Norweigan Dream-realistic Expectations

[jerfl]

I have not sailed on NCL since Sept 1998 when I was on the Norway in Europe for 24 days. I enjoyed those two back to back voyages. I have now booked the Norweigan Dream for a May 2005 departure of the 11 Night Alaskan Itinerary. These type of itineraries that include Whittier and Seward have been missing in the mass market segment for a number of years now. However, as I search the Internet sites and read about NCL, today in 2004, and it's vessels, I am finding it difficult to gain a clear understanding of the Line and it's on-board product because the reviews are either very over the top glowing or the complete opposite. I cannot seem to find a balanced review of the strengths and weaknesses of the Dream or NCL that would aid me in what to expect from the on-board product and the vessel in a "realistic sense so to speak." I would appreciate any thoughtful, balanced and insightful feedback that anyone would be willing to share. I thank anyone very much in advance who takes the time to reply, and I will read and respond as my own crazy schedule permits. Happy Holidays and Smooth Sailing !

[cliffd64]

We just sailed on the Dream last month...

 

Here is our balanced review:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=103337

 

Enjoy!

[sterling2]

Prior to the internet people went on cruises, paid their money and took their chances and probably had a great time. Now, because of the internet, people want to know every little detail about a ship and the cruise and I think it is taking away from the cruise experience. Many people have unrealistic views of what a cruise should be. Someone on another thread said today's cruises are becoming more like a bus ride. It's true.

 

We were on the Dream last year out of New Orleans for 7 days. We were on the Baltic and Transatlantic cruises this year for a total of 27 days. In those 34 days, we really have no complaints about anything. The ship is very clean, the crew are very friendly and helpful. They will bend over backwards for you if you treat them with the respect they deserve. We have seen passengers rip crew apart and felt horribly sorry for the crew member because most if not all the time it is totally unwarranted. The crew should never be treated badly. They work so hard and I shudder to think how many crew members have lost jobs because of rude, obnoxious passengers who act like they bought the ship.

 

The Dream is not a glitzy modern cruise ship. It is a very comfortable ship -- you will hear complaints about the ship being not set up for freestyle -- we haven't been on any of the other ships designed for freestyle so have no comparison but we never waited more than 5 minutes for any meal and we ate at different times every day.

 

You can probably find something to complain about if you look hard enough but if you go with the attitude that you are going to have a good time and enjoy yourself, you will. 99% of what happens on a cruise is out of your control anyway. The only thing you can control is your attitude.

 

The only real problem we had on these cruises on the Dream were the passengers -- many many rude rude people. The passenger mix varies greatly depending upon the port of departure, itinerary and length of cruise. People going to the Caribbean are more the party type than a cruise covering a more scenic area as opposed to weather related. The best passenger mix was on the Baltic cruise. We met many wonderful people.

 

So the best advice is to go on your cruise, have a great time, and refuse to let anything spoil your vacation and you will be fine.

 

Sue

[TheDivineMsM]

The Dream is certainly not equipped for Freestyle. I have been on the Norwegian Star twice and certainly can ciite the differences. On Port days, expect a resonable wait.

The Dream is a nice clean ship, but seems 'squeeze together.' The main complaint with my group was the crew. Time and time again, we witness an unhealthly attitude. We didn't ask for much, and being mature adults were never rude. We didn't care for the 'don't-bother-me, that's-not-my-department' attitude. I never encounter this on The Star. My stateroom was always made up (not hit or miss as it was on the Dream), a current Daily was always placed in my cabin (not the same Daily three days in a row as it was on the Dream), the dinner orders were always correct on the Star (not mixed up...a daily occurrence on the Dream.) Those are only a few examples to give you an idea about the sub-standard service we encountered aboard the Dream.

So..while the Dream is a 'nice ship', expect an indifferent ( and different) crew.

[sterling2]

Ms. M, you were rude -- we witnessed first hand your treatment of crew members. Not everyone on the Dream had your imagined bad experience.

[650cs]

I just returned from a 7 day cruise on the Dream out of New Orleans. I had read all the negative reviews and was not sure of what to expect. We had a great time (the very worst cruise is still pretty good!). We never had to wait more than 5 minutes or so for a table and we ate at all different times. The buffet area is not great because after you get your food there is no place to sit down. We would just ask people if we could share their table if they had extra seats. No one ever said no.

The staff was very good to us. Our cabin steward was great. We like Cappacino coffee but the main dining room's machine was broken. The servers would leave the dining room, run to the coffee bar and get us a Cappacino and bring it to us. The CoffeeBar charged for the drink, but we always got it free when we ordered it in the dining room. That is great service and I know it was a pain to run over to get it.

 

We were not ever able to get out of the dining room in less than 2 hours. We spent a lot of time waiting for the next course to arrive and the dining room was noisier than any other ship we had been on. The noise was from clearing dishes etc, kinda like being seated next to the kitchen but it didn't matter where your seat was because they had dish stations all over the place.

A lot of passengers got sick, 132-200 but we were fine.

 

We picked this cruise because of the ports of call and the price was right. It was not the best cruise I had ever been on but it was the cheapest. The food wasn't great but we still managed to gain over 5 pounds each! The room service menu was very limited but all we ever wanted was coffee. One day I asked for juice, muffins, coffee and milk. The orange juice was so watered down I couldn't drink it, the muffin was a cupcake that hadn't been frosted but the coffee was excellent.

 

Attitude is everything, go and have fun. Treating the crew well and with respect and slipping them a couple of bucks every once in a while goes a long way to getting great service. They work very hard for so little.

[jerfl]

I thank all of you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences with me. I personally like the FreeStyle Concept which I have enjoyed on other cruise lines that call it something esentially the same. It allows me the flexibility to dine when it suits my purpose and to meet people from whom I usually learn about new and different things. I now have a more clear and basic understanding of the Norwegian Dream forming in my mind that should aid me in maximizing the positive aspects of the voyage. A positive attitude and the ability to go with the flow when and where required always helps me to keep sailing right along.

[jerfl]

I thank all of you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences with me. I personally like the FreeStyle Concept which I have enjoyed on other cruise lines that call it something esentially the same. It allows me the flexibility to dine when it suits my purpose and to meet people from whom I usually learn about new and different things. I now have a more clear and basic understanding of the Norwegian Dream forming in my mind that should aid me in maximizing the positive aspects of the voyage. A positive attitude and the ability to go with the flow when and where required always helps me to keep sailing right along.

[sportsterjohn]

I was on the Dream in March. While it is true that it does not have all the bells and whistles as some of the newer ships, it is still a real nice ship. The ship is not set up for freestyle and it is a bit of a pain to navigate, you must go through the dining room to get anywhere. However, in the overall big picture, how much does having to walk through a dining room or up and down an extra set of stairs really affect one's cruise enjoyment? The room I was in was spacious enough, the cabin attendant did what he was supposed to do. I never had a problem with room service or any crew member. Infact, I went diving with the shore excursion director and ship doctor in Cancun. The shore ex director let me get into onto the first tender so I could get my dive in. The entertainment was also very good. I never had to wait more than about 5 min to get a table. Overall, I loved the cruise and would go on the Dream again without hesitation.

[WazAnOkie]

We were on the Dream in October, and had a great time. I too had read some of the negative postings on the Dream, but after being on it, makes me wonder if the postings were negative or just the people posting them????

 

We never waited more than about 5 minutes at any of the restuarants, not even when we chose/asked to be seated with others - then we just waited a couple minutes for someone else willing to share a table and meet new folks.

Room service was great, on time, and they called when on the way so you knew exactly when they would be there.

 

Our cabin steward was like a magician, we would leave for just a minute and *poof*, the room was cleaned - everything we asked for was provided, fast, and always with a smile. I was beginning to think our ice bucket somehow was making the ice, as it always seemed to be full! And since she took such good care of us all week, we not only let her know (with a little $omething extra), but also let management know by filling out the comment cards.

 

I could list most of the departments as well, but basically had no problems. The biggest 'problem' we had that I can remember was the balcony door was sticking.. Rather than make an issue, I simply asked for maintenance, which showed up very quickly, took care of it, and then apoligized for the inconvenience. With the professional response like that, hmmm, maybe it wasnt really a problem at all.

 

I cant say that everything was absolutely perfect, but was there anything that spoiled our cruise? Absolutely not, and maybe partly so because we wouldnt let it.

 

Leave your worries and negative attitudes on shore, take a double dose of 'we're gonna have a helluva time' and you will enjoy the Dream.