Dream Review 1/09

[bonnie voyage]

With regard to reviews posted on this board...I appreciate all reviews both positive and negative. Indeed, everyone has different tastes, likes and dislikes. Linda of NJ, we will be sailing the Dream in two weeks. Will post our thoughts on this cruise when we return.

[NoPiratesPlease]

First of all: There is absolutely no excuse for a cabin steward who doesn't clean the stateroom. Period. After 2 days of this you should have gone to the head of housekeeping and complained. Period.

 

We were on the Dream from Dover to the Baltic in Aug 2003 and we enjoyed her very much. We ate in the 4 Seasons twice and the service was rude and slow. We ate in the Terraces at the back of the ship the rest of the time and the service was warm, friendly, accomodating and quick, even for lunch. We also noticed the food tasted better back there. I suspect because within moments of it being prepared it would be in front of us. It wasn't quite as hot in 4 Seasons...

 

Generally, we found the staff on the Dream to be friendly and accomodating. I am not especially sensitive to the smell of smoke--my wife is a smoker, but always smokes outdoors or in the acceptable public areas. Being a considerate smoker she also places herself so the smoke doesn't drift into my face.

 

Was the Dream our favorite ship of all-time? No way! Would we cruise on her again? Sure. Since that trip we have been on the Star and the Dawn (twice--or 3 times if you count back to back cruises as two--no need to pack). We prefer them to the Dream. But the Dream was the ONLY full-sized cruise ship that can transit the Kiel Canal--her funnel and front antenna fold!

 

If half of the meals I have on a cruise blow my mind and the other half are edible, I'm satisfied. But, I've got to say this: The desserts on the NCL ships do leave much to be desired. But I've noticed that when the head chef is Caribbean, the ship's food is better, all the way back to our first two NCL cruises on the Seaward (Aug 94, now the Sea) and the Norway (Xmas 95).

 

(As an aside: Why does EVERY pastry chef find it necessary to adorn EVERY chocolate dessert with raspberries or raspberry sauce? As someone who detests raspberries it simply ruins it. Besides, strawberries and strawberry sauce are FAR better with chocolate!)

 

But these days NCL is our line (we did 6 cruises on Cunard--Caronia was our all-time favorite ship but they sold her--and after the 2nd cruise on the QE2-with the staff's noses in the air was enough). We travel with our kid all the time, so the lines that don't allow kids aren't open to us.

 

Now "Hogwash"...No cruise is perfect. Something is always going wrong. But you must decide if this is an issue, or a case of "Don't sweat the small stuff" If you ARE sweating the small stuff, well, that IS hogwash. But if it is something big (like a filthy cabin) then you that is NOT hogwash!

 

DevineMsM complained about runny eggs--send 'em back! I once knew someone who LOVED her eggs like that (ugh!) so there's no accounting for taste.

 

Still, if, in your first cruise on NCL, you got inundated with problems in EVERY quarter, then NCL has lost you as a guest, and they deserve to lose you as a guest. I cannot argue with that. We had the same experience on the Celebrity Horizon for the 93-94 New Year's cruise and have never been on Celebrity since. We were treated to long lines and the word "NO!" all the time on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas--and haven't been on Royal Caribbean since.

 

But, in the end, all of this is moot, as the Dream is being sold, I believe.

[TheDivineMsM]

What everyone here is failing to realized there is a difference between 'complaining' and merely stating facts. Pithy little things like runny eggs and a dirty cabin a day or two did not bother me. I merely bring them up as REINFORCEMENT when other posters first mention them. I think future cruisers have a right to know what to expect...so their expectations for the Dream will not be too high. :eek:

[calee]

"there is a difference between 'complaining' and merely stating facts"

 

The problem is that you merely state the same facts over and over and over again.Your original posted complaints(stating facts) haven't evaporated, they are there for everyone to see you needn't repeat them every fifth post. Get a new hobby....try crossword puzzles why don't you.

[Host CMLA]

What everyone here is failing to realized there is a difference between 'complaining' and merely stating facts. Pithy little things like runny eggs and a dirty cabin a day or two did not bother me. I merely bring them up as REINFORCEMENT when other posters first mention them. I think future cruisers have a right to know what to expect...so their expectations for the Dream will not be too high.

I have to say that while I sympathize with your situation MsM...I don't think what happened to you is FACT for every cruiser. It is possible that people will cruise on the Dream and have a fantastic time with very few problems. You've stated the facts of what happened to you but I don't think it's fair to say that everyone should expect what you went through. People shouldn't base their expectations on what happened to you because your situation is obviously not what every cruiser goes through. I've cruised the Dream 4 times for a total of 55 days. Transiting the Kiel Canal on the Dream is one of my favorite cruise moments. Rounding Cape Horn in South America on the Dream took my breath away. Passing through the Strait of Gibralter twice on the Dream was amazing. I loved my Dream cruises even when little things did go wrong.

[Host CMLA]

We were treated to long lines and the word "NO!" all the time on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas--and haven't been on Royal Caribbean since.

I thought it was just us! We cruised the Mariner of the Seas in January 2004. I've never heard "NO" so many times. It really turned us off of RCI. We may cruise them again but they left a bad bad first impression.

[TheDivineMsM]

...to tell you the truth, I'm getting a little tired of it myself!!

 

No Mas!:eek:

[calee]

Good. DivineMsM is it time to plan something new? Do you have a future cruise in mind and if so, with who and where?

[NoPiratesPlease]

Unforturnately, MY dream vacation is not my wife's--and it's not a cruise! It's touring America and Canada via motorcycle, then doing the same in Europe!

[calee]

I hope your dream comes true.....sounds awesome.

[Shinemann]

Shinemann lost the thread with your e-mail address. Mine is maxnyx@juno.com.

What have you signed-up for?

[jerfl]

After reading 7 weeks of comments and reviews on the NCL Dream, bearing very strongly in mind that a cruise is what you make it as is most anything in life, I have canceled the 11 Night Alaskan Sailing departing May 19 2005. The lack of any real consistantacy (sp) on the quality of the on board product is not worth wondering about for the next 3-1/2 months. I did like the NCL Dream itinerary but have booked a special offer at HAL for a 14 day round trip Vancouver-Seward-Vancouver cruise for the same price as the Dream. I think I will now have more peace of mind. Thanks to all for your comments and suggestions.

[wolfedzaz]

I have sailed Holland American once, Celebrity once, and are currently booked on NCL for the fourth time. I haved cruised on the Dream in 2003 (Baltic) and was extremely pleased with the ship and the cruise. I do believe that some people should perhaps think about the price of their cruise and not expect the extreme pampering of by-gone years. Cruising has adapted to a much larger passenger base than they used to have. This has expanded their fleets tremendously and as price indicates has somewhat diminished the level of luxuray treatment that some people expect. As a business manager, when we expand our business, our level of performance does diminish. We don't want it too, but with more, and newer employees, we know it will happen.

 

My question to those that have complaints (facts, if thats how you want to label your complaints) is: Do you feel better after airing them? I sometimes look back on particular things that really bothered me 20 years ago and laught at myself for being so petty and wonder what my problem was. I have had heart surgery and cancer surgery and am so grateful for my life that by trying to only reflect positive thoughts and experiences I have never enjoyed life more.

 

This year, I took up scuba diving and will dive twice on our next cruise. What a wonderful chance to experience something new. Its never too late to try new things and I will approach this adventure with my new positive attitude and have a ball.

 

Good luck to all and please enjoy life. Its worth it. Dan

[bruins12]

wolfedzaz and Cecilia-

 

I agree with the both of you 100%....you couldn't have said it better...

 

 

Jerfl- I am sorry to hear you cancelled your cruise on the Dream...There are many of us that have cruised the Dream many times, and are perfectly happy with our experiences...

 

On the other hand, if you did get a better deal with HAL, 14 days vs 11...that's awesome...you can't beat another 3 days of cruising...HAL is certainly are nice cruise line.

 

These reviews boil down to individual perceptions....for every negative review of the Dream, I would say there are many more positives...but it's like anything, people who are unhappy are more likely to voice their opinions...

[EyeDoc1954]

Sounds like you folks need an unbiased person to check out conditions on the Dream. My friend and I are leaving from New Orleans on Feb 20th. It will be our first cruise so we don't really know what to expect. I'll report back to you all and tell you how it went. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

 

By the way, we are both sensitive to cigarette smoke, so if there is a problem of that type you will hear about it!

 

We are going with a large group called the Rhone Rangers (a wine group) so I'm not sure if we will be able to have dinner in all the restaurants.

 

Take Care

 

Dr. Mike

Vancouver, WA

eyedoc54 at comcast dot net

[Lisa&Neb]

any newer ones?

[losercruiser]

Booked the Dream before we found this forum. But found it before the cruise, went from 1/16-1/22/05. Read the negatives, saw some positives, but leaned from both. So my first post is to thank the people that took the time to clue us in. This board helped us and all the comments above may help the future cruisers. As for the cruise, my first, her second. Good room 6057, good hsekeeping, food ok to good not great. Terraces and the Italian better, found no lines after 8-8:30, but not true at 6:30. Wait staff young and friendly. We also lucked out with good weather and no Roto virus so both crew and guests seemed mellow. Only tendered at Cancun. The comments on this board also helped us find a non ncl cave tube tour in Belize (Xtreme sp?) that worked out perfectly, in spite of the flat tire as we got to the river. We got off the boat before the three? bus loads of ncl tubers did, managed to do 4 caves instead of 3 and were headed out as they arrived. Overall this cruise was a good experiece and we'll be out there again, maybe even ncl. THANX again

[zimmerjulie]

Sounds like you folks need an unbiased person to check out conditions on the Dream. My friend and I are leaving from New Orleans on Feb 20th. It will be our first cruise so we don't really know what to expect. I'll report back to you all and tell you how it went. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

 

By the way, we are both sensitive to cigarette smoke, so if there is a problem of that type you will hear about it!

 

We are going with a large group called the Rhone Rangers (a wine group) so I'm not sure if we will be able to have dinner in all the restaurants.

 

Take Care

 

Dr. Mike

Vancouver, WA

eyedoc54 at comcast dot net

 

Hey, fellow Vancouverite. I hope you have a great first cruise:D . I'll be watching for your review.

[Dolebludger]

We were on the Dream a few years back, and felt that it was a very crowded ship somehow. And experience tells me that crowded conditions magnify problems. It wasn't until later that I learned about "passenger to space ratios." To arrive at this ratio, you divide the maximum number of guests at full double occupancy into the number of "gross tons" of the ship. Gross tonnage is not weight, but is a measure of passenger-accessible area equal to 1000 cubic feet. So the higher the numerical "passenger to space ratio", the less corwded the ship should be. Most ships of NCL and its direct competitiors have a passenger to space ration in the area of 35 to 40. Some cruise ships have such a ratio of 70 or more. The Dream has a passenger to space ratio of only 28 or 29. What this means is the Dream did not just "feel crowded" to me ---- it actually IS more crowded than most cruise ships. IMO, this is the root of any problem this ship has.

 

 

Hope this helps,

Richard:) :) :)

[texsam]

I agree, we treated the staff with respect and we were treated like royalty in return. I always had a smile for the staff and made a point of saying hello. Those people work 12 and 14 hour days and always had a smile for us. We had one young woman serve all our drinks in the dining room and I always wrote in an extra tip on the ticket. One night when we did not like our wine, they gave us a credit for the wine and the extra tip! This was without me saying a word about it. She had suggested the wine and we thought her service had been excellent, so I did not make a complaint. She just realized that when we did not drink the wine that we did not care for it. I think if you treat the NCL staff with respect they will bend over backwards to make sure you have a great time.

[Lisa&Neb]

Bump it up!!