ncl-norway15

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Trent Harris
Email: trent@netdoor.com
Age: 28
Occupation: Technology Account Manager
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: 01/06/01
Itinerary: U.S Virgin Islands
Cabin: V186
FoodDiningRoom: 67
CruiseDirector: 70
CabinComfort: 60
FoodRoomService: 72
CruiseStaff: 75
CabinAmenities: 68
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 78
FoodMidnightBuffets: 70
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 88
FoodVariety: 72
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue: 78
GoodForHoneymoon: 72
CasinoStaff: 88
PrivateIsland: 70
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 79
TenderService: 77
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 78
CruiseActivities: 68
Casino: 88
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 65
EmbarkDisembark: 82
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 72
Stabilization: 89
ShopsOnBoard: 86
SpaceRatio: 77
OverallCruiseValue: 70
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Jan 2001
Time: 21:00:29
Remote Name: webcache.hat.netdoor.com
Remote User:

Comments

My wife and I decided to sign up for this cruise on the Norway since some couple friends of ours contacted us
about going. The whole idea sounded grand since our friend’s parents had been on a total of 15 cruises and
7 of the last were aboard the Norway. We were told stories of grandeur of the ship, food, and services from
them. We felt that they certainly knew what they were talking about. The fact that my wife and I have a
22-month-old son also played heavily into our decision since my wife absolutely refuses to leave him
anywhere and a cruise ship with childcare services seemed ideal for us. We booked this cruise some 10
months before our sailing date on 1/6/01. Now here comes a very important detail: Sometime between the
time we booked our cruise and our sail date, White Star Line purchased Norwegian Cruise Lines. Yes, the
same line that owned the Titanic. With that in mind I’ll try to explain why I gave the cruise and ship a very low
rating.

Our travel agent booked our room on the Pool Deck along with two other couples in our group that way we
could be somewhat together. We also booked an outside stateroom since we would have our son with us and
the outside staterooms seemed to offer more room. Shortly after we booked our outside stateroom on the
Pool Deck, an NCL representative contacted our travel agent and frankly told them that we could not have the
room that we had booked since we were traveling with an infant and NCL ship regulations required that a crib
be present in our room. We were told that we would have to be on the Viking Deck and in this particular inside
stateroom (V186) because it had a crib in the room. When we arrived to our stateroom we were shocked to
find that our stateroom did not have a crib nor was it large enough to accommodate one. Our cabin steward
could not even get the crib in the room without hindering access to the closets, bathroom and built-in desk. I
proceeded to march up to the Purser’s Desk while my wife sat on the small double bed and cried with
disappointment. Once I arrived at the desk, I waiting in line for at least 15 minutes before I got to actually
speak with a representative. Once I explained the situation to the young lady I was told that my request for a
stateroom changed would be submitted and that I would know something the next afternoon. I bluntly told the
young lady that this was not a request since we did not create the problem and if it was indeed true that ship
regulations required a crib in our room then certainly something had to be done. The young lady told me the
exact same thing again like she was reading it off a cue card. She then told me that it was highly unlikely that
my request be filled since there were no staterooms available. I told the situation to the parents of our couple
friends since they were Latitudes members and they went and spoke with the Purser’s desk as well, but to no
avail. My wife and I sat in our room with our son in disappointment hoping that tomorrow we would have a
stateroom change. The next day came and at 1:00 PM we still had not been notified about our change
request so I went back to the Purser’s desk and again was told that I should know something that afternoon.
That answer was just unacceptable so I inquired about what else could be done. I was told that I could speak
with the Stateroom Supervisor who was on the other side of the ship. I spoke to the Supervisor and again was
told the exact same thing. Bottom line is I didn’t get a stateroom change at all. Luckily, a couple we were
traveling with agreed to change rooms with us since their room was larger and they could handle the smaller
accommodations than we could with our son.

Cons:

Not only us, but also the veteran Norway cruise guest we were traveling with were horrified with the upkeep of
the ship. Rust was everywhere, the decks were unvarnished and the ship had a general appearance of cargo
ship not a cruise ship. The decor in the vast majority of the staterooms and the ship in general is severely
outdated. The food in the Great Outdoor restaurant was poor and sitting was horrible. I’ve honestly have had
better food served in a school cafeteria than what was served in the Windward dining room on any night.
They only had two real buffets and they were both at midnight. We did not get to attend either of them, but the
couples we were traveling with remarked about how poor they were and even how bad the chocolate buffet
was. Most people I’ve spoken with remarked about how they gained weight about a cruise ship, well, my wife
and I had to actually look for food and we both lost weight due to the poor food quality and many stairs we
had to climb. I can say the food in the Le Bistro was substantially better than anything else we had while
onboard. Navigating the ship is a true nightmare. Not many elevators go to all floors and they are all extremely
slow so we ended up taking the stairs everywhere we wanted to go. The cruise director, John Anderson, was
non-existent. I only saw the guy one time 3 days into the cruise. Activities onboard were poor except for the
Broadway shows performed on 2 different nights, however, since we were in the main seating for diner our
tickets for these shows was for 10:30 PM. Since we had a young son with us it made it quite difficult to attend
any of the shows. NCL’s publications state that babysitting services were available and my wife and I had
planned on using this service whenever we got into our ports of call. However, whenever I inquired at the
Purser’s desk about the service I was told that the service was only available at night, for $8.00 an hour, for a
maximum of 3 hours and that they needed at least 24 hours notice. My wife and I ended up carrying our son
to every port of call we had and it wasn’t exactly fun having a 22 month old child with us shopping at St.
Maarten and St. Thomas. There is not enough deck room to accommodate the passengers at either of the
two pools aboard. The ship is too large to dock directly into port so you have to fight in lines to get a Tender
ticket that determines how soon you will be able to go ashore and is some cases you would not get ashore
until after 12:00 and when your ship arrives in port at 8:00 and you leave at 5:00 it becomes really
disappointing to have only a few hours at our port destinations. The beach at NCL’s private island, Great
Stirrup Cay, is only about ľ of the Norway’s length. Imagine some 2000 people on a beach that small. To say
it was extremely overcrowded would be an understatement.

The moral of the crew was extremely poor since we later found out that White Star had already fired half the
crew, cut the pay of the crew that was left, and they would be fired in 6 months with no time off to look for
another job. Turns out that the Norway is going on an Asian tour and will no longer be serving the
Caribbean’s. What is really surprising was how easily the crew would freely talk about the whole situation.

Our veteran Latitude member’s were so disappointed in their 8th cruise aboard the Norway that they have
already cancelled a cruise they had already booked that was sailing to Alaska. It seemed as though NCL
(White Star) was just looking at making a quick few extra bucks on the cruises already booked aboard the
Norway before they move her on somewhere else.

Pros:

There were a few good points about the cruise that I must mention. Our dining room waiter and maitre ‘d were
extremely helpful and kind with our son during dining hours. They would take our son around the dining room
and that gave my wife and I some time to enjoy our dining experience. The rest of the staff was the same way
with our son. Almost every one of them wanted to take him off our hands and would take him around the ship.
The ship has very good stabilization capabilities and we only felt like we were aboard a ship one night out of
the seven.

Overall, I believe that one’s money would best be spent somewhere else besides any NCL cruise. My wife and
I were so disappointed with our experience that we have requested a full refund!

Name: Barbara B
Email: Babsbdll@aol.com
Age: 54
Occupation: Retired
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: 1/06/01
Itinerary: St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Stirrup Cay (Private Isl)
Cabin: N028
FoodDiningRoom: 70
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 96
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Feb 2001
Time: 12:34:03
Remote Name: spider-mtc-ti022.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

Hearing for many years that cruising was the ultimate vacation, as first time cruisers we had high expectations
for food, activities, and service. Our group of travelers totaled 16 people with half of us first timers. The S/S
Norway was chosen over other ships and lines because of the reputation, size of ship, and the cost of the
cruise. We were only slightly disappointed in our choice. Overall, we all had a wonderful time and a pleasant
experience, and would book again.

The biggest disappointment was the quality of the food. It was a pleasant surprise to find such a large variety
of food as several of us are on special diets, vegetarians included. There was no problem in finding
something to meet our dietary needs; however, we quickly learned that scrambled eggs were made with liquid
eggs which were both runny and creamy in texture, and very bland in taste. From then on we ordered
poached or fried eggs to be sure we got the real thing. The dining room had difficulty serving toast that was
hot. Also any fish or seafood was always overcooked. The prime rib served with gravy was not good at all.
Our waiter and busboy, however, made up for any inequities we experienced. They brought us a second
choice when we were dissatified with our first choice and also provided us with a second lobster tail for those
that wanted one. On the open deck the breakfast and luncheon buffets were satisfactory. There was always a
variety of very fresh fruits, salads and other meal choices, but many times the food was supposed be hot was
cold. I found it odd that every line included the same choices, thus making for a long wait. For example, if you
only wanted something cold you needed to wait behind the others getting hot food. It would seem that the
lines would move faster if they were separated by food choices. By the time you got through the hot food line,
it was cold when you sat down to eat it.

The midnight buffets were good. I especially enjoyed The Chocolate Buffet, however, many of the choices
looked a lot better than they tasted. The overall presentation of the buffets were superb though.

As the weather was rather cool and it was very windy the week we sailed, one needed to reserve a lounge
chair at poolside very early. There was only limited space behind walls and other barriers to protect you from
the wind and smell of diesel, and there were not enough lounge chairs for the sun worshippers. Once you did
find an available chair you had to drag it the length of the ship's deck to join your friends. People would put a
towel or beach bag on a chair and leave it there all day, and never really use it while others or finally resorted
to sunbathing on a towel. The wait for a drink poolside was too long. By the time the frozen drink was received
it was melted and watered down.

The rooms, although quite small (inside cabins), were satisfactory. We found we spent very little time in the
room. The room stewards were right on top of things. Never once did we return to our room to find that it had
not been cleaned, nor were we ever disturbed by anyone to clean the room while we occupied it. It was almost
like magic. We'd step out for a few minutes, and return to a clean room with fresh towels. The beds were very
comfortable, even the bunkbeds. As we did not have a port hole or window, we did not know what time it was
in the morning as the rooms were very dark, and there were no clock radios. We ended up leaving a wake-up
call, which was convenient, every morning. As there were no room safes, it was very inconvenient to go to the
Purser's Office every time we wanted to get valuables, which were limited. Some of our traveling companions
were not able to get a safe, so we chose to share.

We thoroughly enjoyed the fitness amendities and used them daily. Only on two occasions did I have to wait
for equipment in the gym. The jogging/walking track was a delight.

I felt that the shops aboard were limited and offered nothing spectacular. I did not find any bargains, but we all
did buy a T-shirt with the S/S Norway logo.

Most enjoyable for me was the entertainment both in the lounge and in the Theater. The Ryan dancers were
spectacular and the entertainment was exciting. The variety of musical entertainment provided in the different
lounges and disco was wonderful; something for everyone. As a non-smoker, only once was I bothered by the
smoke (cigar) in the disco which is where everyone went after all the lounges closed. The drink prices may
have been a little high, but as we are not heavy drinkers, we did not this objectionable.

We met some wonderful people aboard that we probably will remain in touch with for a long time. Two of them
are staff members and just made our cruising experience that much more enjoyable. They quickly learned all
of our names and remembered our drink orders, our likes and dislikes, and gave of all some hints about the
islands and the island tours offered.

We did have two bad experiences disembarking. First, we all received our bills from the Purser's Office on our
last evening. The fact that we did not have to carry cash or credit cards with us all week did make it very
convenient, but a few of us expressed concern about the ease at which someone could charge something to
your room with only knowing your cabin number and name. One of the couples traveling with us had several
items charged to their account that they did not purchase. It did take several hours to dispute the charges by
showing forgery of signatures, but the Purser's Office did accept their word, and removed the charges from
their bill. Second, as the luggage was sorted and categorized by different colored tags, it took way too long for
each traveler to locate their luggage after they left the ship. I also felt that it was just too easy for someone to
steal your luggage. There were no checks at the gate to be sure the person removing the luggage from the
gates was the owner. Once you left the gated area, security tried to keep you from re-entering, but we found
several people were able to gain entrance again, which just makes it too easy for someone who may have not
even been a passenger aboard the ship to steal your luggage. Fortunately, we did not have that experience,
but several of our traveling companions experienced anxiety when they could not find their belongings after
several searches. It took one traveler almost 30 minutes to find one of their pieces. We noticed a few
passengers disembarking with their luggage in tow...now we know why. The next time we will take our luggage
off the ship ourselves and save ourselves the time and anxiety of trying to find and identify it in the gated
area.

Name: Melinda and Bob Kazmer
Email: mkazmer@gulfaccess.net
Age: 55 & 65
Occupation: Self-employed business owner
NumberOfCruises: 14
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: Feb 10 2001
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: A158 & O033
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 98
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 98
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess: 50
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 98
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 98
CruiseActivities: 98
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 98
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Feb 2001
Time: 08:09:29
Remote Name: nap-pm3-02-21.gulfaccess.net
Remote User:

Comments

SS Norway Cruise Melinda and Bob Kazmer

To preface this review, let me say that we are seasoned cruisers (this was our 14th cruise) and the
experiences related here are ours alone - someone else on the same cruise may have experienced it
differently. We took this cruise for the nostalgia of cruising on an ocean liner. I started searching the
net for good pricing and ended up booking the cruise at auction. The whole experience was great and
we were able to book an outside cabin at an exceptional price. I like doing it at the last minute so that
the “wait time” isn’t so long. We booked the end of January for the February 10th cruise.

Since we live in SW Florida, we were able to drive to the Port of Miami and park our car. The lot is
secured and you pay cash up front ($10.00/day). It was a painless embarkation. We are Latitudes
members and were allowed to board an hour early - were shown to the Sports Bar for refreshments
and then taken to our cabins at noon when they were ready.

Our cabin was a Cat. G on Atlantic deck aft. The cabin itself was about 130 sq ft and had a great deal
of closet and drawer space. We settled in and went to confirm our dining room assignment. We had
asked for a table for two, late seating, in the Leeward Dining Room. We were assigned a table for six
and had no trouble changing it to a table for two. Since both breakfast and lunch are open seating, we
knew we would have ample opportunity to meet other people and still have dinner by ourselves. This
worked out well. Luncheon was being served in the Leeward dining room as well as in the Great
Outdoor Restraunt - so we headed there for lunch. The service was great and the food excellent - a
sign of what was to come.

The Norway was originally the SS France - a two class transatlantic ocean liner. It was converted for
cruising by NCL. She retains many of the wonderful features of the SS France and is a ship like no
other. If you have only been cruising for the past 6-8 years, you may not appreciate what she has to
offer. NCL is moving her to service in Asia in the fall. She will make a last trip up the east coast of the
US and cross to the UK and then be refitted for service in the Far East.

Most of the public rooms are on International Deck (deck 10) which also has a wide, glassed-in
promonade. It is a delightful place to stroll around, shop in the shops, stop for a drink before dinner or
just sit at a table and people watch. The information desks and shore excursion desks are also on this
deck as well as the childrens’ playroom, the ice cream bar, the library and the internet cafe. The Great
Outdoor Restraunt is aft on this deck and overlooks the pool. Just below, on Pool Deck, is the pool,
pool bar, Le Bistro restraunt (alternative dining - $10/pp), the North Cape Lounge and Bar and the
Casino and Saga Theater and Photo Gallery. Above International Deck is Olympic Deck with the Gym
and Basketball court and walking/jogging track. . There are two additional decks above Olympic Deck -
Sky and Sun - which feature a bar, pool, hot tub, and deck space as well as suites. The dining rooms
are on Atlantic deck (deck 6) in the style of older ships. The Windward dining room is the original first
class dining room with a beautiful dome and is located mid-ship - the Leeward dining room is more aft
and also has a balcony with a circular stairway to the main level. We ate in both and preferred the
Leeward - it was quieter. The Spa is on Dolphin deck (deck 4) and hard to find. There is a disco -
Dazzles - on Viking deck - again not easy to find. The ship has 6 stair towers - they all do not go up
and down the whole ship. It takes some study to find your way around - it is fun to start at the top and
explore each deck.

The Club International quickly became our favourite place to have drinks before dinner or to sit outside
it and read during the day. This lounge is two decks high and has the original lighting fixtures from the
France. It is an elegant room with a nice dance floor and a great dancing music all evening. The
Sports Bar was just that - a bar with a sports theme - music and a dance floor there also in the
evenings. The piano bar, the Windjammer, was small and intimate. We had no trouble finding different
places on the ship to sit, read, people watch, sun etc. Lots going on all day - with a minimum of
announcements on the PA system.

It became quickly apparent to us that the location of our cabin was going to be a problem. We were
located right over the propellers of the ship - it was like being in a subway station when the train is
going by - all the time. The noise and vibration were terrible. A word to the wise - when you book this
ship - DO NOT ever do a guarantee and don’t book a cabin aft on any of the lower decks. Mid-ship is
where you want to be on this ship. If keeping your costs to a minimum is your goal - book the highest
category INSIDE cabin on the upper decks - not the lowest category outside cabin. There are so many
variables in cabins, you really need a TA who has been on this ship and knows it well. I spoke with the
Stateroom Supervisor, related our problems with our location and she graciously found us another
cabin. We spent the remainder of the cruise in a great big outside cabin on Olympic deck. It was a
great location and cabin - even a built in vanity in art deco fashion.

The crew and staff of this ship were exceptional! Everyone was friendly and eager to help. They all
seemed genuinely happy to have us on board and the service was first-class. The Captain was very
visible - out on decks during the day and sometimes in the evening.

This ship’s itinerary has three sea days and calls at St. Maarten, St. John/St. Thomas and their private
island in the Bahamas. Since she is so long and has such a deep draft, the SS Norway has to anchor
out and tender passengers to shore. It was a challenge the day we were in St. Maarten. Winds were
very high and most shore excursions were cancelled. Getting on the “Little Norway” was not easy - but
we managed to get into Phillipsburg by about 2 pm. There were three other ships anchored there that
day - so we only had the one tender boat. Normally the other ships would dock - but the winds kept
them from doing that. SO - tendering was slow - and the last boat didn’t get back to the ship until after
8pm. We had been scheduled to leave at 6:30 pm. The next day in St. Thomas was much easier,
calmer and we had numerous tenders - so it went smoothly. There were five ships in St. Thomas - a lot
of people in the town. The final day of the cruise was a beach day at the private island and that was a
delightful place. A nice way to end a great trip.

Debarkation was one of the best we have experienced. Continental breakfast was served in the
outdoor restraunt, the dining room, or you could order it in your cabin. We opted to stay in the cabin
and then took our time. NCL called early flights and tours first, later flights next, and then everyone
else. We just walked off the ship, claimed our luggage, found our car, and drove home.

In closing, let me say that we enjoyed this cruise thoroughly and would recommend it to anyone who
has never experienced this kind of cruising. BUT - if you are into climbing walls, skating rinks, hugh
mega-mall ships with towering atriums - this is not the ship for you. This is a taste of cruising in the
classic style - it is not a hotel that just happens to be on water - this is a ship - a real one - that is not
perfect by any means - but is in a class by itself! She is truly the “Legendary SS Norway” in my opinion.
We were happy that we had the opportunity to cruise on her before she moves. Feel free to e-mail me
with any questions you may have. mkazmer@gulfaccess.net

Bob and Melinda Kazmer Naples, FL

Name: Mark Miller
Email: marksharon_2000@yahool.com
Age: 33
Occupation: Attorney
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: 2/17/01
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: K067
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 26 Feb 2001
Time: 12:30:17
Remote Name: 146.243.218.243
Remote User:

Comments

This was my fourth cruise on the SS Norway. My wife and I go every year to celebrate our anniversary
(we had our honeymoon on the Norway). We love the ship very much and hate to see her repositioned
to Asia where we will likely never have the opportunity to sail her again. So this is my last opportunity to
write another SS Norway review for the great cruiseopinion.com website.

For the first time, we booked the whole cruise including NCL's air/sea program directly through NCL.
We originally booked an inside cabin on Fjord Deck, but NCL called us about a month before the
cruise to offer us a suite for a really good price. Accordingly, we took the deal. However, we did not get
the paperwork, including flight information, until the Tuesday before the cruise ... this really cut things
kind of close.

The charter flight out of Boston went smoothly and we paid the price on the return flight (which I'll
discuss later in this review). We checked in, gave our baggage, boarded a nice, World Airways, MD-11
and flew direct to Miami. We didn't need to claim our luggage as it was transported directly to the SS
Norway. We thought that things might get confused, but our bags arrived safely outside our stateroom.

Check-in was quick as they have, in addition to the latitudes check-in line, a suite check-in line. So we
chose the shorter suite line and checked right in, went to our room, checked it out for a minute, and
went down to the Leeward Dining Room for Lunch.

Dinner was scheduled for the late seating as requested in the Windward Dining Room (also
requested). We had asked for a table for 2 but were seated in a table for 4 with 2 vacancies. We went
to the Maitre D' who kept it as a table for 2, and by day 3 of the cruise, we had requested and NCL had
agreed to set the table as a table for 2 for the remainder of the cruise. Therefore, we had good space
in which to eat. Our waiter, Rudy, was very nice and competent, and our busboy Joseph Fernandes
was amazing. My wife wanted to take him home with us! His style of service was the perfect formality
that you would expect from the finest of waitstaff. The Maitre D's in the Dining Room also made good
attempts to get to know us - perhaps their tips had suffered in the past from the benign neglect that
they had usually shown.

NCL has economized in the dining room menus and the available of dining room facilities. Breakfast
remained consistent with past cruises - the food was fresher than in the past. Lunches which
previously had been served in the dining rooms all seven days were eliminated on days in port. You
had to eat at the Great Outdoor Self Service Cafeteria area on those days. Also, at dinner, some
appetizer variety and entree variety was reduced. However, the food was prepared perfectly and
tasted wonderful. Perhaps it is better to offer less choices and to prepare them correctly than offer
more choices but prepare them incorrectly? Also the midnight buffets (full-scale) were reduced, but
they remained well presented and relatively inspiring.

Great Outdoor Cafe food remained uninspired, but there were some improvements. Hamburgers were
now cooked on the grill as well as in the fryolator and pizza was available as well. NCL, lose those
finger sandwiches - yuck.

Our room on Sky Deck was very nice and clean. A new perk is an unlimited supply of Evian water on
request for those in suites. The walls on Sky Deck are paper thin and one night we had to blast the air
conditioner to drown out some obnoxious neighbors. Our stateroom bathroom was in fine shape and
our TV worked well.

This was a full cruise with lots of people on school vacation week (including my wife) so deck chair
space was at a minimum, but we were always able to find some seating on Sky Deck.

The shows were standard NCL fare - schmaltz with personality. 'Guys and Dolls' was quite OK as were
'Sing, Sing, Sing' and the perennially hokey 'Sea Legs Goes Hollywood.' The vocalists were pretty
good - the men were better than the women. The comedian, Milt Abel, was terrific, but NCL scheduled
him as one show only in the North Cape (Cabaret style) lounge so it was overcrowded - we knew
enough from our past 3 trips on the Norway, to get a seat early. The cabaret singer Elvy Rose had too
much personality, but she tried very hard, and she could not be accused of 'phoning it in.' We skipped
the juggler, but caught him on an entertainment revue show later in the week, and he had a nice
demeanor.

The Sports Illustrated Cafe is now the Sports Bar so NCL must have lost the naming rights. The room
remained unchanged. The art auctions were held there. Apparently Park West Gallery owns Fine Art
Sales (who conducted all of the previous auctions on our past Norway cruises), but now Park West
procedures control the auctions. Less items come framed, others you must take off the ship yourself
(they will not ship them to you), and the quality of artists represented had declined significantly. Even
the 'giveaways' were lousy - in the past a signed and numbered limited edition lithograph would be
given away. Now you get an unlimited facsimile signed poster! And you have to pay $35 in shipping to
get the poster sent to you. No thanks - and I'm glad that I didn't win the raffle because I wouldn't take it.
In fact, if you open a Park West credit card, you get 3 months interest free (a good deal seriously) and
you get some free posters (facsimile signed) - but because the original work of art we bought was
framed, we would have had to pay additional shipping for the free posters - so we turned them down.
Freddy the Art Director was a nice guy, but Park West policies are lousy compared to the way Fine Art
Sales did things. This is evidenced by our purchase of only one item as opposed to the many that we
had purchased in the past.

Club Internationale retained its refined elegance. It is the most beautiful public room on the SS Norway
(and I've heard others say that it might be the most beautiful public room at sea).

The NCL/Logo Gift Shop had limited merchandise - probably because the Norway will be repositioned
in Asia under Star Cruises, NCL isn't ordering new merchandise to sell. The $69 watch sale contained
lesser quality merchandise than in the past - no names this time. In the past, you could buy Wittnauer
(the real bargain at past sales), Seiko, Citizen, and Jules Jergensen.

The Spa changed hands from Steiners to Mandara (part of the Star Cruises takeover of NCL last year)
and I went in for a massage. It was a great massage but I learned that the 15% service charge does
not go to the person performing the massage, but rather to the spa company (not NCL). The
masseuse might see some of that service charge if she met certain quotas. This is disgraceful so I
tipped the masseuse directly in addition to paying the appalling service charge. NCL should be
embarrassed by this procedure from one of its contractors!

Another service decline is in the alternative dining room - Le Bistro. Previously a tip of $5 per person
to the waiter was recommended. This made good sense since these were not the 'regular' dining room
waiter that we would tip at the end of the week. Now you have to pay a $10 per person 'cover charge'
to eat there. We chose to stay in the dining room and enjoy our table for 2.

The photo gallery prices remained consistent and they snapped as many pictures as usual.

The Norway had to skip the private island for a medical emergency detour. This is understandable, yet
disappointing. We don't love the private island, but enjoy that day because we basically have the ship
to ourselves while everyone else in onshore.

St. Maarten was nice and some post-hurricane rebuilding has taken place. It looked more quaint and it
was more fun than in the past. St. Thomas was extremely crowded ... too many cruise ships in too little
space. But the stores and the prices are good.

Tender service was less than stellar. It seems that one of the Norway's tenders was out of service so
they contracted with a company to tender you over to St. Thomas. The problem is that we didn't know
which tender we needed to take to find our way back. We had to ask around until we were told to
board a particular nameless tender.

The disembarkation/charter home process began promising enough with a later disembarkation and,
accordingly, a later breakfast served nice and hot. We, then, waited for the Boston charter to be called
(a schedule 1:30 flight time) while NCL called Noon flights, then 1 PM flights, and then 2 PM flights.
Apparently more than 1/2 the Boston charter people got off the ship at the 1 PM time which caused a
long queue at the baggage area. We had to stand in line for an hour to check in for our charter (this is
right outside the ship). They had a few Spanish speaking people trying to check in 300+ people. The
line crept slowly and if it had rained, then it would have been a disaster as we were exposed to the
elements. When we finally got our flight seat assignments, we were bussed to the airport. We soon
found out that the staff on the ground screwed things up so miserably that they assigned non-existent
seats to people. It eventually became open-seating, but it was total chaos.

With all of these comments, it would seem to suggest that service has generally declined since the Star
Cruises takeover of NCL. This poses a significant challenge to NCL and to Star in retaining the loyalty
of its NCL customer base. It was the beauty and splendor of the SS Norway (former SS France) that
kept us coming back for more year after year. She is such a unique and special vessel that nothing
else can replace her in charm, mystique, or quality of construction (look at the Windward Dining Room,
the brass paneling along stair tower 5, the lifeboat areas around Olympic Deck, Club Internationale,
etc.). Now with the SS Norway being repositioned (Fortunately, I memorialized a great deal of the public
rooms, the funnels, and ship decks on our new camcorder so that we can revisit her long into the
future) coupled with NCL's decline in services, we are more free to seek out other cruise lines and
other routes.

In closing, I wish to raise a glass and toast the SS Norway a fond farewell. She is without doubt very
special in our hearts and we will always love her and miss her.

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