Norwegian Wind Cruise Review And Cruise Discount

Overview
Life aboard the Norwegian Wind is a breeze --with a wide array of activities, dining and entertainment, this ship offers a cruise experience that appeals to guests of all ages who want a casual and relaxing holiday. Active passengers find plenty to do, including a 24-hour fitness center and an ambitious shore excursion program that features snorkeling and diving (even in Alaska!), hiking, kayaking and biking. NCL's top-notch entertainment offerings include three production shows.

Cabins
There are 15 categories with staterooms attractively furnished in soft tones and featuring two lower beds that convert to queen, small bathroom with shower, hairdryer, cabin-controlled thermostat, duvet, TV, and radio. Inside cabins measure 140 sq. ft.; standard outside cabins are 152 sq. ft; superior deluxe suites are 176 sq. ft. Owner's Suites afford such added conveniences as living room, separate bedroom, picture windows, refrigerator, stereo with CD library and tub and shower -those on Sun Deck have balconies. Penthouse suites have sitting area, refrigerator and balconies. All suite guests enjoy concierge service. Important notes: all cabins on the port side of the ship are non-smoking. Staterooms on Promenade Deck open to the jogging track. Some people may wish to steer clear of forward cabins on Star Deck and International Deck as guests need to traverse a dining room (International Deck) or the show lounge (Star Deck) to get to other public areas or use other decks to walk across. There are 41 Category G cabins on Norway Deck with fully obstructed views and 41 Category F staterooms on Norway and Promenade Decks with partially obstructed views. Some Superior Deluxe Penthouses on Norway Deck have partially obstructed views.

Fitness and Recreation
The Steiner spa on Sports Deck has seven rooms for European-style treatments, sauna and a 24-hour gym with state-of-the-art exercise equipment including five bikes, four treadmills and four stairsteppers. The main pool has a multi-level sun deck area that is sheltered from the wind (nice in Alaska). Additionally, there is a second outdoor pool, twin Jacuzzis, a basketball/volleyball court, jogging track, golf-driving net, and Ping-Pong.

Dress Code
Daytime wear is casual, with layers being the order of the day in Alaska; resort wear in the Caribbean. During seven-day sailings, there are two formal nights when most men wear dark suits instead of tuxedoes.

Dining
The food is fine, service is good, but the views are the best: the lobster tail and the strip steak come with a side of sea and sky in the three main restaurants all of which boast panoramic vistas. Tables for two, four, six and eight are featured. Dining rooms are assigned by cabin location (but guests can request a restaurant and table size if available). The Sun Terraces (234 diners) is arguably the nicest restaurant (most intimate) followed by The Terraces (308 seats). Both have terraced seating and floor-to-ceiling windows opening up to the ship's tiered aft decks. The Four Seasons (452 seats) has great tables next to glass walls on each side. Port side tables are best; some may find the starboard side tables (where a walkway crosses the restaurant) distracting: during early seating dinner on a formal night there may be a parade of casually-clad second seating passengers going to their cabins to change. Dining rooms offer open seating breakfast; lunch is open seating in port so guests can try all three main restaurants. As part of an alliance with Cooking Light, menus feature more than 160 of the magazine's delicious recipes. Le Bistro, a reservations-only, 78-seat alternative restaurant, serves Italian fare at no extra charge (recommended tip is $5 per person). There is no official Lido restaurant: the Four Seasons offers buffet breakfast at sea; and the Sports Bar features buffet breakfast, lunch, teatime snacks and fresh popcorn, but it is a very modest space for this number of passengers --with only 85 seats inside (20 of which are for smokers) it was almost as hard to find an open table during bad weather as winning at bingo with only five numbers called. There is a poolside snack bar/pizzeria, ice cream bar and a small coffee lounge. The lavish Chocoholic buffet -a sumptuous spread of everyone's favorite treat-is the most popular of the midnight snacks. Room service is available 24 hours -a mid-afternoon order took only 13 minutes to arrive.

Entertainment
NCL excels in nighttime entertainment; this ship is no exception, with Smokey Joe's Cafe, a production featuring such 50s and 60s hits as "Hound Dog" and "On Broadway." A good number of passengers stays up (particularly in the Caribbean) for options that include dancing the night away at Dazzles Disco; watching live broadcasts of major sports events in the Sports Bar & Grill; and gaming in the Monte Carlo Casino with six blackjack tables, one roulette, one dice, one Caribbean Stud Poker, one Let it Ride table and 158 slots.

Public Rooms
Interiors have a contemporary ambiance that is informally elegant through the use of quality fabrics in pastels and muted shades, fine woods, artwork and marble. Lots of glass walls afford views of the sea and ports. There is no multi-level atrium -the attractive lobby/reception area on Promenade Deck has a Nordic feel with blue and gray decor, marble and art deco accents. The ship underwent a "chop and stretch" in 1998 that added 251 cabins and new and enlarged public rooms. As a result of the stretching, however, the Four Seasons Restaurant was expanded to encompass the entire width of the ship, so guests in 86 cabins situated forward of the Four Seasons have to walk through the dining room to get to the Rendezvous Bar and other public spaces on their deck, or use another one to bypass the dining room. Similarly, on Star Deck, passengers on forward cabins need to traverse the Stardust Lounge (which may be closed for shows or rehearsals) or use another deck to get across. The ship absorbs the post-stretch increased guest numbers well, but had a less spacious feel than before the stretching during a couple of cold, rainy days in Alaska when everyone wanted to be indoors. The two-level Stardust Lounge features a proscenium stage for revues including the Sea Legs Circus at Sea, starring Olympians from around the world. Sightlines are good from most seats. Lucky's, a horseshoe-shaped piano bar with a dance floor is one of the most popular lounges on board for a drink after the show. The Observatory Lounge with its floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides is a great perch for watching the Alaska wilderness or Caribbean sunsets; for people watching, the Rendezvous Lounge is best. The 24-hour Internet Cafe is equipped with four computer terminals (cost is 75 cents per minute). This facility, however, took away the space that had been devoted to a library, which now consists of only two small bookshelves on the walls leading to the Internet Cafe. Plans are to add more bookshelves during dry dock in September. There is no self-service launderette; laundry and dry cleaning are available for a fee.

Fellow Passengers
You'll find a good mix of passengers: some honeymooners (more in the Caribbean), couples, some singles (more in the Caribbean), and families with children, particularly during school holidays. Many passengers are first-time cruisers. The average age is 51 in the Caribbean, 57 in Alaska.

Gratuity
NCL recommends $10.50 per person, per day ($3.50 each to cabin steward and waiter, $2 to busboy and $1.50 to maitre d').