ncl-norwegiansea14

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Kimberlee Slavik
Email: slaviks@msn.com
Age: 35
Occupation: Sales
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: July 2, 2000
Itinerary: Cancun, Cozumel, Roatan
Cabin: 6020
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 70
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 70
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 60
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 75
EntertShowLounge: 75
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 75
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Jul 2000
Time: 13:49:22
Remote Name: 1cust229.tnt3.dfw5.da.uu.net
Remote User:

Comments

Let me start out with the positives; 1. The staff was great! German was our steward and we saw him
at 5:30 each morning and he was still working at 9pm each night! After what appeared to be 16 hour
days, we were amazed that he was smiling every time we saw him! I don’t know if many people realize
that these folks sign-up for 9 months at a time! They are away from their families and as soon as a
cruise is over, a new cruise begins. Antonio and Godfrey were our busboy and waiter. They were
exceptional with our son. We all fell in love with their hospitality and eagerness to make us happy.
The matre d was Earl and he earned his money! He stopped by our table every day and even
stopped to cut our lobster tails for us, and cut up our son’s dinner! Our son didn’t like the pizza
because it didn’t have very much sauce. Earl and Godfrey noticed that he didn’t finish it, asked him
why and were very proactive! They didn’t even ask him, they just ran off and quickly made him a
special pizza with extra sauce. He loved it! And other waiters and busboys treated us well. Even those
not assigned to our table, would stop and converse with us and were proactive in attending to us.
These people deserved their tips! 2. The Passengers were also wonderful. I’d say 75% or more were
from Texas. They were not snobs, they demonstrated Southern manners and charm. People here
made eye contact, smiled, said Hi. VERY friendly people on this ship! This may seem like an unusual
observation, but we saw people scream and fight over deck chairs during our last cruise! We would
do another cruise out of Houston again – just so we could vacation with these type of people again!
I’d love to see more cruises going out of here! 3. PLUS – we travel Southwest so much, that we used
our free flights and flew there FREE. A 45 minute flight from Dallas to Houston is much more
attractive than 3 hours to Miami! 4. The ship may be old – but it was laid out very well. It was a logical
floor plan, things were easy to find and we loved being midship on the sixth floor. Our room was
convenient to everything! 5. I read about the ship being dirty, but we saw people polishing the brass
and cleaning every second of the day. We saw people painting everyday as well. The effort to keep
the ship nice was outstanding. 6. We requested the main seating and got it this time! This is so
wonderful when traveling with children. I also thought it was great that some shows began before
dinner, others were after dinner. This gave the late seating the opportunity to see shows early –
instead of always being late. 7. There were always plenty of pool chairs, towels, and room on deck. 8.
Embarkation and debarkation were pleasant experiences! And they were quick! The Sunday that we
boarded went so quickly that we felt that we got a full day to enjoy the ship! This was the most
pleasant Customs experience that we’ve experienced.

Before I start with the negatives, I must state a disclaimer - Our first cruise may have spoiled us. We
fell in love with cruising after our Destiny Cruise Thanksgiving 99 (visit our website at
www.acuparoma.com/Cruise.htm for LOTs of info on that cruise!....we'll be adding photos and
comments, etc. for this cruise to this page soon). In fact, the Destiny cruise was so good, that the day
we got back, we started researching to book another one! Needless to say, our first cruise set our
expectations very high and therefore, this cruise was a disappointment.

I’ve read MANY cruise reviews and it appears that ‘managing expectations’ is the key to a happy and
satisfied cruise. So we did lots of research. We went on this cruise with a pretty good feeling of what
to expect….We knew the boat was older, we knew it was not ‘flashy,’ we knew that the food would be
average, the rooms would be small, and that Cancun would not be our favorite port of call. If you
expect these things, you can’t be disappointed…right? The only expectations that fell below what we
anticipated, came from our travel agent. Therefore, I put the majority of the blame for our
disappointments on our travel agency (Cruises Only). We will never use them again. We were
told/promised four things (by our travel agent) that were inaccurate AND were the major reasons we
booked this trip;

1. Tips were included. We don't have a problem with tipping. We EXPECT to tip. And because I know
that this is not the norm in the Cruise Industry, I questioned our travel agent about this NUMEROUS
times and he insisted that this was the truth. However, it was NOT the truth! I spoke with the Purser
on the ship in an attempt to figure out what caused the mis-understanding and she told me that the
only packages sold that included tips were for non-US passengers. However, THIS point was how our
travel agent sold this cruise! He explained that in order to do an apple-to-apple comparison of this
trip versus others, we must consider that the others required tips and this one did not and therefore,
this one was much less expensive. Therefore, our travel agent really emphasized the value of this
package by reassuring us that this would not be an additional cost. This added almost $300 to the
cost of the cruise. Looking back now, and using the apple-to-apple comparison, this trip was NOT a
good value. Lesson learned? GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!!!!!! I fully expect that when I write my
comments to the travel agency, the agent will deny making these statements. 2. Our travel agent told
us that we would have a bunk in our room. Not only did we NOT have a bunk, we had a rollaway bed
that stayed in our room (folded up) all day. There was hardly any room to move as it way, but to have
an additional bed in there made it very cramped. (Many of the cabins like ours DID have bunks. I
have no idea why ours did not. We booked this before Christmas - so these rooms must have been
available!) This was important to us because (like you are doing right now) we also read these
reviews and were fully aware of the small size of the rooms, and since we were traveling with our
9-year-old son, we knew we were going to need the floor space and the bunks seemed like a great
way to optimize the small space. I resent that we had to pay full fare for our son's sleeping
arrangements when they were substandard to what I was promised. AND his sleeping arrangements
made ALL of our living arrangements VERY uncomfortable, which we also paid full fare. A Bunk
would have made the entire trip much more pleasant. I know that you’ve read this already, but I think
that if you are mentally prepared for this, it won’t be quite as bad…. but the rooms on this ship were
unbelievably small. The comedian got his biggest laugh of the evening when he joked about the
rooms and said the photos in the brochure were actual size! It was difficult to shower because the
shower was so small that the curtain stuck to our body! 3. We were told that they had a strong
Texas/Mexican theme. It IS called the Texaribbean Cruise after all. We were told that they were
known for having 40+ different types of Hot Sauces. Now, we are from Texas and 'Hot Sauce' to us
means 'Salsa' NOT Tabasco sauce. It appeared that at least 75% of the people on our cruise were
from Texas and since most Texans were practically weaned on Salsa, this was to be a highlight of the
trip...We expected Green salsa, red salsa, etc. And with that many types - we expected the salsa to
be outstanding. But what it actually meant, was that different bottles of Tabasco type salsas were put
on the tables each night. There was actually only ONE salsa that WAS available! And it was average
- at best. We also expected more TexMex type food. This was offered only one day during lunch and
it was also very average. Taco Bell is better. In addition, we were shocked that Guacamole was only
offered a couple of times during the 'Texaribbean' cruise and it appeared to be frozen and
purchased from Cisco Foods versus made from fresh avocados. The only thing 'Texaribbean' about
this cruise was that it left from Houston and traveled the Caribbean. 4. We were promised that the
rooms had safes in them. Wrong. We found stickers with instructions on how to use your safe, so
obviously - there USED to be safes in the rooms, but not anymore. At least, not in OUR room! So, if
you had any valuables, you had to take them to a safety deposit box on the 4th floor. This was a
major inconvenience. Can you imagine going to the 4th floor every time you wanted to take off your
jewelry or store your purse or wallet? And then you would have to go AGAIN to put on your jewelry or
get your wallet?!

Itinerary Comments:

Cancun - I agree with everything that I read from other reviews on this website....Not enough time to
do any good excursions like Xcaret or Tulum. And if you choose a snorkeling excursion, they will take
you to Cozumel, which defeats the purpose of being in Cancun. Cancun has become too commercial,
and too expensive. We've been to Cancun three times and each time, we've always had a great time.
We did not enjoy the visit this time though. I think it’s because our time here was from 1-10pm, PLUS
you have to tender out and unless you paid for an excursion, that meant you were tendered out last
and were stuck on the boat until almost 3pm….which doesn’t leave enough time to enjoy the day
activities, and we left Cancun too soon to really get a good taste of the wild nightlife. Furthermore,
Cancun is not a good representation of Mexico and it will be a disappointment unless you are know
what to expect. For example, one of the charming aspects of Mexico has always been how
inexpensive things were....As soon as we got off the ship, I bought a pina colada for NINE Dollars!!!!
On the ship, a comparable pina colada (with souvenir cup) was only $6! Another charming thing
about Mexico is the different culture....You don't get a good feel for the Mexican culture in Cancun.
With Hard Rock Cafe, Dominos, McDonalds, etc., you feel as though you are in California. One of the
entertainers asked the audience what they thought of Cancun and the response was a polite groan.

Cozumel - Wonderful snorkeling. We have been to Cozumel five times now and we prefer it to
Cancun because it is not as commercial. In fact, it reminds us of Cancun 10 years ago! So enjoy it
while you can! Because we are familiar with Cozumel, we blew off the excursions and chose instead
to venture out by ourselves. We took a cab to Chankanaab Park. The ship’s excursion to the park
was $95/person ($285 for all of three of us). With cab fare back and forth ($8 each way), Admission
($10/person), we saved over $200 AND we got there before the tour and left after the tour. We got
much more out of this than the excursion participants did. We brought our own snorkeling gear and
had a great time snorkeling. The quantity of the fish is unbelievable! Bring some bread out to the
water with you (you’re not suppose to do this, but the park employees do – so we did too and didn’t
get into any trouble. The fish appear to be tame and come right up to you in droves! You will be
amazed by their beautiful colors and how many there are! It is breathtaking!

Roatan – By far, the most enjoyable of the ports! The island is VERY primitive. If you want to get a
real taste of a different culture, this is for you! It appears to be a very poverty stricken area. The
natives are so happy to have visitors and as the ship pulled to the dock around 7am, they sang and
danced using shells, drums, and other primitive instruments. When we got back to the ship at 4pm,
they were STILL dancing and singing. They were eager to take photos with the passengers and
seemed to love having the passengers dance with them. They continued singing and dancing until
we left the dock around 5:30pm. As far as shopping, there were primitive shacks setup selling shells,
hand made crafts, etc. I saw a few T-shirt places but not many! We were thrilled to not see
McDonalds, Dominoes, or Hard Rock Cafes. THIS really did feel like a different country! THIS
reminded us of Cozumel 10 years ago! We expect this to be a future hot spot. Great diving and
snorkeling.

If you haven’t cruised much, here are some helpful hints for you to consider - especially if traveling
as a family (I mentioned many of these in my review of the Destiny);

1. We all got walkie talkies. We thought we were being so original with this but we noticed several
families on the channels. Be sure to bring walkie talkies with many channels - and lots of batteries. 2.
Make sure the kids have waterproof watches so you can agree when and where to meet. 3. Ladies -
have your nails done in "pink and white" versus nail polish - you'll be glad you did. 4. We heard/read
that the luggage could be difficult to locate when debarking. We bought ALL RED luggage and
although the bags were spread out everywhere, we were out of there within 10 minutes! Another tip I
read was to put brightly colored luffa balls on your black luggage in order to locate them faster. You
can get these at Walmart. 5. Be sure you take your seasickness pills way before you think you need
them! 6. Avoid the Sail Away program. We were told $30/person round trip. That would’ve been $90
for all three of us. We took a taxi for $35 each way and it was much faster than sitting on a big bus,
waiting for the luggage and the passengers to get on and off. 7. They say no alcohol can be brought
on the ship. Before we packed, we went to Target and went to the camping section. They have
lightweight, plastic bags with valves for water. You can boil, freeze, etc. these bags. They are only a
few dollars. I recommend you buy several of these, and fill them with basic alcohol like Rum, Tequilla,
etc. They are light weight and will save you a ton of money on adult beverages. Also - a plastic bottle
of water and softdrinks is recommended since these are also quite expensive on the ship. PS. Be
sure to put these bags inside a plastic garbage bag - just in case you have a leak....you do NOT
want to arrive with all your clothes saturated with alcohol! 8. Be sure to order several selections at
dinner. Some selections were VERY good. Others were just satisfactory. 9. My final tip (if you have
children) - INSIST on early seating.

If you are like me, and want as much info as possible, please feel free to email me with questions or
comments at slaviks@msn.com. I will happily help you any way I can....don't worry - I'm NOT in the
travel business.

And don’t forget to visit the website at www.acuparoma.com/Cruise.htm for photos and more
information.

Name: Diana S
Email: bschluck@web-access.net
Age: 48
Occupation: Secretary
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: 06/25/00
Itinerary: Houston/Cancun/Cozumel/Roatan
Cabin: 3202
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 100
TenderService: 60
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 94
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Jul 2000
Time: 13:49:46
Remote Name: wb-198-68-209-217.web-access.net
Remote User:

Comments

This site was very helpful. People thought I was an expert, but I was just sharing tips received here I
traveled with four women between 47-55 years of age-three of whom were first time cruisers. I will
add some diving comments as not many are included in previous reviews.

The first stop was Cancun. The ship anchors close to Isla Mujeres. It anchored about 10AM, but it
was after 2PM before our groups number was called for the tenders and another half hour before we
arrived on shore, but that's where our fun began. We immediately got a taxi to take us to Puerto
Juarez for the ferry ride to Isla Mujeres-$10 for 4. Do not let the taxi driver take you to the closer and
more expensive boats at Playa Linda. We planned on taking the ferry over to Isla and then arranging
for a small boat tour of the island. Instead we met several young men at Puerto Juarez in yellow
shirts, led by Uri Dominquez representing OPCA or Sociedad Cooperative de ServiciosTuristicos. He
showed us the posted prices of 160/180 pesos per person, which were group rates. He said we could
have a "fast" boat-a boat that could hold 8 or 10 persons and a customized 3 hour trip for 200 pesos
each. Why not? The four of us jumped in the boat and told them we wanted to start by stopping at
Playa Norte to swim and shop. After a 20 minute trip we were dropped off at the beach, told that town
was a few blocks away and they would be back in one hour. We walked into the quaint town, bought
a few trinkets and walked back to the quiet, beautiful beach. Several ladies sat under the palapas
enjoying Coronas and we took turns snorkeling and swimming. The boat did return and they took us
to a nearby exposed reef and fed the fish. Numerous color fish swarmed the surface thrilling those
ladies who were not much on getting their hair wet. The next stop was a resort area that had a shark
enclosure. There were three nurse sharks in a 100X100 waist high pen. Our driver, Delores, who was
never without a cerveza nearby, stripped to his blue undies and grabbed a shark by the tail. Not to
be outdone, I asked if I could jump in and snorkeled with sharks for several minutes and had my
picture taken touching a shark that Delores now held with its head exposed. After stocking up on
more beer we headed out for the reefs where they threw out a life preserver that I could grab and I
saw huge staghorn coral and great fish. Can't wait to go back. The driver gave me a card for
www.coralscubadivecenter.com that I hope to use in the future. We tipped the driver and guide $25
as we were very happy with the product. No one on the cruise could top this for the most fun in
Cancun and only about $30 apiece. Try to get the large tender back from Fat Tuesdays as the
smaller one is very old and very slow. This is the only stop that NCL didn't X-ray your bags before
getting on the ship.

In Cozumel, the non-water ladies had a wonderful time on the island tour and had high praise for the
forkloico show. I took the Discover Scuba course as I am certified, but had not been diving for over 3
years. It was a good experience, but I was disappointed that the optional 2nd dive had to be
arranged for later that afternoon. It was going to be a shore dive and didn't see why they needed to
wait three hours to arrange it. We were the first of four ships to arrive that day so I am assuming they
had more students coming from the other boats. I went back to the ship and lounged for the rest of
the day as I had been in Cozumel numerous times.

Roatan was beautiful. Native palms everywhere, lush hills and great diving. The boats from Anthony's
Key picked us up on the dock and took twenty divers each for a half hours ride to the dive sites.
There were beautiful colorful fish, lots of different blue ones, large sponges, pillar coral and a sea
turtle. Several of us had trouble getting into the boat after the second dive due to strong currents.
The seas on the way back to the ship were terrible and the driver kept looking back to make sure no
one had fallen overboard! Shopping in Roatan is excellent on indigenous items-wood and weavings
and items are cheaper in town than on the beach. The non water ladies would not recommend the
glass bottom boat ride as they stuck 2 people on seats made for one, but they enjoyed the sea life.
All the tours stopped at Tabiyana Bay for the poor meal, but the beach was beautiful and had
extensive exposed reef so you could snorkel very close to shore. One couple said they rented a jeep
for $45 with another couple and did several beach stops themselves and had a great time. Another
couple had a driver take them to Anthony's Key, but they left because they didn't have boat to take
them to the nearby beach island (it could be easily swum to, if you didn't mind getting everything
wet). The driver took them to Half Moon Bay where they found all the cruise staff partying!

The cruise was great fun. There were only a few drawbacks-the great number of kids and underage
teenage kids drinking from dawn til dark which was the only negative comment I heard from anyone
on board. The rooms were very small, but very quiet-no one heard our slumber parties every night.
The dining room is set up with serving centers in a big horseshoe shape where they assemble the
dishes, but worst of all scrape and stack the used items-sounds and feels like you are at the kitchen
sink. See the Maitre D as soon as possible upon embarkation to try to get a quiet table away from the
serving centers. LeBistro was great-ate there twice and would probably eat there more often if I go
back. Entertainment was great. Oh, if you have several people who need to take showers at the
same time send some of them up to the gym area. The two showers are larger than those in the
rooms and that is the only place they have bathrooms on the sundeck. Sure wish this cruise wasn't
leaving Houston. Bon Voyage.

Name: Thomas & Rebecca Price
Email: thermopolis@netscape.net
Age: 27 & 25
Occupation: stock trader & legal secretary
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: 7/23/2000
Itinerary: Cancun-Cozumel-Roatan (Texaribbean)
Cabin: 6026/B
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 87
FoodRoomService: 82
CruiseStaff: 92
CabinAmenities: 87
FoodLidoDeck: 87
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 87
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 89
FoodVariety: 89
DeckService: 87
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 87
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 87
TenderService: 87
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 92
EntertainmentLounges: 93
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 65
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon: 80
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 82
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 87
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Aug 2000
Time: 11:12:52
Remote Name: fnjgate.fulbright.com
Remote User:

Comments

Overall, we had a great time on this cruise. This was our first cruise, and we took it in celebration of
our 5 year wedding anniversary. The itinerary for this trip was Houston - Cancun - Cozumel - Roatan
- Houston.

We flew in to Hobby and took the shuttle to the terminal. As others have mentioned, the terminal in
La Porte leaves a lot to be desired - it is situated in an industrial area. Embarkation was quick and
efficient, and we were on the ship in no time.

We went to the Seven Seas Dining Room for the Welcome Aboard lunch, and then spent a few hours
exploring the ship. Also, I signed up for a facial and massage (the Spa Tester 2). As it turns out, with
the category cabin we had (B), I could have this done 'in suite.' It was all I could do, though, not to
laugh at the 'in suite' part. That sounded great to me, so I signed up. I am not sure what the category
cut off is to have the massage done in your stateroom, but if you can do it this way, I definitely
recommend it. Be prepared, though, they will try to sell you the products after the facial and they are
expensive ($56 for a once a week facial masque).

The staterooms were small, but not oppressively so. My husband and I elected to put the two beds
together as a queen, and we could still maneuver around the room. There was plenty of storage
space. We had no problems finding room to put our things. I do have to warn you, however, that the
bathroom is shockingly small. The most appropriate description I heard was 'an airplane bathroom
with a shower.' The shower was TINY! All in all, we were happy with the room.

We were an hour late leaving Houston due to a rainstorm, but this didn't seem to be a problem.
Everyone appeared to be having a good time. The Sail Away entertainment was fantastic. Kevin, the
assistant cruise director (also known as the Dollar Man) has a lot of energy and is a great asset to
NCL.

Our first port was Cancun. We really could have done without this place as it was very
commercialized. The tender to and from the ship was fine. No one was sea sick as far as I could tell.
We went to Xcaret and snorkeled the underground river. There was nothing to see - there aren't any
fish in the underground river. This was the only shore excursion we did, at the other ports we
explored on our own. We did manage to leave someone behind in Cancun. I never found out if that
person got back on board in Cozumel or not.

The next stop was Cozumel. We watched the port talks with Suzanna on the on ship channel. She
mentioned that Cozumel was the place to shop and she was right. We spent the morning shopping.
One neat feature Cozumel has to offer is bicycle carriages on the pier. There are men with bicycles
that basically have a bench on the front. For a dollar or two, you can hitch a ride on one. This is
especially helpful if you bought a lot or are just tired from shopping.

We spent the afternoon at Chankanaab, a state park. For $8 one way in a cab, plus $10 per person
to get in, this was a great place to spend the afternoon. There were dolphins to look at (swimming
with them was extra), snorkeling, nature trails, etc. We snorkeled and just relaxed on the beach. The
fish were amazing. There is a photographer there that will take your underwater picture with the fish.
We had a blast.

The last stop was Roatan, our favorite. Words cannot describe how beautiful this place is. We
hooked up with Paul David on the pier. For $24 per person, you get a ride to his restaurant, lunch -
which includes lobster, snapper, chicken, rice and beans, and access to the beach at Half Moon Bay,
which is a salt and pepper beach. The snorkeling was great, the reefs are beautiful. Paul and his
girlfriend, Jackie, are extremely nice people. We walked down the road from the restaurant, to the
shops. They were huts, really. We bought 2 hammocks at a great price. A word to the wise, figure out
how you will get hammocks home BEFORE you get to the airport!! The ship wouldn't overnight them
to us, and the airport didn't have a box. They just put them in a plastic bag, and we crossed our
fingers. They came through just fine. We also did some shopping at the area near the pier. We
bought the neatest wooden puzzle jewelry boxes for friends, and they burned names into them for
free.

The water outside of Honduras caused the most problems for people. The boat was really rocking
and we saw quite a few people passing around the Dramamine before Grease started. Grease was
the only Jean Ann Ryan company show we managed to catch. These people have amazing energy
and the show was fantastic.

The photographers were nice, and our portraits turned out so well we bought extras for our parents.
The food was pretty good. When you take into account the volume of food that has to be made for
each meal, we understood why it couldn't be excellent. We ate one night at Le Bistro and the food
there was outstanding, don't miss the chocolate fondue. We noticed the difference in the mass
produced food in the dining room versus the smaller scale in Le Bistro with the French Onion soup.
We had it a Le Bistro and it was excellent, later in the week it was served in the main dining room and
there was no comparison.

Our waiter and busboy were wonderful. The nights the waiters and busboys are on parade is not to
be missed. Our section Maitre D' was nice, but on the first night he asked about birthdays,
anniversaries, etc... We told him about our anniversary, which he wrote down, and then on the night
of our anniversary we heard other people being sung to and our turn never came.

There were some neat activities on the ship. We renewed our wedding vows (the day before or
anniversary - it worked out wonderfully), played trivia, and attended an art auction. We bought
several pieces which we should get in 4-6 weeks.

The one area we thought really needed work were the two ping pong rooms. There was soaking wet
indoor/outdoor carpeting and no ventilation. The musty smell was overwhelming and the room got hot
very quickly.

Our room steward, German Cobos, was superb. He was friendly, courteous and professional. He
really helped us to have a truly memorable vacation. I can't say enough good things about him.

Name: Patrick Vergona
Email: vergonap@yahoo.com
Age: 35
Occupation: Attorney
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: July 23, 2000
Itinerary: Cancun, Cozumel, Roatan
Cabin: 3120
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Aug 2000
Time: 13:18:55
Remote Name: godzilla.hood.army.mil
Remote User:

Comments

This was the first cruise for my wife, Mary Catherine, and I. Overall we had a wonderful experience. I
had a lot of expectations prior to taking the cruise based on reading reviews from this web site. For
this reason, I've decided to submit a review of my own.

We drove to Houston on a Saturday and stayed in the Holiday Inn located across from the Johnson
Space Center. If you have the time, take the tour of the space center as it is very interesting. We
drove to the Port of Houston and arrived at about 1PM. There is parking available for $49 for the
week of the cruise and I elected to take that option. The parking area is very secure but due to the
proximity of refineries, a gray residue covered most of the cars in the parking lot. I washed the car as
soon as we drove home. At 1 PM the embarkation area was already very crowded and we likely could
have arrived 30 minutes to an hour later. The embarkation process went very smoothly and we
waited in line for approximately 40 minutes. There's a fairly long walk up to the ship once you
complete the embarkation process so I would recommend not carrying too many bags with you or use
a cart.

Our cabin was not as small as I anticipated. Being in the military, I've stayed in some small
accommodations so my prospective on the cabin size may be different from your own. My wife and I
had plently of room to store our belongings and pushed the two beds together. The bathroom is
small, about three times the size of the bathroom aboard an airplane. But again, it was manageable
and never a problem. Once we settled in, we took a tour of the ship. The ship was very clean and
spacious. At 4 PM a lifeboat drill was held. The drill takes only a few minutes and gives you the
confidence of at least seeing where your lifeboat is located. If you don't go to the drill, you have to go
to another drill the next morning. A member of the ship's crew takes a rollcall.

We were assigned to the early seating for dinner in the Seven Seas dining room. We had a nice
table with two other couples. Both of which were very nice and made dining a pleasant experience.
The service of the waiter and busboy were excellent. The menu had a lot of variety. The only
problem was the quality of the food. I typically ordered a beef dish. While it had a nice presentation,
the food was very plain tasting. Not what I expected from a meal on a cruise ship. The best food we
did have was in the Le Bistro restaurant. During the cruise we ate there twice and it was well worth he
trip to deck 10.

Deck 9 was the pool deck. There are two pools and two hot tubs. If you go to them either very early
or very late, you'll have plenty of room and access. During the day, the pools are very crowded and
the hot tubs seemed to be constantly occupied by children. The waiters poolside were everywhere
but not too ubtrusive. Overall, I enjoyed sitting near the pool and taking advantage of the beverage
service. Try to stay in the shade as the sun is very strong.

The shows on board were all very good. The Jean Ann Ryan Company cast was great. To get a
good seat for the shows, I suggest arriving at least 45 minutes prior to the start of the shows. I have
to make one comment about the show Grease. The show itself was very well done, but I was
surprised by one individual in the crowd. My wife and I arrived early and were very near the doors to
the theater. Behind us was a somewhat large woman with dark hair and a large family. She was very
loud and apparently very eager to get into the show. Once the doors were opened she actually
pushed my wife out of the way. My wife told me this later and I couldn't believe it. She pointed this
woman out later in the cruise and from her interaction with members of the crew, it was clear she was
simply an inconsiderate and rude individual. Members of her family appeared to act in a similar
fashion. I imagine they deserve each other. In general, most of the passengers were polite and
assisted other passengers when they could. I just had to mention this one individual as she set a new
low in world of human interaction.

The shipped stopped at three different ports. In Cancun, we booked the excursion to Xcurat. The
park was interesting, particularly the swim along the underground cavern. However, at $49 per
person, I expected much more. I imagine we could have easily enjoyed the day on the beach near
the pier for free. After Cancun, we decided to go out on our own and this worked great. On Cozumel,
we took a taxi to Chankanaab park. The park costs $10 per person to get in and is well worth it. The
park has showers, lockers, restaurants and a variety of interesting sites. The best aspect of the park
was the snorkling. The second you enter the water you are surrounded by hundreds of fish. I would
recommend doing this yourself because it's very easy to catch a taxi to and from the park and was
much cheaper than similar tours offered by the ship. On Roatan we did the same thing and took a
taxi to Fantasy island. The snorkling at Fantasy island was even better that Cozumel. There is no
costs to enter Fantasy Island, but it did cost us $20 per person for a round trip taxi ride. Remember
to pay the driver upon your return.

The final days of the cruise are spent at sea. This involved more sitting by the pool and generally
relaxing. We did attend a few art auctions and even bought a few art works. The auctions are fun and
we learned alot about art. At night I would hit the casino on board. Occationally, one of the couples
from our table at the Seven Seas would also be gambling and I was lucky enough to join them for a
few hands of blackjack. Overall, I lost money but did win a lot back on the last night. If I could only
remember how I did that.

Taking this cruise was a great idea and I would happily do it again. I only wish the food was a little
better, but in the big scheme of things, it doesn't matter. I was very relaxed at the end of my seven
days aboard the Sea. I was even ready to return to work on Monday, but in retrospect I should have
taken that day off too.

Name: John Steiger
Email: jsteiger@houston.rr.com
Age: 46
Occupation: Journalist
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: 07/23/00
Itinerary: Houston, Cancun, Cozumel, Roatan, Houston
Cabin: 3103
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 70
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 65
FoodLidoDeck: 60
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 50
FoodMidnightBuffets: 0
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 86
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 0
CasinoStaff: 70
PrivateIsland: 0
GoodForFamilies: 88
LoungeService: 0
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff: 0
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess: 0
ExerciseFacilities: 0
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon: 0
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 60
AirSeaProgram: 0
MedicalFacilities: 0
ShipCleanliness: 83
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 75
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 06 Aug 2000
Time: 14:16:08
Remote Name: px1.kprc.com
Remote User:

Comments

Comments

This was our first cruise with Norwegian cruise lines; my wife had taken two other cruises and this was
my second cruise. Three years ago we embarked on a Carnival cruise and really enjoyed the
experience. This last week there were 24 of us in the family: two grandparents, four siblings with
spouses and 14 grandchildren, the age range was from 3 years to 78 year of age, 12 adults, 8 teens
and 4 young children in 7 cabins.

Half of us lived in Houston, the other half driving in from two other Texas cities. It took less than an
hour to get to the ship, the last cruise we had to drive to Florida and took 2 days. Be prepared to pay
$49 to park for the week in a fenced in parking lot.

Embarkation

Embarkation went quite smoothly arriving about 1:15. There was quite a crowd checking in at this
time. The porters met us at the cars and checked our luggage through to the ship. The customary tip
for the porters is $1 per bag and well worth it to us.

The lines were fairly long but moved quickly. Since we had booked as a group our tickets said
‘Latitudes’ on them. I thought this meant that we were listed as Latitudes members, I asked the
security guard and he said no and an NCL agent said yes. So some of us moved over to the
Latitudes check in window and got through faster. After getting on the ship we found out that were
not, so we all signed up.

It is about a half-mile walk up a steep ramp to get to the ship, if you have trouble walking there was
wheelchairs available.

From the time was drove in to the time we were in our cabin was about 45 minutes. An NCL
representative escorted us to our stateroom. Our bags arrived by the time we got back from lunch.
Though we heard comments from people who had arrived at noon and had not gotten their luggage
by 6 or 7 pm.

The ship was about 45 minutes late leaving because a group from the airport was running ate. Bad
storms were blowing though Houston and were causing delays in landing of airplanes at Hobby
Airport.

Ship

The ship was quite clean, though there were sign of aging, thick paint and rust on the exteriors of the
ship. Most of us were on deck 3 forward with the grandparents on deck 6 amid ship. The ship was
smaller than the Carnival ship that we had been on before. We seem to like the smaller ship better. It
made finding areas of ship easier, even with 10 public decks. Plus there wasn’t so many activities
that you couldn’t participate in the one you were interested in. Maps of the ship were posted all
throughout the ship and made it easy to find you way, though by the second day they were not
needed. There was a neat map that showed exactly where the ship was and where on course it was. I
didn’t find this till near the end of the week but it was still interesting. Most of the time we took the
stairs, as the elevators were slow and small. Plus we needed the exercise after eating all those
courses each meal.

Stateroom

The staterooms were quite small but adequate. Lots of storage space. We unpacked and stored the
bags under the beds so there would not be the way. We were all the way forward in the center. I
believe because of our stateroom location, you feel the rocking of the ship more. Also, it was quite
noisy in the cabin when the ship docked, dropped anchor, lowered the front stabilizers and or ran the
forward thrusters.

We did not have a window and the room was very dark when the lights were off. The only problem
here is that when look at your watch in the middle of the night and it says 12, is it noon or midnight.

The bathroom was really SMALL with the shower being extremely SMALL. The bath was about the
size of a RV’s bath. The shower smaller than a phone booth and I am very large person. I did have to
get I the shower and turn around, being careful not to move the water valve to a hotter setting. I
would get wet and step out of the shower to lather up and then go back in to rinse. I felt more sorry
for those over 6 foot 5, they had to squat down to even stay in the bathroom. The toilet broke one
night about 10pm, I did not report it until the next morning on the to breakfast, by the time we
returned from eating, the toilet was fixed.

The only other complaint about the stateroom would concern the bed. I had a four-inch thick form
mattress that was very uncomfortable. I thought my wife had the same, but I discovered on Friday
that her mattress was a regular 8-inch thick mattress.

Our stateroom steward Mike worked very hard to keep up with the crowd. Our room was cleaned by
the time breakfast was over and turned down for bed by the time dinner (first seating) was over. The
only complaint I had about him happened the first day. I asked for two additional blankets for my wife.
He responded with a curt question, ‘WHY, are you cold.’ I didn’t feel the way he responded was
appropriate. He did get our blankets and after that he was fine.

Food

We had first seating in the ‘Four Seasons’ dinning room. With having 24 people were spread over
three tables of eight. Each night we would sit at a different table to enjoy other relatives and to
spread around the time with the grandparents. Two of the tables had the same waiter but different
busboys; the other two tables shared had the same busboy but different waiters. The only time this
was a problem was when it came to tipping. Since we all sat different tables with different busboys
and waiters during the week we wanted to make sure that each received his fair tip. It would have
been better if they had just assigned the same waiter and busboy to all three tables.

The waiters and busboys went out their way to make us happy. I don’t drink anything with caffeine
and they were happy to make me up a pitcher of decaffeinated ice tea for lunch and dinner.

Most of the food was quite good. The selection was varied and more than enough to fill you up. Each
meal was a 4 or 5 course meal. Hot and cold appetizers, cheeses, salads, soups with several choices
of each. There were vegetarian entrees and 3 to 5 choices of a meat, fish or chicken entrees. Most
of us ordered both the hot and cold appetizers, along with soup and salads. If you didn’t like
something the waiters were ready to get you something else. Most of the deserts were delicious. My
wife and I would order two or three and share to try different ones. On Friday, several of us order
bother the steak and lobster. They were separate entrees, but we wanted steak and lobster. You
could not order a side of lobster, so they just gave us the lobster off a full entrée.

My wife and I ate a romantic dinner alone in the Le Bistro one night. It was well worth it and everyone
should eat there at least once. There was no extra charge for the meal other than a suggested tip of
$5 per person; we left $20 because the service was excellent. We had the Caesar Salad and onion
soup that were delicious. The banana Foster was better in the Four Seasons dinning room though.

I found that I only ate at the main seating times; I got filled up then and found that eating snacks
in-between was not needed. We had teens with us and they complained that they could not find food
other than room service at other times. On Carnival, pizza and ice cream was available almost 24
hours a day. On the Norwegian Sea, ice cream was only served from 1-3 pm daily and you could get
pizza from room service (other than at main dining rooms). The soft drinks sold $1.50 and could
really add up over a week. They sell a plastic cup for $16 and it can be refilled over and over, if you
are a soft drink addict it is definitely the way to go. But these were only available for those under 17
years of age. We just put the kids name and stateroom numbers on the cups and all they had to do
was to keep up with them.

The only time I ate in the Big Apple Café was lunch on the first day I was not impressed. My wife ate
breakfast there once and said that it was ok.

Ports of Call

One comment: The ship was pushing small bottled water for $2; you get a bigger bottle on shore for
less in any of the ports. Also, be careful, they leave a bottle of Evian water in stateroom next to the
ice bucket; I thought it was free, I didn’t read the fine print, and it was $3.

The ship stopped at all three ports.

Cancun: This port could have been passed over, as it is in rough seas. The Sea dropped anchor
about 11am and disembarkation started at about noon. This was earlier than expected and left quite
a few people scrambling to get their stuff together for ship booked excursions. It was a 30-minute
tender ride to the shore.

The majority of our group took a bus (50 cents each) to the Westin Hotel, about a 20-minute ride. All
beaches in Cancun are public, but you have to walk though a hotel to get to most of them. You can
go snorkeling right from the beach. Most of the scenic reef areas have been destroyed so there were
few to see here. My brother researched and found the best spot. I saw common varieties of coral with
a few exceptions, sea turtles, man of war, and either a sea snake or small eel that was out of his rock
crevasse. Lots of fish and huge parrotfish were there, also.

The shopping was at the Forum, which is made up of about 3-4 dozen little shops. Once you
shopped the first or 3 or 4 shops you saw it all. The merchandize was very expensive and you should
bargain for stuff. I paid $20 for a T-shirt that they wanted $30 for (I paid $10 on Cozumel). When we
landed there was a man selling puppets for $20…my wife didn’t bite. On the way off the island the
same man was selling the puppets for $5, my wife bought one.

For us, Cancun is too commercial, nothing but large hotels. If we wanted to go the Hard Rock or
Rainforest Café’s we could have stayed in Houston. For our money, the ship could have past up this
port.

Cozumel: Here the ship is able to dock and you can walk ashore. You can pay $1 and be driven on
one of the many tricycles with a seat and driver. It is about a half-mile walk to the street. Four from
our group chose the Discover Scuba ($75) and enjoyed it. The rest of the group went ashore on
their own. Several took a taxi (2 taxis for $8 for each taxi) to Chan Kanab Park. They said the
snorkeling was great there.

My wife, daughter and son went on the horseback ride excursion ($78) to the ruins. They had a great
time, particularly my son; they let the riders gallop as fast as the wanted and he really enjoyed that, if
they would had to ride in a line, one horse behind the other, he would have been bored. The Mayan
ruins weren’t all that much to see but they seemed to be working on the place.

I rented a taxi for $40 and took a ‘fast’ 2-hour tour of the island. The drivers knew two speeds, fast
and stop. But I saw quite a bit of the island and enjoyed myself.

The shopping was much better in Cozumel…and bargaining is the name of the game; don’t settle for
the first price.

Roatan: This was the best port and the most primitive. Here again the ship was able to dock. As soon
as you exited the ship tour guide and taxi driver were clamoring for your business. We picked a tour
guide that quoted $15 dollars person (we had 18 going on tour), she then came down to $10 dollars
person and finally got it down to $150 for all 18. We had two vans for the day. We wanted to go to
Sunnyside Beach (my brother-in-law had done his research and found out was the best beach). The
guide said that she had never heard of the place and took us to a spot to pick up a fast water taxi ($4
each person) to a beach on Half Moon Bay. Even there a storeowner said that he had not heard of it
also. So we decided to take the water taxis. They just ‘happened’ to be run by our guides’ sister.

The water taxis took us to a place called Foster’s. It was VERY nice, with covered woodened decks
and lounge chairs on the beach. They serve hamburgers ($8), fried fish and shrimp ($14) and
lobster ($18). I chose a cheeseburger and fries. The fries were fresh and good, the hamburger
adequate, at least I didn’t get sick from it. In fact this was the only meal that we ate ashore for the
whole week.

I rented snorkeling equipment for $10(the price set on the island) before taking the water taxi. You
had to swim out about half-mile to get to the coral reef and it was great. We stayed at the beach for
about 4 hours. Take plenty of insect repellent; there are thousands of sand fleas. Several people
had dozens of bites; it looked like they had the measles

On the way back to the ship we did pass a place called Sunnyside. If were taken, it was a pleasant
experience.

My wife, son and niece chose to the Discover Scuba excursion ($75). They had a great time and it
turned out that they were swimming just down the beach from us. Great experience for those who
had never had never put on scuba equipment before. We went down about 20-25 feet and it was a
very different experience. I would do it again, and our son wants to get certified so he can dive
deeper and longer. It was a good first time experience and they taught you well.

The shopping on Roatan was the best of all three stops. There are shops lining the street leading
from the ship. Our guide took us to ‘Yaba Ding Ding’ to shop; the prices there were quite expensive. I
would recommend staying out of there and shopping elsewhere.

On Board activities

There was plenty to do board and everyone seem to keep busy. We took the country two-step
dancing lessons. The show and entertainers were very good and we enjoyed several of the shows.
The doors open 30 minutes before each show and lines were long to get a good seat. If you weren’t
near the front of the line, you could end up a bad seat or not enough seats for your whole group.
Since there were 24 of us (although not all attended each show) we had to plan ahead to get enough
seats for all of us. It was fun.

The staff used the hallway in front the elevators to entertain the toddlers, this seem kind strange but
it worked out fine.

A lot of cruises don’t have many teens, not so for this cruise; there were tons of teens. My teen-age
kids made many new friends and we didn’t see much of them unless it was dinnertime, and
sometimes not even then. They spent their evening in the Boomers Disco. The drinking age on
board is 18, but this did not seem to problem for many teens, though a problem for parents. It seems
that many 18+ teens that could legally buy beer or liquor would buy it and then sell it to those teen
under age. Several teens had to escorted back to their rooms in an inebriated state. The security
guard would card teens in boomers and escort them out, but they missed a lot of teens. Plus even if
they cleared out Boomers of underage kids, the kids knew to just go back in 20 minutes and continue
on the party. A teen could go outside and buy a bucket of beers from another teen and just walk
back in Boomers and drink it. In some ways it was very hard to keep track of our kids. One young girl
who had just turned 14 on the cruise got herself so drunk that other young boys started to 'pass her
around'. But fortunately a chivalrous young man escorted her back to her parents and stateroom.
For me this was the worst part of the trip.

Casinos

I only spent $30 in the casinos, I played a little blackjack and played the slots, I t was ok but I was not
impressed. Bingo was played everyday…but the odds seemed too high for me and it was boring.

Debarkation

Be sure to attend the debarkation talk on Saturday, it will help you. We woke up at 5am and ate
breakfast at 6am. You had to out of your room by 8:30am and we didn’t depart the ship until after
11am. They issue colored luggage tags by deck and type of shore travel, with air and bus travel
going first. They had said that you had family staying on another floor you could all use she same
color tag. We thought that we would use the same color tag as the grandparents; they were on deck
6 we on deck 3, we thought because they were on a higher deck they would be called first. It turned
out that they went in order and the tags were listed on the chart. Deck 3 ended up going just before
deck 6, it turned out that we were the last called. We went though immigration in short order and
loaded up and left very quickly.

Final comments

The only time we saw the captain was at the captain’s welcome party and when we took a tour of the
bridge. The only time our cruise director Soozy was seen was at the end of the shows to talk about
tomorrow events and to push buying something and at some of the talks. That was one thing that I
did dislike was the constant pushing you to spend money, either in the gifts shops, photography or in
art auction.

The ship also seemed to rattle and shake a lot and quite loudly at times, more so I feel than a ship of
that size should.

Over all it was a very good vacation and we really enjoyed the cruise and I would recommend it for
other families. You better be quick though, they are pulling the Norwegian Sea out of Houston next
January. I would take the cruise again.

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