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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Tim Beddoes
Email: beddoest@haltonbe.on.ca
Age: 46
Occupation: Maintenance Worker
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: 6th December 98
Itinerary: Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Cancun, Great Stirrup Cay
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck: 79
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 60
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 85
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 10
EntertainmentLounges: 65
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 70
EntertShowLounge: 75
OverallPortsofCall: 75
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 65
CruiseActivities: 70
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Dec 1998
Time: 15:40:51
Remote Name: 199.235.123.187
Remote User:
Comments
First cruise - Sharon, my wife, has longed to cruise, I've always been the sceptic. No
longer! Four of us took the flight from
Toronto to Miami, met at the gate by NCL, about a 10-minute wait for bus transfer. Driver
had a sense of humour and only
increased our euphoria. Met the third couple, who'd come from England, at the pier.
Check-in went smoothly, found our cabin
easily, bags outside the door within 45 minutes. Left enough time to unpack and explore a
little before sailing. Barry, from
Trinidad, was our steward and did an admirable job all week. Pleasant, unobtrusive, always
around if we needed help. Had a
couple of beers and a rest before dinner - late-seating. Our assigned restaurant was the
Terrace, close to the door so we could
nip out for a quick puff after dessert. We had dinner there every night, but split the
other meals between there, the Sun Terrace
and the Four Seasons, had a couple of burgers and slices of pizza in the Sports Bar too!
Samson, our waiter from the
Philippines, seemed a little stiff and remained that way most of the week, though he was
never less than efficient and courteous
and even danced with my wife during the Last Supper. The portions were on a few occasions
a little on the small side, but
Samson always got us more if we requested. In fact on Friday, Lobster night, we'd prepared
him that one wouldn't do and as
soon as one honkin' tail was consumed another one magically appeared. His Jamaican
assistant Bernard started out quite shy,
but throughout the week became the life and soul of the party. Bernard was tipped over the
'suggested' amount. Victor was our
Portugese maitre d'....yadda, yadda, yadda. I've read other reports where nationalities
were quoted and always found it slightly
strange. The fact is that staff enthusiastically, and with pride, display their various
nationalitities. Ship looked great, never too
crowded, even on the two at-sea days. The layout was easy to get used to. We were never
too far from a bar or waiter. Mimosas
at 10 a.m. - decadent! Monday was a lazy at-sea day, lounged around the Sun Deck and the
pools. Then in the afternoon the
three guys headed off to the Sports Bar to watch soccer on ESPN International-and drink
pitchers of Carlsberg! Tuesday was
Grand Cayman, we'd decided on the Stingray City snorkel tour - three of us dive, but we
wanted the others to experience the
Stingrays. We took the late tour departing the pier at 12.30 which left us enough time to
mail our Christmas cards, do a little
shopping and meet for a pint in 'The Landmark' British pub - between the North and South
dock. Loads of Ex-pats, British beers,
fish and chips in newspaper. Stingray City was a blast, swimming with, touching and
feeding these awesome creatures was one
of the highlights (not that there were many lowlights). Had to catch the tender as soon as
we got back to George Town - on to
Cozumel. That night was Country night, line-dancing after dinner - good fun - great
buffet. Chris and myself had signed up for a
dive here, so we went our seperate ways on arrival. Dives were great, 80-foot wall dive at
Santa Rosa and a 35-foot reef dive at
Yucab. Parrot fish, angels, 'cudas, groupers, great coral and the biggest lobster ever
seen. First drift-dive experience, watch the
currents! Met up with everyone else at 'Carlos n' Charlie's', does that place rock or wot!
Walked back to the ship with my wife and
put on our new silver jewellery for dinner. Caribbean night - good fun - great buffet.
Cancun was next, not too impressed. We left
our camera in the taxi and despite a kind offer 'Give me thirty dollar, we go find' it
never turned up (didn't spend the 30 bucks to
look for a $10 disposable camera). Would have preferred to do something there e.g. Chichen
Itza. Anyone thinking of playing golf
at Pok-ta-pok bear in mind, NCL charge $115, you can book a tee-time on the internet for
$60 (can't remember the URL), the
course is 2 minutes from the tender dock. We had a look around the flea-market opposite
the 'Forum by the sea', had a bite to
eat (and a beer) at 'Fat Tuesday' and lay on the beach. Oldies night, saw 'George M' in
the Stardust - good show considering the
limited facilities. Late Night Adult Comedy, neither too adult or too comedic, but then a
had a couple of $100 casino chips
burning a hole in my pocket. Friday was an at-sea day and it was overcast all-day, plenty
warm enough to sit outside and - well
you've probably guessed - drink. Played shuffleboard all afternoon. Denis drank water in a
Cancun cantina and did not make
roll-call - beware. This was Lobster night, not an official name, just the one we gave it.
Saturday found us in the Bahamas at
Great Stirrup Cay. Mostly overcast, but still strong enough sunlight to burn. Snorkelled
for a couple of hours - wear a t-shirt. The
biggest fish are off the point to the left of the tender landing, the more colourful are
around a little reef about 50 yards offshore on
the other side of the landing. Three stingrays swimming around there too. Hung out until
the bitter end. Italian night, singing
waiters the lot. Sunday was going home day. We'd booked the Everglades Tour, as our flight
didn't leave until 7 p.m., so our bags
and ourselves were off pretty early. Bit of hiccup as one of our tags had come adrift and
was in a 'special area'. Word of warning -
do NOT take this tour if you are looking for value for money, airboat broke down, Indian
village way pathetic, alligators in a pen?
We did see a gator eat a bird on the airboat tour, I have a greater respect for these
reptiles now. Left on our own for 45 minutes at
a place where the was a huge line-up for shrivelled hot-dogs and a store selling
overpriced Indian artifacts made in _ _ _ fill-in the
blank with the third-world nation of your choice. Got back to the airport at 1.45 p.m.
expecting a long wait, got on stand-by for the
2.30 flight and were back in Toronto by 5.30. The cruise was a wonderful experience, can't
wait for the next. Never bored, plenty
of good food, drinks. Took some of NCL's money home from the Casino. The lows - This was a
40th birthday cruise for one of our
party. Balloons, sandwiches and cake had been ordered on arrival, only the cake showed up.
One of the girls went to work out
and found one of the salon staff giving a guy a massage in the Ladies' Changeroom. After
her workout she was getting dressed
and the same women walked in and left the changeroom door open - twice. Great for anyone
passing, but not quite what she was
looking for! Didn't think too much of the poolside band 'Aquarius'. You could set your
watch by what they were playing (and not
too well). That's all the bad stuff, the rest of the trip was utterly wonderful. Sorry
I've been so long-winded. Tim and Sharon
Beddoes.
Name: Michelle Gasperoni
Email: gaspo@erols.com
Age: 32
Occupation: Mom
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: January 10, 1999
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 91
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 89
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 93
FoodLidoDeck: 79
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 97
FoodMidnightBuffets: 89
CabinSteward: 92
ShoreExcVariety: 89
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 97
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies: 89
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 89
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 97
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 89
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 92
EmbarkDisembark: 89
DiscoNightclubs: 75
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 89
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Jan 1999
Time: 15:40:23
Remote Name: 207.172.71.183
Remote User:
Comments
Sunday we were up at 6am and off to the Richmond, VA airport. After almost missing the
last boarding call we
managed to arrive safely in Miami. We were met at the gate by an NCL representative and
taken to baggage
claim and then the transfer bus - all went very smoothly, hardly any waiting at all. Our
bus driver was very friendly
and had all of us travel-weary passengers in a good mood by the time we got to the pier.
When we got there, our
luggage was taken by luggage handlers who made it very clear that they expected to be
tipped! As for check-in,
all I can say is thank goodness we were Latitudes members! The line for non-members was
VERY long! Our line
had about 2 people in it and went very smoothly. We met up with our friends who had
travelled from Nashville,
Chicago, Germany, and a few more from Virginia (6 couples in all), and had drinks topside
while watching the
ship leave. We all opted to eat in Le Bistro the first night - learned from experience
that sometimes the dining
room is hectic the first night! Le Bistro was practically deserted and very delicious.
Afterward we met the art
director, Ian, outside Le Bistro setting up his first art show. I’m not very
interested in art or the art auctions, but if
anyone could have convinced me it would have been him! Ian was very friendly and
interesting and you could tell
he had a real love of art! The show that night was a comedian - John Ferrentino. He was
also a magician and we
really enjoyed the show - don’t miss it! Afterward, we met the assistant cruise
director, Rich Cleson. He was a lot
of fun and visited with us for a while. The nightclub, Dazzles, is teens only from
10pm-11pm, which is nice for the
teens (if there are any), but sometimes it left us looking for something to do until 11.
Unfortunately, the nightclub
scene was kind of lacking on this ship. Although, I have to admit, it could have just been
the particular mix of
passengers that week. We are all in our early to mid 30’s and were looking forward to
some fun dancing, but it
turned out that we were pretty much the only ones there whenever we went. The buffet was
not very impressive
the first night - not really worth staying up for.
On Monday, our first at-sea day, breakfast was open seating. We went to the Sun Terraces
dining room. I thought
it was a bit small and crowded. I liked our dining room - the Terraces better. The port
talk on Grand Cayman was
informative. Pam Sullivan, the port and cruise consultant lives there, so she had some
good information. We
tried to lay out up on deck but it was a little chilly that day. We tried to have lunch at
the pizzeria by the mid-ship
pool, but it was kind of gross! Not very good food, so we went back to our cabin and had
room service. It took
about an hour to get there, but it was better food than the pizzeria had. We went to a
jewelry seminar given by the
port and cruise consultant. We have been on 3 cruises and bought jewelry on each one, and
I wish they had this
talk on all our cruises. It’s definitely worth it if you are planning to make any
jewelry purchases on the cruise. My
husband also won me a free pair of tanzanite earrings during the talk! The winetasting
class was great on this
ship! We’ve been to that class on all of our cruises and this was definitely the
best. The head wine steward was
great and the class was very informative. We won a free bottle of NCL champagne! We
browsed the shops for a
while - they are not very impressive. I was much more impressed with the shopping on the
Norwegian Sea a few
years ago. They have very few shops on the Wind and the selection in them (especially of
NCL memorabilia) is
slim. Dinner that night was formal - for the first time ever, we didn’t have to wait
in a line to have our formal
portraits done. The captains party was typical - free champagne and hors-douvres. The
captain introduces his
staff, etc. We went to our own dining room (the terraces) for dinner and met our waiter,
William and his assistant,
Jose. William was a good waiter, but a little bit reserved and formal. Jose warmed up
after the first night and by
the end of the week was actually a little more fun. Our wine steward, Cyril, was great. He
was always there when
we needed him and would stay and visit for a while. We went to a 70’s party at
Dazzles that night, but again - not
much going on there. The DJ didn’t even have ‘Paradise by the Dashboard
Light’ so we left. The chocoholic
buffet was that night. I know everyone raves about NCL’s chocoholic buffet, but I
have to say I was not impressed
with the desserts the whole week! They just didn’t have much flavor or the right
texture or something. The best
dessert of the week was the baked alaska that they parade around the dining room. It was
delicious! On Tuesday
we arrived in Grand Cayman. They use a ticketing system for the tender, but really there
was no waiting around
like on some of the other ships that use tenders. We got tickets right away and they
immediately had everyone
with tender tickets 1-3 off the ship! We had some time for shopping before our shore
excursion - the Pirate
Encounter. I think this excursion would depend on the group of people who were on it. We
all went (11 of us), so
we had our own group and therefore had a blast!! I think we might have scared the 4 people
along who weren’t
part of our group, though! We anchored off shore and jumped off the ship to swim, snorkel,
etc. Free rum punch
was flowing freely! They also had a rope tied from the mast that you could swing out over
the water then let go
and jump in - it was a really enjoyable day and the ‘pirates’ that ran the ship
were a lot of fun. That night was
caribbean night, but I was so tired we barely made it through dinner before going to bed.
Cozumel was the next
day. We didn’t get there until about noon, so we took a Swing dance class that
morning. Rob, the dance teacher
was really good - it was a short, quick class, but he managed to get a lot in. We had a
great time. Our shore
excursion that day was the Columbia Reef snorkeling with the dive-in program. WOW - what a
neat day that was.
The snorkeling was awesome - it is a drifting tour, which means they just drop you off and
you drift up the reef for
an hour then you get back on the boat. It was a wonderful experience. It took longer than
they said it would,
though, so our shopping time was cut a little short. I would have liked to have more time
for that, but we had to
meet our friends at Carlos and Charlies at 7pm. I felt like I was back in college at a big
fraternity party! We didn’t
stay long, and went back to the ship for dinner. It was country western night, so there
was the usual line dancing
lessons, etc. We didn’t stay for the buffet because it was really windy and it was up
on deck. Next stop Cancun.
Again - the tender situation was great - no waiting! But don’t try to walk to the
shopping area - too far!! Take a taxi.
We walked, but took a taxi back. There isn’t much shopping here. We just got some
Mexican souvenirs for our
kids. Had a frozen daiquiri (after sampling a few flavors to decide on one) and walked
around the little shopping
wagons on the pier while waiting for the tender to come back in. I think next time I would
just wear my bathing suit
and hang out on the beach at Fat Tuesdays! The show that night was a singer - Elvy Rose. I
wasn’t expecting
much, just sitting and listening to a singer - boy was I in for a surprise! She was
DYNAMIC - so much more than
just a singer! That was great entertainment! The sock hop (50/60’s night) was
entirely too crowded, so we left
and danced a little in the observatory lounge - again, not much going on there or at
Dazzles. The midnight buffet
was ‘raid the galley’ - you went in the line right through the galley - it was
interesting and the food was better than
some of the other buffets. Friday, our second at sea day, we relaxed on deck for a while -
no trouble getting deck
chairs even on an at sea day! We took a ballroom dancing class that afternoon - again, Rob
did a good job in very
little time. It was another formal night and the Latitudes party - the rum punch was
really good. We had portraits
taken again and went to the first half of the Sea Legs Circus at Sea show. It looked like
a good show, but we had
to leave early for a group portrait appointment. The ‘Liar’s Club’ show
late that night was HYSTERICAL! Both
comedians ( I think I forgot to mention the 2nd - Fred Klett - he was almost funnier than
the first guy!), Elvy Rose
and asst. cruise director, Rich were the panel of ‘liars’. They were all
hilarious and it is audience participation.
Definitely worth staying up for! Our last day at the private island was incredible! What a
way to end the week! We
saw a stingray while snorkeling, rented a big raft float for all of us to float around in.
The food was great! We
participated in the NCL olympics - a lot of fun. We stayed almost until the bitter end -
didn’t want to go back to the
ship! The variety show that night was the 2 comedians and Elvy Rose again. Not as funny as
their individual
shows, but still really good. I know a lot of people complain that on the last night the
waiters all tell sob stories
and ‘beg’ for good tips and evaluations - but let me say there was none of that
at all! Our waiters never said a
word about tips, working conditions, or evaluations and I never heard anyone else say
anything about it either.
The buffet that night was mostly chinese food - pretty good. We packed and had our bags
out by midnight and
went to bed. In Miami the next day, things were a little hectic. We had a fairly early
flight, so we had the first group
of colored luggage tags available (without showing airline tickets). Unfortunately there
is no control over this, and
I would venture to say that a lot of people took those tickets who did not have early
flights! The terminal was a
madhouse! It took us a while to get our bags and find a porter to take them to the
transfer bus for us. Once we
were on the bus, it was fine, though. The bus driver was again - very friendly and fun. He
had us at the airport in
record time!
Let me end by giving a few negative and positive impressions: Negatives: 1) The boat crews
on both of our shore
excursions expected to be tipped. We have been on 3 cruises and have never run across
this. Nobody warned us
when we registered for the excursions. It wouldn’t have been a problem except that
not very many people carry
cash with them on a snorkeling trip! 2) The desserts left a lot to be desired! (probably a
good thing since I gained
about 5 pounds as it was!) 3) The dining room waiters were not as flamboyant as we have
seen before. On our
other NCL cruises, the flaming dessert parades were more fun - waiters dancing with things
balancing on their
heads, etc. This time there was none of that, they just paraded through the dining room
carrying the desserts. 4)
The gift shops were not impressive - there were only a couple of them, they were small and
not a very good
selection.
Ending on a Positive note: 1) There was a bar waiter named Nelson that just made our week!
He must have
pegged our group for suckers from the start, because he would always find us (even at the
private island)!
Somehow he could always cajole us into buying drinks. He was a lot of fun and we enjoyed
visiting with him
throughout the week. 2) Our Maitre D’, Mohammed, was also very good. He came by our
table every night to see
how everything was. He would tell us about the midnight buffet that night, or about the
next port we would be at -
all kinds of helpful information. Above and beyond anything I’ve seen from a maitre
d’ on a cruise! 3) The
tendering was always very smooth, quick and no waiting involved! Very impressive! In fact
we never waited in line
for anything the whole week - midnight buffets included! 4) The ship was never crowded -
we didn’t even have
trouble getting deck chairs on at sea days.
All in all a really good ship, crew, and cruise! We had a great week! Feel free to e-mail
us with any specific
questions
Name: Tom Kanitra
Email: tkanitra@worldnet.att.net
Age: 48
Occupation: Assoc. Director, Engineering
NumberOfCruises: 7
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: December 27, 1998
Itinerary: Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Cancun, Great Stirrup Cay
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 60
DiningRoomService: 93
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 93
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService:
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 83
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 75
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Feb 1999
Time: 17:02:14
Remote Name: 12.78.105.8
Remote User:
Comments
Our Winter Break 1998 cruise on the NCL Norwegian Wind was our seventh cruise, and second
cruise with
Norwegian Cruise Line. We have also been on the Celebrity Century, Royal Majesty, Nordic
Empress (twice),
Leeward and Grandeur of the Seas. Our itinerary was the 7-night Western Caribbean, with
stops at Grand
Cayman (pronounced cay-MAN' with the accent on the second syllable), Cozumel, Cancun, and
Great Stirrup
Cay (NCL's private island in the Bahamas). We were a party of four with our two children,
ages 12 and 9
traveling with us.
The Norwegian Wind is a very nice ship. It has recently been stretched, adding a mid
section, making the ship
approximately 131 ft, and 10,500 tons larger. On our sailing, all cabins were full, at
least according to the NCL
Representative at embarkation. The ship has gone from an intimate sized, mid-size ship to
one that carries as
many people as some 70,000-ton mega ships. Both the Wind and Century hold 2,150 people at
full capacity,
while the Century is a much larger ship. As such, the Norwegian Wind is a high-density
ship.
Our flights were very good. We had a flight leaving Newark at 9:30 in the morning, a
'humane' hour to board a
plane (as opposed to those 7:00 a.m. departures for which you have to wake up a 4:00 a.m.
We arrived in Miami
around 12:00 noon. We were met by an NCL rep. at the gate, and were informed that we would
have to claim our
luggage at the carousel. It was a real hassle. NCL needs to implement a similar program to
the one that RCCL
has, where the luggage is transported directly to the ship. It was raining in Miami, and
the busses were loading
inside the terminal area, which meant that passengers stayed dry, but the busses took much
longer to get in and
out. We probably waited an hour before we left the airport.
When we arrived at the port, we saw the Norwegian Wind, the Enchantment of the Seas,
Majesty of the Seas,
Carnival Destiny and Paradise. It was a good day for ship watching.
Embarkation was very easy, since we are Latitudes (repeat passenger program) members. The
regular line was
quite long, but we were second in line for Latitudes check in. We checked into any
possible upgrades, even paid
upgrades, but were told that every cabin was occupied.
After our obligatory embarkation photo, we proceeded to board the vessel. We walked onto
the ship and were
met by white-gloved attendants. Unfortunately, none offered to take us to our cabin. One
pointed the way, and
we went off on our own. [Bad first impression.] The ship does not have one of the new
style Centrum lobbies.
You board the ship in the Purser's Desk area, which comprises just a single level.
For the last few weeks before sailing, our family had been gearing up for bunk bed
arrangements. Mom and
daughter were excited to use upper berths, as they had done on the Leeward. But, when we
got to our cabin, we
discovered we had a queen size bed and a full size sofa bed. All on floor level - no
ladder climbing. Most of the
quads on the ship had this same configuration.
Even though we had booked the cabin almost 10 months prior to sailing, the only available
outside cabins at the
time had either obstructed views or portholes. We chose an obstructed view cabin (actually
partially obstructed
view) on the Norway Deck #8.
After we checked everything in our cabin, we went out to explore the ship. This ship is
very nice. The upper deck
is mostly teak decking, although some areas, such as the wrap around promenade deck, are
covered in
synthetic Astro-turf type material. The teak decking is really in gorgeous condition. Very
well cared for. Inside the
ship, the carpeting does need some cleaning in certain areas.
The layout of the ship, particularly internally, is very good. Our cabin was toward the
back, just aft of the last
lifeboat. It provided easy access to the 9th and 10th decks, which have most of the public
rooms. There is an aft
pool, which is encircled half way around by the Terraces and Sun Terraces dining rooms.
There is also a pool
midship, but the layout of the midship upper deck is a bit unusual. It is split into half,
and you have to walk up and
down steps or go through the cabin area for the suites to get from one half to the other.
The raised center
section is where the band plays. I guess that I prefer a more traditional layout, where
the main pool area is one
section. This area on the Wind just seemed disjointed to me.
Inside on deck 9, there is a very nice piano bar/coffee bar. It was one of my favorite
places on the ship. There is
a library, but in name only. There are no more than a few dozen books which you can check
out. We didn't find
anything of interest. Nearby there is also a game area, where many kids played Monopoly,
Clue, checkers, etc.
The 'Le Bistro' alternative dining room and the Terraces dining room are on Deck 9.
The Stardust Lounge, on deck 10, is the theater where the shows are held. It had good
sight lines. It is a single
level theater, although it occupies 2 decks. There is no balcony seating. Also on Deck 10
are the Casino,
Dazzles (the Disco) which is really more of a lounge than a disco, the Photo Gallery, and
the Shops. There is a
large number of NCL logo and Norwegian Wind Logo items to be found. Unfortunately for our
son, who has a
collection of ship beach towels, they had none in stock.
Deck 11 is the main pool deck. It also has the Kids Corner and the Sun Terraces dining
room. Up on Deck 12 is
the Observatory Lounge, where the Latitudes Cocktail Party was held, the Sports Bar, the
Massage area, the
Beauty Salon, the gym, and the saunas.
Of the three dining rooms, the Four Seasons is the newest. It is part of the expansion
section of the vessel. Its
location can easily be seen from the outside of the ship. It is where the 'Bay Window' is
located as you view the
ship from the side. The Terraces and Sun Terraces are both in the back of the ship, one
(the Sun Terraces)
directly above the other.
The food on the Norwegian Wind was mostly very good, with a few exceptions. Our son
especially liked the
Chicken Fingers and French Fries which he had every day for lunch (if we were on the ship)
and for dinner.
Really great were the Fillet Mignon/tenderloin and lobster. We also liked the chilled
soups and the omelets for
breakfast. On the other hand, the desserts, which were so great on the NCL Leeward last
winter, were really
terrible. The trams (which NCL spelled Tira Mi Su) was really good, and so were the
crepes, but that was about it.
Most of the icing on the cakes tasted synthetic.
The daily schedule as to whether breakfast and lunch were buffet or sit down service in
the 3 dining rooms was
very confusing. Some days it was sit down service in all dining rooms. Some days there was
buffet service in
certain ones. It was just plain confusing.
An alternative to the dining rooms was to have breakfast or lunch in the Sports Bar. We
did not go there
however, except for afternoon and evening time snacks and desserts. Food selection in the
Sports Bar is very
limited.
At dinner we were assigned to the Four Seasons dining room. We sat at a table for 4. In
fact, most of the tables
in all three dining rooms were mostly tables for 4. There were also quite a few tables for
2 in the dining rooms.
We were a little disappointed that we were at a table for 4. On the Royal Majesty we were
at a table for 4, and did
not make any friends on the cruise. Since then, we've always requested large tables with
other kids. Fortunately,
there was another family of 4 at the table next to ours, and we made friends after a few
days. They also had two
children, a son and daughter approximately the same ages as our children.
Service in the Four Seasons dining room was superb. Our waiter, Carleton from Jamaica was
excellent, as was
his assistant. The Maitre d', Farad, on the other hand was a waste. One evening I asked
him about why I couldn't
get a cappuccino at dinner, even though it was always on the menu. His response was that
the equipment is
unreliable and doesn't work for more than 1 day at a time. While on the Grandeur of the
Seas, I asked the Maitre
d', Lars, after a few days why there was no cappuccino. He then instructed the waiter to
get me one from the
coffee bar every evening at no charge. That is great service. Farad on the other hand
demonstrated terrible
service. I noted this in great detail on my comment card.
Our cabin steward kept our cabin in perfect condition. His timing was superb. Our cabin
would always be made
up while we were out.
Our first day on the ship was also our first day at sea. The kids went swimming in the Aft
Swimming Pool and we
continued exploring the ship. Our first full day was also the night of the Captain's
Cocktail Party, and our first
formal night. So we dressed in our best formal outfits, and I even got Jonathan to wear a
red bow. Later that
night we also posed for the mandatory formal night photos.
On our second day, we visited Grand Cayman (accent on the second syllable - that's what
the assistant cruise
director always said). Along with us in the harbor were the Celebrity Century, Carnival
Sensation and
Commodore Enchanted Isle. We found out that the Stingray City excursion was sold out, but
we had gone on it
before, and our son wanted to go on the Pirate Ship Excursion instead anyway. The
excursion did not depart
until after lunch, so we decided to go snorkeling on our own in the morning. (During the
evenings our cabin
steward provided us with towels to take with us off the ship the next day - nice touch.)
At the recommendation of
the NCL Dive Staff, we walk a few hundred yards down the block and went to Eden Rock. They
rent snorkeling
and diving equipment there, but we had our own, so we were allowed to go in the water for
free.
At Eden Rock, we saw thousands of fish. Cayman is still an undersea paradise even if you
don't go to Stingray
City. After snorkeling, we went and had lunch at one of the restaurants along the main
drag. We saw a number of
other Norwegian Wind passengers there as well. We just opted for burgers and fries, along
with drinks. After
lunch, we went to the dock area and waited a few minutes until we walked off with the rest
of the people going on
the Pirate Ship Excursion.
The Pirate Ship is an old 3 masted ship. As you take the tender to the ship, they scare
you out of you wits by
firing the cannon at you. The cannon is not an old authentic piece, but instead is a new
cannon, which fires a
blank charge. The cannon is about 2 ft. long, and about 3in. diameter. And it is Loud.
They let the kids on the
excursion fire it by pulling on a cord. After everyone boarded, they sail (using the
motor) the little vessel around
the harbor. It was great, sailing up to the huge cruise ships in the harbor, watching the
people up on the ships
looking down at us, at the cute little sailboat. That is until we fired the cannon at
them. A few coffees must have
gone flying. And the sound would echo off the ships with a second loud bang.
After firing at the ships, we sailed down along 7-mile beach, and then returned to the
harbor area where we
anchored in 35 ft. of water and had people 'walk the plank' into the beautiful water.
Young kids were given life
jackets and were able to walk down the ladder if they didn't want to 'walk the plank'. The
plank was only about 3
ft. above the water line. We had a great time.
At dinner that evening, we became friends with the family of 4 at the table next to ours.
They came from England.
Our children were almost the same ages.
On our third day, we went to Chankanaab National Park in Cozumel (it was our third visit
there). We arrived in
Cozumel at around noon. But the ship stays there until 10:00 at night. There is a brand
new pier in Cozumel,
which was constructed for this winter season. It is in the center of town, just a few
blocks away from the old
tender pier. We were the only ship at the new pier. The Century, Norwegian Wind, Ecstasy
and Sensation were
docked at the International Pier outside of town. We could also see the Mercury on the
other side of the channel,
docked on the mainland at Calica. We packed our gear and went to Chankanaab. It's just a
short taxi ride there.
We found a spot in the shade for our towels and other goodies.
The snorkeling was as great as ever. Absolutely fantastic. But, this was our first time
there since I got my
underwater camera for my birthday last year. So I shot a ton of pictures there. Our son
did freak out a little since
there were a lot of bees on the beach, but that was a small thing. Don't bring cans of
soda onto the beach. That
will help keep the bees away.
After our fill of snorkeling, we took a taxi back to the Hard Rock Café in town for our
obligatory visit. We had
nachos and dessert. We've gone there all three times we've visited Cozumel. And you can
drink the water there,
even though it's Mexico, since it is filtered. We discovered this the first time there
when we ordered lemonades,
drank them, and survived.
After the Hard Rock Café, we went back to the ship. After dinner that evening, we went
back into town for some
night photos of the ship and to buy some post cards. We ran into our friends from England
walking along the
dock area. Later that evening, I went to listen to the piano player in the piano bar. I
walked over to him with my
cappuccino and asked him to play some songs. When I asked him to play 'As If We Never Said
Good By' from the
Andrew Lloyd Webber play 'Sunset Boulevard' he said that no one ever asked him to play
that song, even
though it's a great song. After that we tried thinking or great songs that are not
regularly requested. And then he
would play them. We had a lot of fun.
Our next port of call, on our 4th day was Cancun. It was also New Year's Eve. We wanted to
go snorkeling.
Again. Cancun has very shallow waters and the ship has to anchor a great distance from
land. It actually docked
more than halfway to Isla Mujeres, where we wanted to snorkel. But the tender ride from
the ship to Cancun took
almost 40 minutes or so. Since we would have had to double back toward the ship, and go
that much further
again to get to Isla Mujeres, we decided to skip taking a ferry to the island. So we
decided instead to try to find a
place to snorkel in Cancun. First we tried to go to Punta Cancun by taxi, but there was
not way to get onto the
beach. All the access entrances were locked. Then we asked our taxi driver to try the
south tip, by Punta Nizuc,
but there didn't appear to be anywhere to snorkel there. So, we went back into town, and
just went to the beach
by the All Star Café and Hard Rock Café. There were some rocks there, giving some
shelter for fish, and the kids
did some snorkeling, but it was nothing like Cozumel or Cayman. It was instead a sand
beach (vs. coral), which
was great for the kids to play in.
After swimming, we went to the Hard Rock Café for lunch and shirts (it was our first time
there, so new shirts were
mandatory, although our daughter got a hat instead). After lunch, we went back to the dock
area, and while
waiting for the next tender, our daughter got 2 braids in her hair.
After we tendered back to the ship, we began getting ready for New Year's Eve, which was a
formal night in the
Dining Room. Then, after dinner, we invited our friends from England to play Sports Trivia
with us. They joined
us a few minutes late, just in time to help with the question: 'How many people are there
on the field for a cricket
team, a soccer team (I knew that one) and a rugby team?' With their help, we won the
sports trivia contest that
night. We were given T-shirts, which we gave to the 4 kids. But, during the contest, our
son had fallen asleep,
after the long day in the hot sun. He and mom went back to the cabin, while our daughter
and I joined our friends
at the evening show. Around 11:00 p.m., our daughter had enough, and we took her back to
the cabin. With the
rest of my family now in for the night, I abandoned my formal attire, and changed into
casuals. I took up
residence on a deck chair at the back of the ship, overlooking the ships wake. After
falling asleep, I was
awakened (scared out of my wits is probably closer to the truth) when the ship blasted its
foghorn at midnight. So
much for New Year's celebration on the ship, particularly after spending a day in the hot
sun, on a beach, in
paradise. Oh, well, I might have missed New Year's Eve, but I'll take a day in paradise
instead any time.
Friday was our second day at sea. It was a pretty quiet day. I think everyone was
recovering from his or her
previous late night. We went swimming in the pool, played cards with our friends, and
started to take a tour of the
galley, but it was so hot there, we quit the tour half way through. During the afternoon,
we went to 'Titanic' trivia,
but it was difficult. They asked questions such as how money much was spend on the costume
budget. We didn't
win.
That evening was the Latitudes member's cocktail party, which we attended. Then we went on
to dinner and
followed that up with a defense of our title at Sport's Trivia. This time, we finished
second, and won canvas bags
to go along with our T-shirts. By, the way, my favorite question was 'What do you do if
there is lightning on a golf
course?' The correct answer (attributed to Lee Trevino) is carry around a 1-iron, because
even God can't hit a
1-iron!
Our last full day of the cruise was at Great Stirrup Cay. What else can you say about
private islands except that
they are wonderful. They are a blast! We caught the tender to the island (actually one of
the ship's tenders, not
the big island tender that they used at the other end of the ship). We were really tossed
on some large waves,
but it was fun rocking and rolling. We went to the far end, buy the old boardwalk, where
the good snorkeling is.
(We knew that from the last time we were there with the Leeward.) Mom and the kids rented
a giant float and
lounged around. At one point, the wind blew them pretty far from shore, and I had to swim
out and use my
flippers to swim them back to shore.
While snorkeling there we saw tons of fish, including a stingray. As we were getting to
leave, I saw a barracuda,
about the size of my arm. Since I was only in for a last few minutes before leaving, I
didn't have my underwater
camera. Too bad!
That evening, after returning to the ship, it was our last dinner on board. Afterward we
handed out the envelopes
and shook hands for the last time and then joined our friends from England in a last few
games of cards before
we packed our clothes. The last night is always so sad. So we put out our clothes for the
next day, and put our
luggage out for the evening. After Mom and the kids went to bed, I again went to the piano
bar for a few last
songs. Around midnight, I wandered back to the cabin, set the phone for a 5:30 a.m. wake
up call, and went to
sleep.
The following morning, it was breakfast at 6:00 a.m., and then the endless wait for
debarkation. We had tickets
for a 4:00 p.m. flight back to Newark, NJ, so we were in no rush getting off the ship.
Around 11:00 a.m., we
debarked, saying our sad farewells to the 'grand' Norwegian Wind.
Overall, it was a wonderful winter break vacation.
Name: Robert Stuck
Email: rmsalon@aol.com
Age: 41
Occupation: Business owner
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: 1/31/99
Itinerary: Eastern Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 89
FoodRoomService: 65
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 89
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 89
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 75
GoodForFamilies: 89
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff: 100
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 100
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 100
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 24 Feb 1999
Time: 08:51:04
Remote Name: 152.163.197.206
Remote User:
Comments
After 3 cruises, this one was the best vacation we ever had. The staff, overall, was
wonderful. For the first time,
we knew who the cruise director and the assistant cruise director were. They both went out
of their way to see
that the ENTIRE group of people on the ship were happy. The food selections were
fantastic. Our room stewart
was very accomodating and went out of her way to please us. The only problems that came up
involve the
concierge and Le Bistro Restaurant. For the second time on a NCL cruise the concierge
service was a waste.
Whether we were in an Owner's Suite (last July) or a Junior Suite (this cruise), the
Concierge was not able to
handle any of our requests. They were as simple as getting a reservation in the Le Bistro
Restaurant onboard,
and arranging for a car at disembarkment. We were travelling with a small group. One
couple was celebrating
their 25th anniversary, and 2 others shared the same birthday. We asked the Concierge to
arrange a table for
us in Le Bistro. On Tuesday night when we checked with Le Bistro, they said they had no
table for us. The
Concierge apologized and confirmed us with a table for the next night. On Wednesday, the
matre'd said that the
Concierge never contacted him to arrange a table and that he would definitely have a table
for us Thursday. We
also arranged for a cake to be brought to the table. When we arrived at the restaurant
Thursday night, the same
man told us that he had nothing for us and that he had never spoken to any of us about a
table or a cake. We
never ate at Le Bistro. Service in the other restaurants was excellent, especially the Sun
Terrace.
Name: M.Jean Eaton
Email: tjeaton@brainerd.k12.mn.us
Age: 47
Occupation: Speech pathologist
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: 2-21-99
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 92
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 98
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon: 99
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 92
TenderService: 96
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 99
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 88
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 98
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 03 Mar 1999
Time: 09:56:25
Remote Name: 206.145.247.51
Remote User:
Comments
I cruised on the NCL ship the Wind on 2-21-99 through 2-28-99. It was my first cruise ever
and was accompanied
by my 14 year old daughter and her friend. We all had a wonderful time and felt that it
was a terrific value for the
dollar.
After we arrived in Miami we were met at the gate by an NCL rep. which was reassuring
right off the bat. We
waited there a few minutes while other cruisers joined us, then proceeded to the baggage
area. After getting our
bags it was off to a waiting bus which took us without a hitch to the pier where the Wind
was waiting. We did not
have to wait around long for any of this. Once inside, we registered and it was off to
find our stateroom. The girls
thought the room was REALLY small, but cozy! There were times when we got in each
other’s way but overall the
room was fine and it was always kept clean by our cabin steward. We also did not ever
hesitate to ask the
steward for extra towels, etc. He was always most pleasant and ready to help us out.
Our first dining experience in the Four Seasons restaurant was outstanding, and continued
to be for the rest of
the trip. Everything was first class and the waiters were wonderful. We chose not to eat
in the main dining room
for every meal, especially for lunches. We ate at the pizzeria and were always pleased
with the salads, pizza,
pasta and desserts. It worked out well on the days we were on the sun deck. There were
always barbecues as
well on the days we were at sea and the picnic style fare was good. In summary, there was
abundant
food--nobody should ever go hungry on this ship!! The midnight buffets were also
delightful for those who were
hungry again!
I was hoping the 2 teens with me would have enough to do. They were usually busy doing
something and didn’t
complain about being bored, although the same movies on the TV were played over and over
again and they
would have enjoyed more variety during the times they were in the room for some ‘down
time’. They involved
themselves with the teen director and the things that were planned for them. They loved
the disco nights.
We only chose to do one excursion, and that was well worth it. Otherwise we explored on
our own at the different
ports and were plenty entertained. A small disappointment was the stop in the Caymans--the
shopping was
mediocre and because of the rough sea that morning we were forced to anchor at the
opposite side of the island
which required us to find a bus or taxi from our landing into town. An excursion probably
would have been better,
but we were trying to stay within a budget and had to pick and choose. One highlight was
the stop at the NCL
private island--it was picture perfect and a sunny day. A picnic lunch was provided, there
was live music and just
a great day. It was a grand finale for the last day of activity.
The different ports were very nice. There was good organization to the use of tenders to
get to land if the ship
was unable to dock close in. We did not ever have long waits either coming or going. It
was great that the
tenders ran all day long so whenever we had enough of the port site we were able to hop on
a tender and return
to the ship.
I thought the evening entertainment was outstanding. It was some of the best singing and
dancing I had ever
seen or heard. Each night was a treat--the sound system was incredible and I would
recommend these acts
without hesitation.
It is difficult to adequately say how nice the cruise was. Even on the day of
disembarking, things went smoothly
and the staff was most helpful if there were any questions. We were sad that things had to
come to an end but
we do look forward to cruising with NCL again!!
Name: Wendy Cowin
Email: Peter.Cowin@Sympatico.CA
Age: 42
Occupation: Store Manager
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: March 21, 1999
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 98
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 98
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess: 60
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 70
CruiseActivities: 70
Casino: 65
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Apr 1999
Time: 06:46:09
Remote Name: tcs98.tcs.on.ca
Remote User:
Comments
My husband and myself have just returned from a 7 day cruise on the Norwegian Wind. We had
a preconceived
idea of what a cruise would be like, but the actual experience more than exceeded our
expectations. The cabin was
larger than anticipated. The view from the dining room, ours was the Sun Terrace, was
specticular, as well as the
food and service was excellent at all times. The midnight buffets, were breathtaking. We
enjoyed the shore
excursions that we took. Our day on the private island was cancelled due to bad weather,
so we enjoyed an extra
day at sea in the sun. We were treated to adventure on the high seas, by rescuing 5 -
Cubian refugees, and then
watching the American Coast Guard retrieve them from our ship and take them back to
Florida for processing. As
far as disadvantages are concerned, we found the drinks to be very over-priced. During the
afternoons at sea,
there were not enough lounge chairs available, as many people saved them for non-appearing
relatives or friends.
We witnessed people who saved as many as 5 to 6 chairs in a row, and after 4 hours, no one
had sat in them,
while other guests were forced to sit on the deck floor or stand. The only other complaint
was that by seating
guests at tables of four, is that if you don't have anything in common with whomever you
are seated with it makes
for alot of quiet mealtimes. I would rather see either individual tables, or larger groups
placed together, to give you
more of an opportunity to meet people. This was our first cruise, but it won't be our
last. We just can't wait until we
can sail again. Wendy
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