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Kristen P.

Age: 21 to 35
Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Ship: Norway
Sailing Date: April 15, 2000
Itinerary: St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. John, NCL's private island

We were a group of 7 high school and middle school teachers badly in a need for a break.  We were all virgin cruisers and looking forward to the experience-we just need a vacation.

Our ages ranged from 25 to 32 and we were looking for a relaxing vacation and a good time.  We got that! Unfortunately, we went during our spring break from school along with 600 other kids-the 600 paople we wanted to get away from.  Despite this, we had a great time.

The ship was beautiful-a classic.  Not a modern-looking, floating hotel.  It was clean and well-maintained.  Our cabin housed 3 women with plenty of room, despite the fact that we were on the lowest deck (we joked that if we hit an iceberg we would be locked up behind the iron gates).  The other 2 rooms in our party were a little smaller but sufficient enough for the stay.  Our steward kept up with all our needs and even folded our underwear-above and beyond the call of duty in my eyes.

Food service in the Windward dining room was excellent.  Our waiter, Willie, was extremely helpful when we were trying to decide on a dish and often times brought both choices for us to try.  The food was good-the only night that was lacking was the Norwegian themed dishes the last night.  Days we spent at sea, we lounged on the pool deck.  We would have breakfast and lunch at the Great Outdoor Cafe.  The buffet style set-up gave you plenty of options and many of them were good.  I never went hungry.  Apparently they are famous for their midnight buffet (especially the chocolate one) but we never made it, the disco called our names.

None of us gained weight on the trip as we made use of the Sports Afloat program.  We worked out at the gym and took a couple of aerobics classes including kickboxing.  Days on shore were spent in the water (snorkeling or scuba diving) or relaxing on the beach.

There was plenty of nightlife as well.  We would start off our evening with a cocktail at the Windjammer, a small piano bar. We would take over the bar every night along with two older couples from Mississippi.  We would return after dinner to sing a few songs with Daniel, the entertainment, and then precede to either the pool deck for a themed party, a comedian/hypnotist, or to the disco.  We tended to be the last ones on the dance floor at 3 am. 

As I said earlier, there were a ton of families and not enough people our age-one of the only downers. (bad timing on our part-the nature of being a teacher)  However, we made an effort to meet the few twenty-somethings on the ship.  We also spent some quality time with the crew.  Many of the social staff would be out in the later hours dancing along with us.  Several of them became close friends of ours during the week.

When all was said and done, we only had one major complaint-underage drinking.  Maybe this would not bother the average person, but as teachers we hated seeing 15 yr. old kids lying to bartenders and getting smashed.  There was one night in particular when there were so many teenagers on the dance floor, I made a comment that I felt like I was chaperoning the junior/senior prom.  If they could find a way to curb the under age drinking, which led to obnoxious teenage behavior, the cruise would have been flawless. 

Overall, our first cruise experience was excellent.  I did not want to go home.  This past week, I have been going through serious withdraw and depression because I miss the cruise so much.  It was one of the best weeks of my life!  Maybe we are easy to please but all of us gave the experience 4 stars-great service, beautiful ship, good food, and a fun time.  We are already researching our next cruise for next spring break-any suggestions?

This ship had a touch of class without any cheese-perfect for any adult.

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