NCL Sea

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tdt4u

Guest
We are first time cruisers. Have read some really bad reviews of the NCL SEA. Any comments that will help us decide would be appreciated
Don
 
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herb

Guest
We sailed on the Norwegian Sea in 2002. My review is in the "reviews" section. Hopefully things have improved since we've gone. Luckily you have no other cruises to compare to.
 
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nimiq

Guest
I was on the newer Ncl Ship ....The Sky 1st cruise and so far this is one of my favorite ship ,entertainmant and food.

sea ya
ERIC
 
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zahr03

Guest
We're not "seasoned" cruisers, but we were on the Sea for its transition cruise from Philadelphia. We felt that, although it was an older ship, it was in okay shape. We stayed on the 8th deck and had a pretty good view. The service was excellent and the food was pretty good, too. We had previously sailed on the Norway (last February) and really enjoyed that. I'm sorry it's out of commission now. We have reservations for June on the Star. I'm anxious to see what one of their newer, larger ships will be like.

JLR
 
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LLZ

Guest
We just finished an INCREDIBLE week at sea on the NCL SEA!!! 02/07/04 - 02/14/04. I posted a lengthly review already - farther up the list. We took our 3 kids and had two staterooms and THE TIME OF OUR LIVES!! EVERYONE was unbelievably nice. WE had no waiting with dinner and the freesyle cruising! Shows were good, the ship was in tip - top shape! The food was EXCELLENT! and the ports were awsome. We'll be back again. Probably on this ship, but certainly on NCL!! We're hooked for life! I'm afraid we'll never get to go again without the kids, but the Kids Crew program made even that a BLAST! I loved watching them make so many good new friends! Even the other adult cruisers were nice to our kids - more than nice, INCLUSIVE! The men let my 13 year old play basketball with them - even seemed to like him. The staff, from top to bottom, was excellent. Even passing in the hallways, whether they had officers bars on the uniform or a mechanic's jumpsuit, they spoke and made eye contact - like they were happy we were there.
Much has been made of the small staterooms and even smaller showers. We are a tall family and were happy to find the shower nozzle was ABOVE our heads, so the size of the shower was not even a nuisance. No one has mentioned the lightweight down comforters on the beds and the feather pillows. Just a few nice touches other lines don't include. Even staying in our rooms was something we couldn't get enough of. Don't be concerned with any poor reviews you may read - obviously things have changed with this itenerary!! We'd do it again in a heartbeat if we could - and we just may!!
 
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cpayne

Guest
Have cruised 8 times and our travels on Norwegian Sea were the worst of them all. The ship was small, the rooms even smaller and the ship was in need of an entire overhaul. There were maintenance issues and everything looked out of date. The fitness facility was minimal and exercise classes were terrible.

We live in Houston so loved being able to drive right to the port. However, as for activities around the port there is nothing. A much better port is Galveston with lots to do within walking distance.

If you've never cruised you will definitely enjoy yourself. However, once you take a 2nd or 3rd cruise you'll appreciate my feedback!
 
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Parrot Mom

Guest
Well, our very first cruise was on the NCL Seaward and hooked us on cruising about 15 years ago during it's first year. Last year we went on the NCL Sea/ward and although its small the ship compared to the 2500 that are common now it was wonderful..It had been rehabbed earlier that year. A closet door was off the hinge and when I mentioned it to the steward he apologized profusely and when we returned from breakfast it was being repaired. Two years ago we sailed on RCI BOS and the staff was indifferent, exept for our room stewardess. I couldn't wait to get back to NCL The NCL Sea maybe small, but her crew is wonderful and the ship has a great heart. I did not like their Apple Cafe, but then again I don't do buffets. We entered the dining room twice after posted hours and were treated with utmost courtesy. A cruise is what you make of it...it's the staff, it's the destinations, it's your attitude.. Would I cruise on the NCL Sea again.. absolutely.. Ã…ctually, June 13th we are doing the Majesty for the tenth time..I think this will be our 13th time on NCL between the Sea/Seaward and a two week Sky--give me NCL over RCI anytime..and I know we are not alone
 
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Trish1c

Guest
cpayne -- since you live in Houston, if we chose this ship, are there any decent hotels nearby? What's Morgan's Point & what's La Porta?

I don't care about things to do in Houston. We'll be arriving late Friday night & sailing Saturday. From IAH to port it would probably be close to midnight by the time we got to the hotel. All that's important are that it's 1) SAFE; 2). clean; 3). reasonably priced (~ $50 / night) 4). we can get something to eat in the morning (coffee & a donut would be fine) & 5). we can get transportation to the port itself.

Thanks for your help.
 
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psuregina

Guest
hi---i was on the norwegian sea just about a year ago on a cruise from nyc to bermuda...i enjoyed it. the ship is smaller compared to the huge ones nowadays, but you wont notice it. there were a good amount of people on board i would say---definitely was not crowded yet there were lots of people from all different places. the crew was nice and friendly. the public rooms were nice as well. this was my family's first time with freestyle cruising---we were not sure whether we would like it beforehand, but we did enjoy it. the only night we had to wait was the last night of the cruise when we wanted to have a group of 8 together---we probably waited around 45 minutes for that. for my family of 4 we usually didnt have much trouble getting a seat promptly in the main dining rooms. any other questions, feel free to email me! : ) i hope i could help!

regina
 
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cheezz

Guest
Read my review on 6-7-04 - with a link to the pictures I took --- subject heading is "Norwegian Sea - just got back!"

We LOVED our cruise experience and the fact that it was smaller was a plus in our book. You don't have to go FOREVER to get from one end to the other and even after 7 days we had not seen all of the ship. You DO get more movement than the larger ones but I get seasick even looking at a moving boat and I was just fine on meclizine. The cabin was plenty big enough for my grown daughter and I - room 6011 - even had a third bed that dropped down if needed. You are only in your room to change and sleep, so don't worry about size of room!
 
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WCoastCdnCruisers

Guest
We sailed on the Sea a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. The ports were fantastic and even though the ship was smaller and older than the others we had sailed on - for the price - we more than got what we paid for. One thing to check out for sure, if you like a queen bed, some of the cabins do not have them, they have single beds that cannot be put together. I think you just have to have a mind set to have a good time and make the best of everything. These days you will find people who can find something wrong in everything so read the reviews and take from them what you need and want. Every single person has a different experience, even on the same cruise. Go, enjoy and have a super cruise! Laurey
 
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stevesan

Guest
Laporte is an industrial port on the East side of Houston. ~40 miles from IAH and ~20 from Hobby. There is a brand new Comfort Suites in Laporte. It's web site:

http://www.lodginghost.com/comfort-suites-laporte/

A shuttle picks up at the hotel to the ship on Saturdays at about 12N. Fee is $10. Car service from Hobby to Laporte is ~$60.
 
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kadao

Guest
We just got back from the SEA a few days ago. I've read where people have said that if you are a first time cruiser you will probably like the SEA, but if you've been on several, you may be disappointed. Well, for us that is NOT true. We have been on many, many cruises. We LOVED the SEA. Even the small room worked great for us (4 of us in one room) There was plenty of storage and the beds were very comfortable. The atmosphere is great, service and food also great. The only things I didn't care for too much was the buffet. That was just so-so. But the on-deck barbeques were really good. The crew was constantly keeping things clean and everyone was very friendly.

We've been on bigger, newer ships (we were on the pre-inagural for the Sapphire Princess the week before we went on the SEA) but there is just something about the smaller ships, the SEA especially, that feels really good.

So, as you can see, I highly recommend the SEA. I hope this helps put some minds at ease. I posted a few pictures if you want to view them: http://www.cruise-forums.com/gallery/view.php?id=1979
 
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newmexicoNita

Guest
kadao, thanks so much, I know lots of us needed that. We have cruised 15 times (I have anyway) we did the Sea when it was the Seaward and loved it, but at that time it was the biggest ship we had sailed. Now we are about to cruise with 2 other couples, all in our 60s and varying degrees of cruising experience from only 2 cruises over 20 years ago to us, with lots of experience. We are deciding between the Sun (which I love) the Princess Sun (I know, I always said I wouldn't consider Princess) and the Sea. DH wants to Sea. Think you have helped me decide the same. I am going to let the other 2 couples make the final decision.

Thanks again

NMNita
 
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