Dream Review 2-17-07 -Highlights

[shops54]

One week later and I am still reliving our wonderful cruise on the NCL Dream. I don't want to take the time for a full review so I thought I'd post some highlights here.

The Ship: This is an old ship and therefore a less expensive cruise. I like to save money so I won't complain (much) about the ship. The Dream was very clean. She was also awkward to move around; you have to go up to go down and you have to go through the art show and dining room to get forward. The only time it was a problem was when we had to go outside on deck 12 on a windy night to get to where we could go down to 10 to get into the Stardust. We were almost swept away, my daughter and I, in our heels. We went back inside, down to 9, through the busy dining room, up to 10, through the smoky Dazzles and the smokierr Casino and into the Stardust and were rather late for our show. The smoke in the Dazzles and the Casino and other parts of the ship remained a problem for us. The only other thing we disliked about the ship or the cruiseline is that the hottubs were closed when it was cool enough to use them. Maybe that's just us. We love to sit in a warm hottub when it's cool outside. But as soon as it got the least bit cool the hottubs were shut down. O Well.

That being said, we loved NCL and we loved our staff and we loved our cruise!!! 1. We were so amazed by the staff. The first thing we noticed were the smiles on their faces. This staff seemed so much happier than the staff on the Costa and HAL cruises we took in the past! It made the whole experience different and so much better. They were laughing and seemed to truly enjoy their jobs which made it so relaxing and fun to be around them. The first night in the Terraces we had Gabby and Windy for wait staff. They were kind and attentive. Then and there we decided to ask for a table in their section each night (but one). They got to know us and were able to suggest great choices for our meals each night. They knew that our older daughter drank lots of water and gave her two glasses as soon as she sat down. When the younger daughter was seasick they brought us ginger ale and green apples and crackers to take back to her in the room! WOW! The whole idea that you can actually ask for the same wait staff each night made Freestyle dining much more acceptable to us. The best of both worlds actually. 2. Our room stewards; LiliBeth and John were the most attentive stewards we have ever had. Not only did they bring the extra pillows right away, but when our older daughter was in bed (she has Chronic Fatigue) they would quietly come in and clean and leave fresh towels and inquire how they could help. LiliBeth made the most fantastic towel animals! We had such great fun with them; we put a gold chocolate crown on the king cobra she made etc. Our room was always made up so fresh and clean. Lilibeth and John were the best! 3. Other staff: We did eat one night in the Trattoria and had excellent wait staff there also - sorry we can't remember their names. I think the key to the Trattoria is to come on the early side. Then We got a card in our room asking if there was any other possible thing they could do to make our cruise more memorable. We asked for a copy of some of the menus for a souvenir. We had gotten some from our Costa cruise and we look over them from time to time and it brings back great memories. HAL refused to give us their menus - so we knew it was not a common thing to ask. (this was, to us, one more sign of poor customer relations by HAL). Lo and behold, the staff on NCL gave us a bound copy of ALL of their menus!! They tried to present them to us via a top chef that day in our room but we were not in our rooms much that day. Wish we had THAT picture!!! That was just so amazing! and good PR too - we share the menus with others who want to know about NCL. PR is a priceless commodity. NCL Shines in that category! We were really impressed by the staff.

Ports: We loved Progresso; the BEST shopping and a beautiful long white sandy beach. We took the $2.00 trolly and saw the town first. We loved the vendors on the greenway and bought 2 dresses, a blouse, a pink inlaid chess set and some jewelry. Cozumel was ok; Paradise Beach was highly overrated. We had a great (for us) tour in Belize to Bacab Eco park and Butterfly sanctuary and afterwords we relaxed in the most beautiful outdoor pool and swam under a waterfall and lay in hammocks under the Palapas. The Belizean people were more like Jamacian than Mexican and we found their gentle ways and words so soothing. After the tour, when we shopped, we bought our goods from the outside- behind the building by the ship- vendors and felt we were supporting the tradespeople, not the middlemen.

Shows: The Crew show was by far the most professional and best crew show of all our cruises - by far and away!. The guest talent show was great - encouraged, I think, by the chance to earn a contract with NCL. The other shows were very good but really they were so short! The Western show was all of 20 minutes long. We were puzzled but did enjoy them.

Food: This area is so subjective. I will say the portions were much larger than our other cruises. There were wonderful items on the menu - fruit soups, The "Chocolate Decadence" - not to be missed. (Gabby would always bring me a little dish of vanilla ice cream to complement my chocolate desserts - and I often tried more than one!) We would sometimes have two appetizers or two salads. The Marinated Artichoke Hearts on Proscuitto Bruschetta was only one example of a wonderful appetizer. The entree's were very good but often more ordinary - but we love to try new things- they were still very good.

In Conclusion: Our whole family agreed that even though the scenery on the Alaskan cruise was more memorable, This was our best cruise yet. We were so impressed by the attentiveness of the staff - it really made the difference for us. NCL you do a great job and we will be back!! -Eileen, Jim, Peggy, Bridget Horan. Room 9119, 2-17-07 cruise.

[susanNjay]

Eileen,

Thanks for your terrific review. Lots of good info...we are booked on the April 7 cruise and are counting the days...it will be so wonderful to be cruising again...

 

Is there any specific place you would recommend for shopping in Progresso?

 

Thanks,

Susan

[newmexicoNita]

Enjoyed reading your review. I think the secret to your wonderful experience is in the very first part of the review. The ship is older, you knew that, the price of the cruise reflected that so you didn't set your expectations to high. Each cruise is a new experience and the Dream seems to be very popular for many. Most of the complaints come from cruisers who were expecting a 5 star experience for a 3 star price. BRW, the appitizer sounded yummy. It made me hungry. Maybe I need to eat some lunch. NMNita

[rxtimbo]

what a great review to read the week before we head out on the Dream. It amazes me the wide range of reviews this boat gets, but I seem to be seeing more and more on the positive side. Glad to hear you had a great time....

[megsterl]

Thanks SO SO Much for the wonderful review im so excited to read a good review!!!! Im wondering if there is anyway you can post the menus for us to look at I leave in just two weeks and my BF is a picky eater so I hope he will be able to find something to eat. Thanks in advance MEG

[mjkrph]

thanks so much for the great review. my daughter and i cruise on the dream on March 10 and are very pleased to read a good review. We usually cruise RCCL and have only been on NCL several years back. I agree that we booked this cruise for the good deal price and don't expect 5 star quality. However, a cruise is what one makes of it and I have never had a truly bad cruise. Thanks again and happy cruiseing!

[electricron]

The Dream can provide a great cruise vacation.

The Dream was built in 1992, and unless you're less than 15 years young, it is newer than you are. I believe too much ado is made over the ages of ships.

I'll admit cruise ship designs have changed siginificantly over the last 15 years. Some would argue for the worse.

[nopqrstuv]

Thanks for the review. This is our first time sailing with NCL and we will be on the Dream (3/31). We were looking for an excursion that would be suitable for our two children ages 4 & 6 and the Bacab sounds like the one. Just wondering if you encountered a lot of insects? Did you use bug repellent and did it help?

[shops54]

Susan,

When the free bus from the ship stops at the end of the pier you are at an enclosed gated little green square -park area. Tons of vendors are set up in this area and that is where we bought everything. Progresso has only 2 ships a week so these are all temporary booths I think. The (mostly) women were so fun to talk to. I had taken a tape measure along on the cruise and took my exact measurement of bust and sleeve and waist. Then I took the tape measure shopping and measured the garments to be sure they would fit. It turned out to be a great idea as most places except the really expensive ones did not have a fitting rooms. There are other vendors along the beach and along the side streets leading to it so we looked in the square then looked along the beach and came back to the square and bought our stuff. The other vendodrs were fine but we saw what we wanted at the square. Hope that helps. -Eileen

[shops54]

Nopqrstuv,

My husband got a few bites but if a bug is within ten miles they will fly over and find him to bite. He is just that sweet! So for kids, yes, I might take a little bottle of bug spray but even Jim only got about 3 bites - and those he didn't feel until on the way home. I also heard from other passengers that the zoo (and Lamanni boat ride?)was a great trip and we would maybe try that one the next time. Both are easy trips but the Bacab has the most wonderful pool and pool area plus a nice lunch with fresh-from-the-trees pineapple and mango - all carefully prepared to boat standards. Hope that helps - Eileen

[shops54]

Megsterl,

I am not a techy and I don't think I have the ability to scan into my computer but I suppose I could copy and send a few pages to you if you give me your address. My email is eileenhoran@comcast.net. But really this cruise is made for picky eaters. There is a lot of very normal food at each meal every day. They have at least one run-of-the-mill hamburger or hotdog at lunch and one steak or pork chop or roast at supper every day and of course there is the buffet 24/7 with tacos and salads and burgers and fries and great pizza. He will not go hungry:).

[nopqrstuv]

Thanks for the info. I just wanted to make sure the bugs weren't swarming. I'm usually the one who's the bug target.

[calmac]

Thanks SO SO Much for the wonderful review im so excited to read a good review!!!! Im wondering if there is anyway you can post the menus for us to look at I leave in just two weeks and my BF is a picky eater so I hope he will be able to find something to eat. Thanks in advance MEG

 

If you do a search for recent menus here on the NCL boards you will find what you are looking for - the same menus are used fleet wide, perhaps with minor differences and possibly in a different order.

 

On the Dream the two main restaurants - Four Seasons and Terraces offer the same menu each night (we prefer Terraces). On optional formal night La Trattoria also serves the same menu (or at least it used to) but otherwise it offers Italian based menus. Le Bistro has the same menu as it does on other ships in the fleet (I think FlyingPirate posted a menu for there a couple of days ago).

 

Enjoy your cruise - we really like the Dream.

[nopqrstuv]

Shops54,

 

Sorry, one more question re the Bacab tour. During the tour did you have to carry your beachwear or was there a place to keep it until you got to the pool?

[shops54]

nopqrstuv,

No problem. They have free lockers with keys and a wonderful clean changing area with clean bathrooms. Really nice. The sinks were unique - I'm glad I stopped in :).

[misguy]

Did they have a murder myster dinner on the Dream, and if so, do you remember what night it was?

[ortho_rn63]

I just want to say I found your review very interesting. My daughter and I will be sailing the Dream on the 31st of this month... We can't wait; and getting to read eveyone's thoughts about the ship makes sure we know what to expect....

A GREAT SPRING BREAK!:D

[shops54]

The dream did not do the murder mystery. Too bad.

[foursum]

Were Patti and Jose singing for you?