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Norwegian Cruise Line

MS Norwegian Dream

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Reviewed by: Paolo Degrandi
# previous cruises: 21 to 30
Date of Trip: June 16, 2006
Itinerary: Baltic/Black Sea/Russia

Originally the Dreamward, this ship was built in 1992 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of St. Nazaire (France). In 1998 she was lengthened in Germany and renamed Norwegian Dream. She is a very nice medium size cruise ship.

The Norwegian Dream offers many public lounges: mostly of them are quite intimate. I particularly liked the Stardust Lounge and the Rendez Vous Bar. Other lounges as the Observatory, the Lucky's Bar and the Dazzles Disco, had almost a very blend decor. There are two medium size pools (probably heated), two jacuzzis, a swim up bar and an ice cream parlour. There is a walk-around promenade, used as a jogging track, but it was blue painted steel.

With the Freestyle Cruising you can dine where you want, at which our you want with whom you prefer (alone or sharing a large table). There are six restaurants, including the Sports Bar Self Service, the italian Trattoria, the french Le Bistro (extra charge $ 15). The menus sounded good. The appetizers and the main courses (fish or meat) were well done. The pasta was always overcooked, probably due to the low quality used, and mixed with very strong spices. Just a note: in Italy we don't use them, but just add to the sauce things like basil, onion, garlic and pepper. The Chocohoolic buffet was stunning, wit almost everything you could desire.

The Norwegian Dream, with her sister ship the Norwegian Wind and the smaller Norwegian Crown, has the largest standard cabins in the NCL fleet. I have booked an outside one (5019) with a panoramic window on the Biscayne Deck. There was a comfortable queen size bed an a very nice sitting area, with a sofa bed, two chairs and a table. There were only five drawers but the closets, even if not large in size, had open shelves. The bathroom was quite small. Dispensers for soap, shampoo and shower gel were provided. The insulation was quite good.

Frankly I have seen better shows onboard Carnival Cruises. But I can still rate the shows by the Jean Ann Ryan Company 4 stars. The best one was probably the Sea Legs. Children had their dedicated spaces onboard with young counsellars. The Mandara Spa featured a quite large gym, arranged in two wings, but the sauna and the steam bath were really small, and in the changing area there were very few lockers.

The itinerary was stunning: Dover- Kiel Canal, Warnemunde, Tallinn, two days in St. Petersburg, Helsinky, Stockolm, Copenhagen.

Here are my suggestions for the excursions.

- Warnemunde: book the Berlin on your own tour. You will have more than five hours to discovery the wonders of the city. You will not need to take the subway, as you will be transported in Berlin downtown.

- Tallinn: explore the medieval city byourselflf. You will have just to walk few minutes from the port.

- St. Petersburg: I suggest to book the excursions. To go by yourself you will need an individual visa, that is quite expansive. I suggest to book the Hermitage Connoisseur to have more time to visit this wonderful museum and the stunning Golden Rooms. Another nice excursion is the Magnificent St. Petersburg with the visit to the reconstructed Amber Room in the Catherine's Palace at Puskhin. All the palaces, churches and museums are always crowded.

- Helsinki, Stockolm and Copenhagen: visit these beautiful cities by yourself. It's really easy and safe. I would have had the opportunity to spend even more time in Copenhagen.

There was a good mix of international passengers, with many Americans, Latin Americans, Canadians, British and Spanyards. I have met several nice persons. I really hope to have the opportunity to see all of them again..