[ Cruise Reviews ]  [ Port Reviews ] [ Cruise Chat ]  [ Cruise Links ]  [ News ]

Desiree Bryzelak

Age: 24
Occupation: Real Estate
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: NCL
Ship: Norwegian Dream
Sailing Date: March 20th, 2005
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

My husband and I took this cruise for our One Year Anniversary. We were a little scared as we neared our sail date because of the reviews we read on this website. I wanted to write this review only because I wanted to give the ship the credit it deserves. I guess you can take this with a grain of salt if you choose since it was our first cruise but we enjoyed every minute of it. We left out of New Orleans and thoroughly enjoyed the hotel NCL chose for the hotel and ship package. The service there matched the excellent service the ship provided. The only complaints we had during the 7 day vacation was that some of the staff spoke very little English, but that didn't stop them from doing what they could for you. Secondly, the excursion days were a little tough because of tendering and it took forever to get off the boat but hearing from other cruisers it wasn't nearly as bad as other cruise lines.

Our room was fabulous too. We had a partially obstructed ocean view room with a sitting area. Our "obstructed" view was not obstructed at all so that was fabulous. The bed was a little hard but not horrible by any means. a huge plus was that each room had its own thermostat so you could control your temperature. Since the boat is air conditioned/ freezing it was nice to be able to adjust it so I wasn't cold in there.

The food was incredible also. The Four Season staff was impeccable and the food did not let us down either. Dinners were by far our favorite and each night out did the last. The Bistro was fabulous also. We had the Romance Package so we were able to dine there with a bottle of wine and an incredible dinner. They also brought us out a cake and sang to us so that was a lot of fun.

Lastly the excursions were a blast. We chose to do the Playa Mia Deluxe Beach Break in Cozumel and had a blast. The staff there was helpful and the beach activities were a lot of fun. In Roatan we did the Canopy Tour and Tabyana Beach Party. We were late to port so that hindered us from enjoying the whole package. The Canopy was well orchestrated and a ton of fun but once we were out of the trees it went down hill from there. We had to track down our bus, with our stuff in it, and wait until he was ready to take us. It took almost and hour and a half to leave. The we got to the Beach and everything was packed up and it was getting dark. So I suggest just do the Canopy Tour. In Belize we did the Shark Ray Alley and Town Sightseeing. This was the best excursion by far. Belize is gorgeous and the dive staff is incredible. I will never forget that experience. You snorkel for 50 minutes and witness the incredible reef below. This is a must see! Lastly in Cancun we did the Avalon Beach and Shopping at Isla Mujeres. This is a perfect excursion if you just want to wind down and sun all day. They should take shopping out of the name because it is a run down strip of garbage. Some people came on the trip for that sole purpose and were disappointed. We enjoyed the beach so much however that it was second on our favorite excursion list. I only wish we would have had time in the city of Cancun to do some real shopping.

Over all though this trip was unbelievably fun. The cruise director staff were hilarious. The comedy and singers were fabulous. The food, at least the sit down meals, were delicious. It was so much fun that if I could go back tomorrow I would in a heart beat. It made our First Anniversary a memory we will cherish always.

Ask a Question About NCL, Norwegian Cruise Lines