Dream Review part 1 & 2 -oct 15

[karen2cruz]

This is part one of Dream Review – Ship review only

Itinerary/NCL communications will be part 2.

Size-this was the smallest ship we have cruised on. It was very pleasant, manageable and took no time to get around.

Staterooms – The cabins, compared to other ships we have been on, were on the smallish size. Groups of more than 2 were a bit cramped in all categories except in AB and AA suites. The windows in the oceanviews were very large and pleasant, balcony cabins had smallish balconies and the suites were nice but smallish as well, compared to other suites on other ships. Cabins were well laid out with plenty of storage space in most categories, space was well utilized. Our upsell AA cabin came in very handy with 4 sea days (see part 2) and we loved the separate bedroom and bathroom with tub/shower combo, balcony and perks.

Perks for suites – ask… too many to list/remember!!!

Crew- The captain and crew were amazing, with one bad waiter experience, but everyone has a bad day occaissionally. Considering passengers were a bit on the cranky side, the crew was always cheerful. The captain was friendly, funny and very accessible. Julie, the concierge, went out of her way to do anything we wanted and called us daily to check in on us. We not only had one butler but two, Andrew and Gede, who amazing. We have never had this kind of service before, but will have to adjust to reality, as booking this kind of suite in the future will be highly unlikely, sigh.

Restaurants – We tried them all. The best by far was Le Bistro and all the waiters were very attentive. The food was a notch above the rest of the restaurants. The Maitr'd was the best as well. The food at the rest of the places was fair, compared to other ships, but hey, I didn't have to cook it, so no complaints from me. We liked Terraces next for the view and waitstaff, then Trattoria, Four Seasons then the Sports Bar and Grill. We loved having the bar-b-ques/breakfast bars on pool deck with the Pizzeria and ice cream area nearby. Oh, chocoholic Buffet - yum - the sculptures were wonderful. Held on Thursday night at 11 pm

Shops – not a great selection, but basics available.

Spa/Gym – smallish, but staff was accomodating. Treatments similar to other ships.

Internet café - was always up and running; those with laptops could sit on pooldeck and tan while emailing, even the night before disembarkation, for those who wanted to print out plane boarding tickets.

Library -was as good as other ships we have been on.

Games – had a good selection but had to play in play areas.

Cruise Critic Meet and Greet - We had a wonderful group and the captain and his staff showed up, answered our questions and took pictures with us -very nice.

Kid's programs - they were all wonderful, best of the 4 cruiselines we have been on. They kept the teens involved with plenty of games, sending them all over the ship at times. Had a good group til the very end.

Video Arcade - 10-14 games there. They took real money, which was nice, so my son had to ask and I could keep track of his spending.

I am sure I am forgetting alot of things to write about but in general the ship and crew were wonderful, even though we wound up with 2 port days instead of four. Very relaxing

Karen

[immargaret]

Thanks Karen, looking forward to part 2.

 

:)

[karen2cruz]

We were on the Dream on the Oct 15 sailing. The crew and ship were wonderful, but alas, many unhappy passengers...why---NCL lack of communication.

 

Very late embarkation due to late arrival of ship, and other issues:

To the credit of the shore excursions and crew - those of that had no where to go but wait in the hot sun, which was most of us by noon - arranged for passengers to be taken to Kemah Boardwalk at no charge, where there was shopping, restaurants and carnival rides. Those that choose to wait it out were left to sit under a tent, but were provided drinks and cookies.

 

Other than our cruise critic friends, most passengers were unaware of the late arrival, engine problems and port changes. At first we were given the corporate line of weather problems, not engine problems, which turned out to happen with Hurricane Wilma at our footsteps. But they finally admitted the engine problems.

 

The chief engineer is trying his hardest to make things work with what he has, and does not even come up from the engine room except to grab food that he takes back down there. They have flown in, and are flying in, specialists from the engine manufacturer to work on this. They have set a two week deadline to get this under control.

 

That being said, NCL has been the worst in coomunication of any cruiseline we have sailed. Passengers sent around a petition to file a joint action lawsuit to force NCL to make some sweeping changes in their customer service. We did not sign the lawsuit, but many others did.

 

We have had itinerary changes on other lines, and when it was a known problem, these lines let passengers know upfront, weeks in advance, to allow passengers to make any changes in excursions.

 

So, we wound up with

Saturday 12 midnight sailing

Sunday & Monday - at sea

Tuesday -Cozumel 8 am -6 pm

Wednesday -Progresso from 1 pm-11 or 12 pm

Thursday & Friday -at sea

Saturday - disembarkation -arrival at 6-7 am

 

With Cozumel/Cancun hit by Hurricane Wilma I dont know what the Dream will sail now. Our best wishes go out the the Yucatan people.

 

Again, the ship and crew were wonderful, and if they fix the engines problems, we would sail her again, without hesitation.

[Babyblue]

Thanks for the review

We set sail on Saturday.

Will see what is in store. I will just be happy to be away from work and spend time with my oldest sister.:D It seems we dont spend enough time with our loved ones because of crazy schedules and just life issues:) . I plan on making this cruise a week for just relaxing and being with my sis.

If we make any ports that will be fine if not fine... I have been to them before so it is OK if we go to others...or just cruise...

This is just me and I know others may not feel the same but I am greatful to get away from stress at work:eek:

 

Karen

[starrynight27]

Yep, Karen they were great weren't they!!! Julie was amazing, I could just listen to her speak all day. Andrew (what a cutie!) and Gede were fabulous!

 

Alas, nobody knocked on my door at 3 pm today with treats from the captain. :p

 

It was great to meet you and I'm glad you made it back safely!

[starrynight27]

My take on the petition and lack of communication from NCL:

 

We booked the Dream cruise for 10/15-10/22 just over a month ago, I know that we were not yet booked as of September 10th. We booked directly through NCL, and they quoted the 4 ports. The meeting for the petition last night stated that some passengers had received letters dated around July 20th saying that we would only make 2 ports. So with us booking the trip so late, why would they sell us this trip with the 4 ports, when they already suspected that we would only be making half of them? Money, money, money...

 

Even the captain said: this isn't much of a cruise.

[sunshine 229]

Karen2cruz, where you wrote,

The chief engineer is trying his hardest to make things work with what he has, and does not even come up from the engine room except to grab food that he takes back down there. They have flown in, and are flying in, specialists from the engine manufacturer to work on this. They have set a two week deadline to get this under control.

 

Did they give you any idea what they were planning to do if they didn't have it under control in two weeks?

 

I know I am the big, bad, down person on this subject but, by now, we have heard so many times that the problem should be fixed soon, or they were just waiting for a part, or it should be done by Oct15, that without some definate comment about what they are going to do in two weeks if it isn't 'under control' it just sounds to cynical me like more stalling by NCL.

 

I feel a lot of sympathy for the crew on that ship, both the ones trying to get the problem fixed and the ones trying to give already disgruntled passengers a good cruise.:( NOw those guys could probably use a break from the stress at work!

[karen2cruz]

Sunshine, I got the feeling from many of the crew that they are completely puzzled by the engine problem and have tried everything normal to get it up and running. I think that's why the manufacturer reps are flying in to look at it. I hope that the two week deadline is for the reps and not for a new chief engineer, but who knows.

 

I think we all agree that we wont beleive promised dates, just the fact that it is fixed and running smoothly and all the ports are back as proof.

 

The crew IS amazing, cheerful and patient. They work 16-18 hour days with rarely a day off.

[karen2cruz]

Ports-

If Progresso becomes a regular stop for awhile, I suggest taking a ship excursion, not doing it on your own. It is a fairly new port and the town itself is rather underdeveloped. The town of nearby Merida is very beautiful but it is a $60 round taxi trip to/from the ship. But it is not very safe either, unless you are in groups.

 

Just FYI

[lynnmarie017]

I posted my review under the Roll Call for the Dream Oct 15th cruise. If you are interested in reading it please go there. I would rewrite it hear, but I have tons of laundry.:) Lynnmarie

[lynnmarie017]

I posted my review under the Roll Call for the Dream Oct 15th cruise. If you are interested in reading it please go there. I would rewrite it here, but I have tons of laundry.:) Lynnmarie

[sunshine 229]

I posted my review under the Roll Call for the Dream Oct 15th cruise. If you are interested in reading it please go there. I would rewrite it here, but I have tons of laundry.:) Lynnmarie

Thanks, I went and read your review, over on the roll call thread, and I'm sorry you didn't have a great cruise but, as you pointed out you did have a break from the kids and the job and that was still enjoyable.

 

I also read another review on that thread that didn't seem too positive and mentioned several encounters with rude staff on the Dream. I'm sorry they had that experience but I've got to say that I'm not totally shocked by this. I don't mean to excuse it but I think it must have been hard to be a crew member on this ship with all the problems over the last couple of months.

 

Dealing with disappointed, frustrated customers week after week can't be easy. Again, not saying that makes the rudeness okay just not too surprising.:(

 

Progresso may not have been the greatest port but at least it was a port. With the hurricane damage around Mexico now I wonder what ports will be available for this weeks cruise?:eek:

[sunshine 229]

Sunshine, I got the feeling from many of the crew that they are completely puzzled by the engine problem and have tried everything normal to get it up and running. I think that's why the manufacturer reps are flying in to look at it. I hope that the two week deadline is for the reps and not for a new chief engineer, but who knows.

 

I think we all agree that we wont beleive promised dates, just the fact that it is fixed and running smoothly and all the ports are back as proof.

 

The crew IS amazing, cheerful and patient. They work 16-18 hour days with rarely a day off.

 

Thanks for your answer. It sounds as if the engine problem is more complicated than originally thought or something. And so the uncertainty continues. What a sad season for the Dream.

[Grayce]

When I was researching for my next cruise I didn't book the Dream because I had read so many bad reviews about engine problems and missed ports. Looks like it's still going on. Maybe they should declare the ship a lemon:D

[lynnmarie017]

Grayce-I agree that the Dream should be taken out of service until it is fixed. It is doing nothing but damaging NCL's reputation. NCL also needs to work on Customer Service at all levels. Some things can't be avoided, but there are no excuses for poor service when things go wrong.

 

Sunshine-I know it must have been hard for the crew to be in a good mood. I am sure they heard lots of complaints. They were keeping their head low to avoid attacks from disgruntled customers. It is just too bad that I had to deal with it on my one good vacation this year.

 

Lynnmarie

[electricron]

Grayce-I agree that the Dream should be taken out of service until it is fixed. It is doing nothing but damaging NCL's reputation. NCL also needs to work on Customer Service at all levels. Some things can't be avoided, but there are no excuses for poor service when things go wrong.

Sunshine-I know it must have been hard for the crew to be in a good mood. I am sure they heard lots of complaints. They were keeping their head low to avoid attacks from disgruntled customers. It is just too bad that I had to deal with it on my one good vacation this year.

Lynnmarie

 

I disagree. I'd rather have some disappointed customers than no happy customers. And tha'ts exactly what NCL would have, 4 months of extremely unhappy customers when their cruise gets canceled completeley.

 

There are only 300 of these diesel engines built, all of them in ocean going ships around the world. With 4 diesel engines per ship, that's just 75 ships. Assuming 5 diesel engines per ship, that's only 60 ships. The truth lies between 60 and 75 ships.

It takes the factory where these diesel engines are made 2.77 weeks to build an engine on average. If it takes nearly three weeks for the manufacture to build these engines, anyone with common sense will realize it takes another three weeks to tear one down, and another three weeks to rebuild one. That's six weeks to rework a diesel engine at the factory. The Dream's engine room and staff do not have half the resources available of a factory floor. So that six weeks turns into twelve weeks because there is lesser resources onboard the ship.

The Dream suffered it's damaged engine in late June, it's late October now, four months later. That's only sixteen weeks. As I mentioned before, drydock time for cruise ships are usually scheduled nearly a year in advance. We're still eight months away before NCL could drydock this ship. There aren't any spare engines available to replace the broken down one. If NCL bough a new diesel engine, it still has to wait for the manufacture to build it, test it, pack it, ship it to America, unpack it, put it on the Dream. Replacing the diesel requires a drydock, probably another 8 months away. After drydocking the ship, a hole big enough has to be cut into the ships hull, the old broken diesel engine has to be removed, and the newly built one installed. Then it would have to be tested again.

 

Taking a profitable ship out of service for that many months will not make most of the passengers happy. In fact, it would make all the passengers unhappy. They want to cruise when they booked their cruise, not months later, and many don't care if they reach any specific port. It's the minority of cruisers who care about specific ports, not the majority.

[calmac]

I agree totally with electricron. Although disappointed to find out, on embarkation, that we would be missing Sitka on our Alaskan cruise (30th June sailing so no reports here on CC before we left home on 28th), we would have been VERY DISAPPOINTED to have not been able to cruise AND we would have had to try to arrange 11 days of vacation with no notice.

 

Would we have liked to have visited Sitka - of course. Did we let it spoil our cruise - OF COURSE NOT.

 

This was our first cruise and we liked it so much we have booked another for April (on the Dawn) and plan to sail again on the Dream next summer when she returns to the Baltics.

[karen2cruz]

In regards to crew attitude, we always thanked the crew member for their service and were kind and cheerful with them, in return they were the same. I saw really rude passengers literally make the crew cry with their bad, demanding attitudes. Sometimes I would go up and apologize for them.

 

Our cabin stewardess, Carmen, was perfect. I nicknamed her Cinderella. She worked so hard and even when I tried to give her the morning off, my husband said she came in anyway and still remade the bed and fluffed up the pillows. After doing about 16 cabins all day, she was taking an accounting class from 12 midnight to 3 am everyday so she could work in the financial office. I cant imagine when she ever slept. She was always cheerful.

 

These folks on the cruiselines work so hard for us to have a pleasant vacation with hardly any days off, even when they are sick. If they have a bad day, maybe we should remember they are human beings and not robots, and ask them how they are doing.

 

OK, I am off my soapbox now.

 

Thanks

[sunshine 229]

Grayce-I agree that the Dream should be taken out of service until it is fixed. It is doing nothing but damaging NCL's reputation. NCL also needs to work on Customer Service at all levels. Some things can't be avoided, but there are no excuses for poor service when things go wrong.

 

Sunshine-I know it must have been hard for the crew to be in a good mood. I am sure they heard lots of complaints. They were keeping their head low to avoid attacks from disgruntled customers. It is just too bad that I had to deal with it on my one good vacation this year.

 

Lynnmarie

 

Yes, I think I understand how you feel.

 

Last year I was reading all the posts about the Pride of Aloha when she was being launched. There were many reports of the service being really lacking and some posters were saying that everyone should just be patient and give NCL time to work the kinks out and get the ship fully staffed and the crew well trained but I know some of those passengers had saved for a year or more to take that cruise, and had used up their vacation time too. Telling them that they should be patient cause NCL would get it right eventually didn't give them back their vacation dollars or time.:(

It seemed to me that asking them to regard their cruise as 'training time ' for NCL employees was just not right.

[lynnmarie017]

Karen,

We also always thanked anyone who served us and we were very pleasant to them. It didn't seem to matter. I am glad that you had a good experience with the ones you came in contact with. I realize that they work hard and it was a difficult cruise, however, if someone is pleasant to you, it doesn't cost you anything to be pleasant back. These cruises are floating resorts. If all resorts had staff that were as indifferent, they would be out of business. I am off of my soapbox also. Lynnmarie

[karen2cruz]

I want to thank the moderator for for editing my thread and removing all the personal attacks that were really unrelated to my review.

 

Thanks

Karen

[Velvet Teddy Bear]

HI Karen, glad you and family made it home OK....we did also, but our trip was much shorter than yours....I just finished reading you review, as well as the comments of others.....As we said....Lemons, make Lemonade....It was a very good cruise all things considered....and the crew was as a whole very good..if not excellent....we also only had one bad spot and that was a waitress....it will be in the second half of my review....

Did I give you all of the pictures??

 

Till we sail again...jus me...jim.....aka THE VELVET TEDDYBEAR....:cool:

[little miss s]

I disagree with Electricron and I am scheduled to sail on the Dream on Oct 29th. I keep hoping they will cancel my cruise so I can have all of my money back and book something else. I guarantee you it won't be with NCL. Don't get me wrong though, if I'm forced to go on this cruise, I will go with a smile on my face and make the best of it. You won't hear me complain out loud. I feel bad for the staff when people vent at them. If you want to vent, focus on NCL Corporate, they make the important decisions on how things are run, and they are failing dismally.