Dream questions

[gettingready]

Hi we just booked with the Dream and I was hoping some past cruisers could answer me a few questions --

 

Any info on the Casino?

 

How are the rooms for 4 set up - we have an outside room.

 

Do you make reservations for dinner or just walk up?

 

Anything for teens (age 15) to do?

 

Thanks for all the help

 

Alex

[hcf]

Hi we just booked with the Dream and I was hoping some past cruisers could answer me a few questions --

 

Any info on the Casino?

 

How are the rooms for 4 set up - we have an outside room.

 

Do you make reservations for dinner or just walk up?

 

Anything for teens (age 15) to do?

 

Thanks for all the help

 

Alex

 

We just returned from a 10-day cruise to Alaska on the Dream and had a WONDERFUL time.

 

1. Casino - Introduce yourself to Dennis Murro, the Casino Relations Manager and tell him Hellen referred you. He is extremely nice and accommodating. There are slots from 5 cents to $5, but not too loose, one roulette table ($3 inside, $5 outside) one craps table ($5), 2 $5 and 1 $10 blackjack tables, one 3-card poker, one "let-it-ride" table, one Caribbean poker, and one 7-card poker table.

They hold slot and blackjack tournaments throughout the cruise to get 5/6 qualifying players for a final play-off on the final sea day ($10 entry fee each time, as many times as you want). Winners get $500.

 

2. Room - There were 4 of us (adults) in a G category outside stateroom; it did not bother us at all. Of course, we don't spend much time in the room. There is one queen size bed and a couch in the "sitting room" that the steward will pull out and set up in the evening. There is a curtain between the two for privacy. The pull-out couch is not the most comfortable thing in the world, but OK. They said they could bring a board to put under the mattress so that it does not sag, but we decided not to bother.

Don't bring huge pieces of luggage because they will take up more floor space. Regular size suitcases fit under the bed. We had a chair and a stool taken out for more room. The closet space is quite small, thick clothing can take up much room on the shelves. It really doesn't get cold enough that you would need thick fleeces or heavy weight jackets.

Unless you are huge people, the small bathroom with shower, toilet and basin serves its purpose.

A bonus is the towel animals the stewards leave each evening.

Essentually, the bottom line depends on how much time you spend in your room. In the day time, you can sit comfortably on the couch to watch TV.

 

3. Dining - Usually you have to make a reservation for dinner in the main dinning rooms. We chose to eat dinner in the Four Seasons every evening because we found a pair of wait persons who provided superb service. We were willing to wait the extra time to sit in their station. We spent the waiting time playing table games outside of the restaurant. So, we were never resentful about the long wait. The rules are, as I've been told, if you have definitely signed up for the traditional "early" 5:30pm on the dot, or the "late" sitting at 8:00pm, you can get in at those times without much wait. But if you go after these designated times, it is on a first come, first serve basis, thus the long wait. The meals take longer because not every table is getting their appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, and desserts fixed in the kitchen at the same time. Despite the extra hassle for the wait staff, you are not made to feel rushed to make room for other dinners.

 

The food was excellent every evening. The matre 'd, Renato, is very friendly, he goes out of the way to make sure everything is taken care of for you. Tell him Randy's family referred you. You can request for Yogi's station; let her know the Fung family recommended her. Her serving partner, Juan Jomel, is being transferred to the Le Bistro. If you go there, ask for him. They really added to our cruising pleasure.

 

4. Teens - There seems to be a nice program for teens. Often we have seen the group of them hanging out and doing activities together. There were about 10 teens onboard on this sailing.

 

You will have a great time if you set out to have a good time and not little glitches bug you.

 

Hope the weather will be good when you go. We had sun and no rain everyday; it was 77 degrees in Juneau.

 

You will have a great time! :) :)

[gettingready]

WOW thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions! I am wondering one thing - on the sleeping is it just the regular bed and the sleeper? We have 2 kids, 1 girl and 1 boy so we will need 3 beds. I was hoping that one would be like a pullman, bunk deal? I wonder if I would be able to check if there are some rooms that are that way -- we are a G or GG (can't remember which one) so ours is probably sat up like yours was.

 

Oh one other thing (sorry) on the dinner thing would we have to have the 5:30 EVERY night or would that be something you could reserve for a night or two? Could 2 hold the reservation and at the last few minutes, the other two join them in line? Do we stay "in line" or can we go somewhere else while we wait. You said you played games, was that in line, on the stairs or?? Seems like they would be smart to adapt the reservation plan some of their other ships use.

 

I like your attitude and that is also how we travel -- expect to have a good time and you will:) We will drop your name - thanks

 

Is their a players card for the casino and is it worth getting?

 

THANKS so much for your help

Alex

[hotspur]

I am wondering one thing - on the sleeping is it just the regular bed and the sleeper? We have 2 kids, 1 girl and 1 boy so we will need 3 beds. I was hoping that one would be like a pullman, bunk deal? I wonder if I would be able to check if there are some rooms that are that way -- we are a G or GG (can't remember which one) so ours is probably sat up like yours was.

If you go to the NCL web site and check the deck plans for the Dream, you'll see that some outside cabins have a black triangle next to the room number and others have a + sign. Our room (6245) had a triangle and came with a love seat that made into a bed, much like hcf described above. The triangle is said to mean the cabin can accommodate a third person. The + sign is said to mean the cabin can accommodate a third and fourth person. What this means in terms of beds I don't know, but perhaps it refers to a bunk bed (or two) that fold down from the wall. Call NCL or your travel agent, if you booked through one, and ask.

[herewego]

We have the same thing - an outside room for 4 with a boy and girl as the 3rd and 4th guest. We have the + but I think I'll call and double check otherwise my DH and I will have to split and each sleep with one of the kids:(

 

 

Anyone have a show or two they think we should NOT miss and/or SHOULD skip? Thanks

 

Samantha

[bruins12]

The room that designates a 3rd or 4th person has a pull out couch- full size....the other rooms with 3rd person only, has a pull out love seat....the rooms are identical except a couch versus a love seat...

[gettingready]

This sucks!!! So now the two adults will be stuck on the pull out and the kids will get the real beds:(

 

I REALLY wish I had known this BEFORE I booked!!

[2inTul]

If you have complicated sleeping arangments, why would you not ask about this before you booked. It never ceases to amaze me how many people book and THEN ask questions.

As for dinner, the speciality resturants are the only ones that take reservations. If you want to eat in the Four Seasons at 5:30, you will need to be in line no later than 5:15. And yes, you can eat at different time and table each night, that is what Freestyle is all about. As for "the reservation plan some of their other ships use", no other NCL ship use the "reservation plan", except for the speciality resturants. The last NCL ship to use traditional "early or late" seating was the Norway.

[hcf]

WOW thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions! I am wondering one thing - on the sleeping is it just the regular bed and the sleeper? We have 2 kids, 1 girl and 1 boy so we will need 3 beds. I was hoping that one would be like a pullman, bunk deal? I wonder if I would be able to check if there are some rooms that are that way -- we are a G or GG (can't remember which one) so ours is probably sat up like yours was.

 

Oh one other thing (sorry) on the dinner thing would we have to have the 5:30 EVERY night or would that be something you could reserve for a night or two? Could 2 hold the reservation and at the last few minutes, the other two join them in line? Do we stay "in line" or can we go somewhere else while we wait. You said you played games, was that in line, on the stairs or?? Seems like they would be smart to adapt the reservation plan some of their other ships use.

 

I like your attitude and that is also how we travel -- expect to have a good time and you will:) We will drop your name - thanks

 

Is their a players card for the casino and is it worth getting?

 

THANKS so much for your help

Alex

 

If the Dream has any bunks, they may be in the inside cabins. We had 2 sets of bunks in an inside cabin when we were on the Wind (Dream's twin) a few years ago. Although I don't know if it was before or after the mid-ship stretch.

 

In terms of dining schedule, I would suggest seeking out the maitre d', Renato, in the Four Seasons and let him know what you would like to do and let him help you arrange it (make sure you mention "Randy's family" thought highly of his services). You can call from your stateroom to put your name in ahead of time and show up about 15-20 minutes prior and wait in the stretch of waiting area of club chairs and small tables shared by the two restaurant. This is where people can check out board games to play, or have a drink, while waiting. The hostess will walk along this stretch announcing your name (Mr. or Miss your first name) and room number when your table is ready. You can also just have one person stand in line to put in your name while others find a chair and table arrangement to squat (they usually are quite full between 6:30 to 8:00pm).

 

I am not sure about a player's card being available, assuming you are talking about the plastic card on a stretching plastic chain that you insert into the slots. I have not seen any. They do have a deal where you can exchange $10 cash for $15 worth of special chips that must be played on the tables and cannot be turned back into cash. These special chips will become regular casino chips (same as cash) if you win. There are also opportunities for slot machine and blackjack tournaments for $10 entry fee. Seek out Dennis Murro and ask him to tell you all of the deals they offer. Did I mention they also have a baccarat table?

 

If you have further questions, please feel free to ask. :)

[born2cruize]

As for dinner, the speciality resturants are the only ones that take reservations. If you want to eat in the Four Seasons at 5:30, you will need to be in line no later than 5:15. And yes, you can eat at different time and table each night, that is what Freestyle is all about. As for "the reservation plan some of their other ships use", no other NCL ship use the "reservation plan", except for the speciality resturants. The last NCL ship to use traditional "early or late" seating was the Norway.

 

From personal experience that is not true, the two NCL cruises I have been on I have been able to reserve a table for 5:30 in the Main Dining Room.

 

borntocruise

[herewego]

If you have complicated sleeping arangments, why would you not ask about this before you booked. It never ceases to amaze me how many people book and THEN ask questions.

 

I don't believe the OP has "complicated" sleeping arrangments - they have 2 kids who simply are a male and female, as do I. We have traveled with ours on different cruises and NEVER have the arrangments been a pull out couch they were expected to share! You know it neverceases to amaze me, how people prefer to make rude comments over offering a help!

 

 

As for dinner, the speciality resturants are the only ones that take reservations. If you want to eat in the Four Seasons at 5:30, you will need to be in line no later than 5:15. And yes, you can eat at different time and table each night, that is what Freestyle is all about. As for "the reservation plan some of their other ships use", no other NCL ship use the "reservation plan", except for the speciality resturants. The last NCL ship to use traditional "early or late" seating was the Norway.

 

This is not true - we just got off the Spirit a NCL ship and we were able to make reservations at ALL of the restauants for ANY time they were open. If we didn't have reservations, we were given a beeper which went off when the table was ready. So there is at least one NCL ship that DOES use a reservation plan.

 

Samantha

[Velvet Teddy Bear]

Great review HFC (Helen).....how did your meet/greet work out...what did the ship do for your group......Read where it took SOME doing to get the company to reply to you......jim

[hcf]

Great review HFC (Helen).....how did your meet/greet work out...what did the ship do for your group......Read where it took SOME doing to get the company to reply to you......jim

 

Thought all of you might be anxious to get some information from my cruise. First, let me tell you, it was a most wonderful experience, despite all the negative comments about the Dream previously- not to say there were not any glitches.

 

If you are planning to have a formal Meet and Greet, this is what you should know. I was the one who organized our Meet and Greet. The Dream had not had experience with the Cruise Critics Meet and Greet before. I was given the impression the Dream shore coordinator was the one to convey our needs to the ship and the ship's officers would have the discretion of providing for the requests. I had mentioned it would be nice to have some officers drop by to welcome the group and answering some questions and have some refreshment, as the practice on some NCL ships. When I arrived on board, I was contacted by Anne, an extremely nice and efficient.person who takes care of group needs. She confirmed the room had been reserved for the following day. When I mentioned refreshment, she said "Refreshment? Would you like some refreshment? It should be no problem. I got a call from her a bit later, apologizing that she could not provide us with refreshment because the Shore Coordinator had not written it down on her "order". Even though her boss, the Hotel Director, Thomas Appelzeller had originally said it would be no problem, but upon finding no order for it, he could not proceed. She said she would place a call to the coordinator to get it cleared. Unfortunately, the satellite was having problems and she was unable to reach her. I was quite surprised by this order of authority. It seemed that giving the food and drinks were not a problem, but allocating staff service to bring them to us had to be authorized ahead of time.

Our meeting was scheduled for 10am to 12noon. Definitely NOT a good time. Despite my reminders prior to the cruise, only 8 out of the 19 came. It might be due to the many competing activities going on at the same time on the ship and some had lost interest. It was a bit embarrassing when the officers came by, expecting to see a large group. They were on their way to a meeting and did not have time to answer any questions. Then Captain Mogic came by later himself. He was a young and suave man who graciously welcomed us and told us that he has started reading the Cruise Critics Board and so far has found only positive things about himself. He is new to NCL, having come from the Marco Polo. (He seemed very open to, and welcoming of feedback. I had written him with my observations while on board. He responded very graciously appreciative. I think things will be better for future CC's and other passengers.)

 

We were blessed with sunny weather all the way through, not a drop of rain. It was 77 degrees in Juneau. It got a bit windy in Ketchikan in the late afternoon. The tiny bit of motion we experienced was the first night sailing out of Seattle. I had taken Bonine ahead of time and did not feel seasick. I had brought along patches, seabands, and a electro-magnetic ReliefBand just in case. I only wore the seabands throughout, but really didn't need to. Perhaps it was luck and we had calm seas or the captain's navigating skills.

 

We found the greatest pleasure from dining in the Four Seasons with the same pair of wait staff every evening. We willingly waited the extra time to be seated in their station. The "normal" waiting time for the formal dining rooms is 30 to 45 minutes if you had not requested the designated early (5:30pm) or late (8:30pm) dining options. We utilized the waiting time to play board games. So it became a fun time instead of dreaded waiting time. We found the Matre'd, Renato, and his assistant, Rey, to be outstanding in their attention to their diners' needs. They always greet us by our names (Mr. or Miss in front of your first name) and stop by our table to chat. We looked forward to seeing our waiter, Juan Jomel, and the jr. waitress, Yogi Banal, each evening. They were warm and friendly and gave us extraordinary personalized service. We got to know about them and their families. Unfortunately, this team will be broken up. Jomel is being promoted to the Le Bistro and Yogi will be teamed with someone else, but not sure which restaurant yet. Make sure to look for all 4 of these dining room staff and mentioned the Fung family had spoke highly of them; they will give you good care. Oh, yes, we found the food, from appetizers to desserts were superb...and we have dined on the QE2. We often ordered multiple appetizers or soups or entrees and of course, desserts which were gladly brought to us by Jomel and Yogi.

 

We usually ate buffet breakfast at the Sports Bar or Trattoria because we could not get up early enough to eat a sit-down service breakfast in the restaurants. The buffet food's quality is fine, nothing to write home about. The buffet menu is the same every day in both places with the only exception of waffles at the Sports Bar and custom omlettes at the Trattoria. The service is better at the Trattoria where a wait person will carry your tray to an empty table. Renato oversees the breakfast in this restaurant also.

 

Lunch entrees in the formal restaurants were rather non-descript. One can also eat lunch at the Sports Bar (outside BBQ on the deck sometimes), the Pizzaria, or Soup and Sandwiches at Lucky's Bar a couple of times during the cruise.

 

A special note: Many people on the Board have talked about bringing bottled water on board. We have not found it necessary because we could always ask for a glassful of iced water from any bar for FREE.

 

This is all I will report for now. More to follow after I have rested.

[gettingready]

Thanks for all the info!

 

I am still a bit confused on this dinning -- you mention the wait IF you did NOT choose one of the 2 set dinning times. How does one choose one of those 2 times and if we do choose one is there a problem eaing at a differnet time one or two days? I know we will eat at the specialty restaurant one night and maybe one night or two the 8;:30 might not work out -- would that be a problem?

 

I have read waiting 15 minutes after opening or right before the show ends to get seated the fastest - is that what you found too?

 

Thanks for the help

Alex

[hcf]

Thanks for all the info!

 

I am still a bit confused on this dinning -- you mention the wait IF you did NOT choose one of the 2 set dinning times. How does one choose one of those 2 times and if we do choose one is there a problem eaing at a differnet time one or two days? I know we will eat at the specialty restaurant one night and maybe one night or two the 8;:30 might not work out -- would that be a problem?

 

I have read waiting 15 minutes after opening or right before the show ends to get seated the fastest - is that what you found too?

 

Thanks for the help

Alex

 

Alex,

That is what we had heard. Since we never had a need to eat at a certain time, nor minded the wait for our favorite waitstaff's table, we did not research the exact rules. We did get there (Four Seasons) around 5:15pm one evening, thinking we could get in for the 5:30 seating (so that we'd have time to try the food at other restaurants before they closed), but we were told that the 5:30pm seating was already full. The ship may also be fine-tuning the long wait situation with each voyage. I think the best thing to do is to seek out Renato, the maitre d' at the Four Season and ask him how to get your needs met. He is one great guy.

 

Have fun!

:)