NCL Cruise Line
Norwegian Dream Cruise Review
Western Caribbean

Terry Mapes

Having cruised twice with Carnival, I was expecting more from NCL. I loved Carnival but was told that Norwegian was so much better. The ship was smaller and older. The room stewards were nice but not as attentive as I experienced on Carnival. The Entertainment was outstanding. The Vegas style presentations were just wonderful. The food was "okay" but the choices were limited, everything had the same flavor and seating often was hard to find or a long waiting list. This was my first "Free Style" so perhaps my expectations were too high. The ran out of popular foods a couple of nights. Dining staff was also significantly lacking as there appeared to be too few staff on duty and frustrated supervisors trying to locate staff. Steam Room did operate correctly. Played Bingo and that was fun, but a little expensive. Drinks ran $8.00-$9.00 each for the "Special of the Day" Very few children on the cruise. Shopping was very limited because of the ports, something we knew before we went there. Myan ruins were nice but ours was overbooked so some had to make alternate plans. Our group had 28 on the cruise. Casino was VERY generous to me but others weren't as lucky. Art show was nice n board. A much quieter cruise than Carnival but may have contributed to the less exciting environment. Norwegian Dream docked back in port early and we were told to leave the ship 2 hours early so ground transportation was not available. Port Authorities tried to make everyone stand outside in the rain for two hours claiming Homeland Security issues. Norwegian staff refused to be helpful, particularly with elderly, sick or mothers with babies. Would never book again with Norwegian and would avoid departing from Houston port if at all possible. Hope you have a better experience.