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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Ed and Glynda Guiney
Email: eguiney@flash.net
Age: 49/50
Occupation: Manager/Secretart
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: 9/10/00
Itinerary: Cancun/Cozemel/Roatan
Cabin: 6014
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 88
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 92
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 92
CabinSteward: 94
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges: 88
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 88
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 88
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 82
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 92
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 88
OverallCruiseValue: 91
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 26 Sep 2000
Time: 17:54:50
Remote Name: 208-194-194-3.flash.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was the first cruise for both my wife and myself so we do not really have anything to compare to. I did
read most of the reviews on this site and had certain expectations going into the cruise. We can honestly
say that the experience was greater than we expected. We are just sorry that Norweigen has decided to
move the ship to Miami at the end of the year; otherwise we would have book another cruise next spring.
Embarkation: We live in Houston so we drove to the port and parked. No real problem here other than
about a 30 minute wait since we arrived about 1230. Can see that Latitude memebers board faster.
Cabin Our cabin was on the Promanade deck (deck 6) As the other reviews indicated, the cabin is small,
but not unreasonable for 2. Do not try to bend over in the shower though as your head will be outside the
shower curtain. Seem to be plenty of storage space. The beds were hard and took a couple of nights to
get used to. New matresses would be in order.
Staff: Would rate the staff as very attentive. Our cabin steward was fantasic. Whenever we left the room
(she seemed to learn when that would be) it would be straighten and new towels placed in the bathroom.
Our bus boy at dinner was hilarious and very attentive. He was from Jamaca and spoke with a heavy
acent, but made the meals very enjoyable with his jokes and songs. While sitting aroung the pool, there
seemed to always be a waiter passing by if you needed a drink.
Food: Some of the reviews here indicated that the food was less than expected. As I indicated, this was
our first cruise, but the food was very good and the variety was wide. If able go for the main seating. The
late seating is 8 or 8:30 and can lead to a long night. We ate in the main dinning room every night but
one especially on the night of the midnight buffets. By all means, take one night to eat at La Bistro. The
menu is the same every night but it is outstanding. The chocolate midnight buffet is worth staying up for.
Not only is the food good, but to see the ice and chocolate carvings is worth the trip. One nice thing that
happend to us was that the other two couples that we were matched with for dinning turned out to be very
compatible. We had a great time together and even met at times other than dinning. We shared E-Mails
and have written since returning.
Ports of Call: As others have said, the ship could have skippe Cancun as far as we were concerned. To
much of a tourist trap. Cozemel was good, but Roatan is the best and most memorable stop.
Excursions: Since this was our first time in Mexico and we do not speak Spanish, we dicided to go with the
packets that the ship offered. As it turned out the pakages that were described in the paperwork the ship
sent did not match what was offered when we got on board so my planning went out the window. Cancun:
Ended up not booking anything in here, just took a cab with our dinner mates to the "mall" for some
shopping and then back to the ship. The biggest problem here is the tender to the shore which caused us
to wait about 45 minutes before being able to leave the ship as those with excursions were allowed to
leave first. Cozemel:Took the tropical Jeep Safari and had a great time. The jeep ride on the rough path
was fun and the beach where we were served dinner was beautiful. Roatan:Once on board the excursion
desk showed a "Discover Scuba" trip here for 5 hours. They had one on Cozemel for 3 hours, but I had
heard that Roatan was much prettier so we went for it. I was not disappointed. They offered the chance to
take a second dive in deeper water for a small extra price and that dive was worth the price of the whole
excursion. The coral was beautiful!!!
Debarkation: This was probably the least like part of the whole trip. Our deck was the last allowed off. We
docked at Houston at 5:30. They started to allow folks to get off at 8:30, but it was 10:30 before we could
leave.
Summary: Would we go again - In a heartbeat. Would go next week if we could. For the money is it a
good bargin- As I said, this was our first, but even with pictures, drinks, souverniers, etc. we spent a lot
less money than a week at DisneyWorld would have cost and had probably a better and surley more
relaxful time.
Name: LJP
Email: lj@aol.com
Age: 30
Occupation: Manager
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: October 08,00
Itinerary: Cancun, Cozumel, Roatan
Cabin: 4201 - Oceanview
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 75
CabinComfort: 60
FoodRoomService: 100
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 60
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 60
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 60
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 80
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 50
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 65
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 65
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 60
Stabilization: 50
ShopsOnBoard: 50
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 75
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Oct 2000
Time: 01:28:09
Remote Name: spider-wq011.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
I thought I would share this while it is fresh in my mind. Before booking our cruise, we read these postings
and found them very helpful, therefore, I thought I would reciprocate.
Sunday a. Houston was abnormally cold! The water was abnormally bumpy. We were told several times
that this is unusual (the 15ft waves). Needless to say, the patch barely saved my life. The ship was so
rocky that you couldn't walk without bumping into a wall. Even the elderly and kids were feeling it. I
understand that it isn't the fault of the ship, but I wish they could have routed us around the weather
problems.
b. We were never told there was food on board (other than our scheduled dinner seating) and STARVED.
Poor job on their part. Apparantly, their cafeteria - The BIg Apple had hot dogs and burgers up top.
c. We received our luggage in time to change for dinner - although I almost cried at the thought of having
to put away our clothes into the tiny cabin (2 adults and 2 children). Amazingly it all fit!!!
d. Met our table mates - they were great.
Monday a. Had an appointment in the spa/beauty salon at 9am. It took them a while to get to me. All of
their supplies had fallen to the floor over night (the ship was really rocky). I am going to go out on a limb
and say the service was worth the price (except that by day 3 my nail polish had all chipped off).
b. Couldn't really walk the ship, there were warnings from the captain to stay below because of the
instability of the upper decks.
c. Everyone was sick by now. Even much of the staff.
e. This was our first formal night. Most were able to muster up enough spirit to join in.
Tuesday a. They decided to skip Cancun. The water was too rough to tender. (Fine with me and
everyone else I spoke to)
b. YEAH!!! extra time in Cozumel. We were able to get our shopping done before the rain storm.
c. By dinner, the water had calmed down and we were back to normal.
Wednesday a. A day in Cozumel. We rented a Jeep from Hertz ($50) and took it upon ourselves to find
the beach. We went (on a recommdation from our rental guy) to Playa San Francisco. It was a nice beach
and didn't cost us a dime. (NCL was pushing beach shore excursions for no less than 25 a head). After a
couple hours at the beach we drove the main road around the island. It was beautiful. We were glad that
we had taken our chances and rented a jeep, otherwise, we would have only been on the NCL excursion
and missed the prettiest part of the island.
b. A note about getting back on board. I was amazed at the lack of security. It would seem to me that
anyone could smuggle stuff back on the ship. Our bags weren't scanned and we didn't even have to show
our passes!
Thursday a. Onto Roatan! This island has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Because
the island isn't modernized, we decided to do an excursion to Tabyana beach. WOW! I'd go back there in
a hearbeat.
b. The people of Roatan were very friendly. They had a great attitude and were very proud of their island.
This place is a must see.
Friday a. At Sea
b. Saw a magic show with the kids - very entertaining
c. Tried to watch a "broadway" show but couldn't see very well. The lounges are really nice but it is hard
to see the stage.
Saturday a. At Sea
b. Managed to take a couple of dance classes - highly recommend! Susie (sp?) was our instructor and
she was great.
c. Attended a bible study onboard before dinner. This too was really good.
Sunday a. What a mess trying to get off of the ship!
General Comments: This was our first cruise and probably won't be our last. We learned that we did not
like to be on the ship "underway" for that length of time. Next time, we'll try a 5 port in 7 day itinerary.
Our kids, however loved it. They had a great time in the Kids Crew and couldn't wait until their next
activity. All along, our goal was to see them have a great time and they did.
We napped alot in our cabin.
The food wasn't very good (except in the Bistro) and the Big Apple was REALLY BAD. I will have to say
that the service we received from our M'd (cecil), our waiter (Gede), our busboy (???) and our cabin
steward (fernando) was excellent. The wine steward kept our kids interested in attending dinner each
night by making cute oragami animals for them.
One very nice part was the piano bar. We would relax there after dinner (the kids were off on their
8:00-10:00 activities).
Overall the cruise was nice. Would I sail with NCL again? I don't know. What the cruise lacked for us, it
made up for with our kids. I did notice that many older folks were having a ball! Of course they were
playing bingo and feeding the slots.
PS: You'll go broke on pictures - bring your own film - bring your own waterproof camera (ours cost $7 -
NCL sells them for $18)
Name: Jhon Witteman
Email: jean_witteman@email.msn.com
Age: 53
Occupation: Power Plant Shift Supervisor
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: Oct. 8, 2000
Itinerary: Houston,Cancun,Cozumel,Roatan,Houston
Cabin: 3112/K
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService: 100
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 75
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 75
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 25 Oct 2000
Time: 20:36:52
Remote Name: 1cust168.tnt41.hou3.da.uu.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was my wife's and my first cruise and we got a real good deal on it. We decided to drive as it was
only 200 miles to Houston and we could leave our car at the dock. The secured parking only cost $49
for the week and is paid when you leave your car. The boarding was a snap. We arrived at the
terminal at about 11:00 and were on the ship by noon. By 12:30 we were already up on the 9th deck
eating lunch in the Big Apple Cafe, which was not the best, but acceptable. The selection was usually
limited to about four or five main foods. We did eat several lunches at the Big Apple which included
outdoor charcoaled hambergers and hotdogs. They were good. We ate all of our breakfasts and
dinners at our assigned seating in the Four Seasons Dinning Room. This was a wonderful eating
experience because of the excellent service. Leroy was our waiter and Passley was our busboy, both
from Jamaica. They were the happiest, politest, friendliest, best, that you could ask for on a cruise.
The food was the best food overall that we had eaten. We tried things that we had not previously
eaten and everything was great. The seas were very rough after leaving Houston for the first day.
Both my wife and I got sick for 24 hours and stayed in the cabin all of Monday, our first day at sea.
The captain said the seas were as rough as he had seen in the Gulf and we heard that half of the
crew and passengers got sick. After the sea calmed, which was Tuesday morning we were able to
have fun as did everyone that we talked to. The ports of call were interesting. We had to bypass
Cancun because of the rough seas, but Cozumel and Roatan were great. The snorkeling at Roatan
was out of this world. It was an experience of a lifetime.
We highly recommend the Norwegian Cruise Lines. They had all sorts of entertainment scheduled all
during the days and evening. We were constantly busy, and we had a ball. The members of the
entertainment team, including the cruise director, were just terrific. We especially enjoyed George
Solomon, but Sam, the comedian, and the magician were terrific. Thanks for a wonderful time.
Name: Diana Oxford
Email: diox@txucom.net
Age: 36
Occupation: Homemaker
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: Oct. 22, 2000
Itinerary: Cancun, Cozmel, Rotan
Cabin: 3234 outside
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 100
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 100
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 100
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 70
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Nov 2000
Time: 18:45:25
Remote Name: conr-ddas3-a17.txucom.net
Remote User:
Comments
AWESOME!! The only word to describe this cruise. This was our first cruise and I was looking forward
to it. This was our first trip without our children so we were ready. It took me 15 years to convince my
husband that the boat would not sink so he finally agreed to go. He is now ready to go again!! If you
have never cruised before you will be amazed. Nothing compares to it and we have traveled to a lot of
places. Getting on the ship was very smooth. We live north of Houston so we just drove there. We got
there about noon and stood in line about 30 miutes before we were able to board. Our luggage was
delivered to our cabin about 2 hours later. We had a room on the 3rd deck mid ship right by the
stairs/elevators. It was perfect. I highly recommend a window. It was nice to look out. The room is small
but we were never in there so it didn't matter. It was always clean and our cabin steward Andre was
great. I took a case of Diet Coke with no problem and so he always made sure my ice bucket was full.
The food in the dining areas is OK. My husband loved it. I am a picky eater so don't judge the food on
my opinion. I didn't go on the cruise for the food anyway. I will say the Lobster, Steak Diane & the
Cheese Fondue were great. We had table 126 in the Four Seasons. Clive and Richard were are
waiter & busboy. They were GREAT! We did the Chocolate Buffet. It was wonderful. This is right up my
alley! We missed the other buffets. The casino staff is great! They were VERY helpful and showed
you how to play if you didn't know how. A girl by the name Q was great there! The cruise staff was
wonderful. They were so funny! The Dollar Man Kevin, Ricky, Lucy & Carrie were great and a lot of
fun. There is ALWAYS something to do on the ship. My husband and I participated in all the games
they offered. We played in the wacky olympics and won the silver medal!! You can win all kinds of
gifts. They have great theme nights! The 50's 60's night was a riot!! Bingo was fun, not your average
boring bingo. Grease was great!! I had chosen the early sitting for dinner but changed it to the 8:30
one because it was too hard to get ready by 6:00pm. The pool waiters were awesome and so was the
band Joy.
Look for the pool waiter Nenja and tell him Lawrence & Diana sent you. He was GREAT! In
fact we gave him a big tip at the end of the week. He gave my husband 3 t-shirts & a ball cap. Also, if
you order one of their drinks for 6.95 (you get to keep the cup) he will refill it with what ever you want
for 3.50! That was a great deal. They also sell buckets of beer (4) for 10.00. We spent alot of the time
at the pool because so much went on there. We missed Cancun because of the seas so we went to
Cozmel and got to spend the night there. The boat is right next to the big shopping area so it was
great. We went to Carlos & Charlie's which is fun. We also ate that night at Ernesto's which was pretty
good and cheap enough. I also got my hair braided in Cozmel. I went to a place left of the pier in a
little courtyard. They did a great job and it was 15.00! I have very thick hair and med length so that
was a good deal. The next day we went to Chakanaab park. We got a taxi 8.00 each way. It was 10.00
each to get in and then 5.00 for snorkel, mask & fins. Another 3.00 for life jacket. That was the most
awesome place!! We saw all sorts of fish!! The water is very deep and crystal clear here. I think this is
the best place of all!! They also come up to you and feed the fish and take your picture underwater
with hundreds of fish swimming through your legs. The next day we went to Rotan. I did not care for
this place. It is very depressing because of the poverty. They are all very nice people but they attack
you with items for sale when you get off the ship. My husband & I had on some hats and they kept
coming up and trying to take them from us. We finally had to take them off and put them in a bag. We
were told that this is the one stop that you do not want to go out on your own so we did the Tabanya
Beach. It is pretty but no where near the fish as in Cozmel. Plus you have to swim very far out to see
anything. I would have had more fun on the boat for free. This ship was a dream come true. I could
have spent the 7 nights just on it and not stopping at any ports. Now that I have my husband
convinced about cruising, it is a shame that this boat is leaving at the end of the year. I would LOVE to
go on it again just because of the staff. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions. I read
the reviews before we left and they were very helpful. We are already booked on RCL Rhapsody of
the Seas next Oct. since it is coming here to Galveston for 8 weeks. I don't know if I will be able to wait
that long!!!!!! Happy Cruising!!!!!
Name: terri
Email: two2chase@aol.com
Age: 33
Occupation: claims adjuster
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: 10-21-2000
Itinerary: cancun, cozumel, roatan
Cabin: 4027 f
FoodDiningRoom: 79
CruiseDirector: 79
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 79
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 80
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 89
ShopsOnBoard: 100
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Nov 2000
Time: 17:56:29
Remote Name: poplar.usaa.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was a first cruise for my husband and I. We went with 2 other couples and....had an excellent
time! I must have read every review for this ship and itinerary...probably twice! Our sail date was
Sunday October 21st. We flew from Seattle to Houston. Once in Houston there are NCL reps
everywhere in the airport. We had to collect our luggage from baggage claim and then were told to
collect the bus passes. We probably waited for about 15-20 minutes outside (in all that humidity) for a
bus. There are tons of these busses transporting people from the airport to the port of houston. The
bus ride was approx. 40 minutes or so. And no, it was not the prettiest of drives!
Once we got to the Port of Houston we had to get all of our luggage together from the bus. Guess this
is supposed to make it easier when it's delivered to your room. We got to stand in the Latitudes line
due to this being a 3rd cruise for one of the other couples we were with. Our wait in line was about 15
minutes. Not too bad. They give you your boarding passes here; verify your birth certificate info, late
or early seating; room number and table number. We then had to place our carry-on luggage through
the scanner and were finally outside the building. You get your first picture taken here. Your
'embarkation' photo! Up the long ramp we walked. We couldn't wait to get to the ship!!
Once in, there were 2 ladies to greet us. They were in the normal Las Vegas Showgirl costume! You
walk in to the main floor...Crystal Court area. My first impression was one of 'slight' disappointment. It
was darker than I had expected and there was also a very heavy musty odor. I quickly got used to it
and it never bothered me again! Since I had never been on a cruise before I was expecting more of a
Love Boat type entrance...bright...open...etc. This was not the case.
We went directly to our room. We were in 4027 directly off the purser and information/shore excursion
desk area. Our room location was great! Centered around everything! Much to our surprise...our
room was bigger than we had expected. After reading all the reviews I was sure it was going to be
much smaller. It was an outside room with a window. The bathroom is small but worked just fine!
Shower was great and we never had a problem with it's size. We did have numerous problems with the
toilet, however. Sometime's it would work and sometime's it wouldn't. Made many calls to the front
desk. The shower had great water pressure and I always found the perfect water temperature. All the
reviews are correct when they say there is plenty of space for all of your clothing and suitcases. Our
beds were not made into one when we got there. We assumed it would be done later that night, but
wasn't. We called the information desk and a steward came in right away and made our beds into one.
I must say, we slept so good in our room! It was very comfy and the rocking of the ship rocked us to
sleep every night! We never had a problem with noice, even with being so close to Crystal Court. The
cabin stayed very dark at night and in the early morning, too! The pillows were comfy and the bedding
was just fine!! We actually loved our room even thought we didn't spend much time there! Our
stewardess was Chevon and she was great. We hardly ever saw her. There is a TV in the room. You
get a movie channel; news channel; etc. There is an ac/dc adaptor so you can watch what you've
recorded by video which is nice. There is a hairdryer in the bathroom that works fine. If you have alot
of hair you might want to bring your own as I did. The longer you have to hold the dryer the hotter it
gets. I had to put it down for awhile beause it got so hot.
By the time we got to our room most of our luggage had been delivered except for 1 bag. That bag
finally came at about 7:30 or so. We had late seating in the Seven Seas Dining Room. This night is
very casual for this one reason. Some people may not get all there bags delivered by your dinner
seating. We were so excited to be on this ship! We quickly got ready for the life boat drill. You must
bring the life jackets that are in your room and yes...you must wear them! The drill lasted about 15
minutes. Once we were done with that we dropped our our life jackets and made our way up to the
pool deck! It was so warm out and we were very thirsty. Once we walked up the stairs and were
outside there was a waiter there with a tray of the most tropical looking drinks!! Of course we grabbed
them and headed off. We were quickly stopped by the waiter...we had to pay for these drinks! We all
were laughing. Silly us....thinking these were 'welcome aboard drinks!!' We quickly learned that you
pay for ALL drinks!! That first drink was the best Pina Colada I ever had. I continued to drink those
everyday!!
Dinner in the dining room was okay -- not great. I don't think our head waiter was that great. He was
certainly the slowest. Our dinner seatings took about 2 hours every night. My husband hated this. The
food was not great, but okay. On one occasion we asked for 2 lobster tails and it seemed that the
waiter was put out by this request. I did prefer the late seating just because I felt I had more time
during the day and did not have to rush. Dinners did drag on forever it seemed, but with the other 2
couples we went with it was fun! We only ate dinners in the dining room. Every morning we would get
up and go eat breakfast in the Big Apple Cafe which is right by the pools. It does get a little crowded in
the morning. There are two entrances, once on each side. Normally the line on one side is much
shorter than the other. This cafe is 'cafeteria' style. You are handed a tray at the door with your plate;
silverware; etc. You then choose and pick out whatever you want...scrambled eggs; bacon; sausage
links; oatmeal; ham; cereals; pancakes; etc. There is an omelette station and these were the best!!
We had them everday!! Also, right outside the cafe, right off the bar there was a waffle station...best
waffles, too!! We never really had 'lunch'. We would have such a big breakfast we didn't get hungry
again until late afternoon. There was plenty of food! Right off the pool there was always a big bbq
w/hamburgers and hot dogs. One day they had ribs. In the cafe they always had hamburgers, pizza,
salads; etc. On a few days you could get sushi. We loved the pool deck/big apple cafe food! Two
nights we ate at Le Bistro. This was great. Much more intimate and the food was great! Loved the
Chocolate fondue! It cost's just $5 per person. These waiters all work very hard.
I had the same routine everday. After breakfast would go lay out in the sun. On most days the chairs
were always taken directly around the pool. Yes, there are people who leave a towel on the deck chair
and leave for awhile, but I never had a hard time finding a chair. On most days I actually layed out on
the sun deck which is directly above the pool deck overlooking the pool and all the pool activites. Here
you get a great view of the ocean as you lay out. There were plenty of waiters coming around
throughout the day and spritzing you with a water bottle. Those guys are great! Everyday there is a
different cup of the day. It got very easy to just sign your name/room number!! They do not deliver
food to you, but you can always bring your plate, etc back to your chair!!
In between the 2 pools (one is for children) are 2 hot tubs. They are open until 11 PM only. Would
have been nice to have them open longer. The water is salt water. They drain the pool evernight and
re-fill it in the morning. The water at first was cold, but was perfect once you got in. The band 'Joy'
plays the most perfect music while your on a cruise overlooking the ocean and sipping on a pina
colada. Our cruise passengers seemed to go crazy everytime they played 'Who let the dogs out?!'
The pool deck/sun deck was so much fun!!
The ports of call were great. Due to winds/waves we missed Cancun, which was fine with me after
reading all the reviews. The fun thing was that we got to dock in Cozumel for the night! We did some
shopping; had dinner at Pancho's (the BEST mexican food ever and great drinks!), then went to
Carlos n Charlies. The next day we went to Chankanab Beach (cost's $10 to get in). We rented
snorkle gear and layed out right off the lagoon area. Had another pina colada delivered to me in a
coconut shell!! Was great! Had to be back at the ship by 4:30. This was an all day event and was
great. It's was only about 10 minutes from the ship.
Roatan was great. We were there the next morning as we woke up. Here we did the Tabayana Beach
Excursion...This was so wonderful! It cost $42 per person. The drive out to the resort was kind of
long...50 min but was well worth it. It's the most beautiful beach and water and was great snorkling.
They serve a lunch of hamburgers; chicken; hot dogs; salad; juice; etc. There is also waiters here that
can get you anykind of drink you want! Wish we could have spent more time here. We had to leave at
3:00 to be back at the ship by 5. We also did some more shopping here. GREAT shopping in
Roatan...right off the street! Make sure you shop around before you actually purchase. You may be
able to find a better deal on the same item down the street aways. My friends bought about 10 t-shirts
for around $25 bucks or so!
We had 2 days at sea before we got back to the Port of Houston. It was great having these last 2 days
just to do whatever. There are alot of photo ops. Take advantage of them and wait until Sat to make
your purchases. I did read in one of the reviews to bring an 8x10 plastic zip lock type baggie to store
all your photos in. I tried this but they don't let you do it. We did end up buying lots of the photos. Kind
of expensive but they are nice.
You sign for everything once on the ship. You actually have until Tuesday I believe to start your
on-board credit. You can either give them a credit card or pay in cash. Even the things you buy in the
duty-free shop you must sign for. The store has great clothes; t-shirts lots of knic-knacs. Great deals
on perfume/cologne. On the very last day there is a breakdown and total of your account. The drinks
do add up...especially if your on vacation with a group of people and having a great time! Every night
your steward/ess will leave 'the cruise news' on your bed. This is full of information for the following
day. I don't know how anyone could not know what is going on when you have the cruise news to refer
to daily. It has great information. Soda does cost money on the ship. I drink a lot of soda and was
concerned that it would all add up quickly, but I only ended up ordering about 3 soda's the whole trip.
If you get the drink in 'the cup' of the day, you can refill it for a buck less. It's cheaper to buy a bucket
of beer (4) vs. 4 separate beers.
We spent sometime in Boomer's Disco. This place was fun!! Closed it down one night. When your in
there it's hard to believe you're on a cruise ship!
We ordered room service only once...pizza at about 4 AM. It came in about 10 minutes...and of course
did not cost's us anything but a tip! From the reviews read I knew they were small pizza's, so because
there was 5 adults I ordered 5 pizza's and was glad I did. The pizza is great!
You can smoke basically wherever you want on the ship, except in the dining rooms and the
non-smoking cabins. This got pretty old because I am not a smoker. Sometimes I wished they had only
designated smoking areas.
The crew was great! You could tell they loved what they do. Most of these people work 7 mos straight
on the ship and take a few mos off! They really do earn there tip. Everynight there was also some
'theme party' which involved some of the crew. It always looked like they were having so much fun.
Most passengers did not get involved in the different dress days, such as
caribbean/western/50's-60's. I saw maybe a handful of people dressed up. 2 nights were formal
nights. Everyone dressed up. I had read that you would see anything from Polo shirt's to tuxes. I saw
no Polo's. The men were all dressed up in either suits and ties or tuxedos. We went to 2 shows....the
Broadway show and Grease. Both were great and would very much recommend them. You should get
there early at least for Grease. The room fills up fast.
There were not a lot of children on this ship. I would guess around 20-30.
On Saturday night this is when you give your tips. It was kind of awkward just handing these people an
envelope. We would have much preferred to pre-pay the customary gratuity and then tip more if
applicable. I know carnival does this, but from what I understand NCL does not offer this. It was
customary to tip the dining room maitre'd even though we only saw him once. This felt very strange!
This was the best vacation ever! My view on this cruise was that it was a summer camp for adults.
Always something to do and plenty of food/drinks. I would do it again in a minute if I could. We have
already started looking into the next cruise for 2001!
NCL is great and would definitely recommend them and this itinerary for the remainder of the time it's
in Houston! Bon Voyage!
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