First, I must tell you, that we had a great time. This was due to the fact that we had an awesome group of people traveling with us, and we managed to make our own fun.Here is a synopsis of our trip:
Saturday, October 14, 2006 - Embarkation, La Porte, TX
Five of us arrived at the cruise terminal in La Porte, TX about 11:00 AM. We were dropped off right in front, and Ruffus went to park our vehicle at the parking lot that was adjacent to the terminal (very close.) The embarkation was the fasted that I ever experienced (and this was my 14th cruise.) So, at this point we were very impressed. By 11:30 AM we were onboard and hurdled into the "Stardust Lounge" to wait for our cabins to be ready. We waited there for about 30 minutes when they announced that there was lunch being served in the "Sports Bar." Ruffus went to scope that out, while we waited in the lounge. He came back and told us that it was VERY crowded and the lines were out the door waiting to get served. (Also it was starting to rain, and there was very limited indoor seating.) So we continued to wait. Around 12:30 PM they announced that our cabins were ready. So we gather our junk and headed to our cabin 8014.
These were the smallest damn cabins I have ever seen! We had a balcony cabin, and it was MUCH smaller than the cabins on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess or Disney. There was hardly any closet space, but we had to make due. Luckily, there was room under the bed for us to place our luggage or we really would have been SOL. After we settled our things in our cabin, we again tried to get something to eat at the Sports Bar. No luck, so we went to one of the main restaurants Terraces to eat lunch. Our food was tasty and the service was excellent. Little did we know that this would be the last time on this cruise for us to have such a dining experience.
One by one, our entire group arrived on the ship. Some of us had not seen each other since our last cruise, so the reunion was joyous and fun. We had planned some fun activities and looked forward to sharing this time together with family and friends.
Unlike other cruise lines, NCL has "Free Style" dining, which means you have no assigned time, dining room or seating. This works like a restaurant, first come-first served, or by reservation. The first night we all dined separately, as most of our group traveled from other cities that day, and wanted to rest. However, since we were traveling as a group and we wanted to eat dinner together for the remainder of the cruise, so we had to make reservations. Group dinning is only reserved for a 5:30 PM seating or 8:30 PM seating. We opted for 5:30 PM.
That night we had VERY rough seas, so most people remained in their cabins and many people got seasick.
Sunday, October 15, 2006 - At Sea
Refreshed from a rocky night's sleep we got up early and again tried to eat breakfast at the Sports Bar (top deck.) The weather was still bad, and the ship was rocking – big-time! Again, there was a long line and no place to sit indoors. We stood in line and finally got some food, then headed into one of the lounge areas to find a place to eat indoors. By this time we were really missing the Lido Deck on Carnival, and were beginning to regret our decision to go NCL.
Since the weather was bad, all of the on deck activities were cancelled, which is understandable. However, there were limited things to do inside. The Casino was calling everyone’s name, and I can attest to spending more money in this casino that any other one that I have visited. That still is not much, because I don’t normally even go into the casino. But being bored, I tried my luck, and I won over 200 dollars between the "Wheel of Fortune" and "Black Widow" slot machines.
That night we had a surprise birthday party for Ruffus, and we all wore Black and White formal attire.
It was so funny when we arrived at the dining room. Ruffus commented that everyone had on black and white. It was not until we were all seated and yelled "surprise" that he knew it was a party for him.
Again, we waited several hours for our food, but because we were in such great company, we managed to enjoy the evening. Which ended with a birthday cake and at the wait staff singing "Happy Birthday To You" and of course in the African American Tradition we sang "Happy Birthday to Ya" as song by Stevie Wonder.
After dinner, we all changed and went to our favorite, Karaoke. There was a very strong crosswind on the top deck as we fought our way to the observatory lounge. We were almost blown away, and we laughed so hard our sides hurt and the prospect of falling overboard or losing our "evening hair"!
Karaoke was a dud. Not much participation. I think mainly because it started so late, 10:30 PM. After our group performance of "Proud Mary" we left and headed to the Disco. The Disco was almost as dead as the Karaoke bar, however, eventually they played a few good songs that inspired everyone to get up and dance. Please note that there was a man shortage on that boat, so Ruffus and Winston had to do double duty dancing with all the ladies in our group.
Monday, October 16, 2006 - Progresso, Mexico
We purchased a shore excursion to Chichen Itza, Mexico. We had to meet in the Stardust Lounge at 7:45 AM where we were given a box lunch (tuna sandwich, veggie sandwich, granola bar, fruit cocktail, and a bottle of water) the trip to the Mayan Ruins would take two hours and our tour guides Jorge and Victor, told us about the Mayan Culture past and present as we were in route from the Progresso port.
The Ruins were beautiful, and I am glad I finally got to see them. It was very HOT, and we had to walk on gravel paths, so I was worn out by the time we returned to the ship.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006 - Cozumel, Mexico
We purchased a day pass at the Reef Club and Resort. It was absolutely beautiful. The pass included open bar, all you can eat buffet, all you could eat from the grill - a beautiful beach, swimming pools... movie stars... Well not the movie stars part, but everything else was included. he resort was on the beach and they supplied us with towels, beach chairs and use of water sports.
Today was Nina's birthday so we had reservations to eat at LaBistro restaurant. There is an additional $15.00 surcharge to eat in this restaurant. It was not worth the extra money, and the service was slower than the other restaurant. We had a 6:30 PM reservation and did not finish until after 9 PM. The staff continuously apologized about the delay because of the "new menu", but this was starting to get old as we were hearing this same old song in every restaurant.
Pajama Party - hosted by Nina and Lynda
That night at 10:30 PM Nina and Lynda hosted a pajama party in the NCL Conference Room! Boy did we have fun. The first funny thing that happen was we got locked in the room! What made this hilarious is that Ruffus was locked in the room with us; he was knocking on the glass windows asking for help, this was truly funny. Finally, someone came to his rescue and he and Winston left hightailing it out of there, not to be seen again that night!
We played games and read passages from "Tickle His Pickle"; I laughed 'til I cried. Literally. If laughter is a good cleansing for the soul, I was thoroughly cleanest.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 - Belize City, Belize
You have to tender into Belize, which I hated, because it is a LOOOONG tender to port.
This was our third trip to Belize so we had done all of the tours. However, since it was the first time for a few people in our party, we got a taxi at the port and took a city tour. Our taxi driver did a good job of showing us around. He even took us to his wife's restaurant where a few of us sampled some authentic Belizean food, Rice and Beans, Stewed Chicken and Plantains. I only got a spoonful, but from what I tasted it was pretty good. After the tour, we walked around the port and purchased a few souvenirs and made our way back to the ship
Pokeno Night – Hosted by Sara and Tami
At 10:30 PM Sara and Tami hosted a Pekeno Party, where we each received cards and put quarters in 6 different pots; Pokeno, Center, Four Corners, Two of a Kind, Four of a Kind and Flush. We listed to oldies music and argued about the "official" rules of the game. We had a great time, and Jan was the biggest winner that night ($35.00!) She continued her winning streak at the Casino where she won a couple of hundred dollars.
Thursday, October 19, 2006 - At Sea
African Healing Night - Hosted by Karan
Four Season's Restaurant
Friday, October 20, 2006 - At Sea
Terrace Restaurant Dining
Saturday, October 21, 2006 - Debarkation
PROS: Embarkation and Debarkation, the easiest and fastest that I have experience on any cruise line and at any port. The staff was very courteous and polite.
CONS: Our biggest complaint was dining. It took a ridiculously long time for us to receive our food in all of the restaurants. Our average wait time after dinner seating was 2 hours. This was the norm, not the exception. The quality of the food was OK. Better at the beginning of the cruise and declining thereafter. Also, we missed having formal nights. We enjoy the opportunity to get dressed up and be entertained by the staff. There was no singing or dancing in the dining areas (except for one waiter in the Sports Bar who did some sing-alongs during lunch.) The cabins are very small and there is not much storage (we had a balcony room.) The NCL Dream is an older ship. No elaborate atrium lobby, and a very funky layout. We were told that the ship was being retired in 2007.
Good! I think it should be.
