Wind cruise , Oct. 18-28,2006

[Kapuna]

We just returned from this cruise with mixed feelings .
The weather was perfect with calm seas and the lava flow absolutely spectacular at night . We enjoyed Fanning island and the beautiful scenery of the Hawaiin islands.

On the negative side , the ship lost an engine and had to skip the port of Nawiliwili . Later , there was a total power blackout while off Lahaina with no AC , lights , elevators , toilets , water ,etc. These were gradually restored over a 7 hour period . Public washrooms were locked and dining rooms closed ( no hot coffee after 7:45 AM ) . At noon they had a cookout on the pool deck for both passengers and crew . Each passenger got a free drink and a $25 shipboard credit ( not sufficient in my opinion ) .

We liked the dining options and had particularly good luck with the food in the Pizzaria ( which actually is a buffet ) but bad experience ( cold food ) in the Sports Bar .

There was too much blaring music on the pool deck , often even late at night .

Cabin service was excellent and no long waits except sometimes for tender tickets . The passenger sections of the ship are very well maintained but the engines obviously need work .

Aloha !

[Scarlett Renee]

Aloha fellow Wind Cruisers...

I too, was with you on your journey and I felt that the $ 50 PER CABIN credit (only $16.67 for 3 in a cabin ) AND the FREE 1 Hour RUM punch party ( I had 4 free drinks ) was a maybe a lil bit less than what I would have liked for the consolation of missing a port of call, BUT the price I paid for the trip was DIRT CHEAP that I can't complain..I HAD A BLAST...but... I am easily amused... I do believe though that the power outage was only from 8 til a lil after 12 as our friend did not leave the ship and was confined to our room since she is handicapped and could only use the elevators...maybe other parts of the ship took longer, not sure, but our area was up and flushing in less than 5 hours.
SADLY tho, I loved the breakfast at the Sports Bar, TOO MUCH, it was wonderful...not once did I get cold food and just maybe the afternoon and evening buffets were different, I ate elsewhere ( AND IT WAS ALL WAY GOOD ) ... I would have certainly grabbed one of those pocket thermometers I seen and checked some food temps, not that you should have done that, but I HATE cold food and would have been bullying them with the rules.. , comes from a food service background and a fear of foodborne illness... truly, my only complaint besides the poorly organized tender operations was that nearly everyone was in bed BEFORE MIDNIGHT ...hehehe...

The HIGH side of the cruise was the wonderful staff, ALL over, first and foremost was Jerzey, in the Sports Bar in the Morning...WOOHOO..what a sweet sweet man who really kept that place hopping with his charm and energy..all his staff worked well under his leadership it seemed...and in the evening he was in the Italian resturant and I noticed he ALWAYS made sure the handicapped people were well taken care of and he talked and joked with everyone..I REALLY wanted to pack him in my suitcase and take him home....

I can't not mention the lovely June, our hula instructor and craft girl...what a jewel ... she gave us the most interesting history of the Islands with the joy of learning the dance ...we looked forward to doing ALL her classes...NCL really has a winner there...
Our Cabin staff was exceptional Justinianino an Wyvon...no words can describe how they went above and beyond all efforts to make our 10 days the best...I seriously had a hard time getting them to keep all the money I gave them..they told me it was too much...I finally said..." ITS FREESTYLE, I can do whatever I want " I think they finally understood THAT concept...it was sweet..they were truly good people who didn't expect much in return.

Would I recommend this trip to my friends??....OOH YEAH...I got more that what I paid for...maybe not exactly what the brochure was showing but even a simple accident of someone falling in the shower could have turned us around and made us miss a port ( happened to me before, with no credit given ) SO as I unWIND from glorious 10 days in paradise...I will just have the memories of the best of times..

Aloha