Norwegian Dream
by Carol Fitzgerald
Black Sea/Greek Islands
September 25, 2000
This review may be a little choppy as I still have very bad jetlag, so bear with me. We were on the Dream Sept. 25 cruise from Istanbul. We had air problems both on our departure and our return, which did not spoil the vacation, only served to aggravate us. The air was not booked by the cruiseline, but if it had been the same things would have happened. On both trips the airlines claimed weather delays, which may or may not have been true. We flew all the way to Cincinnati from Boston on the return flight only to learn we would not get home to Florida until the next day anyway!!!
On our outbound flight however, rebooking to a United 777 proved comfortable and spacious and put us in the mood for our pre-cruise stay in Istanbul. The hotel stay was part of the early booking package. The Marmara in Istanbul was quite a nice hotel in the Taksim area of the city. This area is growing but not too touristy yet, it appeared. Our guide told us that there are 15 million residents of Istanbul. There was a square in front of the hotel which we had to cross several times during our 2 days there. I will swear that all 15 million residents were crossing at the same time!!!
We toured the city for a full day tour and half day tour with a private guide I had contacted via Internet. He was excellent and showed us all the major sites and more. He took us to a small, non-touristy hotel dining room for a Turkish lunch which was very enjoyable. He patiently waited while we shopped the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. Having Turkish tea in a cafe on the water was a highlight towards the end of our time with him.
Our baggage had been collected at the hotel prior to our embarkation so all we had to have with us was our carry-ons. There were no lines and no waiting for embarkation. Our cabin was supposedly fully obstructed view on deck 8. We were delighted to find that we could see the sea and sky, despite the boat hanging above the window. We also had our preferences in dining, in the Sun Terrace dining room. I like aft cabins because they make it very convenient to dining rooms and all activity areas, and this was again the case for us.
This is a very port-intensive itinerary, so the sea day after our busy time in Istanbul was welcome. We tried the Internet Cafe onboard--beware--the charges mount up very quickly!!! We sent several individual emails the first day, second time we went we used cc's to save time online.
While we liked the food onboard, we found that after the first few nights the number of selections declined to three, and some nights I found no appetizer or soup that I liked. The waiter did not offer any other suggestions when I asked if there was anything else that I could order. We ate twice in the alternative restaurant, le Bistro. Steak there excellent, entrees prepared to order, very leisurely dining. We did not like eating lunch at the Pizza and Pasta bar or the Sports Bar. On the colder days early in the cruise the seating areas were jammed and smoky.
We do not do a lot of shipboard activities, so I cannot comment much on them. The shows we did see were the Jean Ann Ryan shows. "Crazy for You" was well done, and as usual the dancers polished and energetic. I also attended a classical concert performed by the pianist and trumpeter of the orchestra, which was superb.
Attended on enrichment lecture on the ports--this one was on Ephesus-the lecturer was very wordy, had a hard time staying but did and his slides were very good and prepared me for our tour there.
My main problem with the Dream was the fact that the air system did not seem to be controllable from our cabin. At night it got extremely warm even when the thermostat was turned way down. Both my husband and I sneezed our way through the hallways--something they cleaned with, we think. Smoke hung in the air in lounges, so we did not spend much time in them.
I want to honestly present both the positive and negative sides of this cruise, so I am saying these things. Over all, the service was excellent, the ship exceedingly clean, food well prepared and creatively and beautifully presented and I would definitely sail Norwegian again (this was our third cruise with them)
Ports
The ports were so varied it is hard to even compare them. I had researched hard and long to find the best ways to see each port. We had guides in Odessa and Yalta, a taxi/guide in Rhodes and the same guide in Dikili and Kusadasi as we had in Istanbul.
Imagine getting off a ship in Odessa, Ukraine where few people speak English, expecting to see a sign with your name on it. Someone directs you to an exit of the port (which later learned was the wrong one) and there is no one there. Waiting over 1/2 hour of our precious time before climbing the 192 Potemkin steps. Still no one. Not to be daunted by this, I decided we should find the office of the agency I had been corresponding with for many months. Our companions, a couple we had only corresponded with a week or so before the cruise, showed great faith in me. After 6 inquiries and no responses, I finally stopped some police women and showed them the address we sought. A few more blocks and one more inquiry and we found the office, on the 5th floor of a department store!!!!
Eventually we got our walking tour of Odessa, which was lovely. Odessa was unexpectedly pretty, with many trees and parks, reminding me of a little Paris and some Barcelona mixed with a classic touch.
Next day in Yalta there was also a tour mix-up, but less problem and we got to see the Livadia and Alupka palaces, the Swallow's Nest castle and general city sites, same as the ship tour. What we got that was different was a leisurely walk along the seaside promenade, a visit to a wine shop and chance to talk to the guide about herself and her life in Yalta.
Visits in Dikili to Pergamum and in Kusadasi to Ephesus were not only interesting but also not what we expected. Turkey is far more modern than anticipated, and cruise passengers were treated with friendliness and respect, from what I saw. Besides the extraordinary ruins in these ports, highlights were our Turkish lunches (I never thought my husband would eat any of it!), a visit to a Turkish supermarket, a museum in Kusadasi.
We did not like shopping in Kusadasi--prices higher and the merchants far more aggressive than either Istanbul or Dikili.
The Greek Islands are a cruiser's delight. Santorini with its winding streets, so picturesque. The town of Oia was even quainter. It is easily accessible by bus, which we learned after we went there by cab. Take lots of film--there is a picture spot around every corner!!
In Rhodes,Lindos is crowded and commercial--we did not even climb to the top. If I had to do again, I would have just walked around the old city, as there is much to see and do there. I would not recommend a taxi/driver tour, either.
Mykonos was another gem, although quite touristy and commercial. We were on our own there and rented a scooter to go around the island. Outside of the port area there was little traffic. While the main town area is closed to vehicles, we did get to the windmills, which was tops on our list.
I cannot conclude this review without mentioning what so many people often say--the people you meet have a lot to do with your enjoyment of the cruise. The couple we toured with and spent time onboard with later, Bill and Andrea, truly enhanced our enjoyment. They shared our frustrations (i.e., Odessa), fatigue at times, and the serendipity of all the ports. It is a good lesson that it pays to keep posting about your cruise plans on many Internet message sites!!!
I have tried to be as brief as possible with this review. There is much detail left out, and if anyone has more questions, I will be glad to answer them!
