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Name: Linda Clark
Email: clakr1@netarrant.net
Age: 39
Occupation: Homemaker
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: 05/25/98
Itinerary: Alaska
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 93
FoodLidoDeck: 79
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 93
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 83
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 88
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Jun 1998
Time: 17:29:12
Remote Name: 207.55.220.38
Remote User:
Comments
We were with a party of 14 including my 2 children. The whole group seemed to come away
with good feelings about the trip. Although the six cabins we
occupied were not consistently stocked on embarkation, ours had everything we needed. My
family shared a category P1 cabin with a small veranda
(excellent for cruising Glacier Bay). Our room was comfortable and fairly roomy but the
closet space was a bit scant. There were plenty of shelves in the
closet and bathroom that helped.
I think the difference in a good and a great cruise is the attention of the staff to the
guests. We were treated very well by our cabin stewardess and our
waitstaff and therefore had a great time.
The only complaints I have are about the informal dining areas. The Sports Bar had good
hamburgers, hot dogs, etc at lunch but the seating area is so
small it can accomodate relatively few people and tended to be standing room only with
long lines at peak times. (They had great nachos and fresh
popcorn available mid afternoon.) There was an outdoor buffet also available at lunch but
I found the weather in Alaska too chilly to sit outside to eat.
My 2 children, ages 3 and 9, had a good time in the Kids Corner. Although Carnival Cruise
Lines has the best kids program I have seen, NCL did an
adequate job for us also. There were plenty of activities for the kids to enjoy (face
painting, scavenger hunts, video game contests, and their own
naturalist for cruising Glacier Bay). The program only had activities during 'at sea' days
and had no activities during port hours. The negative here was
that if the kids didn't care to go ashore we were faced with a dilemna of taking them
anyway or staying on board.
NCL did a good job of stretching this ship so that the new areas flowed into the older
areas almost seamlessly.
Overall we had a very good time.
Name: Kirsten Tucker
Email: brngckn@hotmail.com
Age: 32
Occupation: Consultant
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: 11-12-99
Itinerary: Repositioning/Panama Canal
Cabin: 4022
FoodDiningRoom: 82
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 82
FoodRoomService: 79
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 82
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 70
FoodMidnightBuffets: 82
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 92
FoodVariety: 82
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 75
CasinoStaff: 92
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 80
ExerciseFacilities: 82
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 82
BeautySalon: 75
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 83
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 82
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 88
EmbarkDisembark: 70
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Nov 1999
Time: 14:39:36
Remote Name: user-33qs18l.dialup.mindspring.com
Remote User:
Comments
Downside:
Embarkation (San Diego)and debarkation (Miami) processes were poorly organized. Ship was
arriving in San Diego for
embarkation, and the San Diego facility was not prepared to accommodate the Wind's
passenger crowd (ship was sold
out). Debarkation was a nightmare. Too many people let off the ship at a time, forcing
many to wait for a very long time in
the hot sun in order to load their luggage and board the bus for the airport. NCL really
needs to work on these processes!
The prices charged in the beauty salon/spa for services are very high. When I had a
manicure, I ended up redoing my
nails myself because of the poor quality of the job.
Ports - we were late into nearly every port. As some of the ports were only half days,
didn't give us much time for anything.
I'd prefer if they dropped the half day ports in favor of full days in other ports. We
were four hours late for our last port
(Nassau). This resulted in many shore excursions being cancelled. Ship scuttlebut (sp?)
was that we'd had engine trouble
the night before. There were three other ships coming into Nassau at the same as the Wind.
We appeared to be second
in line but ended up being the last to dock. An NCL staff member supposedly stated that we
were second in line and that
the port authority changed its mind to let ships whose normal ports of call include Nassau
to come in first. The other ships
supposedly were agreeable to let us go in first, but the port authority made us turn
around and circle, finally having us
come in last. This whole event somewhat disturbed me as it was common knowledge that there
was a woman in the ship's
infirmary who'd had a heart attack two days earlier, was stable, but needed to be taken
off the ship to a hospital. They did
take her off soon after we docked, but shouldn't medical priority come first over
anything?
On the bright side:
We had the best cabin steward ever!!! He was pleasant, did a great job, and kept us in
stitches with his creativity.
This was our first cruise. At two weeks long, NCL did do a good job with providing a
variety of things to keep passengers
busy. The crowd was overall quite a bit older than my husband and I, but it was still a
good experience. Seeing the canal
was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Overall, we enjoyed the cruise despite the bumps in
the road. I'm hoping we can go
on another cruise so we have something to compare to.
Name: Tim Beddoes
Email: beddoest@haltonbe.on.ca
Age: 47
Occupation: Maintenance Worker
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: 11th December, 1999
Itinerary: Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, Key West
Cabin: Cat 'E'
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 70
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 50
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 50
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 50
CruiseActivities: 50
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 50
DiscoNightclubs: 40
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Dec 1999
Time: 11:58:06
Remote Name: 199.235.123.118
Remote User:
Comments
We chose this cruise because we liked the ports of call and we'd been on the ship before.
We realised that
with the distance involved time in some ports would be limited and that 'at sea' time
would be mainly in
darkness. Previously we been a group of six, this year it was twenty.
Embarkation: Not as smooth as hoped for, seems everyone is a past passenger! Crowded
terminal in
Miami due to, as we'd discover, late arrival of the ship.
Cabin & Steward: We booked a 'J' (the lowest of the low, inside), but were upgraded to
an 'E' (outside), so
no complaints there. Our steward was very nice, spanish speaking so I got to practise all
week since yo
estudio espanol.
Dining Room, Service and Food: Last year late seating, this year main. Prefer late. Same
waiter as before,
Samson, very efficient. We had three adjacent tables due to the size of our group, split
between two
waiters, our lad was way better! Menu was as before, a choice of three or four appetizers
(hot and cold),
entrees and desserts. I found it easier to order as a lot of the stuff didn't pique my
interest. The food was
well presented, the hot stuff was hot and the cold stuff was cold, tasted good, what more
do you want?
Grand Cayman: (Five minute tender ride) Two of our party were getting married here (to
each other) Cabs
from the pier to Smith's Cove. Nice place swim, sun or get wed. Most of the group were
celebrating at the
'Landmark' (the English pub at the pier, above 'Diamonds International'. I walked across
the road to a dive
shop, not Eden Rock Divers the one before it, begins with 'A' Met a guy from the ship and
we buddied up
for an enjoyable hour below the waves. Didn't hear much chat back on board about the
excursions, except,
naturally, those who went to Stingray City.
Roatan: (Docked) Well now, this was different. I'd expected Cozumel and got Gilligan!
Beautiful island,
much hillier than I'd imagined and way less developed. This was one place I wanted to
dive, chose not to
go with the ship's dive. Found a lady and her husband (from Port Credit, Ontario) who have
a
bar/restaurant at West End. Cab ride, drink, barbecue and cab back - $20. Four of us piled
in and were off
along Roatan's only paved road, which started a mile outside Coxen Hole and finished a
mile from our
destination, the rest of the trip was over packed-sand tracks. When we arrived we set a
time with our driver
to be picked up. Divemaster from 'Ocean Divers' was in the bar and we made arrangements to
hook up
with their afternoon dive. While the ladies sunned themselves on the beach, the lads dived
- not the
greatest ever, poor visibility and not a lot of wildlife, but we finished in time to have
a great meal and
sample the local beer.
Belize: (Ten to twenty minute tender) Book the ship's dive trip as soon as you possibly
can. Distances to
dive sites pretty well preclude you from doing your own. Do book a shore excursion anyway,
or you'll be
disappointed with Belize City. We chose Altun-ha and River trip, but everyone raved about
whatever they
chose. I was quite impressed with the ruins, 13 temples around two plazas. Lunch at the
river was great,
chicken, fish, rice, beans, papaya and great bread puddin'. The river trip back was
interesting with loads of
wildlife, iguanas, crocodiles, monkeys, turtles and beautifully coloured birds.
Cozumel: (Docked at the Downtown pier) We rented a jeep over the internet and were a
little unsure of how
everything would turn out. Not to worry, all the car rental agencies have stands on the
pier. Picked up the
jeep and by 8.15 we were heading south out of San Miguel, supposedly to go horse-riding.
Didn't like the
look of the horses (or the caballeros!), so at 8.30 we were the first visitors of the day
at Chankanhaab (sp).
Very impressed with the place, 63 pesos well spent. Beautifully manicured, from the jungle
pathways to the
guys raking the sand. My wife staked herself a spot on the beach, whilst I......checked
out the dive shops. I
asked what time their dives were and they said whenever I liked, so a divemaster and
myself set off on the
best shore dive I've ever done, oh, the wildlife, the place just teemed with fish, eel and
lobster and the
coral, (the colours, man). Just after ten when I got back, there's my wife with a book in
one hand and a rum
punch in the other telling me she's found paradise and ain't moving. Well, round about
noon we were
getting peckish so we tootled around to the east side of the island. Few buildings, few
people, no hotels,
just the surf pounding on the rocks, with every few miles, and little sandy cove with a
palapa nearby selling
sustenance for the weary traveller. We chose 'Coconuts', just north of Playa Chen Rio,
which sits on cliffs
overlooking the sea, had a delightful lunch of conch and shrimp, then took the
cross-island road back to
San Miguel to do a little Christmas shopping and meet up with the rest of the gang at
'Carlos 'n' Charlie's'.
Key West: (Docked at Mallory Square) Well, by now the distance was beginning to tell. The
sail north had
been through quite rough waters, I don't know if they'd cut the ship's speed, but we were
two hours late
arriving in Key West, which, because it's a U.S. port, meant us aliens had to clear
customs and no-one got
off before everyone was processed (4.30). Consequently, we only had a couple of hours in
Key West, all
shore excursions cancelled. Barely enough time to walk up and down Duval Street and watch
the sunset
celebration.
Miami Disembarkation: After getting us up at the before the crack of dawn, breakfast was
at six, we had to
hurry up and wait for the ship to be unloaded of luggage and let the dogs have a sniff. No
announcements
about when we could expect to leave or anything. We had a flight out of Fort Lauderdale at
11.15, which at
six in the morning as we were entering port seemed a breeze, at eight it wasn't much of a
worry, but at
9.30, I was, er, perturbed. Finally, at 9.45, the differently-abled were allowed off and
we followed soon
afterwards. Too late for the NCL shuttle to the airport (they have no set time, they wait
until the have a full
load), So we grabbed a cab and made check-in with loads of time to spare - well, five
minutes anyway.
Other areas I may have missed: Beauty Salon and Staff: My wife had a 'mini-facial' and was
impressed with
the staff. Casino: Had a lot of fun there, largely European staff, a number of Brits, how
can you be upset
with someone who smiles as they take your money? Medical Center: Unfortunately, we had
cause to find
out how very good the facility and staff are. Thank you to the doctors and nurses. Whilst
still not cured,
there is definite improvement. Buffets, Cook-outs, Pizzaria, etc: One of the best meals I
had was the
barbecue when we left ......... (fill in port of choice). If not first class then knocking
on the door.
Entertainment: I'm sorry, but I think NCL really suck in this category. The poolside band
last year was bad,
the mob this year were worse. Karaoke, whilst not for everyone, is something I enjoy once
in a while - get a
decent sound system in the Observation Lounge, it was like Karaoke from Mars with all the
static. 'George
M' was the same production as last year, and I know for a fact that our group had more
people laughing
with us around the pool than any of the 'comedians'. The D.J. in the Disco might want to
introduce a bit of
patter in between tunes, just to let us know he's alive. Having said that, thanks to Rich,
Lori and the rest of
the NCL Entertaintment staff for being so pleasant, especially on Country night.
Take what you will from this long-winded review. We will certainly cruise with NCL again.
Like everything
else you learn from your experiences. Of course, the wise learn from other people's
experiences.
We'll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have, beddoest@haltonbe.on.ca
Thanks for taking the time, Tim and Sharon Beddoes.
Name: Cathy Newcomb
Email: palolake@yahoo.com
Age: 43
Occupation: Sales Rep
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: November 27,1999
Itinerary: Exotic Western Caribbean
Cabin: 5228
FoodDiningRoom: 87
CruiseDirector: 92
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 87
CabinAmenities: 88
FoodLidoDeck: 82
DiningRoomService: 78
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 88
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 75
TenderService: 88
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 85
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino: 78
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 69
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 Dec 1999
Time: 11:27:43
Remote Name: cdrpb105-45.splitrock.net
Remote User:
Comments
Norwegian Wind November 27 - December 4,1999
This was our first cruise and we were very excited but also a little worried that it would
not live up to
our expectations. It did! I was very concerned when we received our tickets because we
were
being sent to Ft. Lauderdale instead of Miami. I was told that the cruise lines do that
frequently.
There was no problem with that and, in fact, was preferable to Miami. It's a much smaller
and nicer
airport. The cruise line representative was standing right there when we got off the plane
and
directed us to the baggage pickup area and then to our bus. We were the only ones on the
small
bus on the 40 minute ride to Miami. Embarkment wasn't bad but I'm assuming that was
because we
got there around 3:00 and the ship was sailing at 4:00.
This was a completely full ship. Most of the
passengers were already on board. The confusion began after boarding the ship. Crowds were
pushing past us with their life jackets on and we were trying to get to our room. After a
few tries, we
found our room which was 5228. We hurried to get on our life preservers then went to the
gangway where a couple of crew members directed you where to go according to your room
number. There was quite a bit of confusion and I would think that there could have been a
better
way of organizing that. After the lifeboat drill, we hurried back to our cabin. We were
pleasantly
surprised at the size of it. #5228 is a deluxe oceanview stateroom. There was plenty of
room to
move around and a lot of storage space. There were actual drawers with doors on them. (As
opposed to fabric covers) There was a sitting area against the wall with the window that
had a
chair and love seat and a curtain to close it off from the rest of the room. There were 3
glass
shelves in the bathroom (yours, mine and ours) and an easy to use hairdryer that worked
very
well. Inside of the closet was an electronic safe that you set with your own code.
This was a
smoking room and we are nonsmokers but the only thing that I could smell smoke on was the
plastic hose of the hairdryer. We were very impressed with the Wind. The crew were always
shining, painting or polishing something. The layout on the 10th and 11th floor was
somewhat
confusing. You couldn't walk the entire length of the boat on the 10th floor because of
the Stardust
Lounge. I would not want to have a room on the 10th floor because of that. Our restaurant
, the
Sun Terrace, was on the 11th floor and it was also confusing to get to. If you took the
fore or
middle elevators, you had to walk outside then back in again to get to it. We really
enjoyed our
restaurant. We thought it had the best view of the three and it was the smallest of the
three. We
also enjoyed our table mates.
We had a table for 8 and we were all couples who had come on the
cruise alone. I was surprised that the majority of the passengers seemed to have come with
a
group. Our waiter was Marcos and he was very efficient and a lot of fun. I danced with him
three
times! Our busboy was Rokib. Rokib was very overworked. He was trying to take care of too
many
tables. We had to wait many times for our coffee, etc. I don't drink coffee, I drink tea.
I had to tell
Rokib that I did not want coffee, that I would like hot tea for the entire trip. The food
there for
dinner was very good. Great selections and very tasty. The chilled soups were the best
part of the
meal. The portions were usually very small and my husband actually went away hungry at
some
meals. A few times someone ordered more than one entree and it seemed to be frowned upon.
We never had a good lunch or breakfast there so we started eating those meals elsewhere.
Breakfast buffets in the Four Seasons dining room were pretty good but our favorite was in
The
Terraces. For lunch, the Pizzeria had wonderful pizza.
That is also where we went after dinner for
my husband to get full! The Sports Bar and Grill had some good looking buffets but there
were
always such long lines that we didn't eat a meal there. We did have nachos and popcorn
there late
at night and we had the best cinnamon roll I've ever had in my life there early in the
morning.
(Served from 6:00 to 8:00) You have to eat at Le Bistro at least once. That is the
alternative dining
room that you have to make reservations for. Make reservations early. We ate there on our
3rd
night and were unable to get in again. It was a nice change to have a table for two and
the food
was wonderful. My husband thought it was the best meal he had ever had anywhere. The shows
in
the Stardust Lounge were very entertaining. We especially enjoyed the comedian John
Tarantino.
He was hilarious! The bad thing about the lounge was that there was never enough room for
everyone. They opened the doors a half hour before the show and you had to get there then
for a
decent seat. The chairs in the lounge were pushed so close together that you couldn't get
out
once you were sitting down. Maybe a third show should be offered. Signing up for shore
excursions was a joke. We went to the Shore Excursion Desk one half hour before it opened
on
the first night. There was already a long line of people waiting. Someone came along and
took
about half of the people's sign up forms and left the rest of us waiting.
Word was passed down the
line to put our forms in a box at the desk. The whole thing was very confusing and totally
unorganized. We didn't get on the Sting Ray City Dive In tour and I think that things were
screwed
up and we should have been. They had us on the Sting Ray City tour and we definitely
didn't sign
up for that. (It was on a totally different sheet of paper) Also, you have to list your
medical history. I
put down that I'm a type 2 diabetic. I shouldn't have! I was called back down to the desk
to talk
about that. I was told that I could not go on a certain snorkeling trip because of that.
Since that trip
was actually our second choice (You can put #1 and #2 choices down.) it really didn't
matter. We
didn't find out that we had gotten our first choice until after we had been arguing for 10
minutes. I
totally understood their concern with my diabetes but I told them that I am in excellent
control of it,
had recently been to my doctor to confirm that and that there would be no problem. They do
not
understand type 2 diabetes and were acting as if I had type 1 where there could be a
problem.
I
would have been furious if I had not gotten on a trip I wanted because of their ignorance.
Our first
stop was Grand Cayman. As I said earlier, we didn't get on the ships tour to Sting Ray
City and we
were very lucky we didn't. The ship's tour ended up being canceled because it was so
windy. We
booked a tour as soon as we got off the boat for $25 per person and saved $20 a piece. You
would have no problem booking a tour on your own there. It was great swimming with the
rays.
They are so gentle and they feel like velvet. My husband was accidentally scratched by a
tail as
one swam by and I think it's going to leave about 8 scars. It was quite a conversation
piece. From
what I have heard, the water there is about 3 feet deep and very calm. It was so windy
that day
that we kept getting knocked over by the waves. It made it very hard to see the rays but I
would not
have missed that experience for anything.
The next stop was Roatan. This is an island about 35
miles off Honduras. It's a beautiful but extremely poor country. I have never seen such
poverty.
Take a tour with the ship here because there is really nothing to see in the town. We took
the
Tabyana Beach tour. Tabyana was a nice resort with showers and changing areas, an
expensive
gift shop and a beautiful beach. Our boat arrived first so we had our pick of the beach
area.
Snorkeling was great there until the water filled up with people kicking up the sand. It
was another
windy and overcast day so it wasn't the best conditions for snorkeling anyway. Next was
Belize.
This was another beautiful country. Ours was the first cruise ship there this year. We
took the
jungle and cave tubing excursion at Jaguar Paw resort. Our guide pointed out interesting
sites as
we walked for half an hour up and down hills through the jungle carrying an inner tube. My
calf
muscles hurt for days! Finally we reached the caves. The water was crystal clear. We were
given
head lamps to wear on our foreheads. We climbed into the inner tubes and started down the
river
through the caves. It was a really neat and relaxing experience. All we really saw though
were
some bats on the cave ceilings. When we reached the end, it was a few minute walk back to
the
resort where we had a delicious lunch of chicken and black beans and rice. We also had our
first
Cokes of the trip which was nice.
Our final port, and favorite, was Cozumel. It's a lot smaller than
Cancun and less 'Americanized'. There is plenty of shopping to do there! We bought a pair
of
Tanzanite earrings at one of a group of stores recommended by the ship. Back on the ship
we
realized that the settings were crooked and one of the backs didn't fit right so be sure
to check
everything. We were so busy checking the stones that we didn't even think to check the
settings.
We were able to send them to their New York store and they did fix them. After shopping,
we took
a trip to Chankanoob Beach for snorkeling. We took a cab right from the dock for $8. I
think the
trip took about 15 minutes. The park has a $7 entrance fee. There are changing and shower
facilities, lockers and you can rent gear. The cost was $5 for mask, fins and tube and
another $3
for a vest. For $55 you can learn to scuba dive. We had taken our own gear which didn't
take up
much room and was better quality. Do not get into the water from the steps by the lockers!
We
didn't realize it until too late that there are 4 or 5 different areas to get into the
water. We went in at
the last area and it was very dangerous. The 'steps' are rocks that are covered with algae
and
someone could get seriously hurt especially on a day with large waves.
Go in at the first area
which is walking in off the beach. I was very surprised , once I finally made it into the
water, that
you are immediately in 15 ft. of water. It was the best snorkeling we have ever done. The
water
was very clear but the great thing was the amount of fish. One couple were feeding them
and they
had a hundred fish surrounding them. We were supposed to go to Key West on our last full
day
but it was too windy to tender in. All but two days of our trip were overcast and very
windy but we
still had a wonderful time. Here are a few tips. Bring a sweater or sweatshirt. We didn't
and we
regretted it. I would also take less shorts and more pants. On days where we were in the
water, we
only wore our shorts for a couple hours. We were asked not to wear shorts after 6:00 PM in
the
public areas and we ran out of clean pants.
My husband wore a suit on formal nights and Dockers
the other nights and felt very comfortable. I wore slacks and blouses and a sequined dress
on a
formal night that I was a little worried about. I shouldn't have been. I have never seen
so much
glitter in my life! I wore a black dress on the next formal night and that was fine also.
Bring lots of
$2 bills to tip. They take up less room and you'll be doing lots of tipping. Have a sealed
envelope
full of the correct amount of tip money for your room steward, waiter, etc. There was a
long line of
people waiting to get cash the last night for tips. Also, study about the countries you'll
be going to
before you book the cruise.This was definitely a snorkeling/water sports type of cruise.
We heard
older ladies complaining that there was nothing to do in Roatan and Belize. They shouldn't
have
booked the cruise in the first place. And also study up on the excursions offered by the
ship ahead
of time if excursions are important to you.
Dissembarkment was a nightmare. We had reached
Miami much earlier due to missing Key West and it still took forever to get off the ship.
A system of
color coded luggage tags are used to decide when you get off the ship. The earlier your
flight, the
sooner you get off the boat. We were in the second group. We were still looking for our
luggage
when they let the next group off. (Our luggage was clearly marked by a neon green luggage
strap
and we still had problems finding it in the pile) People were pushing to get on the busses
and
people with flights after us made it on the bus before us. As our bus pulled out, one
woman was
screaming that she was missing her flight. Why couldn't they hold people in the area with
the
luggage until the group before them is on the bus? This was one of the best vacations we
have
ever had and we will definitately cruise again.
Name: James Slamb
Email: jslamb@worldnet.att.net
Age: 49
Occupation: Sales Management
NumberOfCruises: 9
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Windward
SailingDate: 12/22/99
Itinerary: Exoitic Western Carib.
Cabin: 8259/ P1
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 70
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 75
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 88
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 Dec 1999
Time: 16:15:34
Remote Name: 219.newark-15-20rs.nj.dial-access.att.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was our 8th NCL cruise and our most disappointing. First the good news. The itinerary
is
great if you dive. The tours were well run and a must if you don't dive in Belize City or
Roatan
Island. The cabin staff remains excellent. Room service was prompt amd food was fresh and
hot.
The ship is in great shape and the cabins and public areas are clean and fresh. The new
internet
cafe worked well and allowed us to senf Xmas wishes.
The bad, this trip had 2028 passengers on a ship with a published double occupancy of 1760
passengers. It overwelmed the staff. The Bistro, alternate dining, was use for overflow
for late
seating with no reservations accepted for the first 3 days. Our waiter was new and by no
means
the best we have had. The food,perhaps due to the volume was not up to the prior NCL
cruises.
The Wine Steward had tables all over and could never be found. The sea days with people
saving
chairs made it imposable to find a place to sit in the sun after 10 am.
The ugly - be prepared to drag all your luggage a lot. Wheels are a must. Used NCL Air Sea
and
booked the night prior with them at the Hilton. Arived in Miami and was told by the NCL
rep to "drag
our bags" out to the curb and take the "Super Shuttle" to the hotel. No NCL
rep at the hotel that
night or the next day for information or pre-checkin. By 1:30 the next day, no rep &
no
transportation for 12 confused passengers. After serveral calls a bus was confirmed to be
on the
way. Post cruise no airlines at the pier to check bags. Drag the luggage to the bus and
from the
bus to the checkin line at the airport. This really represented a problem for the older
passengers
and those with several small children.
Overall as always we had a good tme but its the little things that can make a difference
between
good and great.
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