Forty-three hours on Norwegian Dream - a Review of CTN

[Lisa63]

Our weekend on Norwegian Dream Weekend Cruise to Nowhere, May 9-11, 2008

 

Part I

 

As a longtime NCL cruiser, there are several ships that I’ve enjoyed over the years. One that holds special memories is Dreamward, on which we cruised to Bermuda in 1995. Since then, the ship, renamed Norwegian Dream in the late 1990s, has gone numerous facelifts, most notably the addition of an approximately 100-foot midsection nearly a decade ago. Curious to see these changes, and in much need of a weekend getaway, we did not hesitate to book a weekend cruise to nowhere when it was announced by NCL last winter.

 

Overall, we had a good time, despite several glitches that have been well-documented on this Web site and others. To summarize, the ship was woefully understaffed, and many of those staff appeared inexperienced in their jobs. Add a bad storm into the equation, and this was not a pleasant cruise for many. We, however, made the most of it and did find many positives, such as food, cabin comfort, and entertainment.

 

In reading this review, I ask that you keep the following in mind. Although we have cruised on many lines, and our tastes have recently turned toward HAL and Celebrity, please know that I am not comparing our short NCL cruise with these other lines. Any comparisons made to prior cruises refers to those taken on NCL, particularly those on Norwegian Majesty in 2005 and 2006.

 

That said, let’s carry on. Our travel narrative follows.

 

Friday, May 9:

 

My husband is a teacher, so he needed to work his usual full day on Friday. Therefore, we arrived at Boston’s Black Falcon Cruise Terminal at 4:00 pm, three hours after boarding was to officially begin, and three hours before our scheduled sailaway. There were about a dozen parties in line ahead of us, and the line moved quickly. We asked if there was a Latitudes line, and was told there wasn’t. TIP: If you’ve printed e-documents, have them handy for the agent as s/he will need to take the page that shows the ticket. After we were quickly processed, we moved upstairs to get our key cards. At this point, we were directed into the shorter of two security lines, likely due to our Latitudes standing. It was only after we got onboard that we realized that this shorter line completely bypassed the location where the souvenir embarkation photos were being taken. (Glitch #1 – livable, but disappointing)

 

While my husband and son grabbed a quick bite to eat in the Sports Bar and Grill, I stopped at Le Bistro, where we had hoped to secure a reservation for ourselves and two traveling companions for Saturday night. We knew that due to our unavoidable delay in boarding that we would be unlikely to make a reservation, and this was indeed the case. (Dining times later than 10:00 pm were available, but that was too late for our little group.) What did surprise me, however, was that the staff member taking reservations was unaware of a perk given to Gold Latitudes members that provides priority reservations in the specialty restaurants. Even if Latitudes benefits were not offered on this short cruise, she should have been aware of it and communicated such to us. In any case, we asked to be contacted if there were any cancellations. (This actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the dinner we had in The Sun Terraces Trattoria on Saturday night was superb.)

 

The muster drill was another area where the crew’s inexperience really showed, and this is truly inexcusable given the vital importance of the drill. Conversation amongst the passengers was loud and never ceased, and the nearby crew did nothing to control this situation. Many pax were carrying drinks. Our only instruction was via the PA system, barely audible due to the noise around us, and was a lesson in how to wear our life vests. I decided to hope for the best. (Glitch #3 – a biggie, IMO)

 

Not to despair, as the cruise got better from here.

 

As is usual for us on Freestyle cruises, we opted for an early dinner so as to avoid waiting in lines. We dined that first night in the Terraces Main Dining Room. The beautiful aquatic mural remains gorgeous as ever, and many passengers, including I, posed for photos with this backdrop. Food was excellent. Standouts for me were the crab hot and sour soup, grilled lamb brochette, and sugar free vanilla cream puffs. My husband gave very high marks to the spinach and onion quiche, and our 14-year-old son devoured a serving of cheese ravioli with asparagus and alfredo sauce. Service was very slow, which I attribute to the combination of understaffing and inexperience. We were in the dining room for approximately two hours. While it’s not unusual to have such a long dinner, I felt badly for those waiting in line for a table to open. (Overall, though, our dinner was Highlight #1)

 

We skipped the formal entertainment that night and relaxed in our cabin. We occupied cabin 0004 on Deck 10 forward. The cabin was very comfortable and had three wardrobes, one with shelves, and another with a safe (magnetic strip type), and a separate TV stand with three drawers for storage. The bathroom was very small, but functional. Body wash and shampoo were provided in dispensers in the “showerette.” (Ladies, if your hair calls for conditioner like mine does, be sure to bring your own.) The beds were firm, and bedding included a top sheet, duvet, and an old-style NCL bedspread. Our son slept on the sofabed that was located in a separate seating area near the floor-to-ceiling window. We all slept well. (Highlight #2)

 

 

 

Coming soon in the same thread... Part II....

[NoPiratesPlease]

We were on that same CTN cruise and...you considered that a BAD storm? You're kidding, right? The sea was a little rough, but that was NOTHING like a bad storm...like when we were on the QE2 and all the crockery went flying as the wind pushed the ship part-way over and we were hit by 50 foot waves.

 

As for the rest, we pretty much agree. Not NCL's A-Team.

 

We were in Trattoria that same night, and other than a wine steward who took 20 minutes to bring a diet Coke and a glass of wine (coaxed by fine waitress) it was lovely.

[electricron]

Eagerly awaiting Part 2.

[Kathyh1313]

Hi Lisa-

 

Nice review, I am eagerly awaiting the rest. Reservations at Le Bistro were difficult, at 3pm on Friday the earliest time was 8:30pm. We didn't ask about Saturday.

 

I agree with NoPirates. Although the weather was suboptimal, it wasn't that bad. I actually enoyed the rocking and rolling. It was rhythmic. I have been in storms were the wind gusts buffeted the ship causing herky-jerky rolls. Now THAT is no fun!

 

I wish we had arrived later to the pier. If they had told us at the garage 2pm instead of 12:30, we would have driven home, relaxed, and left our house later. But such is life!

 

We ate at Le Bistro both nights, not my choice, but DH's. I wish we could have sampled the Sun Terraces Trattoria. So I am interested in your review of that experience.

\Kathy

[Lisa63]

Thank you for the comments so far. Part II is in progress and should be posted early this afternoon. I keep a journal during our cruises, and pretty much copy from there with a few edits.

 

Perhaps I made a "bad" (no pun intended) choice of words to describe the storm. Definitely, I have been in far worse... including a Category 1 hurricane, and another storm in which a piano tipped over. I meant "bad" in the sense that it was difficult to go outside, keeping 1700+ pax inside the ship with an understaffed and inexperinced crew. Yet, several pax I spoke with on Saturday night and Sunday morning (after the weather calmed) said they had a touch of the mal de mer. As for us, we rather enjoyed it, as you'll see in Part II. :)

[jimswims]

I am enjoying your take on the CTN. Looking forward to the rest.

[coka]

Hi Lisa, I am enjoying your review too! Always to fun to read about other experiences on the same sailing. I enjoyed talking with you and learning about the Dream's history.

coka

[NoPiratesPlease]

Hi Lisa-

 

Nice review, I am eagerly awaiting the rest. Reservations at Le Bistro were difficult, at 3pm on Friday the earliest time was 8:30pm. We didn't ask about Saturday.

 

 

We took an Owner's Suite (1100--the best of the OS because it's very private and quiet) which gave us concierge privileges. We called Balkys and told her we wanted a Trattoria res for 2 people for 7pm Sat night and that was that.

 

If you can manage it, that's why concierge service is SO nice--He/She does it all for you.

[Lisa63]

Sorry for the delay in posting the next segment. Here it goes...

 

 

Part II

 

Saturday May 10:

 

 

I awoke at 7:00 am after a most relaxing sleep, during which I was rocked gently by the waves. My guys were still asleep, so I decided to get a quick cup of tea, find a quiet place to write in my journal, and then do my daily walk.

 

I am not one for buffets, but I did enjoy the set-up in the Sports Bar and Grill located on Deck 12 aft. Years ago, this was a sports bar, with a snack area recessed into a corner. Now, the recessed corner is still used as part of the buffet, and there is another, long, buffet line where one of the bars used to be. Norwegian Majesty cruisers will likely find this an improvement from what they have grown accustomed. I imagine that seating can be tight here, but that was not an issue at 7:30 am. As I enjoyed my tea (and while I was at it, I picked up a muffin, too), I couldn’t take my eyes off the view from the back of the ship. Decks cascade downward, making a wonderful foreground to the wake. Outdoor staircases run alongside each deck, and I recalled having walked all of these while docked in Bermuda in 1995. But with today’s rain and wind, this was not going to be possible today. (Highlight #3 – the incredible view)

 

Still, I thought I would attempt to do my outdoor walk-a-mile on the Promenade Deck. What’s a little wind, I thought? For those of you familiar with Boston, I work near the John Hancock Tower, so I am no stranger to wind. After walking one-half-length of the deck, I realized that this was a bad idea. So, I returned indoors and walked up five decks to the fitness center. There are two rooms, one with cardio equipment (a few treadmills, elliptical machines, and bikes), and one with weights (both free weights and machines). At this point, the ship was rocking pretty nicely, so staying on the fitball added a new challenge to my weight training.

 

After my unplanned workout, I returned to the cabin, where my husband and son were just awaking. I showered (thankfully, we had hot water, unlike in other reviews I’ve read). By 9:25, we were on our way to breakfast.

 

We enjoyed breakfast in the Terraces Main Dining Room, where we had dined the night before. Service was slow again, but we did have a good waitress. When my son ordered cereal, she asked me if she may bring two boxes as she didn’t know if just one would be sufficient for a growing boy. Again, the wait was not intolerable as I was in a beautiful setting. While the Terraces Main Dining Room is technically one level, it feels more spacious due to the double-height ceiling, the beautiful mural, and the three walls of windows overlooking the sea. Food again was superb. I had the smoked salmon Benedict, which I highly recommend. (Highlight #4)

 

After breakfast, I headed to our Cruise Critic gathering, wonderfully and generously set up by Coka. While I don’t post here often, I do lurk quite a bit, and was thrilled to meet many of the people whose posts I have enjoyed. As a student of cruise ship history, it was nice to sit with Grandpaul and Mrs. Grandpaul as they reminisced about their earlier cruises on the ship and shared copies of daily programs from the inaugural season. I was very impressed with the crew members that joined us. As Coka mentioned in her review, we were met by the Hotel Director, Food and Beverages Director, and Group Services Coordinator. All were generous with their time and responsive to our questions. One that stands out to me is that Freestyle 2.0 will not be implemented on Norwegian Dream due to her departure from the fleet this coming fall, and will be implemented partially on Norwegian Majesty. Again, thank you Coka for coordinating this great meet, and hello to all I met that day (Jim, Kathy, and many others—I am terrible with names, so please forgive me). I hope our paths cross again onboard! (Highlight #5)

 

At this point, I thank all of you who are still with me. :)

 

We shared lunch on Saturday with our friends Herb and Diana, local friends who were sailing with us. After a wait of about 20 minutes to get to the podium, we were then seated immediately in the Four Seasons Main Dining Room. This restaurant was added during the stretch, replacing a smaller restaurant of the same name that was in the general vicinity. The food was excellent – I had an Asian chicken salad – but service was extraordinarily slow. Again, inexperience showed. Worse yet, we were hoping our friends would join us for dinner in La Trattoria that evening, but they said that with dining room service so slow, they’d prefer to go to the buffet. (Disappointment #4)

 

Things are going to speed up now, as my afternoon might bore most of you. As I mentioned in Part I, one of my passions is passenger ship history and I was curious to see the changes in Norwegian Dream since the last time I had been onboard, which was pre-stretch. So, with deck plans of the 1995 Dreamward and 2008 Norwegian Dream in hand, I set out to explore the ship. My most curious find were vertical support poles in the cabin area on Deck 9 forward, which were once part of the aforementioned original Four Seasons Dining Room.

 

I also paid a visit to the casino, which turned out to be a net loss of $6.25 on quarter slots. The casino, added during the stretch, is really too small for the ship, in my opinion. Service here was also poor due to understaffing. There was only one crew member at the cashier’s window, and I stood in line for 15 minutes just to convert $13.75 in tokens into legal tender.

 

In addition to parting with some money at the casino, I also left a tidy sum in the onboard shops. As a frequent cruiser, I was impressed with the variety of items. My favorite purchases were a set of four NCL plates (featuring Spirit, Sun, Majesty, and Dream) and matching cup and saucers—they immediately went into the breakfront when we returned home.

 

Dinner on Saturday night was in the Sun Terraces Trattoria, the Italian-themed restaurant onboard. This was a wonderful meal, easily the best of the cruise. While it is a specialty restaurant, no reservations were required on our short cruise. (I don’t know if this will be the case on longer cruises.) We arrived at 6:20, were seated at 6:30, and received our menus at 6:45. That was the only slowness in service—from that point on, all was fine. The menu, which changed nightly, was far more extensive than that in the similarly themed restaurant on Norwegian Majesty. I thoroughly enjoyed the fried calamari, Caesar salad, and the main event, Tagliata di Manzo e Rucola (sliced beef strip loin, arugula, toasted pine nuts, with a gorgonzola cheese sauce). The setting was fantastic, and we were treated to a dazzling sunset through the large windows of this two-story dining room. I highly recommend it. (Highlight #6)

 

That evening, we walked throughout the ship checking out the different musical venues. There was a variety of music, including a singer/pianist playing popular tunes near the Terraces Main Dining Room and a duo on piano and violin in Lucky’s Piano Bar. Both were pleasant. We also attended the Newlywed and Not So Newlywed Game Show, and had some good laughs.

 

A major highlight was yet to come. I was thrilled to read in Saturday’s Freestyle Daily that Jane L. Powell would be performing that evening. Ms. Powell is a longtime entertainer for NCL, and she gets better every time we see her. Her voice is incredible—she has enormous range, and regaled us with songs such as “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” “What a Wonderful World,” and her signature, “Built for Comfort, Not for Speed.” She also has wonderful rapport with the audience. I advise future cruisers that if there is a must-do on your cruise, it is to attend a performance by Ms. Powell. (Highlight #7)

 

After this great performance, we returned to our cabin, settled into the comfortable beds, and let the waves rock us to sleep.

 

Sunday May 11:

 

Today is disembarkation day. We had a nice breakfast in the Terraces Main Dining Room, finished packing our bags, and waited in the main show lounge to pass the time. Usually on an NCL cruise, passengers may wait in their cabins, yet I suspected the crew needed more time to ready them for the first Bermuda-bound passengers, given the relative inexperience we had witnessed. We had been advised in the Freestyle Daily that our expected disembarkation time would be 9:55 am, the last of the time slots, determined by the deck number on which our cabin was located. I believe it was 10:15 when our number was called, and after standing in a line that snaked around Deck 6, we were off the ship at about 11:00.

 

 

Coming tomorrow... Part III... "where is nowhere?" and closing thoughts...

[Lisa63]

Again, please accept my apologies for the delay in posting this next, and final, segment. I had some family issues that needed attention.

 

 

Part III

 

Where is nowhere?

 

As this was a “cruise to nowhere,” several friends and colleagues have asked where I was actually going. Of course, “nowhere” varies from cruise to cruise depending upon a number of factors. On our cruise, we traveled northeast from Boston into the Gulf of Maine. More precisely, according to a map posted on Deck 12 aft, we were at Latitude N42°55', Longitude W69°24' at noon on Saturday. That put us 129 nautical miles from Boston. We got traveled approximately one more degree north and east before making a U-turn for the return trip to Boston.

 

 

 

Closing thoughts

 

Although we had a good time, the glitches we encountered made for a cruise, even a short one, that was not typical of NCL. As mentioned earlier, the main negatives of this cruise came down to a combination of three factors – bad weather (uncontrollable), understaffing, and the inexperience of the crew. Quite simply, the inadequate staffing of the ship (both in number and experience) should not have happened. NCL has done several two-night cruises-to-nowhere prior to the start of a season, and should have some reasonable expectation of the crew complement required for a cruise of this duration. The inexperienced crew, not surprisingly, had not yet gelled with the more seasoned members – and the apparent large numbers of new crew members makes this an uphill battle. I hope they start working better together soon, or there will be a lot of unhappy passengers sailing from Boston this summer – particularly those used to the consistently superb service on N. Majesty.

 

The embarkation workers at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal also need to get their acts together quickly. Having sailed from Boston many times, I have come to expect knowledgeable staff. Hopefully, this will continue to develop with time.

 

So, let’s focus on the good. The food was much better than we had expected. The ship was nearly spotless. The crew, albeit inexperienced, was very nice and most asked if we needed anything, even if they were slow at accommodating some requests. Entertainment remains an NCL highlight. Former Norwegian Majesty cruisers will likely find the Norwegian Dream cabins spacious and the dining rooms more beautiful (making up, somehow, for the awkward layout of the ship in some places). And, the ship rode fairly well in rough seas, although I met a number of passengers who would disagree with me on that point.

 

That all said, I would go on NCL again... not as a first choice, but instead as a convenient cruise from our nearby port of Boston for either a quick getaway or perhaps another visit to Bermuda.

 

 

Any questions, please ask! Much of this review was copied from the journal I kept while onboard, so I should have most answers at hand.

[sunluva7]

Lisa63-

Thanks for your very thorough and helpful review. Being one who also loves to keep a journal of my cruises, I love reading those of others. Despite the lower points, you gave me plenty to look forward to on our cruise on the Dream in August.:D

 

Just one question: As you were on Deck 10 forward, did you find it incovenient to walk from your cabin to the mid or rear portions of Deck 10 (the casino, Dazzles, etc.? I imagine you could walk through the Stardust Lounge - was it ever closed so that you had to walk up or down then back?

[Lisa63]

You're very welcome, sunluva7. We found the location of our cabin very convenient. We often walked through the Stardust Lounge to access the rest of deck 10 or the midships stairwell. The only times the Stardust Lounge could not be used for this purpose was during a show (when the forward doors were locked; aft doors remained open) or a rehersal (when both doors were locked). In those cases, we'd go down to Deck 8. In nicer weather, Deck 12 could be used, as well. We tried to avoid Deck 9 as the dining room was there, but that is another possibility.

 

One other positive about cabins on Deck 10 forward...they were very quiet. As soon as we shut our door, we heard no noise whatsoever from the Stardust Lounge. We did hear the occasional passerby, but with few cabins in this area, there were very few of them.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[nyflush]

Thank you for a fair and well balanced review it was a pleasure to read.

 

Maybe for your next cruise you can give the Dawn or Gem a try where I found the crew and service to be top notch:) Glad you had a nice time. I know the CTN is more of a party cruise and I think it takes a toll on the crew and service. I will be booking a 1 nighter on the Spirit in Sept and a 2 nighter on the Dawn next May. How did your son like the cruise? I was thinking about bringing my Son along who will be 13.

[Lisa63]

Our son enjoyed the cruise, as he usually does. This is the most I've seen him eat on one, but I guess that's expected at age 14! He also loved Jane L. Powell and was thrilled to meet her. We did not use the teen program, so I can't comment on that. There were plenty of kids onboard as the cruise left on a Friday at 7:00 pm.

 

We've always had excellent service on N. Majesty (even on a similar CTN prior to the Bermuda season), so I didn't expect much difference for N. Dream. This was indeed a rarity for NCL. I forgot to mention this in my narrative, but this was the first NCL cruise (other than our first) on which we did not recognize any of the crew and staff, and we've made NCL cruises every one to three years since 1992. Perhaps we'll try the newer ships some day (I loved N. Jewel when I toured her), but our budget is tied up with HAL for our next two sailings. :)

 

Thank you for the kind words.

[NoPiratesPlease]

We recognized several crew members--not unusual on our 19th NCL cruise. Some were just familiar faces, others we knew by name.

 

CTNs are different--this was our third. What was odd was the gambling wasn't as intense as it was on the NYC CTNs.

 

But for us, it's a great little get-away...even if the Dream wasn't up to the level we expect on NCL.

[Grandpaul]

You're right about the gambling on a CTN out of NY being more intense. On our last one from NY on the Dawn a guy got taken away by security from the blackjack table. I thought, in general, the people on this recent CTN out of Boston handled the ship running out of beer on Saturday night rather well. Imagine if that was a NY crowd?