What can you tell me about the Wind?

[alwayssingin]

I don't see much about the Wind. Can anyone who has been on it tell me a little about it?

 

- It was recently "totally refurbished." What was done?

- How many speciality restaurants are there?

- How can we tell the front of the ship from the back? Left from right? (sorry don't know the shipboard terms... I've heard some carpets have fish and they are swimming forward, etc.

- What are the CC cabins like?

- Are there soap/shampoo dispensers in all cabins?

- Refrigerators in CC staterooms?

- Hair dryers?

 

Anything and everything would be greatly appreciated!

[Imagineer]

...we're taking the Wind to Alaska in just over a week from the date of this post, I've done a fair amount of investigating the Wind myself so let me pass along what I know...I'll know a lot more about her after I get back, and will post a review of our trip at that time...

...obviously I can't answer your questions about stuff in the cabins yet, will do that later, but I can tell you from the experiences of those I know who have been on her that she's a 'special lady', their words, not mine. She is a ship first and foremost, built before the current trend of constructing resort condo's on hulls, therefore having the nicer and more graceful lines of an ocean liner. She doesn't have shopping malls or theaters, no skating rinks or climbing walls, but she does have a proper teak promenade deck that circumnavigates the entire ship, making viewing the glaciers and scenery we desire to see a whole lot easier than many of the newer designs...

...not meaning to put down NCL's other ships, as they are still pretty traditional compared to some of the offerings from RCI, Carnival and some of the others. I am a fan of traditional ships, which is why we're happy to be taking the Wind, Holland America has similar ships in their fleet as well...

...looking at all my literature indicates only one specialty restaurant on the Wind, Le Bistro...

...she was refurbished recently and from what I've heard, that meant new carpets, some new furniture where needed and a general sprucing up...

...not sure how much you know about her past, she was constructed as the Windward in 1993 in Saint-Nazaire, France by Chantiers de L'Atlantique, builders of the new QM2. In 1998 she was put into drydock in Bremerhaven Germany and "refurbished" by Lloyd-Werft, they literally cut her in half, and added a complete new pre-fabricated mid section which increased her length by 30m. Upon re-entering the NCL fleet she was re-christened the Norwegian WInd. Some of the naval architecture used in her design was considered quite novel at the time she was built, such as the way the fore and aft decks are terraced...

...as to your other questions, my TA has traveled on her and one of her fellow agents has actually worked on the Wind, both say they love her and will miss her when she departs next spring to join the parent company's fleet, she will be sailing with Star Cruises as the SuperStar Aquarius. They said all the cabins have shampoos, soap and hair dryers, they didn't have experience with the CC cabins, our cabin is an EE, so I won't be able to tell much about a CC unless we run into someone who's in one, which is always a possibility...

...hope this may give you a bit of enlightenment with regards to teh Norwegian Wind...

 

cheers,

 

the Imagineers

upcoming NCL cruise on the Wind - Aug 27/06

upcoming Oceania cruise on the Insignia - Apr 28/07

[alwayssingin]

Imagineer -Thanks so much! Sounds like a wonderful ship. I'm too old to rock climb, and have never been to a movie on a ship. We just enjoy out on the deck when we are on boardduring the day, and love those promenade walks in the early morning when the ship is quiet.

 

I look forward to your review when you return. Have a wonderful cruise!

[hotspur]

We've cruised the Dream, a twin of the Wind. Some NCL literature still refer to a restaurant called "Sun Terrace," which was changed awhile ago to an Italian restaurant called "Trattoria." On most nights, it serves an Italian menu, and does not require reservations as specialty restaurants do on newer NCL ships. On the Dream at least, on certain special nights, Trattoria served the same menu as was served in the ship's two main dining rooms, and was usually less crowded as most people continued to go to the two main dining rooms. Check the Freestyle Dailies each night to find out what's going on in the restaurants the following night. The Trattoria is also the smallest and most windowed of the three large dining rooms on Wind. We find it much more attractive than Four Seasons or Terraces, the two main dining rooms.

 

The Wind, like the Dream, has much more open deck space than newer ships, because it was built before the balcony mania took hold. We found the Dream to be a perfect ship for cruising Alaska, because you could always find open deck space to watch the Inside Passage go by or to observe glacier calving, etc.

 

I think you'll enjoy the Wind as long as you don't go looking for rock-climbing walls or skating rinks or bowling alleys. She's a proper cruise ship with traditional ship's decor.

[Druke I]

We sailed on the Wind when she was still Windward, and thought it a very nice ship for a 7 night cruise.

 

We sailed her sister, Norwegian Dream,after she was stretched, and thought that the stretch job was not well done. What had been a comfortable ship with a logical deck plan became a crowded ship, with an illogical deck plan, that included a main passageway through the middle of the dining room.

 

We found the Sports Bar totally inadequate for the passenger load, and the selection of food in that venue sorely wanting.

 

The highlight of the ship was the Terraces Dining area, at the stern. Hotspur says this has now been renamed.

 

Hotspur and I have disagreed before about the Dream - differing opinions can be very healthy, even if very subjective.

[hotspur]

The highlight of the ship was the Terraces Dining area, at the stern. Hotspur says this has now been renamed.

 

Hotspur and I have disagreed before about the Dream - differing opinions can be very healthy, even if very subjective.

No, I didn't say that at all. I said the Sun Terrace dining room had been renamed Trattoria, and it now an Italian restaurant. Terraces and Four Seasons are still the two "main" dining rooms on Wind and Dream. Trattoria--formerly Sun Terrace--is aft on deck 11. Terraces is aft on deck 9. Perhaps the difficulty you have navigating these ships is not necessarily the ship's fault, Druke. ;-)

 

I still don't know what all the whining is about regarding the walkway through the Four Seasons dining room. Every ship I've been on requires you to walk through a noisy, smoky, unpleasant casino to get from fore to aft on one deck, and I'd much rather walk through a clean, bright, fresh-aired dining room. And if that's such a problem, just go up or down one deck and the problem goes away. Mountain made out of a mole-hill.

[NCmom]

We did the Hawaiian-Fanning Island trip last June on the Wind, and loved her. We loved dining in the Terraces, and had the same wonderful waiter for 3 or 4 nights. We were never able to eat in Latrattori-too long to wait each time. For 2 nights of our cruise, it served a Mexican themed meal.

 

I thought having the passageway thru 4 seasons was odd, but not terrible.

[hotspur]

We were never able to eat in Latrattori-too long to wait each time. For 2 nights of our cruise, it served a Mexican themed meal.

Yikes! A Trattoria serving Mexican food. What's next? Pierogies in Teppanyaki? ;-)