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Matt Balthazor

Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Norwegian
Ship: Norwegian Sea
Sailing Date: March 20th, 2004
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

I went on this cruise to the Carribean with five other friends for spring break. With the exception of one guy it was our first time to go on a cruise and we could not wait to board the ship. We went with this cruiseline and intinerary based upon the relatively cheap cost, disembarking port, and the four stops at port.

While the Sea is not one of the mega ships that many cruise lines are sailing with it was accomodating as far a size was concerned. We had arranged for inside cabins with three guys to a room. The rooms are pretty small, but they are comfortable when you hit the bed late at night. If you are in your room other than to sleep then you are missing out on the fun. Be prepared for a extrmely small bathroom!

There were a number of activities to do while at sea aboard the boat. If you so choose you can stay busy doing something at all times during the day. Activites range from the active sort (basketball, dance classes, workouts) to the more relaxed and educational. My group generally spent the day playing basketball or lounging out by the pool. Keep in mind though that we are young college students so we were not exactly the first rooms to get up for the day on the ship. The nightly entertainment in the two show lounges were excellant. I have been in instrumental music for the majority of my life and I was impressed. Every night there is a different show that caters to different eras and music genras. The shows each night were a highlight. Do not miss the karaoke that have each night, always a big crowd! Being young and ready to party we always hit up Boomer's Disco until close each night. The bar staff is excellant and we became good friends by the end of the trip. i miss those guys!

The ports of call on this trip are great. You go from the tourist trap/party zone Cancun and Cozumel to a third world country and a comparable one. In Cozumel we walked around doing some shopping before hitting up the famous bars there, you can not miss this is you are young are ready for fun! Senor Frogs and Carlos and Charlies were crazy! Roatan was a very different change. This is a land that has just recently opend up to tourism. The residents live a very simple life, but are very happy. The landscape and the beach views are amazing. I would recommend doing a excursion at this port, being that there is not a lot to do otherwise. The snorkling is amazing in Roatan, be sure to check out the Cannibal Cafe and go snorkling with them! In Belize we took the long drive to see the Mayan Ruins. My group decided just to hire a local driver to take us and it cost only $70 for three people as opposed to $90 a piece if you book through the cruiseline. This was nice because we got a extrmely knowlegable driver and we able to learn a lot about life in Belize. The drive of the native roads is a adventure in itself, not for the back seat driver type. We were not able to go to Cancun due to rough waters, which was dissapointing but it saved money by staying away for the bars and eliminating the headache in the morning.

The crew was extremly helpful and there are more than enough to serve each passenger. The two men that serviced our room each day did a amazin job, we could not believe it. It can be hard at times to understand the international crew though.

The only complaint we had was the food. The first couple nights we ate in the mine dining halls. The menus always seemed extremely good, but it left us wanting more at the end. The items are first class on the menu, but they were not prepared that way. By the end of the trip we ate in the Big Apple Cafe which served a variety of buffet style meals and was very good. Late night room service does not offer a lot of options, but it fills those 3 in the morning cravings.

In all we had a enjoyable time on this cruise. I must mention that they are extremely efficient in loading the ship and during disembarkation. This next year though we are going to opt for a larger cruiseline and ship. This cruise is a good bang for your buck!
 

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