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Name: Jean Pehl
Email: j.pehl@lsc.cc.mn.us
Age: 46
Occupation: College Registrar
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: 3/23/97
Itinerary: Barbados
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 92
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 100
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Apr 1997
Time: 18:31:03
Remote Name: 204.77.47.14
Remote User:
Comments
This was a group of 32 I put together which included our children, ages 19-23, to my
mother and aunt (70's) and many
aged 40-60. NCL had the most efficient embarkation and debarkation system I have ever
experienced. After sailing on
Carnival, the cabins appeared extremely small at first glance. However they had plenty of
storage space, water pressure,
and nice thick towels. The beds and pillows were very comfortable and even though we were
in the first cabin behind
the pursers desk, it was quiet. Buffet service was non-stop which kept us from having to
beat a clock for meals. This
was nice. Service in the dining room was good as was the food though it could have used a
littlbe more variety. The
entertainment was the best I've seen on a ship with the production of Grease being my
favorite. The chocoholic buffet
was "to die for". The ship was laid out well and we never felt crowded except
for around the pool during our day at sea.
Ports of call provided a taste of several different cultures and plenty of time to explore
the islands. The Seaward is a well
maintained ship. I was told it is going into dry dock in October and will be rerouted when
it comes back into service. I
expect it will be even better at that time. We were the lucky winners of a free cruise for
two and are excited to sail on
NCL again...maybe even the Seaward.
Name: Mike Starrett
Email: michael_p_starrett@amoco.com
Age: 35
Occupation: engineer
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: 5/4/97
Itinerary: southern carribean - Barbados
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 75
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 82
ShoreExcVariety: 92
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 87
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 85
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon: 85
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 92
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 82
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 May 1997
Time: 08:53:44
Remote Name: 204.149.20.10
Remote User:
Comments
My wife and I (35) were traveling with her parents (79) and this was our first cruise. Her
parents have cruised twice
before. We left our small child at home. Overall impression of NCL Seaward - Very nice
older smaller ship which
offered passengers most of the amenities of the megaships, with the added benefits of
plenty of space to seclude
yourself or with your newfound friends. Discounted fares on voyage really improved the
overall value of the cruise.
Overall impression of the Ports of Call - We loved the ports of call. The diversity,
culture and raw beauty of the
islands are great, ranked below from favorite#1 to least favorite #6. We heard alot of
grumbling about poverty and
lack of amenities, if you want everything to look like suburban USA, stay home at your
McDonalds. Sunday - San
Juan#5 (Depart 10PM) We arrived early and walked to the Fort on the hill. We purchased
Diet Cokes and Rum for
the cruise since liquor purchases at other ports of call are confiscated until departure.
The air/sea package worked
fine even if we had to depart home on the 6AM flight. My wife and I wanted to rent a car
and travel to the
rainforest, but I chickened out due to my unfamiliarty with the cruise process. Passengers
claim their bags and place
them into NCL trucks and catch NCL buses. The process was flawless with our luggage
waiting at our room when
we returned from the fort. Next time I will relax more. Cabin - We were concerned about
cabin space so we
booked #8203 which was very nice. (Two windows, appeared to be about 50% larger than
outside stateroom). We
ate dinner on the ship. Monday - Santa Domingo#6 - Took cab into colonial town. Walked
around to see oldest
street, Colombus's house, Amber museum, etc. Most passengers hated this 4 Million person
city. The city needs to
prepare for cruise ships as the inhabitants mobbed us. Tuesday - At Sea. Wednesday -
Barbados#4. The Clintons
were arriving on Friday. We purchased the excursion - heritage tour-. The highlight was
the rum factory. I think I
would hit the beach instead, but the tours are great for less mobile individuals. The
island was nice, but did not live
up to all the hoopla. Thursday - Dominica#1 - The jewel of the trip. We purchased the 8
hour discover dominica.
Excellent tour but too long in the bus. I would reccomend taking a taxi to the falls and
emerald pool. or purchasing
the hiking excursion. This island was raw beauty will strong environmental focus. Friday -
Antigua#3 - Another great
island. We purchased the Historic Antigua tour then raced to Runaway beach where we rented
a wave runner.
Saturday - St. Thomas#2. Went shopping for hours. Some items are deep discount others are
the same price as US,
but will save state sales tax. Went to Corky Point Beach for snorkeling and sun.
Snorkeling was great, not as good
as Cayman or Maui, but extremely enjoyable. This island just finished a big yacht race in
April. Sunday - San Juan -
Disembarking went fabulous. Only complaints were from passengers who packed their shoes,
wallets, tickets, etc.
All were accomodated. Be careful where you wait for disembark call, some areas of the ship
can not hear the calls.
Shipboard activities - The average passenger gains 6 pounds, we were determined not to
gain weight. We
participated in almost every sporting event. The sports director was great! We played
volleyball, basketball, water
volleyball, fitness walked, streching exercise, aerobics, weight room, etc. I also shot
trap ($10/10 shots) for the first
time. (hit 7!) We attended every show and every event on the ship. We are usually couch
potatos, but on this cruise
I was up by 6:30AM and in bed around 2AM. You do not have to push so hard, but I did.
Negatives - The cruise director, Linda, droned on.. especially at the sock hop, where the
group we were with finally
moved to the disco and requested sock hop music so we could dance. Most people did not
like Santa Domingo.
Also, I heard of no one who won at the casino. Additionally, I felt sorry for the two
single young ladies at my table,
the singles party had 4 single women no men. This cruise was definately not the right
timing for singles. Also, the very
few teenagers (mostly girls) did not look as if they were all that thrilled at the
relative older crowd. Additionally, this
was our first 'controlled' vacation as the boat leaves on its own schedule, and since my
wife and I are control freaks,
we were not sure we could handle it. We adjusted. Positives - We had not one voiced
complaint about anything
other than the cruise director who was tolerable for short durations. We met the nicest
people. We never felt unsafe
or worried about our possessions. The passenger controls whether this is an upbeat
vacation or a completely
relaxing one. Everyone of my friends would have enjoyed this vacation. Contact me if you
have any questions.....
Name: Brian Whitney
Email: BrianWhitney@worldnet.att.net
Age: 25
Occupation: Computer Support Desk Manager
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: 06/29/97
Itinerary: Barbados
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 83
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 88
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService: 70
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 89
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 70
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 88
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 88
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 88
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 Jul 1997
Time: 21:49:58
Remote Name: 207.146.10.115
Remote User:
Comments
This was my 6th cruise and my wife's first (it was our honeymoon) so I was real worried
that she might not like
cruising. For those of you even slightly in doubt, book now. You'll love it!
However, this was a nice boat, but not a GREAT boat.
We flew to San Juan and arrived at around 3:30. After over an hour in the HOT San Juan
baggage claim area, we
dropped our bags off at the luggage truck and were in our cabin in under a half hour. NCL
did a great job. We were
too late to see the maitre d' to switch seatings (our travel agent's screw up). but we
ended up on the seating we wanted
by the next day. The first night's meal was open seating, so it didn't really matter.
A word of caution, however. I was most disappointed on this cruise with the lack of
variety on the menu. Normally on
cruises, there were at least two different entrees on each night's menu that sounded
delicious. While the food on the
Seaward was wonderfully prepared and tasted delicious, it often was more a case of 'Which
one sounds good' rather
than 'Which one do I want the most.' Sometimes the lunch menus sounded better than the
dinner menu selections. The
food was great, I just wanted more to choose from.
The first port was Santo Domingo in the DR. For those of you who haven't been there, it
makes the Bronx look like a
National Park. Dirty is not the word. But do get off the ship, and not on a tour. We took
an $4/pp taxi into the 'Colonial
City' to do some sightseeing and shopping. Once in the colonial city, we were harrangued
by people identifiying
themselves as tourguides. While we at first resisted, our guide would not let us get away,
and soon he was showing us
the sights. When you go, don't resist. We saw the Columbus house, Cortez' house, and a
large fort and prison we
would have otherwise missed, as well as the first university in the new world. We tipped
the guide the asked for $20,
which was far less than the ship's tour and much more fun. Also, check our LARIMAR, a
semi-precious gem found
only in the DR that is CHEAP there and 2X as much even in St. Thomas.
The next day was at sea. There is plenty of deck space on the Seaward, and there are 2
pools, providing plenty of
sun-worshiping territory. Stay on deck between 2 and 4 for 'Lickety Splits,' the ship's
ice cream parlor poolside. NCL
also has several people walking around the pool with cool water bottles who spray you with
water upon demand. Pure
decadence.
Barbados was our next stop, and we went on a Dive In! snorkeling tour for $40/pp, which
was well worth the money.
We took a boat from the ship to the dive site, snorkeled for over an hour and rode the
boat back. On the way back to
the ship, it became a party boat with a 50% rum Rum Punch. WOW!! However, I would
recommend taking the same
type trip on Antigua and using Barbados as a beach day. The beaches there looked much
prettier than they were in
Antigua.
After Barbados came Dominica (dom-in-EE-ka) which had the least to offer, but was the
prettiest of all the islands we
visited. The ship recommended a tour package (The Best of Dominica, $32/pp) and
discouraged the use of independant
taxis, which we did. It was very interesting, and quite beautiful, but there were a lot of
people everywhere we went. In
addition, we had to sit through a way-too-long concocted native 'dance demonstration.' Two
people from our table,
however, took a taxi, paid far less, and saw the same sights as we did. You make the call.
From Dominica, we sailed on to Antigua. As mentioned earlier, I recommend the snorkeling.
We went shopping at the
local vendor area near the pier, and got good bargains on some t-shirts and souveniers,
then went to Dickenson's Bay
Beach. The beach was very narrow and rocky. The water, however, was gorgeous. The taxi
driver dropped us off and
returned on time for only $4/pp each way.
After Antigua was the last island, St. Thomas. I have visited there several times before
and plan to retire there
someday. This was the first time I had been back to the island since Hurricane Marilyn
struck there 2 years ago, and
was AMAZED at how much devastation remained. Magean's Bay used to be surrounded by tall
shade trees, and be
about 20-40 feet wide, and now is surrounded by shrubs and is 1/2 as wide. It still is a
gorgeous beach, and a great
way to spend the last day on vacation.
The shopping in St. Thomas has not been as devastated. The bargains are still there,
especially in liquor, jewlery and
perfume. Don't bother shopping by the ship, take the $2.50/pp taxi into Main St. and shop
there. Much more enjoyable.
All in all, we really enjoyed our cruise. This being Monica's first, she has been bitten
HARD by the Cruise Bug, and
can't wait to go back. For my part, I will have no problem going with her.
However, there were a few bad points. The service from the bar staff was poor, partly due
to a 15% gratuity being
included in the bill. I found that they weren't nerely as attentive as other waiters have
been. The dining room staff was
fantastic, and the room steward did his job efficiently, but without any 'special
treatment.'
The ship was extremely quiet, and rock solid (except for the last night, when the Captain
'parked' us off St. Thomas
and we drifted in the current) in our cabin. One nice touch - the captain turned us into
the sunset and cruised very
slowly (so not as to undo a hairdo) each night after leaving port.
The nicest single thing about the cruise was dining in 'Le Bistro,' a seperate restaurant
on the top deck of the ship. This
is a small restaurant (only 20 tables) that offers a quiet, romantic option for dining. My
wife and I dined alone, in a
dark quiet atmosphere, on some of the best food I have ever had in my life. If you sail on
NCL and don't take
advantage of this at least once, you're missing out. It has the same menu all the time,
and is different from the dining
room. There is a suggested $5/pp gratuity which I happily doubled. The service was that
good. This sold me on the
cruise and the entire line. I wish every line had one of these!!
I would recommend the Seaward to anyone looking for a good value in the Southern
Carribbean.
Name: Janet Knapper
Email: gary.knapper@mcmail.com
Age: 56
Occupation: Bought Ledger Supervisor
NumberOfCruises: 0
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: 30/06/97
Itinerary: DR - Barbados - Dominica - Antuiga - St. Thomas -
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 27 Jul 1997
Time: 08:04:05
Remote Name: 195.44.0.13
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first cruise - a party of 4 people all 50+ WE all throughly enjoyed it and
definitely want to do another one. The food was excellent and the
staff extremely friendly. We did not join in the shipboard activities as the British tend
not to go in for this type of entertainment. The shows in the Cabaret
lounge were thoroughly enjoyable and we relaxed their after the evening meal - we were
first sitting. We also used the Casino most nights - just the slot
machines as we are not usually big gamblers. I think we broke even. We went on 2 of NCL's
excursions one in Barbados & one in Dominica we enjoyed
them both. Dominica is very pretty We enjoyed the the shooping in St Thomas & we did
like Puerto Rico and wished we had stayed there the week before
the cruise as we took a stay & cruise package which started from the Dominican
Republic. Thank you NCL for an excellent first cruise.
Name: Brandon Stephens
Email: lorenhlm@sover.net
Age: 42
Occupation: Hospital Volunteer Director
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: December 9, 1996
Itinerary: So. Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 70
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 60
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 60
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 60
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 20
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 60
PrivateIsland: 70
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 50
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 89
EntertShowLounge: 70
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization:
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 70
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 24 Aug 1997
Time: 12:41:43
Remote Name: 206.25.67.115
Remote User:
Comments
The best part of the cruise was the sing-along piano player. He was terrific.
Now for the bad stuff --- This was the worst of the 6 cruises I have sailed on. The cabin
was tiny. The cabin steward rarely cleaned the
room -- we had to go out and find our own clean towels and fill our own ice bucket. When
we spoke to him about this he was downright
surley. At the end of the trip when we filled out our trip evaluation, he stole it from
our room -- and we were told by the purser's staff that
we could only get another form if we asked our steward for it.
The entertainment -- reported to be a full broadway show -- was only bits and pieces from
the play 'Grease.'
The food was way below par -- very disappointing.
I would not recommend a Norwegian cruise to anyone.
Name: M. Rupeik
Email: Mrupeikis@aol.com
Age: 35
Occupation: technical
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Seaward
SailingDate: 08-24-97
Itinerary: Barbados
FoodDiningRoom: 000
CruiseDirector: 050
CabinComfort: 010
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 050
FoodLidoDeck: 050
DiningRoomService: 075
CabinQuietness: 090
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 030
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 010
DeckService: 050
ShoreExcValue: 030
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 075
LoungeService: 080
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 050
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 080
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 040
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 070
EmbarkDisembark: 090
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 050
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 100
SpaceRatio: 050
OverallCruiseValue: 050
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Sep 1997
Time: 17:52:55
Remote Name: 152.163.207.135
Remote User:
Comments
Although our cruise was inexpensive, the quality of the food was so poor, that I would
have to think twice about sailing ncl again. as an
example, when I tasted the lobster tail, it had a strong fish taste, which turned my
stomach. Others at our table said their lobster was not
fresh, and dried out. On another evening, I ordered the baked Macaroni and cheese with
brocolli. It turned out to be the boxed
supermarket variety, dried out with a few sprigs of brocolli on top, and smothered in
plain catsup. The variety of food was very poor. On
another note, the prime rib was very good on another evening. The Casino was huge, and we
lost a few hundred dollars, but we had lots
of fun, and even learned how to play craps. The poolside activities were just great. I
really enjoyed watching, and participating. The cruise
director was always around somewhere, striking up a conversation or two. The onboard
entertainment was hit and miss. One of the
comedians was terrible, and the other, George Soloman, (singer, etc) was great. The room
we had was the smallest we have ever got,
even though we were upgraded to a cat d, superior outside. we always opt for the least
expensive cabin, but this time got upgraded. It
turned out to be the tiniest cabin. What a disappointment. The kids enjoyed the kids club
activities immensely. The ports of call were nice,
and we just used taxis to get around. We really liked Dickersons Beach, on antigua. Just
lots of vendors, but beautiful water, and clean
white sand. Would I go again? Not on this ship. There are just too many other choices out
there. Then again, If it was my only choice....
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