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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: David Smith
Email: galawdog@aol.com
Age: 37
Occupation: Attorney
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: 4/4/98
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 93
DiningRoomService: 97
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 97
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 92
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 82
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 92
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 99
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 94
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino: 96
AirSeaProgram: 99
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 94
DeckSpace: 94
Stabilization: 96
ShopsOnBoard: 94
SpaceRatio: 92
OverallCruiseValue: 97
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Apr 1998
Time: 18:01:39
Remote Name: 152.163.201.10
Remote User:
Comments
A Review of the Norwegian Cruise Line S/S Norway
Sailing dates: 4/4 - 4/11, 1998 Eastern Caribbean Itinerary: St. Maarten, St. John/St.
Thomas, Great Stirrup Cay (private island), 3 1/2 days at sea.
David Smith and wife (late 30's), 2 daughters, ages 8 and 5
Previous cruise experience: Carnival,(Jubilee 1987, Ecstasy 1996) NCL (Leeward, 1997)
----------------------------------------------------------
This will not be a detailed "what we ate for breakfast" review, but an analysis
of various aspects of NCL overall, and the Norway in particular. I will discuss
why we chose NCL and the Norway over other ships/lines.
First, thanks to our travel agents at Crown Travel in Calhoun, Georgia. These folks know
by now that we plan and book on impulse, and when we say "find
us a cruise and book it," they attend to it quickly. They have not steered us wrong
yet.
Second, thanks to rec.travel.cruises and anyone who has previously written a review of any
ship. This information makes any cruise smoother.
Why the Norway for us? We wanted a one-week itinerary for spring break. We had just sailed
NCL Leeward's Cozumel/Key West 4-day cruise in 1997, so
we wanted to go East or South this time. All southern itineraries begin in San Juan, so
airfare would have been higher. More importantly to us, all Southern
itineraries are very port-intensive. We did not want that. Even with our seasoned-traveler
kids, days at sea are more fun than port days.
The Norway sails Saturday afternoon, and one doesn't see land again until Tuesday morning.
This was wonderful. After two days in port, there is another
full day at sea. Friday afternoon's stop at NCL's private island is not stressful enough
to tire a family like a regular commercial port, so I could not have
asked for a more relaxing cruise.
I. NCL-ARRANGED AIR TRANSPORTATION: Believe me, I worried about this. We traditionally
have asked our TA to book air separately from the cruise for
cost reasons. However, this time she strongly recommended using NCL's Air/Sea program.
Being a detail-oriented planner when it comes to travel, I
worried about recent RTC complaints against NCL: (a) various charter incidents and (b) not
getting travel documents far enough in advance.
Neither of these situations occurred on our trip. We received our documents more than two
weeks in advance, and NCL booked us on direct Delta flights
from Atlanta.
We are thankful we booked the Air/Sea program. There had been many canceled or postponed
flights into/from Atlanta the night before we sailed due to
bad weather, so our flight was delayed for 1 « hours. We did not arrive at Miami
International Airport until 3:30. With a 4:00 sailing time, I would have had a
major case of "clench" had our flight arrangements been made independently. Not
to worry. We (and 10-12 others) were met right at the gate by a very
competent NCL representative who led us to baggage claim. Our luggage had come down on an
earlier flight, so the NCL rep pointed us to the proper
place to claim it. She assured us that the bus would wait for us. (Actually, we got our
luggage before most of the others from our flight. My point is that we
were assured from the moment we stepped off our plane that the ship would wait for us.)
II. NCL'S CHILDREN'S PROGRAM. Marvelous! The cruise brochures advertise limited children's
activities for children ages 3-5, even for days at sea.
However, on both of our NCL cruises, our 5-year-old daughter had the same number of hours
of activities as did the older kids. Just one of many
examples of NCL delivering more than they promise. During an at-sea day, there are
carefully planned activities for 2 hours in the morning, 2 « hours in
the afternoon and 2 hours at night.
The children's staff was wonderful for both the 3-5 year olds and the 6-9 year olds. The
facilities were more than adequate and our children drove us
crazy, making sure they did not miss a minute of their activities. We wanted the kids to
know that they could come with us to see the revues and shows at
night, but they insisted on going to their own planned activities. Neither did I see any
other parents dragging their children to the playroom kicking and
screaming.
NCL's philosophy is simple: "We know your kids are spoiled rotten at home with
computers, Disney Channel, Nintendo64, etc. So, we are going to teach
your children how to PLAY again." Sure, they had some high-tech gizmos, but they
filled the kids' time with stories, interactive games, plays, scavenger
hunts, etc. The staff members were full of energy, and they recognized our children by
name all over the ship.
III. FOOD. Very good. I am a firm believer that no moderately-priced cruise line can put a
4-star meal on your table if you are dining at the same time as
1000 other people divided between two dining rooms. 1000 people who are going to be
ordering many courses because "it's already paid for." We all
want that appetizer on our plates within 10 minutes of sitting down, and we want to be out
of the dining room in time for shows or the casino. With those
constraints, I am amazed they do as well as they do.
Our waiter and busboy were excellent. The assistant headwaiter did not play "Trolling
for Tips." During the week, we required no special treatment, didn't
require any table or seating changes, so we didn't need a lot of his time. He did not
circle the dining room, and we had to hunt him down to press a tip
envelope into his hand the final night. He looked surprised.
Room service is a delight. For some unknown reason, we had never used room service before.
Since we have kids, we're usually all back in the cabin by
10:30 or 11:00. I honestly believe that the kids' biggest treat was cookies and milk from
room service every night. The roast beef and turkey sandwiches
were more than adequate.
Pet peeve #1. We observed a British family of four (mom, dad, two teenage boys) at the
table next to us. Mom and Dad snipped at each other all week,
and the kids were embarrassed. These folks skipped the last night's dinner as well as
breakfast the final morning. I'd bet the ranch they stiffed our waiter
and busboy. That represents a dramatic loss of revenue.
Pet peeve #2. Many folks showed up 20-30 minutes after the assigned dining hour expecting
to be seated and served a full meal. From all appearances,
the staff accommodated with grace, but this is not fair to the waiters or the other
passengers served by those waiters.
Pet peeve #3. I overheard some people indicating they wouldn't be tipping either the food
service staff or their cabin steward the full measure for their
kids. This is wrong. If you have two children, they take up two seats in a dining room
that could otherwise be occupied by two full-tipping adults. As to the
cabin steward, it's certainly a bonus for the steward to have four passengers in a room
that might otherwise only be occupied by two. However, I know he
spent more time in our cabin than he would have if we'd been traveling without kids. Tip
these people properly.
IV. THE SHIP ITSELF. What a magnificent lady. My favorite room on the ship is the Club
Internationale. Even though we are in our 30's, we found ourselves
gravitating to this room for the music of the Rob Ellis Trio every night. Older couples
danced with ease to this trio of accomplished musicians. The Club
Internationale was the 1st Class Smoking Lounge in the SS France. The room very closely
resembles the original decor.
I applaud NCL for maintaining this room in this manner. Clearly, the
dollars-per-square-foot revenue from the Club Internationale is less than in Checkers,
the more traditional rock/pop lounge. It is clear that NCL has made a conscious decision
to maintain this luxurious touch from the Norway's Transatlantic
history.
Spend plenty of time studying the display of photos and memorabilia near the card
room/library on International Deck. It compares the Norway with its
precursor, the SS France.
V. LOST LUGGAGE. Our only disappointment was that some jerk picked up our hanging bag on
debarkation day. It was properly tagged (with both an NCL
tag and an American Tourister tag). I had also put a big, ugly piece of red duct tape near
the handle so no one will pick up my bag by mistake.
Nevertheless, someone picked it up.
We filed a claim with an NCL rep. We are thankful that the mistaken passenger took our bag
to American Airlines' Lost and Found desk. Although our NCL
tag noted that we were Delta passengers, AMERICAN flew our bag to Atlanta and contacted
me. We were also contacted by NCL's Customer Service rep.
I've noticed much criticism of American on the internet, and although I've never flown AA
(they don't have a major presence in Atlanta), I certainly will in
the future. American sent my bag to my door (1 « hours away) by courier ($59.00 which I
gladly paid). NCL will reimburse me. I could not have asked for
this situation to have been handled any better.
VI. SUMMARY. The Norway is our favorite ship of the four on which we have sailed. We find
very little basis for most of the criticisms of NCL we have read
on the net. We are more than pleased with all aspects of NCL, and are looking for a 1999
cruise, maybe to Alaska.
Name: John & Jennifer Damian
Email: smacksjd@aol.com
Age: 33 & 29
Occupation: Restaurants Owners
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: November 7, 1998
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 70
CabinComfort: 70
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 75
CabinAmenities: 65
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 60
FoodMidnightBuffets: 70
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 70
PrivateIsland: 0
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 75
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 75
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 70
CruiseActivities: 70
Casino: 75
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 75
DeckSpace: 75
Stabilization: 65
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 70
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Nov 1998
Time: 16:54:43
Remote Name: 152.163.201.176
Remote User:
Comments
This was my mine and my wifes third cruise in the past 2 years. We were probably hoping to
much that the cruise could live up to the experiences we
had enjoyed on our previous cruises. I should mention that this was the first time we have
cruised on NCL and we were very disappointed. It all started
a couple of days before we started on our journey. I had called NCL to inquire on a
birthday package for my wife. For $30.00, your room is decorated
with party decorations. Sounds great but my wifes birthday was on a Wednesday and they
could only decorate before the cruise set sail on Sunday.
This was no problem, it was the thought that counted. I made another inquiry about Sunday
football. I was told that the Sports Illustrated bar was fully
equipped with satillite TV and that all the games would be shown. To our disappointment,
they had been an art auction going on. There was 100 people
in the lounge. 30 for the auction, 70 for football. Numerous complaints were made to the
information desk by many fanatic football fans. When my
brother and I went up to ask what was going on, we were told that it was not their
department and they would try to get a hold of the person in charge
of the satillite. Needless to say we never got to watch football on this day. The rooms
are very small. The walls are paper thin. You could hear toilets
flushing in the rooms that surrounded you. There was a crew workshop across the hall from
our room and we could hear them begin work at 7 am. I
should mentioned that we did upgrade our room before the trip but seeing other rooms this
must have been lost in the shuffle. The meals we had were
average at best with exception of dinner. Dinner was a highlight of the day. The service
was excellent and the food was great with a good variety. We
ate breakfast and lunch out on deck. These meals were dull and tasteless. They served the
exact samething everyday. You were also forced to eat
dinner every night in the dining room. Other cruise ships offer buffets in other
restaurants during dinner time. The midnight buffet was average at best.
This cruise did not offer food 24 hours a day. Activities were geared towards the older
generation. What activites that were geared towards people my
age were very dull. One that stands out was a pool party that didn't start until 11 pm. It
consisted of learnig 4 or 5 dances, a congo line/limbo dance,
and seeing how much you could drink. The best part was that it ended by 12:30 am. There
really weren't any other activities to mention because they
would be to boring to describe. My wife and I did discover a part of the boat that was
somewhat protected by the wind. As it was, the only shelter from
the wind on the Norway was inside the ship. We could sunbathe and take a dip in the pool
on the Sky Deck with not to many people around. Most
people liked to hangout at the pool on the back of the boat. Well, our little sanctuary
did not last long. The last 3 days the pool was out of order so we
were forced to cool off in a very crowded pool. We had no problems with our shore trips
because we planned these ourselves. The islands we visited
we great. St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. I can't tell you about NCL's private
island because the ship broke down the day before we were to
arrive there and it took to long to fix, so the cruise had to skip this stop. Oh, we did
each get $25 off our on board account. This did not help our
frustration with the cruise. It is better to hire a taxi to go to and fro from the
airport. Its less stressfull and will save you time and money. Handle your
own bags if possible. It will save on tips and the time to recieve you bags on board. The
broadway entertainment, casino, and the waitstaff was great.
Service was quick and very prompt. We do not recommend this particular ship with NCL.
There very well could be a better ship in their line. Even if
money is a factor, find something else. There were many other problems occuring on the
Norway but we think we have made ourselves clear. DO NOT
sail the Norway.
Name: Greg Coffman
Email: Greg.Coffman@anheuser-busch.com
Age: 26
Occupation: Registered Nurse
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: November 7 - 14
Itinerary: Eastern Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 87
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 75
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 75
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 Nov 1998
Time: 17:34:24
Remote Name: 205.188.196.44
Remote User:
Comments
This is just a brief synopsys of how my cruise went. I hope it will help you with your
decision on whether or not to choose the S/S Norway.
My group decided to use the Air/Sea option to get to the ship. There were 6 of us in our
group. Because of where we are located on the East Coast,
we had to fly up to Philidelphia, then back down to Miami. We started from the Norfolk
Virginia area. I was told that this was because of the air carrier
we were using (US Airways.) Overall, the air travel to the ship was not bad. We did not
have any really long layovers and just as promised, once we got
to Miami, there were NCL reps in the airport waiting for us. Once on the ground in Miami,
we had to wait about 30 min for the NCL reps to lead up to
the baggage claim area. We had to claim our bags and then we had to wait again to be told
that the buses were there to take us to the ship. There
were skycaps available for a fee, but we opted to carry our own luggage. It was not to
long of a walk to get to the buses, but it was hot and the bags
got heavy by the time we got out to the buses. Once on the bus, we had a dely while we
waited for more Norway passengers to board the bus. The
bus was running and the A/C was on, so the wait was not too bad. In route to the cruise
terminal, we were entertained by our bus driver who told us
alot about Miami and generally kept us entertained for the 15 - 20 min ride to the port.
The driver told us once we were at the cruise terminal, to just
make sure our bags were there and that we would not have to carry them any more, however,
on the pier was a porter who said in not so many words
that if we did not tip him, our bags might not make it to the rooms. I felt this was
pressuring me to give a tip, but I broke down and gave him a couple of
bucks. I did not want to be on the ship with no clothes. We proceeded to the check in area
and I think it went very well. There were plenty of NCL reps
to check us in and we proceeded quickly to the ship and to our room. The staff on the ship
gave good directions to the cabin and I found in in only a
few minutes. My group was split up on 2 different decks, but we made plans to meet later
at my cabin.
The Cabin - I was in a Delux Inside Stateroom. I thougt it was very nice and had plenty of
space. The bathroom included a tub/shower combo. The only
problem with the bathroom was that the way the toilet was positioned, you had to sit sort
of sideways on it because you could not get your knees in
front due to the tub. Other than that, the bathroom was fine. There was plenty of closet
space and two dressers for clothes. I had plenty of room for all
of my things. The room also included a lighted vanity with a stool and an extra chair in
the room. There was a small TV in the room as well. At first the
room smelled musty (it was a smoking room,) but the room soon aired out when we turned the
AC on. The AC was adequate, but there were only 3
settings; Off, Medium, and On. I prefer a cold room, and this cabin did not quite get cold
enough for me, but I made due. The bed was acceptable, but
it was a little soft. The room had 2 twin beds in it with room to spare. Overall I was
pleased with the room. Some of the people in our group were not
happy with their cabins. They felt they were cramped, but I was happy with mine.
The Dining Room. We were in the Windward Dining Room at the early seating. I have to say
that I was very very pleased with the Dining room and the
staff. The Maitre d' was there but he was not overbearing. He helped make some of the
deserts and helped get the lobster tail out of the shell for
some people. Overall he did a good job. I have to say that I have never been more pampered
or taken care of in any restaurant than I was on the trip.
Our waiter, Gilroy from Honduras, was great. He was soft spoken, but he 'cut loose' a few
times and we had fun. He never questioned us if we wanted
more food or if we wanted an extra helping of something. He also would keep us informed of
the dining arrangements for the next day as well. The
wine steward was helpful, but not pesky. He helped us with our wine selections and kept
the glasses full. I think the best person we had helping us was
our bussboy Dale. He was from Trinidad. We all felt that Dale should be made head waiter
in the least. On the first night, we ordered iced tea with
dinner and for the rest of the cruise, we never had to ask for tea again. He always
brought it to us and kept the glasses full with tea and water for the
entire meal. He kept the coffee cups full, he brought out the bread and served you, he
cleared the plates quickly, and he was always willing to talk to
us and answer any questions we had. I am going on and on about the busboy, but he really
made the dining enjoyable.
The Great Outdoor Restaurant. We ate breakfast and lunch at the GOR. It was located on the
International deck aft on the ship. Overall the food was
good. There were buffet lines set up. I liked the selections available. Plenty of fresh
fruit was also available. The deck stewards were quick to take away
the dirty plates. We did have one problem however. One of the people in our group went to
get some water from the machiene. There was no water
faucet, but you pushed a button on the dispenser and got the water out. My friend filled a
glass with what he thought was water and got a
water/bleach mixture instead. He had a mouthfull before he realized it and spit it out.
There was no sign to say that the dispenser was being cleaned
and no one standing there to stop people from drinking the water. My friend was okay, but
he was not pleased, and the staff on the ship did not seem
too concerned about it, which is upsetting. Overall, the Great Outdoor Restaurant was nice
but the seating was sort of tight. If you tried to eat at peak
times, it was hard to find a table.
The ship itself was nice in a old sort of way. The passageways down below were cramped and
you had to walk single file so you could pass people. The
cabin we were in would 'creek' with the rolling of the ship. We had a rough first couple
of days at sea. The ship rolled back and forth quite a bit. I am
prone to seasickness and believe me I felt every roll. I did use the patch behind my ear
and that helped somewhat, but I could still feel the ship move a
lot. I was very unhappy that the pool on the Sun deck was closed for half of the cruise.
They were working on it. That left only the pool on the aft pool
deck for all of the passengers to use. Needless to say, that pool stayed very full.
Finding room on the decks to lay out was not too hard and there was
always a deck steward to get drinks from the bar. Sometimes it was a little frustrating
fending off the stewards if you did not want to drink but for the
most part, they did a good job. The shows in the Saga Theatre were very good. The
entertainers were of Broadway calliber. They did lip sinc some, but
the dancing and costumes were great. The shortened version of Crazy For You was good. We
were all given a colored ticket for theatre seating, but I
never really saw them enforce the ticket color and there was always plenty of seats
available for the shows. The Sports Illistrated cafe' was nice. There
were two main acts in this cafe'. Bobbie and I and Pacific Heights. Both were good, but
they tended to repeat alot of the same songs night after night.
They were very open to requests however. I was disapointed in the fact that the SI cafe'
did not show the football games on Sunday while we were at
sea. The theme of the cruise for our week was 'Sports Afloat,' so you would think that
they would be sports minded. On Sunday afternoon there was
an Art Auction in the SI cafe' and the TV's were turned off. I was not happy about that,
but they did make up for it by having Monday Night Football on
the TV's the next night. I did not really use the North Cape Lounge or Club International,
but they were very well decorated and looked comfortable.
The casino was fun. Like any casino, the House definatly made out better than the players,
but for the most part, the gambling was fun. The slots ran
hot and cold. I hit a dollar slot for $50 bucks with a $10 investment, so I quickly cashed
out and then proceeded to loose my winnings at the Black Jack
table, but I had fun. The dealers are very professional and they would even have brief
conversations with you. The shops on the ship were very nice
and the prices were reasonable. The Port side of the International deck is The Champs
Elyese' and the Starbord side is Fifth Avenue. All of the staff in
the shops are helpful. Be aware that the shops do close for lunch in the afternoon and
that they are all closed when you are in port, so don't wait till
the last minute to do your shopping or you will not be able to.
The islands: Just to let you know. If you do not plan a shore excersion onboard with the
Dive In desk, getting a tender off of the Norway can be tricky.
People who are doing a ship planned shore excersion will get to go off the ship on the
first tender to leave. All the rest of the people have to get a
tender ticket and then wait to board the tenders. We were in the latter group and had to
get a tender ticket. The Norway is too big to get into the
harbors of the islands, so you have to take a tender in. The tenders are big and hold
about 400 people each. There are two of them, but only one
loads at a time and everybody wants to be on the first open tender. Once you get in a big
line and finally get a ticket, you wait until your ticket is called,
and then you file in line with all the other people to go to the Biscayne Deck to get on
the tender. Overall, the process is not bad, but I think on my next
cruise I will go on a ship that can pull into the ports to safe the hassle of dealing with
the tenders. Getting a tender back to the ship is not hard and the
view of the ship as you approach on the tender is beautiful. St. Martin/St. Maarten - We
had a blast on this island. We decided to rent cars and see the
island ourselves. There were plenty of people offering Jeeps for rent. We went for one
group called 'Family Car Rental.' The man took us for a short
ride to get the cars. We rented 2 Jeeps. The cost was $50 + $10 for insurance + $5 for
tax. So for $65 each Jeep, we were able to go where we
wanted to go and see what we wanted to see. I highly recommend going to Orient Beach on
the North side of the island. It is beautiful and the drinks
are pretty cheap. This beach is cloathing optional, but if you want to keep your suit on,
no one will think twice about it. There is also water sports
availble at this beach. Marigot on the French side is beautiful. Overall, the island is
beautiful. The stay could have been longer, but we were there for
about 6 hours. St. Thomas - We did not get up early to get off on St. John, but we did get
an early tender to St. Thomas. We got off the tender right in
the middle of downtown Charlotte Amalie. We also landed right in the middle of a Veterans
Day Parade. That was a nice addition to the trip. All I can
say is bring your Visa!! Anyone who loves to shop will have a great time in St. Thomas. We
did not rent a car on this island, but I do want to go back to
St. Thomas so I can go to Magens Bay. They say it is beautiful. You may want to forget
about the shopping and go there instead. If you do decide to
shop in Charlotte Amalie, make sure to go down the alleys. There are plenty of shops
tucked here and there along these narrow alleys. We found
some great deals in these shops. This is the place to buy you liquor if you want to take
it back. Be aware that the ship will confiscate it before you
board the tender and you will get it back on Friday. Overall, I really enjoyed St. Thomas.
Great Stirrup Cay (The Private Island) - Well.... we never made
it to the private island so I can't tell you how it was. We were informed early Friday
morning that durring the night, there had been a problem in the
engine room and that we were adrift for 5 hours from midnight to around 5am. We could not
go to the private island because we had to make up the
time. Needless to say, we were not happy. The captain tried to make ammends and give the
whole ship 1 hour of free Rum Punch and $25 credited to
the onboard account for each passenger. This was a nice gesture, but I was still not
happy. I think the whole ship was upset, but what could we do?
Just to let you know about the onboard credit program. The only thing you need money for
on the ship is the Casino, trap shooting, or if you eat in La
Bistro. Gratuity is not included in the meal at La Bistro. All you have to do is sighn for
anything you buy including all bar drinks, the gift shops, the spa,
basically everything. I set my account up with a credit card and I would suggest all do
the same. You don't have to go to the Onboard Credit Desk at
the end of the cruise to settle your account. You get a statement on your door the last
night of the cruise to tell you how much will be charged to your
card. You can go by any time and check your ballance.
The Roman Spa - I decided to spend the money and get a massage in the spa. The services
are a little pricey, but I thought it was worth it. Sonia was
the young lady who did my massage and she did a great job. I was very relaxed after. I
also enjoyed the steam room and sauna in the spa. Be aware
that you can only use these items if you pay for the spa. The charge was $25 a day ro $55
for the week. On the day that you have a spa treatment
scheduled, you get full use of the spa facilities.
Debarkation was boring. You have to put your bags outside your cabin door on Friday night
and then it 'goes away.' We had to be out of the cabin by
8:30am on Saturday. You then have to sit and wait to get off of the ship. You leave
according to your flight home. You don't even get to leave the ship
until starting around 9:30am. Overall, it was not too bad. The luggage was easy to find
(the bags are in color coded areas.) We did decide to take a
cab to the airport so we would not have to wait for the buses, but the buses moved pretty
quick.
Overall, I had a good time on the Norway. There were things to be improved, and things I
liked alot. I will definatly go on another cruise. I don't think I
will go on the Norway ever again. I think I will try Carnival next time. The Norway is for
an older crowd in my opinion. Feel free to e mail me if you have
any questions. I hope this was helpful.
Greg.
Name: Steve and Sue Sherman
Email: villagegreen@mail.doorcounty-wi.com
Age: 44
Occupation: Innkeepers
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: 12-12-98
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 85
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 70
BeautySalonStaff: 80
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess: 50
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Dec 1998
Time: 18:30:42
Remote Name: 208.18.203.18
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second cruise...our first being with RCCL...they were full for the itinerary
we wanted so we opted for the Norway.
Yes, it's big, but not as big as I expected...yes, it's classy, but mostly only in the
public areas...we booked a suite for ourselves
(P090) and an inside cabin for the kids (3). Our suite was plenty big enough..loved the
fridge...I think the hot water came directly
from the boilers...lots of it!! everything worked in the bathroom...the kids had a little
trouble figuring out how to make their shower
work (european). No trouble flushing...3 huge windows gave us a delightful view of the
ocean, etc... Cabins are dated and
somewhat shabby...my only real complaint. We both thought they might have done a little
more decorating for the holidays. We
ate like pigs , but only saw one midnight buffet...the chocolate one of course!! Pure
decadence!!! Dining room staff was
wonderful...we all thought the food was great...with the addition of a little salt and
pepper...ate one meal at Le Bistro...very
nice...no trouble making reservations...older kids loved the Casino...younger one got
'thrown out' a few times...he was only
watching...this was a blues cruise...Bo Diddly was great as were all the bands we
saw...never got to the disco...St. Martin was
kind of a let down...almost like Tijuana...St. Thomas was better but there were several
ships in port that day so it was VERY
busy...did the tram...gorgeous views...Great Stirrup Cay was great...decent
snorkeling...too rough to rent the paddleboats or
KissKats...in summary...we would probably not book with the Norway again...although I know
she is beloved by many and rightly
so...we would most likely book something much smaller and avoid the dreaded theme cruise
next time...don't get me wrong...I
loved the music..if you have ANY questions I would be pleased to answer them!!!!!
Name: Pam Rumback
Email: trumback@igateway.net
Age: 36
Occupation: Stay-at-home Mom
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: 12-26-98
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 89
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 70
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 79
Stabilization: 70
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Jan 1999
Time: 20:13:54
Remote Name: 206.142.60.227
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first cruise and really enjoyed it. Our flight from St. Louis was not very
enjoyable. We did not have a
pilot and had a two hour delay. I called NCL and advised them that our flight was not
going to be on time to Miami
and she said they would not hold the boat. So we just sat around until a pilot showed up.
When we got to Miami
we were advised that they would sail at 5:00 so there were 38 very happy people. Our
embarkation went very
smoothly. There was plenty of staff to help the 38 people from our flight aboard. As soon
as we got on board, the
boat started to sail. They really were waiting on us! The food was delicious. We only ate
breakfast in the dining
room one morning.
My husband had ordered a Spanish Omelet and the waiter said it would take too long to
cook. We did not have our regular waiter for breakfast. That was our only disappointment
in the dining room. We
had quite a few meals on the Lido Deck and they had a very good variety to offer. The
waiters were very attentive
in the dining room. Our iced tea glasses were full 95% of the time. They had two nights
that were formal and that
is when the waiters put on their 'show.' The cabins are what I expected. We were on the
Atlantic Deck. There was
plenty of closet space and dresser space. The bathroom could have used some work. Tiles
were starting to pull
from the wall and the shower was on the small side. The room was adequate and the bed was
quite
comfortable. There were some kids in the cabin next to ours and we heard them when they
were screaming, but
that's about all the noise we heard.
Our room steward was very nice, he never came around when you didn't want
him. We usually saw him in the hallway. He did an outstanding job in our cabin. Needless
to say, he got a bigger
tip than what he would have gotten. The exercise facilities were adequate. They offered
aerobic/step classes and
had plenty of equipment to use, cybex, free-weights, three stair steppers, three
treadmills (one was broken), and
three life cycles. We used the exercise facilities when we were at sea. Though we still
managed to gain weight!
The stabilization was 'rock & roll'. The seas were pretty rough on the way down to St.
Maarten and St. Thomas.
The captain came on the intercom and made the statement that if you felt the boat moving
that the seas were
really rough! The boat sits in the ocean 47 feet. We had to tender at every port because
of this. The tender service
was alright. It took over an hour to get to St. Thomas because of rough seas, which was no
fault of the cruise
ship.
The entertainment was great in the North Cape Lounge. We had late seating for dinner
and caught the
10:30 show every night. We really enjoyed it. We also spent a lot of time in the Sports
Illustrated Cafe. It was
recently dedicated to Florence Griffith-Joyner. It's like a sports bar with quite a few
tv's. They also had
entertainment when there wasn't a big bowl game on. They also offered snacks between 6 and
8. That's what
usually ruined our dinner, but we ate anyway! Be prepared because they take a lot of
pictures! There was a goup
of 10 that went on this cruise and had a formal picture taken on New Year's Eve. It turned
out really good. You
have to make an appointment for those kind of pictures.
The prices are kind of steep, $25 for an 8x10. The deck
space around the pools on days we were at sea were mimimal. You had to get there early for
a chair. This is
were the 'Space Ratio' comes in to play. Our waiter told us there were approximately 2200
people on this
particular cruise. They usually have 1700. Some of the waiters around the pool acted like
they didn't want to be
there, so we found one that we liked and who always had a smile and kept him busy. The
shops on board were
alright. You can find better bargins in St. Thomas on the same items they sell on the
ship, except for Norway
items, tee shirts, etc. We had signed up to two excursions and one of them was cancelled
due to the rough seas,
which was a disappointment and no fault of the cruise ship. We did take the 'Wild Thing'
excursion. It was a jet
type boat that went to Trunk Bay in St. John.
My husband did some snorkeling and really enjoyed it. We only spent
one night in the disco, that was mainly for the younger group, 18 - 25. It was also very
hot down there. It didn't feel
like any air was moving around at all! The private island, Great Stirrup Cay, was
beautiful. They had plenty of
activites, (volleyball, rafts, snorkeling), to keep you busy and some little shops to buy
gifts and tee shirts. The ship
provided a very good lunch. The band that usaully played on the Lido Deck, played on the
island also. The
disembarkation took about two hours. You have to be out of your cabin by 8:30am. It took
awhile for the ship to
clear customs. They take your luggage the night before and it was kind of a mess when you
went down to get it to
take to the airport. They had it separated by colored tags and that seemed to help a
little bit. The overall cruise
value was alright. We went when the rates were a bit higher, but we still had a good time!
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