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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Corinne Olson
Email: cbolson@sk.sympatico.ca
Age: 37
Occupation: Teacher
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: March 28,1999
Itinerary: Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Great Stirrup Cay
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 82
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 87
CabinAmenities: 88
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 88
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 88
DeckService: 78
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 82
CasinoStaff: 77
PrivateIsland: 85
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 65
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 88
WheelchairAccess: 65
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 82
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 82
Casino: 78
AirSeaProgram: 70
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 86
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs: 75
DeckSpace: 81
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 86
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 84
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Apr 1999
Time: 21:19:56
Remote Name: ts00ad46.sk.sympatico.ca
Remote User:
Comments
My father called up on March 1st to invite me (and my sisters and brother) on a cruise and
after a flurry of e-mails and
web-site watching we flew out to Miami on March 27. We had opted for the fly/cruise
package that at the late date saved us
money, but was very inconvenient on our trip home. We were met in Miami right outside the
gate by the NCL rep and she
very kindly waited for my father who has medical problems. We were booked in at the Don
Shula resort, which was quite
nice, but not near any of the sites of Miami we had hoped to see on Sunday morning. We did
our pre-boarding procedures
at the hotel and were told that we would be able to just walk on board. We ran out of time
to do anything that morning, as the
breakfast service was almost non-existent. They were not prepared for the 200 NCL
passengers that were pre-booked! We
managed to get priority boarding of the buses since my father cannot stand out in the sun
too long. The drive to the pier
was interesting as the driver pointed out many sites of Miami - we got to the Wind and saw
a huge line-up. The embarkation
was delayed due to some woman falling on the gangway - after 15 or so minutes of confusion
(there were no reps to tell us
where to go) they let the hotel guests board through a second gangway. On the ship by
1:15! Having never cruised before I
found a lot of things very impressive - I was happy with the size of the room and the
storage that we found. There were three
adults sharing each of 2 rooms and although dressing in the morning was awkward, we
managed to share the room easily.
We were in 7026 and 7006 on the promenade deck, which enabled my father to get around a
little more easily. He
sometimes got the sets of elevators confused and was unable to join us on some of the
outside decks due to the many stairs
you had to take. Our family ended up spending a lot of time at the aft pool and on the
sports bar deck outside - we ate
breakfast there most days, and sometimes lunch, too, enjoying the small buffet that is
open most of the time. Unfortunately
the cigar smoking that was allowed anywhere outside would ruin a pleasant afternoon.
Please allow only one area for that
horrible habit so that the rest of us can avoid it. It was spring break that week so the
main pool and area was taken over by
the college crowd . Combined with the live music that was often too loud we just stayed
away. In the heat of the afternoon it
was almost impossible to find outside chairs in the shade. The back of the promenade deck
was a nice place but could have
used another 50 chairs for quiet reading. Due to the spring break there were a lot of
children on the cruise. This was most
noticeable when you tried to use the pools or when the children's 'camp' was using one of
the hallways for a game. (Again I
found this most difficult for an elderly or disabled person to step over - very few
considerations are given to those people
requiring assistance) We found the meals at our table in the Four Seasons wonderful. There
are no restaurants in a 500
mile radius from my home where you can get selection and service like that - due to
another review I was prepared to try the
cold fruit soups which became a favorite, and also the after dinner cappuccinos that were
included. My father was somewhat
limited, as he is unable to eat spicy and high sugar foods. He was thrilled, however to
have a sugarless dessert at every
meal which he generally can never have.
We did take part in 'name that tune' where we won NCL mugs, and Dad enjoyed the casino
slot machines (spent all his
winnings) . We took in most of the shows and found them interesting and glitzy - some were
better than others - I liked
'George M.' Although we passed by the golf swing, the table tennis, the basketball court,
and the gym, we just didn't have
enough time to use them. (Nor the bingo or the spa (way too expensive)) Got some shopping
done (end of season sales?)
used the games room, watched an art auction, and had ring-side seats as we encountered a
family of Cuban refugees,
They did not come on the boat, but rather we stayed with them until the Coast Guard
arrived. The ports of call were
incidental - we arrived at Grand Cayman late and by the time we were tendered in it was
noon. My sister had rented a car
through the Internet and had to go get it but they were closed for lunch. By the time we
got into the car it was 1pm and we
headed straight to Hell! - Stopped for stamps, then for a bit of snorkeling by an old
cemetery while Dad and two siblings took
in the turtle farm. By 3:30 we had to be back in Georgetown where we scouted out some of
the T-shirt shops then back onto
the ship. Our next stop was Cozumel, which was nice because we docked right close to
downtown. My Dad and sister were
booked for the undersea explorer excursion. They had a 'bicycle taxi' to take Dad to the
waiting spot (in hot sun) where the
taxi took them and another couple to the wrong pier! More time in the blazing sun until
they (at their own expense) took a taxi
back to the ship. Meanwhile the rest of us took a taxi to Chankanaab Park , a beautiful
park with restaurant, beach, great
snorkeling, a botanic garden (where we saw at least 3 different species of iguana) and a
$7 entry fee. Its too bad that there
were 6 ships at Cozumel that day and a lot of them were at the beach. Due to rough seas
our stop in Cancun was cancelled
and we had until 4 the next day to 'do' Cozumel. That allowed Dad another excursion (for
free!) - two more of us joined
them- it was a great way to see underwater - and nicely air-conditioned. This was almost
the only part of the trip where they
offered assistance to my Dad (after my sister reamed them out) The private island was also
quite enjoyable albeit a little
crowded. Dis-embarkation actually went quickly. I was surprised how soon we were at the
airport. Our flight did not depart
until 3pm but we just waited - after having waited 20 minutes at the cruise check-in to be
told that international fliers had to
check-in in the terminal. (That just adds to the 20 minutes we waited for immigration on
the ship and the 20 minutes we
waited for wheelchair assistance) The trip home had poor connections requiring an
overnight stay of 5 hours in Calgary.
Parts of the cruise I absolutely loved. The room steward was impeccable, the dining room
eating was an adventure - the
sunshine was wonderful, the shopping in Cozumel fun. However dis-organization and lack of
general helpfulness tainted it
especially for older and disabled travelers. NCL could improve their on-board assistance
(the pursers desk did answer all
questions but there was usually a line-up)
Name: Raymond Harvey
Email: RDHarvey@flash.net
Age: 59
Occupation: Retired
NumberOfCruises: 11
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: April 27, 1999
Itinerary: Los angeles to Alaska
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 70
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 60
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 70
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 May 1999
Time: 20:56:04
Remote Name: p60.amax6.dialup.lax1.flash.net
Remote User:
Comments
We boarded in Los angeles for a 13 day repositioning cruise to Alaska with high
expectations that were soon
squashed. Leaving los angeles we were informed that two of our four engines were off line
but it was anticipated
that they would be repaired shortly. They were never repaired during the cruise. We sailed
boldly north at 9 knots
instead of 19 and as a result we entered San Fransisco several hours late and bypassed
Astoria, Oregon
completely. During the cruise we found the staff at the Information Desk to either be
misinformed or lying outright.
For example during the second night we were informed that the Captain twice shut down the
engines and drifted at
sea due to high seas and therefore we would not stop at Astoria.
As any seafaring person knows one does not drift
aimlessly in high seas. The bow must be pointed toward the oncoming seas and headway must
be maintained. The
norwegian Wind is a ship that was recently stretched to accomadate more passengers and
increase room. It
appears that with the increase in passengers they did not increase the size of the crew as
the crew often appeared
overworked or disorganized, often complaining or arguing with each other. The one bright
exception to this
shortcoming was our cabin steward, Leroy. He was simply outstanding.
The overall appearance of the Wind is great.
There are some excellent public rooms with outstanding viewing areas. The Sports Bar and
Observatory Lounge
are especially nice as are the Terraces and Sun Terraces dining rooms. I did find the
men's restrooms outside the
dining rooms and the Observatory Lounge to be lacking in regular cleaning as they often
reeked of urine, with urine
standing on the floor. Twice I found the water to not be working and no soap available.
The overall quality of the
food served in the main dining rooms was average to good, with some days excellent.
However, food was not
consistently served warm, making it unappealling.
Service in the main dinin rooms was very difficult due to seats
being positioned under railings, behind posts, or too close to walls. Food was often
passed through guests rather
than served properly as waiters could not get to the guests. For our group this was not a
problem but I am sure
there were others who objected to this. Simply put, the dining rooms were too crowded.
Again this is a beautiful ship
but much of the deck space and outside dining areas is wasted in Alaska. It is too cold
and windy. In the more
Troipic climates it would be perfect. Asked if I would sail again on the Wind I indicated
that I probably would but with
much lower expectations and only if the cruise was greatly discounted. The prevailing
attitude of the crew is to make
it through the day regardless of the guests. This is an attitude that comes from the top
as twice during the cruise the
Observatory Lounge was closed to the paying guests during some of the most scenic areas
encountered so that a
number of travel agents onboard as guests of the line could have private parties.
Name: Nina Richman-Loo
Email: ninabrad@erols.com
Age: 45
Occupation: Program Analyst
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: 6/21/99
Itinerary: Alaska Glacier Bay
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 75
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Jun 1999
Time: 15:45:50
Remote Name: richmann.pr.osd.mil
Remote User:
Comments
My husband and I accompanied another couple who were celebrating their 25th wedding
anniversary. We had a very good
time and the cruise met almost all our expectations. I had done some research prior to
booking on NCL and I was familiar
with some of the Wind's shortcomings. Also, I had consulted other passenger reviews of
this cruise on this web site. I was
pleasantly surprised by the air/sea program and the embarkation/disembarkation procedures!
Everything went very
smoothly! We spent the night prior to the cruise in a Vancouver hotel - arranged by NCL -
and a NCL agent met us in the
hotel lobby the morning of the cruise and filled out all the necessary paperwork at that
time. When we got to the ship, all
we had to do was go directly to our rooms! Also, prior to boarding the ship, NCL had
arranged for all its Vancouver hotel
guests to be treated to a three hour sightseeing bus tour of Vancouver. I had heard
'horror stories' about missed
connections, lost luggage, and long lines at the ship, but experienced none of that.
What I was disappointed to find was a large number of fellow passengers on the ship. All
cabins were booked and the
public areas got pretty crowded sometimes. Particularly the decks on the nicer days when
there were whales or other
scenery to take in. On inclement days, the interior lounges got pretty crowded. And it was
a 'mob scene' waiting to sign up
for ship charge privileges and shore excursions.
We took the shore excursions that were recommended on this web site by former passengers:
the flight to Taku Lodge
(Juneau) with the salmon bake, the fight/float down the Chilkat River in Skagway, and the
kayaking in Ketchikan. All were
very enjoyable.
There was lots of food on the cruise and my husband and I hardly missed an opportunity to
eat! The food was good, but not
great, and the drinks were pricey, but weak. We liked the alternative dining that was
available, particularly the poolside
snack bar that served pasta, pizza, and salads most of the day, and we hung out at the
Sports Bar quite a few times too.
We ate at Le Bistro, the alternative dining room, one night and had a very good meal.
Service in the dining room and
alternative eating areas was all good. We did have a bad experience with the Maitre d' in
the Sun Terraces dining room (we
had requested the Sun Terraces based upon recommendations from other passengers). His
'seating chart' - which he
religiously carried around - didn't have us in his dining room, eventhough our assignment
card had us assigned to that
dining room. He argued with us that we were to be in a different dining room and he asked
a waiter to 'escort' us to the
proper dining room. We held our ground and he finally 'found' a table for us. We weren't
too happy with him and considered
expressing our displeasure with his attitude to NCL. Consequently, we stayed clear of him
the remainder of the cruise.
I would definitely cruise again on NCL, but I think that next time we'll book on a ship
with less passengers or try to go when
it isn't so crowded (May or September are off-peak times for Alaska cruises).
Name: Ann Carroll
Email: donaldcarroll@worldnet.att.net
Age: 57
Occupation: Office Manager
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: April 27, 1999
Itinerary: Los Angeles-Vancouver (via Alaska)
FoodDiningRoom: 92
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 88
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 93
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 86
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 88
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess: 86
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 05 Jul 1999
Time: 13:04:10
Remote Name: 57.manchester-05-10rs.nh.dial-access.att.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was a relocation cruise for 13 days from Los Angeles to Vancouver via the Inside
Passage - Skagway, Juneau and
Ketchikan.We also docked at San Francisco, Seattle and Prince Rupert, BC. Astoria Oregon
was on the schedule but due
to rough seas and one engine shut down, that port had to be cancelled. This was the fifth
cruise for my husband and
myself. Food - was very good, the bread and pastry chef was exceptional, different breads
at every dinner. Since the boat
had been stretched a pizza parlor had been added on the 11th deck which served several
pizzas and salads at lunch time
to about 5pm. Sports Bar was very good for breakfast and coffee was available all the
time. Le Bistro, a dining room
alternative, was excellent and should not be missed. The single drawback to the dining
room service was our Maitre' D who
kept reassinging our assistant waiter (who was excellent) to other tables without a
replacement, and as this was a large
table the waiter was overloaded and service suffered. Senior and Wheelchair Access -
because of the time of year and 13
day cruise, the majority of the passengers were seniors and several with wheelchairs who
did not seem to suffer.
Cruise Activities - there was always plenty to do, even though we did have an extra day at
sea, activities were quickly
scheduled.
Ports of Call - we chose this cruise because of the extra ports of call at San Francisco,
Astoria, Seattle and Prince Rupert.
We were disappointed when Astoria was cancelled and lost 12 hours at San Francisco but the
boat left Los Angeles with
two engines down for repairs. We were very happy with the ports of call especially Prince
Rupert. We were the first cruise
ship to stop here in 12 years and we were treated to a very nice showcase of the area and
its peoples.
Disco/Nightclubs - On our previous Windward cruise, we were very disappointed that there
was really no dancing available.
However since the boat has been stretched, dancing was available and a very good trio
played in the Observatory every
night. There was also dancing most nights in the Stardust Lounge before the evening
entertainment.
Shops on Board - The shops were good and the quality of merchandise was much better than
on the NCL Dynasty in 1998.
Cruise director and Staff - Karen was good and her staff was adequate.
Cabin Steward - Jose was very good and unobstrusive.
Deck Service on this cruise was really non-existant until the last day because the weather
was not cooperative.
Exercise Facilities - Bob and Candi ran an excellent fitness program and and anyone who
has the opportunity to travel on
this ship, should take advantage of the fun and fitness program.
Ship Cleanliness: We could find no fault with the cleanliness or space available and our
cabin which did not have a balcony
was one of the best appointed we have experienced. We particularly liked the picture
window and small sofa that we could
sit on and look out the window (on another cruiseline we had a picture window but it was
to high to sit and look out of)
Shore Excursions - there were plenty of excursions offered but due to a very cold winter
and no melt off, many of the
adventure excursions had to be cancelled, e.g. we had hoped to the hike and raft trip in
Skagway but the river was dry. If
the boat goes back to Prince Rupert, we would highly recommend the train ride to Terrace.
We also enjoyed the adventure
excursion at Ketchikan where we went in a high speed zodiac to another island and walked
through the Rain Forest. We
took the Mendenhall Glacier tour in Juneau but would have liked a little longer at the
Glacier that the tour allowed.
Entertainment - Stardust Lounge. Because this was a 13 day cruise, there were a lot of
single acts instead of the Ann
Ryan dance shows. Some of these single acts were very good but some were not good.
Air/Sea Program - we made our own travel arrangements so cannot comment on NCL program.
Embarkation at Los
Angeles was a kind of a zoo but to be fair, this is not on NCL regular embarkation ports.
Overall: We were very happy with the cruise and with the exception of cancellation of
Astoria, Oregon and the weather not
cooperating, we could find no fault.
Last year we had cruised the Inside Passage on the NCL Dynasty and no naturalists were no
board when we cruised the
Sawyer Glacier. On this cruise Bill and Jean Tauk were on board and he spent a lot of time
on the bridge commenting on
the coastal areas and places or wildlife. He also gave lectures on the various regions we
were visiting and he was excellent.
I met his wife one day in the Observatory and she was always available for questions.
Their being on board was a great
advantage.
Name: Bette Bradley
Email: jonaty@egyptian.net
Age: 45
Occupation: teacher
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: May 23,99
Itinerary: 7-day Glacier Bay-Alaska
Cabin: 6240-A
FoodDiningRoom: 92
CruiseDirector: 96
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 96
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 92
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 83
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 87
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 91
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 93
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 89
ShopsOnBoard: 89
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 12 Aug 1999
Time: 09:47:00
Remote Name: sprt-ppp-16.egyptian.net
Remote User:
Comments
Being this was my 1st but not my last cruise everything was new and quite unique to me.
The embarkation was quite
easy, especially when travelling with a wheelchair bound passenger. We never had to wait
in line and the crew took
care of us immediately. I was travelling with my mother and brother. My brother had not
properly ID his luggage and
therefore his luggage was late arriving to our room(he failed to put on our room number).
I enjoyed every show in the
Stardust Lounge-from the one man acts to the Jean Ryan shows. They were all quite
professional. The cruise
director, Karen, and her staff also provided us with two hilarious shows, What's My Line
and The Liars Club. I felt that
the off-shore excursion trips were rather pricey. The 3hr. scenic train trip in Skagway
was $86-not really much to see
this time of year.
The only other negative aspect of the trip was the technial difficulties(engine
problems) that
henceforth did not allow us to travel to Glacier Bay nor Ketchikan. We were given $100
shipboard credit for this
major disappointment. I had written to NCL upon my return from the cruise informing them
of my dissatisfaction and
was informed that due to that unforseeable inconvenience they will discount $642 off my
next 7 day cruise if taken by
July of 2000. The service of the Wind was nothing but exemplary. From our room steward,
Aldolpho, to the service in
the Terraces we experienced being treated like royalty. Our waiter, Anesio(from Bogota,
Columbia), has us up on
pedestals from the minute we sat down that first night. Not only was his service excellent
but he had the most
wonderful personality and smile that charmed us all. He had just begun working for NCL. He
previously had worked
for Celebrity Cruise Line for 8 years. Celebrity's loss-Norwegian's gain!!! Both Saturday
and Sunday nights the
dining room crew entertained us with song and dance-loved it.
The food was very good and no one should ever walk
away hungry or not satisfied. We ate breakfast several mornings in the Four Seasons-a
buffet style. Then the last 3
mornings we decided to eat in the Terraces and have menu service. I liked this much better
because it was not
crowded at all and again we enjoyed being served by Anesio. The rooms were very
satisfactory, especially for 3
people sharing a room. I enjoyed having a window to view the sights. We had trouble with
our commode the first
night but the problem was corrected immediately. The disembarkation was very smooth. Again
the crew was
extremely helpful and we were on our way home before you knew it. I would definately
cruise NCL again. I'm already
thinking about a Caribbean cruise(probably the Texaribbean) for next summer. Would welcome
any correspondence
if you been on this cruise.
Name: Julie and Michael Balmer
Email: Julie5707@aol.com
Age: 41 and 50
Occupation: homemaker/carpenter
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: August 9, 1999
Itinerary: Alaska's Inside passage
Cabin: 6140
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 94
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 92
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 94
ShoreExcVariety: 92
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 84
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 94
TenderService: 96
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 86
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 88
EntertShowLounge: 86
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon: 84
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 82
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 86
EmbarkDisembark: 88
DiscoNightclubs: 88
DeckSpace: 94
Stabilization: 92
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Aug 1999
Time: 09:38:51
Remote Name: spider-tn062.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second cruise - our first was on the Celebrity Century to the Western
Caribbean and we found that one
almost perfect. We had been wanting to visit Alaska for years so decided a cruise was a
good way to do it.
Our stateroom was very comfortable - we were in 6140 on the Atlantic deck, which was an
inside stateroom - we had
two smaller beds made into a king-sized bed, a small couch, a desk and two small
nightstands. The bathroom was
much smaller than we expected, but that was fine. The shelf space in the bathroom is
adequate for toiletries, etc.
The closet space was quite limited and we overpacked a little, so finding creative ways to
store everything was
interesting. There was hardly any drawer space at all. The most negative part of our room
was the strong urine smell
that came from the bathroom for our entire trip. I knew our cabin steward was cleaning
well, and I even scrubbed the
toilet and the tiled floor and sprayed Febreze on every surface, but the smell never
actually went away. After a few
days I guess we got used to it. I assumed it was in the grout of the tiled floor. We just
kept the bathroom door closed,
which you would do anyway. Our bed was extremely comfortable and our room was quiet. Due
to no window, it was
pitch-black with the lights out, of course, so we slept better than we expected to - we
are usually early risers but we
would wake up in the morning thinking it was 7:00 a.m. and it would be 10:00 a.m.! The
quiet and the dark
contributed to this, we're sure. It was lovely.
Our cabin steward's name was Garry and he was from the Phillipines. He was wonderful. Fun
to talk to, efficient, did
his job perfectly well. On the last night of our trip we came into our room and Garry had
"sculpted" a man out of
towels and pillows and my tennies and my husband's sweater and hat and sunglasses; for a
split second it looked
like a man in our clothes and reading a book was lying on our bed.
Room service was okay. It took at least 30 minutes and sometimes 40 to receive something,
but it was always
delivered with a nice presentation and a smile. We ordered oriental soup, chicken caesar
salad, cookies, tea and
coffee one night, and it was all pretty okay. Nothing special, nothing really terrible.
The food on the Wind was indescribably wonderful. I have never had so many delicious
chilled soups in my life. My
husband loved their hot soups. The variety, the unique presentations, the quality - we
could not complain about one
thing. We expected that we would not enjoy the meals as much as we had on Celebrity's
Century, but it was just as
good. Splendid. The pizza at the deck pizzeria was delicious. We dined at the breakfast
buffet, at the Pizzeria, in our
assigned seats at table 119 in The Terraces Restaurant, and at the Sports Bar and Grill up
on deck 12 (which was
always very loud and crowded), and enjoyed everything. We considered dining at Le Bistro,
but couldn't pull
ourselves away from the exquisite meals and experiences we were having at our same little
table each night with
Ovidio and Fitzroy.
Our waiter was Ovidio from Costa Rica and our assistant waiter was Fitzroy from Jamaica.
They were both flawless
servers. Friendly, helpful, professional. I asked for iced tea twice at two meals and from
that time on of course Fitzroy
made sure I had iced tea at each meal. Silly as it sounds, we miss Ovidio and Fitzroy a
lot and have talked about
them since we've gotten home.
The excursions were plentiful to choose from. We had a hard time making up our minds on
how to pare the choices
down to one or two things per port. In Juneau we took an historical tour of the city in a
small bus, then went panning
for gold in a small stream. It's easy to see the tiny flakes of gold in the silt at the
bottom of your pan, not so easy to
keep them in there as you learn to swirl the dirt and rocks out. We also took the Mt.
Roberts Tramway up Mt. Roberts
and that was harrowing if heights bother you at all. We got some of our best photos as we
were going up that tram.
We had a great burger at the restaurant that sits atop Mt. Roberts. Juneau is delightful -
full of gift shops that we
wandered in and out of for hours. We heard that some of the flight excursions were
spectacular, but one of us is a
white-knuckle flyer to begin with, so we passed on those.
In Skagway we took the White Pass Railroad excursion, which included a trip to
"Liarsville" where we saw a great
show, wandered through an old camp, panned for gold (big flakes this time!), then were
driven through downtown
Skagway before the trip ended. We were a little concerned that the trip would be too long
but we enjoyed every
minute of it. The scenery up the White Pass is breathtaking and a great place to get some
of your best photos.
Liarsville was great fun (bought some of my best souvenirs at the gift shop there), and
even though Skagway has
only 750 residents, driving through the town was an education.
Next we sailed to Haines and this was truly one of the most gorgeous places we saw. The
snow-covered mountains
that surround this town make you stop and stare, and wish you lived there. Our excursion
here in Haines was for
kayaking, and like all the others, it was well organized. We were shown which bus to
board, were driven 20 minutes
away to a glacial lake (very turquoise and opaque in color) surrounded by towering peaks,
given excellent kayaking
instructions, then plopped right into kayaks (3-man kayaks) and off everyone went. The
kayaking was more
strenuous than one might have expected, but it was peaceful and beautiful. After about an
hour and twenty-five
minutes, the guides helped everyone return to the dock, assisted everyone out of their
sprayskirts and life-jackets,
and treats were waiting for us as it grew dark in the forested surrounding: smoked salmon
and cream cheese on
crackers, different teas and coffee. A short tour of Haines followed, then we were
returned to the ship.
We cruised Glacier Bay the next day and it was rainy and overcast the whole day.
Nevertheless, we floated in Glacier
Bay for about 2 hours near the Margerie (sp?) Glacier and were fortunate to see it
"calve" two or three times. It's
pretty awesome to see the huge chunks of ice break off the 200 foot tall glacier with a
deafening crack, then fall into
the sea almost in slow motion and with a huge splash. The glacier was light blue, white,
and also black and brown
from the striations of dirt it brings down with it over the years. The weather was a
little disappointing because in
places it was quite foggy and visibility and photo opportunities were so limited, but we
were thrilled anyway.
During our trip we saw two humpback whales swimming fairly close to the ship, one of which
breeched, flapped his
"flippers" many times, and swam so that we could see its huge tail. That was
thrilling. We saw many bald eagles too.
We heard it's not unusual to see bear and seals, but we didn't see them on this trip.
Our final stop was in Ketchikan. It was raining hard all day so we didn't stay in town for
as long as we might have on
another day. Plus, we had already seen Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Glacier Bay, and were in
our "relaxing" mode by
this time, and were happy to take it easy. We didn't schedule any excursions in Ketchikan.
We did walk to Creek
Street and you shouldn't miss it because it's so picturesque. We walked over a bridge and
looked down into the
water only to see hundreds and hundreds of huge salmon swimming somewhere to spawn, we
assumed. They were
jumping wildly out of the water and the fishermen around us were pulling them in one after
another. In Ketchikan we
checked our e-mail at Sockeye Sam's, a huge gift shop right near where the Wind docked,
and that was fun. $4.00
for 30 minutes online. Due to the inclement weather we heard that all the flight
excursions were cancelled on this
day.
Embarking and disembarking were fine - a bit of a wait on the latter but we had a deck of
cards and a cribbage board
and we passed the time in the Stardust Lounge waiting for our color tags to be called.
The entertainment we saw was fine - we saw a comedian and he was truly funny - had people
almost rolling in the
aisles. We were too tired to go to the other shows! We turned in early each night and know
we missed the midnight
buffets and most of the shows, but we went on this cruise to get rested and that's what we
did!
I thought the Wind was a fine ship. The one thing that comes to mind that might be a bit
negative are the signs of
stains here and there. Many of the carpets in the hallways were badly stained in places,
our shower curtain looked
like it had seen better days, some of the upholstery looked like it had received some
wear. But none of this was
extremely obvious and it didn't seem to be a cleanliness problem - just a
"stain" one. Fastidiously persnickety people
might turn their noses up at some of this, but anyone whose intention was to have a good
time on the Wind most
certainly had one. We loved our trip.
We would rate the Wind a very slight step down from what we experienced on Celebrity's
Century. The food was a
definite highlight and cannot be lauded enough, Alaska is not to be missed and never to be
forgotten, and the
constant knowledge that being on a cruise ship with the one you love is a privilege none
of us should ever take for
granted. I would be happy to answer your questions by e-mail. Thank you.
Name: Anna Marchese
Email: ajakubiec@aol.com
Age: 26
Occupation: Finance
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: 8/16/99
Itinerary: Alaska/Inside Passage
Cabin: 6120
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 24 Aug 1999
Time: 12:29:49
Remote Name: spider-wl014.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first cruise (and also our honeymoon!) and were very pleased with most
aspects of the Norwegian Wind
and its staff. We had been warned before the cruise to expect mostly 'old-timers' but were
pleasantly surprised to
see many young couples on board. The food was excellent and the service was even better.
We were very fortunate
to have been assigned to a table with a couple from Brooklyn and two sisters from England.
Conversation was never
lacking at our table! Our wine steward was exceptional and entertaining throughout the
trip (thanks, Crispin!). Our
ports of call were wonderful. The only suggestion we would have would be to take the trip
earlier in the season. The
weather was quite rainy (although we heard it rains most of the cruise season) and chilly
so pack lots of warm and
water resistant clothing. Our cabin was small, which we expected since we booked an inside
cabin on one of the
lower levels on the ship. We spent the money we saved on the room on shore excursions. We
highly recommend the
kayaking trip in Ketchikan and the river adventure in Haines. Overall, it was a great
trip. The food at the buffets was
a little disappointing (a lot of the previous night's leftovers...especially desserts).
The ice cream bar left a lot to be
desired as well. The rest of the services made up for these areas though. The ship was
very clean and our cabin
too. We would recommend this trip and Norwegian Cruise Line to anyone.
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