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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Victoria Gibson
Email: vgibson@magma.ca
Age: 28
Occupation: Web Developer/Programmer
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: March 17, 2001
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 6039
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 70
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Mar 2001
Time: 18:48:55
Remote Name: port-4-34.magma.ca
Remote User:
Comments
My husband and I finally embarked on our honeymoon after 4 years of marriage. We chose the Norwegian
Wind because we had heard many good things from friends who had chosen Norwegian as their cruise
line.
We really didn't know what to expect - seeing as neither of us have even seen a cruise ship up close!
We arrived at the pier in Miami around noon on Saturday March 17 - and we were quite pleased to see
that they were allowing people to board already. I had heard that normally there was such a long wait and
that you could never board early, unless of course you were a Latitudes member (people who have
cruised with NCL before).
We were escorted to our Oceanview stateroom - and once again we were very happy. Our accomodations
were much larger that I had expected. After throwing our carry-on luggage in the closet we headed up to
Deck 12 for a drink!
The bar staff were friendly and always smiling (especially 'Priestly' - our favorite bartender ;-) )
It was wild to watch the dolphins play in the wake of the ship as we left the port in Miami! We spent the first
night meeting people, exploring the ship, and drinking all kinds of frozen cocktails. We also went to see a
hilarious comedian in the Stardust lounge. We had only just left, and had already come to the conclusion
that cruising was the way to go!
The following day we spent at sea. We ate about 5 meals that day! The food was absolutely superb -
especially at Le Bistro. It's the only restaurant that you have to pay $10 per person, but it is worth it! The
filet mignon is the best I've ever tasted. We ate there twice over the course of the cruise. We found the
buffets had an abundance of fantastic food - almost every type of food you could imagine ... but there was
almost always a 'feeding frenzy'. You'd think that these people were starving or something!
Our first stop was Grand Cayman. We booked the Atlantis Submarine which went down 110 ft. It was
definitely a great experience - but you do not want to be clausterphobic if you choose this excursion! The
rest of the day we just spent shopping and then headed back to the boat for dinner. We don't gamble very
often - but that night we decided to spend about $20 in the casino. I won $500 - which is really $800 to us
Canadian's! The money was a big plus - I was able to do more shopping without feeling too guilty about it!
The next port was Roatan, Honduras. We went on the Dolphin Encounter ... it was truly awesome!
Dolphins are such gentle and intelligent animals. We went right into the water for 20 minutes and each
group of four had their own dolphin to pet, hug, and kiss! Great for pictures!!! Going through the town in
our taxi we were able to see the people up close and personal. Even though they appear to live in poverty
- the people are all so happy! I don't think that we saw one single child that didn't have a huge smile on
their face.
That night was the Caribbean night deck party - which was absolutely wild! It seemed that the whole ship
was up dancing - and the Calypso/Reggae Band was great!
The next day we stopped in Belize. Our Cave Tubing excursion was cancelled - so we chose to go on a
tour of the Old Belize River, the Belize Zoo, and a Belize-style lunch. Going down the river was really
interesting - trying to catch sight of a howler monkey or crocodile. The zoo was really good as well. Our
guide was such a sweet guy - he was so proud of his Country and it really shone through. We learned
some interesting facts about the city of Belize, their Government system (which is much like ours in
Canada), and their culture. The rainforest and Mangrove trees in Belize are really very beautiful.
Our last stop was in Cozumel, Mexico. We did not book any excursions here - as we wanted to do our own
thing. We spent the entire morning shopping. We ended up having to buy another suitcase to take all the
stuff home with us! I just had to buy a couple bottles of Kahlua (only $10!!!) We also bought a few Mexican
blankets, and lots of miscellaneous souveniers. Many people spent a tonne of $$$ in the jewellry shops -
but that's not something we could afford!! We spent the afternoon at Playa Sol Beach - which is just like
an exotic postcard. Don snorkelled while I lay on the beach. I had my hair braided (kinda tacky but it's just
one of those things that you have to do when you go to Mexico!)
The last day on board we spent relaxing, going to different shows and entertainment events, and of
course -- eating !! The magician was really great! Cruising really is the way to go - how else are you able
to see 4 or 5 different countries in one week so easily?! We found that NCL has a superb staff, the food
was the best, and the ship itself was even better that we expected.
The only problem we have is not with NCL, the staff, the ship, the excursions, the food, etc. - it is with
some of the guests on board ship. Quite often we heard people complaining about this or that - and to us,
their complaints seemed so trivial. How can these people allow one little thing (like the fact that one of the
restaurants did not have 1/2 and 1/2 cream for their coffee) ruin their entire cruise !!!! I actually heard a
man blaming NCL for the weather!!!(there were a couple cloudy days). My husband had his feet run over
by a 400 pound woman in a wheelchair - and we were both practically ran over by a herd of buffet-eaters.
Up on the jogging track - we were shoved out of the way by a man who was jogging an hour after the
cut-off time (with no apology)! The feeding frenzy at the buffet was a little much for us - it seemed that
everyone butted in ahead of you - just so that they could shovel the food into their face a little faster!
Apart from eating dinner one night with a really nice young german couple - we found many of the people
were so rude! We normally enjoy a relaxed atmosphere - and in a fine dining establishment it is quite
normal to spend 1 or 2 hours eating different courses and enjoying the atmosphere and conversation
around you. It seemed that many people were very upset when they had to actually wait a few minutes for
their next course to arrive. Do people not realize that sitting down to dinner isn't all about eating as fast as
you can?!? If some people wanted to eat fast and immediate - they should be eating at the buffet every
night!
It seems that there were many people who treated the staff poorly. I commend the staff of the Wind for
putting up with so much abuse. These people work 14-16 hours a day - and even though they are there to
serve you - they should receive respect and thanks. They seem to take everything that's thrown at them
with a grain of salt - and continue smiling through it all!
When we can afford to go on another cruise (probably when we're old and grey) we will definitely look into
NCL once again!
Name: Andy C
Email: carran@sympatico.ca
Age: 48
Occupation: Engineer
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: Mar 10, 2001
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 8260 / outside + balcony
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 70
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Mar 2001
Time: 11:49:41
Remote Name: ecargje4.nortelnetworks.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second cruise, the first was on NCL's Norway in 2000. Part of this review is to reflect
on pros and cons of Freestyle, which was implemented on the Wind just a few weeks before. The
bugs were clearly still being worked out, and the crew seems to be almost entirely new since the
ship's January drydock period. We sensed that the crew was less than fully integrated and less
than fully happy.
Meals worked well after the first night (when there was a line to wait for tables). Waiter staff were
more discrete than in the old assigned regime, but they opened up when we invited them to chat. A
large proportion of dining and bar staff was Romanian, and we sensed many of them were quite
disgruntled (though they didn't take it out on the passengers). One told us she had had to pay an
agency $1100 to secure the job, the agency told her she'd make $2000/month, but in practice it is
$600. She claimed tips have gone down since Freestyle. (Freestyle takes care of tips by adding
$10 per person per day to your room account. If you want the amount to be different, you can
adjust at the front desk. We slipped a couple of small bills to our favourite waiters and room
steward - they didn't say no!)
The food standard was very good, though not quite up to what I remember from the Norway.
Menus seemed to be less exotic. There are two main restaurants with identical menus (Four
Seasons and Terraces) plus another full service restaurant (The Trattoria, Italian themed - used to
be called Sun Terrace). The Bistro (extra charge $10 per person) remains. The menus in the Four
Seasons and Terraces have a theme each night, it seemed odd that one night was Italian since
the Trattoria has Italian all the time. Buffet meals are available in the Sports Bar and the top deck;
sometimes an excellent barbeque was set up here.
There was only one (optional) formal night. We dressed up for it, but it was a long way to carry a
suit for just one evening. Two opportunities would have made it more worthwhile. Overall, we found
the freedom to select meal times, meal companions and meal venue was an excellent addition.
Visiting Roatan and Belize was fascinating. Not for those who want to shop, but a more genuine
view of Caribbean life. We enjoyed the combined sail/snorkel trip in Roatan and the wildlife tour of
Belize River/Belize Zoo - all animals at the zoo are local species. The Belize guide was a huge
ambassador for his country, very proud. Going ashore in Belize and Grand Cayman was by
tender. At Belize, the ship anchored a long way out and there was a strong wind and a heavy
chop. This was probably a day when it was a close call whether the port visit would even happen:
getting everyone back was a challenge, people were moaning about the long wait for tenders, and
some folks were very green on the trip to the ship. Cozumel and Grand Cayman are built up and
touristy, so there's a good spectrum in the four port visits.
We were glad to have one of the few staterooms with balcony. With over 2000 people on board a
nominally 1700-passenger ship, deck space and loungers were at a premium. The Wind has
nothing like Norway's huge top deck expanse. Our stateroom came with concierge service, but this
particular guy was worse than useless. The only thing we asked of him was to arrange some
excursions, which he screwed up: he booked us on two excursions simultaneously, both of which
appeared on the room bill. Sorting that out took us more than an hour from one desk to another.
The concierge seemed little interested in getting to know his charges. (Last year, Norway's
concierge offered first-tender service, special galley tour, etc.)
The fitness program was good, though fewer activities were offered than on Norway. Norway's
team offered a shore walk at every port, Wind's was only at Cozumel. Aerobics classes from one of
the instructors were at a pretty tough level - discouraging for people that may have wanted to just
give it a try.
Overall, we were very pleased with our cruise. Like many other reviewers, we used this as a
multi-generation rendezvous: we had our 15 year old son with us, and my mother and a companion
came from England. It's a very effective way of meeting up, each generation can find suitable
activities. Anything to get away from eastern Canada's winter can't be bad, but what made this
cruise special was the off-beaten-track ports and the increased flexibility of Freestyle dining.
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