
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 May 1999
Time: 09:23:06
Remote Name: out2.shellus.com
Remote User:

Comments

We had a very nice cruise from NYC to Bermuda. We would go again, but maybe during the summer months vs.
spring. Nothing against senior citizens, but we felt like we were only a handful of young adults on this cruise. I would
say the average age was 70-75 yrs. old. So this made the activities on board rather slow for us. Pool side activities
were rather boring. The calypso band was very good but the tunes they played got old. Same ole, same ole. They
need to learn a variety of new songs!

Now to the cabins. We had a very nice outside stateroom with a picture size window. We got a real view of the ocean
on our first full day at sea. We experienced 35' seas! Everyone on board was sea sick! Crew included! This lasted
for about 15-18 hours. So we got a real feel of our cabin this day. Our cabin steward was the best! He checked in
on us hourly to see how we were holding up. Very concerned, he brought us anything we needed whenever we
needed it. The high seas finally passed many hours later and the rest of the cruise was smooth sailing.

The food was pretty good, but not as good as I have experienced on Celebrity (CCL) Horizon's cruise. Our waiter
and waiter assistant were EXCELLENT! They worked as a team and gave us impeccable service! No complaints in
the dining room, that is for sure!

Bermuda was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! This was my second cruise there. My husband's first. He fell in love with this
place as I did last year when I cruised there. Horseshoe Bay was our favorite beach. This beach is a must if you love
to go to the beach. We also visited Elbow Beach, which was nice but doesn't hold a candle to Horseshoe Bay.
Shopping in Hamilton was great. Lots of Jewelry Stores and shops. Great prices on jewelry, perfumes, and liquor.
Needless to say we over spent on our one and only shopping day!

The crew on the Crown was nice and entertaining. But I think the shows didn't hold up to the shows that I saw on
Celebrity Cruise Line last year. The after dinner shows would be much better if they did broadway play productions
as I saw on CCL. I was not as impressed with NCL's productions as I was on CCL. The Hor-ray for Hollywood shows
get old. Comedy night was good but not great. CCL does a much better job in the entertainment dept. than NCL.
That is our opinion!

Overall, this was a very nice cruise and we would sail with NCL again, but only for a very good price. It is worth the
X-tra money to cruise on a higher rated cruise line. My sister cruised on the NCL Leeward the week we got back.
They had sewer backup in their cabin and on the whole deck they were on for the entire 4 days they sailed. It was
awful! Please don't put anything in the toilets that don't belong in them. This makes for a BIG mess for EVERYONE!
Go easy on the toilet paper too. This almost ruined their cruise. She rated their cruise about a 70. Can't say that I
blame her on that one!


Name: Donna Reed
Email: DonnaReed8@aol.com
Age: 48
Occupation: Teacher
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-NorwegianCrown
SailingDate: June 26, 1999
Itinerary: Bermuda
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 98
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall:
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 75
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 04 Jul 1999
Time: 21:07:53
Remote Name: spider-wo043.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

This was our first cruise and far exceeded our expectations. We were most impressed with the staff of the ship who were
extremely pleasant and friendly, always taking the time to speak whenever and wherever we encountered them. We were
very pleased with the size, cleanliness, and quietness of our cabin. Our room steward, Oscar, was very accomodating. Our
room was cleaned quickly and thoroughly each morning. Each evening while we were at dinner, our beds were turned down
and the bathroom was cleaned and restocked with clean towels. We encountered some difficulty in ordering from room
service as some of the personnel had difficulty understanding English and after placing an order someone would call back
15 or 20 minutes later to ask what we had ordered. There was almost always at least a 30 minute wait for room service to
deliver even if ordering a simple item such as a dish of ice cream. The most outstanding aspect of the ship, by far, was the
food and the service in the dining room. There was a wide selection of appetizers, soups, salads and entrees each evening
which were beautifully presented.The only problem was trying to decide between them. At each meal there were at least
three choices of freshly baked breads and rolls. The desserts were exceptional also and on two of the evenings were
presented by singing and dancing waiters and busboys. These 'parades' were not to be missed. The service by our waiters,
Raphael and Zoran, and our busboys, Barnett and Elvis, was absolutely flawless. They always anticipated our needs
without hovering. They always took extra time to talk with our children, making sure that they were happy with their meals
and even requesting the cooks to modify an entree, such as substituting a different sauce for a particular dish. Perhaps the
only disappointing aspect of our trip was the lack of activities suitable for teenagers. There was really nothing to keep teens
busy unless there happened to be an appropriate movie showing in the theatre.


Name: MARYANNE ROESLER
Email: MROESLER@DLJ.COM
Age: 41
Occupation: PROGRAMMER
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-NorwegianCrown
SailingDate: 08/14/99
Itinerary: BERMUDA
Cabin: OWNERS SUITE
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 75
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 89
CruiseStaff: 97
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 94
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 97
ShoreExcVariety: 97
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 89
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 89
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside: 89
CruiseActivities: 89
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 93
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 87
ShopsOnBoard: 92
SpaceRatio: 89
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 26 Aug 1999
Time: 11:12:15
Remote Name: 199.105.64.150
Remote User:

Comments

My 5th cruise, 3rd to Bermuda, 2nd on Norwegian. I highly recommend the owner's suite on the Norwegian Crown. I
have never seen such a big cabin. We had a walk in closet and a deck with 3 lounge chairs and a table and chairs.
There was a bedroom and separate living area with pull out sofa and a cot. We were 4 women in the room and had
plenty of space!

The food was excellent - however, we are not overly fussy. Service was excellent and the ship was beautiful.

There were two negative aspects that people might want to know when booking on this vessel. The pool area was
very small. It was impossible to get a chair unless you did so very early on the days at sea. The pool was also deep,
one level, at around 6 feet deep. There was another "pool" area but it had only deck chairs and hot tubs. It was
actually nicer here - less crowded and lots of chairs. This area also had the grill and a bar. However, no way to cool
off except for the bar.

One other item - the late seating was at 8:30. I missed dessert every night in order to get seats at shows, karaoke,
etc. The average time we finished dinner was about 10:15 - almost 2 hours! The early seating at 6pm finished by
7:15 (I guess in order to get ready for the late seating). Coordinating the late seating with the shows would definitely
be in NCL's best interest.

All of this is moot, I guess since this ship will no longer be doing Bermuda. It is being sold to the Orient lines (NCL's
subsidiary) to do long-term cruising.

Oh well. I'm glad I got to experience the Crown. We all loved it!


Name: James P. Smith, Jr.
Email: ameagbase@yahoo.com
Age: 39
Occupation: educator
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-NorwegianCrown
SailingDate: 7/3-7/10 1999
Itinerary: New York/Bermuda
Cabin: Superior Deluxe Suite
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 75
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 27 Aug 1999
Time: 11:12:08
Remote Name: nycmb112-23.splitrock.net
Remote User:

Comments

This was my first cruise, my wife's second. She sailed on NCL on her previous cruise and spoke well of it, so I took
her recommendation and booked this cruise as a surprise gift for our 5th anniversary. Looking back and before
being more specific, I am glad I did.

One of the appeals for me was the fact that the ship left from and returned to the Port of New York. I do not see
the need to fly to get to a boat, then fly home at the end of the cruise. Rather than spend hours doing this, we
were at the ship within 30 minutes from leaving our home and home within an hour after getting off the final day.

The embarkation process was smooth. In no more than 20 minutes from checking our luggage at curbside, we
had checked in and were on board the ship. There was a line, but it moved smoothly and quickly. Our only glitch
was that our table assignment for dinner was not available- we were told where to go on the ship to straighten that
out. As luck would have it, we met a couple from England who were standing on line behind us as they too
searched out their table assignment once on the ship. We struck up a conversation and decided to ask if we could
be seated at the same table. The Maitre'd was very accomodating, and we were moved from our original table to
the one they were at. This turned out to be a good move, because the group at our table turned out to be one of
the most memorable parts of the cruise.

Our accomodations were the third highest level (Superior Deluxe Suite). Upon entering the cabin, we were
shocked at the size of the suite. It was beyond what we imagined. The bedroom area had a queen-sized bed that
was quite comfortable. It had enough drawer space in the dresser to fit all our clothes, with quite a few drawers still
empty. We each had a wardrobe closet as well, also containing storage drawers. Again, there was enough room in
one for all our clothes, let alone two. Our sitting area consisted of 2 chairs, a love seat, and a couch. A large bay
window in that section gave us a lovely unobstructed view. There was a television that had 2 movie channels,
ESPN and CNN when available, and a ship's channel. Even though the ship's channel was repetitious, some of the
information which was recorded and replayed from live presentations was useful. In particular, the presentations
on shopping in both ports of call and the disembarkation process. Finally, the bathroom was large and again
beyond what I was told a cabin bathroom was like. It had a full sized tub with a whirlpool. While we could not both
stand in the bathroom at the same time, it was still bigger than some bathrooms in hotels we've stayed at. Our
Cabin Steward, Marcello, came by immediately and introduced himself. He verified uou dining time and any other
requests we may have had. He cleaned our room each morning while we were at breakfast and had our bed
turned down when we returned each evening. At any other time when a request was made, he was gracious and
attentive.

We found the food to be quite good, even though the portions were rather small. This is not a problem, since
diners can have as much of any item as desired or as many items as desired. Each dinner menu was theme
based, with a nice variety of choices. A Spa and vegetarian menu also was available each evening. I seriously
doubt that a person could not find something each meal, even if they were quite fussy. Most breakfast and lunch
servings were open seating. A buffet was also available for each in the lounge, plus the grill on deck 10 served
burgers and hot dogs. Room service was available, but with a limited free menu. One day, we opted for this for
lunch. The sandwiches we ordered were very skimpy, and that is a generous description. Generally, we ate in the
dining room for breakfast (except twice at the buffet). For lunch, we split time evenly in the dining room and on
deck.

Service in the dining room was superb. During open seating, you were placed anywhere in the dining room. For
dinner, your waiter and bus boy were constant for the 7 evenings. Our waiter Carlos and our busboy Pedro were
hard-working, gracious, detail-oriented people who did everything possible to make our dinners enjoyable. By the
second night, both had a good idea of our likes and tried to please us in any way possible. Dinner and the
company of our tablemates was the highlight of each day.

We only went to the Midnight Buffet twice and found it to be nothing like what experienced cruisers described. To
my untrained eye, it was skimpy and disappointing. Besides, we had finished dinner only 2 hours prior, so who
could eat more?

Deck space was at a premium. On the pool level, lounge chairs were hard to come by. The pool itself was even
smaller than I imagined, but I was warned about this in advance. We opted for the whirlpools on deck 10, but they
too were overcrowded. We found that the best time to use them was around 5pm when many of the families with
children were preparing to go to the early dinner seating. At other times, they were overrun with kids. Adults had
little chance to get a seat, and when they did, the whirlpool was more of a splashing pool. Somehow, it did not
seem right.

Bermuda was magnificent. We enjoyed Hamilton more, but there was more to see and do there. St. George was
more rustic and quaint, but offered less shopping.

If there was one negative, it was the disembarkation process. After your breakfast the final morning (it is one of
the few assigned seating times for this meal), you were asked to go to a public area, sit down and wait to be called
to leave the ship. Since our seating was the later one, you can imagine how many seats around the ship there
were. We stood in one place for well over 2 hours, afraid to move to a place where announcements may not be
heard. The ship was late in arriving back, so leaving was pushed back.

On the next to last day, we were instructed to get color-coded tags to affix to our luggage. These would serve two
purposes: one was to allow you to pick up your luggage in areas by color and the other was to call passengers off
the ship. I was surprised to find that we were the last to be called off. I understand that because of the fact that the
process was behind schedule that all passengers making bus and plane connections should go first- but I spent
good money to purchase my accomodation level. Not to sound elitist, but that should have been a consideration.
By the way, the two levels above us (Penthouse ansd Owners Suites) not only were not called over the PA, but
there were no tags for them in the place we were told to find them. VERY INTERESTING!!!!!! Again, while this may
seem trivial, I found it quite angering.

All in all, it was a great trip. We are considering it again next year.



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