Bottom Line- What is the Sea Like?

[wenisirie]

Some love it- some hate it. Bottom line- will we enjoy it? Drawbacks? Pluses? Best places in the ports? Thank you for your help.:p

[johnql]

Can't say whether you'll enjoy it, but I think the key to your approach should be having realistic expectations. In other words, keep in mind that the Sea is an older, smaller ship. It was not designed with Freestyle cruising in mind, which means that there aren't numerous alternative dining venues like the newer ships (e.g., Dawn and Star). The cabins (at least the non-suite ones) are small and the bathrooms even smaller. One of the biggest negatives on the Sea, for me, was the Big Apple Cafe (buffet). I felt it was poorly designed for traffic flow, although the food was fairly typical buffet fare. The positives? I enjoyed the entertainment on the Sea and the service was good. Also, being smaller gives the ship a more intimate feel.

 

Have a great cruise!

[SRUTKO1226]

The Sea is very sweet.....she's small....she vibrates when you get close to shore....dramatically...the cabins are tiny...she wasn't set up for Freestyle and has problems with it.

 

It is an excellent "bang for the buck". (Can I say that?):D

 

I liked it. We sailed out of NYC to Nova Scotia. It was a great get away and it didn't put a big dent in the budget.

 

Would I sail it again?

 

Honestly, I have been too spoiled by the newer mega ships.

 

But if the price was right and I had the time....yes.

[newmexicoNita]

I think the first 2 responses pretty much sum up the Sea. The first time we cruised her back in the mid 90s she was actually the largest ship we had been on, complete with 2 dining rooms plus the first ship to offer an alternative restaurant, Le bistro.Though the cabins were small, everything was the best we had seen. It was our granddaughter's first cruise and they both still talk about that wonderful experience. Since then we have cruised on the newer mega ships. We did do the Sea again last November. Were we shocked with the size, you bet. The shower alone kept us laughing the entire cruise. We were with 2 other couples, we had gotten a wonderful price and we loved the crew and the ports. For the price we would cruise her again in a second, but we know she isn't a new, mega, glaitzy ship. Just expect to have a good time without the glamour of the new kids on the block. If you remember each ship has it's own special personality you can have a wonderful experience. NMnita

[Tigerlily2643]

Count me as among those who love the Sea. True, she's small and old, but she has a certain charm. The crew was very sweet, the ship was very clean, and we had an absolutely wonderful time. After speaking at length with several crew members, when she sails out of Houston for the last time next month and heads for Asia, there will be a lot of tears. Most of the crew had not received their re-assignments when I spoke with them last week, but all were confident they'd be happy wherever they went, and looked forward to continuing on as NCL crew.

[ute_fan]

I also love the Sea. It was our first cruise, in Jan. 2004, and got me hooked! We went back for a return trip in May and had another wonderful time.

 

Do keep your expectations realistic. As mentioned, she's older, and showing some wear in certain areas, but we have had excellent service from the crew on both cruises. The rooms are small, but well organized, with lots of room for storage. The bathrooms are tiny, and provide the comedians with good material for the shows at night. I'm an "extra fluffy" person, however, and actually find the shower quite accomodating. My son did complain that everytime he turned around he shut the water off -- guess it is a function of where the largest part of your anatomy hits :D.

 

We've had no problems waiting for dining room service, but we tend to eat fairly early (between 5:30 and 6) and seem to miss most of the rush. I'm not a fan of the buffet, but I didn't particularly like the one on the Sun either.

 

As far as I'm concerned, any day cruising is better than a day at work, and we've felt that we got our money's worth on the Sea.

[LindaLa]

We sailed on the Sea to Nova Scotia also. The ship was well maintained, but you could tell it was an older ship. It was not made for freestyle and the buffet was small and left something to be desired. That being said, the staff was very good. I really liked the itinerary and the shows, especially the comedians, which were the best we ever saw on a cruise.

[kchartsf]

The Sea is wonderful for what she is. We cruised in Oct 2004 and had a cat CC room. We really enjoyed having Carlos the concierge arrange dinner etc. Our room/bathroom were fine. We chose to dine in Le Bistro all but one night and had fantastic service. The Sea is not a mega ship or the Ritz Carlton, but I suspect you didn't pay those prices for your vacation either. Go and enjoy a wonderful week! We sure did!

[newmexicoNita]

The Sea is wonderful for what she is. We cruised in Oct 2004 and had a cat CC room. We really enjoyed having Carlos the concierge arrange dinner etc. Our room/bathroom were fine. We chose to dine in Le Bistro all but one night and had fantastic service. The Sea is not a mega ship or the Ritz Carlton, but I suspect you didn't pay those prices for your vacation either. Go and enjoy a wonderful week! We sure did!

We too loved Carlos, too bad he is gone: I don't remember where he went, I do know he wanted to be assigned to the Majesty, this did not happen. He made our last cruise. NMNita

[kimdankids]

We went on the Sea in April. This was our first cruise. We really enjoyed it very much. It is a very small ship. We really expected it to be a lot bigger than it was. It does VIBRATE a lot. Especially when you are in the Casino and in the Big Apple Cafe you really notice it. If the ocean is rough you will walk down the hallways like you are drunk.:D The shows were really good, the performers were great. The two dining rooms served the same meals, but the Seven Seas was much slower in serving than the Four Seasons. The on deck barbeque's were pretty good. We ate in Le Bistro once, only because my husband won a prize on the free slot pull that they had. We didn't get to try the Pasta place because our reservation was for the last night and we decided to go to Le Bistro instead. In Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach. It was fun because we met up with some of the people we talked to on here. If we ever get down there again, we are planning on going to Chaankanaab Park. After that we did some shopping close to the ship. You get much better deals on the side streets and as it gets closer to the time for the ship to leave. In Cancun see if you can get your driver to take you to the downtown flea market. They have some good prices. We didn't go to the one by the tender spot. Not sure the prices there.

 

Hope you have a good time.

Kim