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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: mark miller
Email: mmiller@nt.dma.state.ma.us
Age: 31
Occupation: Attorney
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: 1/2/99
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 70
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 12 Jan 1999
Time: 13:38:00
Remote Name: 146.243.217.40
Remote User:
Comments
My wife booked the Norway in the Spring of 1998 for 1/2/99 so that we could celbrate our
one year wedding
anniversary. We had sailed the Norway on 1/3/98 and had a wonderful time.
Later in the year, we were informed by NCL that our previous anonymous, regular cruise was
going to be a
theme cruise - an Elvis Presley theme cruise. Needless to say, I panicked at the thought
of all Elvis all the time. I
mean no disrespect to the King, but the thought of 2000 Elvis fanatics on board with all
Elvis activities at all times
had me 'All Shook Up.' I called NCL and was assured that the theme would not be overkill -
they assured me that
Club Internationale would retain its appropriate decorum as well as the fact that the art
auctions would continue
to contain real works of art - no velvet Elvis's need apply.
So with much trepidation anyway, we boarded the Norway. We are latitudes members now and
our check-in was
very quick. We had requested the Windward Dining Room and were given the Leeward.
Fortunately, an assistant
maitre de was on hand to change us to the Windward where we sat with a very nice young
couple. Our room on
Sky Deck (an S2) was very nice and clean and our steward, Joseph was excellent at
providing service. The only
problems with the room consisted of a TV that did not tune in clearly and some initial
racket at night. Both were
cured easily - I called information and they sent a technician to fix the TV - it took him
about 5 minutes and he
REFUSED to accept a tip! The racket was caused by the mini blinds being left in the
upright position (the curtains
were drawn anyway so I didn't bother to put them down initially) so I just put them down
and that was that.
Our dining room service was almost flawless. Our waiter, Edgar, was marvelous. Our busboy,
George, was not
yet ready for primetime. Fortunately, George's lack of experience didn't really interfere
with the meals. As for the
food, it was MUCH BETTER THAN LAST YEAR. Everything tasted fresher and better. The French
Night Menu
really was amazing. We ate at LeBistro once and it continues to be an incredibly positive
dining experience - our
waiter, German, was every bit Edgar's counterpart in excellence.
The standard shows on board 'Crazy for You' and 'Sea Legs Goes Hollywood' were hoakier and
worse than ever.
Later I learned that this was a new cast and it showed. NCL has to ditch these lame shows:
Gershwin deserved
better than this - I've been to better community theatre.
Last year, beyond the two shows, there were some comedy nights and a lounge lizard. The
comedian this year,
Frank Olivier, was shaky at first but his second performance was really funny - he's not a
pure comedian. He's a
jugglar.
The Elvis theme worked because in addition to the hokey musicals and the comedian there
was additional
quality entertainment that supplemented the regular NCL Norway experience. Mike Walker who
sounds like the
King but doesn't dress up like him was tireless in his efforts to please a crown. The
Terry Mike Jeffrey Band
worked really hard and performed beyond the allotted time. Finally, Mike Albert and his
Big E band (recreation of
Elvis Vegas Theme show with jumpsuits included) gave a really great performance. All of
these entertainers
displayed self-depricating humor and great people skills.
The only other Elvis entertainment was that one of the TV stations played all Elvis all
the time. Another channel
played a video of 'The Only Way to Cross' - a history of ocean liners that was very
fascinating - which contained
details of the France's conversion to the Norway.
On a final Elvis note, the 'Flying Elvi' had to cancel their drop onto the private island
because they didn't get their
luggage - no great loss for me but my wife was disappointed. And the Elvis diehards (side
burns and sequins)
only numbered about 400. Although they vowed to take over the ship next year.
The islands were better than last year, too. This was because the weather was perfect. We
spent St. Maarten day
on Orient Beach and St. Thomas day at Megan's Bay. The private island was the Norway's
alone this year - last
year we shared it with other NCL ships - and was so much better because we could get
lounge chairs and relax
in peace.
No review is complete without a reference to the ship itself. The Norway continues to be a
magnificent liner
serving as a cruise ship in the Caribbean. We left port 8 hours late because of delays in
getting passengers
aboard who were caught in snow storms. The Norway had no trouble making up time even with
half the power
she had previously had as the France.
The Norway is maintained as good as ever and she shows her age perfectly - like a fine
wine. Just one descent
into the Windward Dining Room and you can envision how that room buzzed in 1962 on her
maiden voyage
across the Atlantic. The majesty and the splendor of the S.S. France continues to live on
in the Norway. And for
that, my wife and I are very grateful to NCL for keeping her so well maintained and so
vital as the line's flagship.
It's hard to top a honeymoon but our anniversary cruise exceeded our wildest expectations.
Name: Roxanne & Harris Cohen
Email: PTS2@aol.com
Age: 55/56
Occupation: self employed
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: February 20, 1999
Itinerary: St. Maarten, St. Thomas, St. John, Stirrup Cay
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 75
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 50
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 85
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 70
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 75
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Feb 1999
Time: 17:23:40
Remote Name: 152.163.232.52
Remote User:
Comments
This was a great cruise for us. We used the land/sea program and found it very convenient.
Embarking was a
simple process and we were helped to our stateroom in a very timely manner. Luggage was
delivered within an
hour. The stateroom was smaller than we expected, but comfortable. We were on the Pool
Deck near the bow of
the ship and it was quiet and in an excellent location. The ship is due for refurbishing,
but we found it charming
and a great change from the neon and glitz of some of the party ships. The food in the
dining room was excellent
and the presentation was wonderful. We had a great waiter and assistant waiter, which made
our dining
experience very enjoyable. We also dined in LeBistro, and found it fantastic. The food and
presentation were
great and it was a change of pace from the dining room. The pools were nice and not overly
crowded. We could
always find a deck chair and the service on the decks was good. The entertainment was
good, too. We went to
three 'shows' and one comedy night. All were excellent, although not of broadway quality.
This was a theme
cruise, football, and although we were not interested in meeting the professional players,
it would have been a
great opportunity if we wanted to. The ports of call were typical. The Norway is too big
to dock, so all trips ashore
were by tender. The tenders are already aboard the ship, so we did not have to wait very
long to disembark at
each port. We did find that people who arranged a tour ashore were tendered out first, but
each tender holds a
huge amount of passengers, so it didn't take long to get ashore. The disembarkation was
done nicely, too. The
passengers with the earliest flights were allowed to leave the ship first. We had a late
flight home, so we were
one of the last to leave the ship, but we were at the airport by 11:00 a.m., so not
jitters that we would miss our
flight home.
We found the descriptions of the ports was wonderful as presented by the crew or on
stateroom television. They
were very explicit about the amount of duty free goods allowed from each port. These
meetings did, however,
sometimes sound like advertisements for the shops at each port. We found it very helpful,
in any case.
Overall, we would sail on this ship again. Although it is an older ship, we found that it
was charming and
comfortable, and the staff bent over backwards to accommodate us. Because the ship is so
large, it does take a
day to find everything, and there were some people who complained that even after a week
they didn't know how
to get around. We found that if we went to the International Deck and went to the closest
stairway or elevator to
where we wanted to go, it made finding everything much easier.
We were told that the ship was going into drydock in a month or two to be refurbished. It
could use a facelift, but
if you are not looking for neon and a party boat, this ship is wonderful.
Name: Joe and Bev
Email: joed@bright.net
Age: 62 and 60
Occupation: manager and R.N.
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: 2/27/99to 3/06/99
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 92
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 05
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 50
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 Mar 1999
Time: 09:27:48
Remote Name: bryn-cas3-cs-42.dial.bright.net
Remote User:
Comments
We had read negative reviews of the Norway, but our cruise was above what we had expected.
The ship is
classically shaped which pleased us. She has some rust along some of her metal railings
but these areas were
being painted while we ere aboard. She is a little difficult to find your way around for a
few days, due to the twists
and turns of her hallways. Maps are posted at all stairways and elevators which helped us
find our way. We loved
all the deck space . We never had a problem finding a lounge near a pool or near the
railings. We liked being near
the railings on sky and sun decks because we could feel the breezes and watch the sea. The
International Deck is
a favorite for browsing the shops and enjoying all the window views lining each side of
this deck. One side is call
5th Avenue, the other is Champs Elysee. The flooring appears to be a very shiny black
tile. Decor on this deck is
60ish style or art deco. Olympic deck is where the fitness center is located. This is a
nice exercise room with free
weights as well as all the machines. Classes were available for beginners to advanced and
we took part in some of
these which were a lot of fun. You were rewarded with a coupon upon completion. Collect
enough of these and you
could get a free T-shirt at the end of the cruise. There are 2 main dining rooms, the
Leeward, which lovely with its
spiral staircase and balcony. This was where we were seated. The food was very good to
excellant. The service
was excellant. Our waiter was Orville and he very obviously took pride in his service.
2nights were formal attire. I
saw only a few men in tuxes. Most wore dark suits. The ladies dressed up in cocktail gowns
and beaded dresses,
especially the first formal night which was the Captains welcome party. We had a reception
line to meet him, which
went quickly, and free champagne in the club international which is a very nice, large
formal type room. Then to
dinner. The other dining room is the Windward. Lovely with a black domed ceiling filled
with twinkling stars and a
double stairway to descend. Also a balcony. The were 2 nights when the waiters paraded
their desserts about and
sang and danced. These were fun for all to watch . This occured on the formal night and
the Caribbean night. Most
nights in the dining room had a theme such as Western, Caribbean or 50s-60s nights. A lot
of people dressed for
the theme. It was not a necessary thing to do. If one did not, the casual attire was
correct.
The pools were small
and filled with cold sea water which was emptied each night and refilled each morning.
There was a nice ledge
around them where you cold dangle your legs if you did not want to go into ther water.
Activities were numerous
during the day. From simple craft classes to dance classes to silly games to bingo or the
casino. Sports trivia, the
dive-in program and the Art auction. If you were bored it was your own fault. There were a
lot of public rooms
available. We never seemed to notice that there were 2000+ people aboard. We enjoyed the
Great Outdoor
restaurant on the International deck for breakfast and lunch. Excellant choices in food
available from fresh fruits to
Jambalaya prepared while you watched which contained shrimp, calamari, and other seafoods.
The buffet was also
open at dinner times on all but one night.
Midnight buffets were just about everynight if one could stay awake to
attend. I needed a wakeup call after a nap to attend. The seas were fairly calm-we didn't
get sick at all. Just a
gentle rocking sometimes to lull us to sleep. The ports were interesting to us as this was
our first cruise and had
not been to the Caribbean before. The water was truly turquoise and purple as we had been
told. The towns were
picturesque. We did two snorkeling excursions. One at Trunk bay, which is a beautiful
sandy beach area on St.
John. The other at Great Stirrup Cay (the private island). Both were a lot of fun. Got
very good pictures with my
underwater camera. Shopping was plentiful. We are not true shoppers but enjoyed the stores
and merchandise.
Bought a few inexpensive things for our granddaughter as mementoes.
The tendering process was not tedious to
us. We thought of it as mini excursions to see the bays. It was well organized. Never
waited very long. The private
Island was a fine experience. The food was plentiful (a barbeque of roasts, fowl, burgers,
ribs and hot
dogs,ets.)The beach was light sugary sand. Everyone had a beach chair and most had
umbrellas with them. We
were sad when the cruise ended. My husband fought against this cruise until the minute we
stepped aboard the
ship. By the next morning he said he thought this was one of our best vacations 'ever'.
Our cabin was A045 on
Atlantic deck It was roomier than expected. 2 portholes 3 closets, one which we didn't
even use, 2 dressers with 4
drawers each. 183 sq. ft. The bathroom was small with shower, toilet, sink ,med.cabinet.
The room was very clean
but could have used a fresh coat of paint due to some scuff marks low on the closet wall.
We enjoyed the portholes
as we could watch the seas in the a.m. We had a very quiet room and only heard a noise the
last morning of our
cruise when we docked in Miami and looked out to see the docks against our side of the
ship. This was a great
vacation and we would highly reccomend The Norway for its food and amenities. You may
e-mail us if you have
questions.
Name: PS Inhofer
Email: inhofer@earthlink.net
Age: 38
Occupation: mother
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: January 23rd
Itinerary: Caribean
FoodDiningRoom: 88
CruiseDirector: 79
CabinComfort: 75
FoodRoomService: 75
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 79
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 88
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 89
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 88
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue: 79
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland: 80
GoodForFamilies: 89
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 79
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 89
EntertShowLounge: 82
OverallPortsofCall: 79
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 89
EmbarkDisembark: 88
DiscoNightclubs: 88
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 79
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 88
OverallCruiseValue: 88
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Mar 1999
Time: 16:53:00
Remote Name: ip238.minneapolis6.mn.pub-ip.psi.net
Remote User:
Comments
We had a group of 17 of my family members on the cruise. It was great to wander around the
ship and see people
we knew wherever we went. With a large group like we had, our waiter was responsible for
only our three tables, so
it felt like he could really dedicate his service to us and he was excellent! A few
suggestions for those of you who
might be looking for something different to do on the islands: We rented a scooter on St.
Maarten and it was
wonderful. It cost $35 for the whole day, but we had to get to our afternoon excursion, so
we couldn't take
advantage of the whole day. We were able to make it all the way around the island though.
That was much better
than spending the few hours shopping! We also rented a car on St. Thomas and were able to
see the island and
check out a few of the beaches. We called one of the rental compaines from a pay phone in
town and they sent a
van right out to get us. We found that Coki beach was fabulous for snorkeling. The much
publicized Megan's Bay
beach was overly rated. Although the other beaches were smaller, they were less crowded
and better snorkeling.
We were pleased with the ship - the Norway. It was our first cruise, so we have nothing to
compare it to, but it was
amazing what all they were able to provide us as far as entertainment, food and service.
We thought that the
variety of the entertainment in the bars (specifically the Sports Illustrated Cafe) was
not very good. The first two
nights that we were there, it was fun. But after that, the same two groups performing all
night got a little boring. We
had been prepared ourselves for a VERY small cabin, so the size of the cabin was actually
slightly bigger than we
had expected. People in our group used a variety of seasick preventatives. The dramamine
people were bothered
by how tired they were when drinking alcohol and taking the drug. The patch people still
were slightly affected by
the movement of the ship. We took ginger capsules the first few days of the cruise and
were also only slightly
bothered by montion sickness.
Name: Merriem Wombacher
Email: merriem@tri-lakes.net
Age: 54
Occupation: retired
NumberOfCruises: 9
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: April 3, 1999
Itinerary: Transatlantic-Miami to Barcelona
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 75
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 50
CruiseStaff: 70
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 50
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 50
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 75
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon: 50
EntertainmentPoolside: 50
CruiseActivities: 60
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 50
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 75
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 25 Apr 1999
Time: 08:39:58
Remote Name: 207.3.81.164
Remote User:
Comments
We just return from this trip and wanted to add a few comments. The Norway was an
interesting ship, however, it is really in
need of some TLC. It looks worn and well used. Fortunatly we were on Sky deck in an S1
cabin which was lovely (needed to
be re-decorated), but the ceiling to floor windows were perfect, and frankly better than a
balcony. We could sit on the sofa
and chairs and watch the ocean go by. However, the other cabins were small, and must have
had the originaly bedspreads
on them when NCL refurbished it in 1980. We did get a great rate on this trip, so I cannot
complain, but if we had paid even
50% of the full rate, we would have been very unhappy.
The food at night was quite good, and our waiter and bus boy were very attentive. They do
a great job on their soups.
However the first few days, I felt like they were cleaning our the kitchen before they
went into dry dock for a month. The food
did get better. It was funny though, the first night I ask for a steak knife, and was
informed that they didn't have any! Having
sailed on the NCL Crown around South America, their seemed to be quite a disparity in the
food.
The shipped stopped for a day in St Martin, and we had no trouble bringing wine purchased
on shore back to the cabin.
Some folks had been told that they would take it from you if you tried to bring it back
for consumption in your cabin. I wish
they would have skipped that island, because at the end of the cruise we stopped for only
four hours in Maderia. It was such
a beautiful island, however it was a 45 minute walk from where the ship was docked, and
cabs were few and far between, we
didn't get to spend nearly enough time in this lovely place.
Also, we went through the Straights of Gibraltar at 11pm, so saw nothing.
I frankly wonder if this is not a 'training' ship for new employees. They did not go out
of their way at the information desk.
Even the day before we were to arrive in Barcelona, we stopped to check on the weather at
our destination, and they said
they didn't know, and could not find out.
We did have a good time, and had a great table for 8. We always ate lunch in the dining
room, as it was much more civilized
than the mob in the mess hall line on the back deck.
All in all, going across the Atlantic by ship was great. Our cabin was over 300 SQ Ft,
with a king bed. However I would only
recommend this ship if 'the price is right!'
Name: Chip & Jody Ulich
Email: sunyjo@aol.com
Age: 41
Occupation: Cultural Services Manager
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: 7-3-99
Itinerary: Europe
Cabin: N163, Superior Deluxe Outside
FoodDiningRoom: 93
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 75
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 93
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: na
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: na
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess: na
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: na
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: na
MedicalFacilities: na
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 97
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 Jul 1999
Time: 19:50:25
Remote Name: spider-wm082.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
Our family of four decided to take our 1999 vacation to Norway this year. After
researching the various methods to do this
we finally chose a cruise as the way to tackle the trip. We chose Norwegian Cruise lines
because of their family friendly
advertisements and the excellent itinerary on the ship, Norway. This decision was made
even firmer after reading the
reviews on the Norway itself.
Because our flight arrived the day before the cruise, NCL was unable to make the air/sea
arrangements. All of this was
handled through our travel agent and although not exactly smooth upon arrival, we did
arrive in Southampton, England in
one piece. We also persevered and booked all of our shore excursions in advance of our
arrival in England. For future
cruisers, I highly recommend this. We were able to secure all of the excursions we wanted,
and avoided the long lines at
the excursion desk. We had to pester NCL for the promised excursion list, but it was worth
it. Another item that we took
care of before we left the states was currency exchange. Since we visited five different
countries, it seemed important to
have some for each country. The lines at the purser's desk also got quite long, and the
one time we did need to exchange
money, they had run out!
Boarding the ship was smooth and enjoyable. We were greeted upon arrival and shown right
to our cabin. The welcome
lunch was billed as a small sandwich buffet in the travel documents, but turned out to be
a five-course meal. The ship was
all that we had expected it to be. Our cabin, actually a suite, was spacious and very
comfortable. We had a king-size bed
and a convertible sofa for the kids. We were promptly welcomed by our cabin steward,
Michael, who made sure our luggage
was all there and in the room.
As I said earlier, we booked NCL in part because of the children's programs. Our two
daughters, Heather and Jennifer, aged
10 and 8, couldn't get enough of the kids programs. After two days, they, and we, were
comfortable enough with the ship
and the activities to give them the run of the ship. They each had their own keys and many
of the crew knew them by name!
There were a number of other children their age on the ship and they were never bored.
Toward the end of the cruise, we
asked what they wanted to do on their next vacation - a cruise or Disneyworld? Their
enthusiastic response was another
cruise! The dining room was also well equipped to deal with picky eaters.
My husband commented before our cruise that possibly our expectations for the cruise were
too high and we would be
disappointed. Luckily for us, that never happened. We were pampered and pleased by the
end. Everyone on the crew was
friendly to a fault. I don't know how they did it!
What was not great about this cruise? Well, there were a few things. Shore excursions did
not seem well organized and
were also quite expensive for a family. Because of trouble getting to the busses, or
getting the busses to the travelers, five
hour excursions tended to end up running 4 very rushed hours. One excursion we took,
'Paris on you Own', advertised 5
hours in Paris. Because of delays in docking, the tour guide only allowed us 3 hours in
Paris. Since the excursion was $85
per person, our entire bus took exception and mutinied! The tour bus driver agreed to give
us an extra 30 minutes in Paris
and NCL refunded us $17 per person for the tour. I would have preferred the full 5 hours!
The other thing that seemed to be a
problem was not NCL's problem, but rather fellow travelers! People tended to rush toward
things as though they were not
going to get what they wanted. There was always a crush at the busses even though there
were always enough busses.
We also avoided the buffet for just this reason. You would think that there was not enough
food to go around the way people
rushed the buffets. Take my word for it, there was always enough food. After awhile, we
learned to just stay back until the
crush passed and we would be fine.
Shall I mention the food? The food was phenomenal! I have no idea how they can feed 2,000
people this quality of food,
consistently, over 12 days. The food was always fresh and cooked just about to perfection.
We had a great variety and tried
a little of everything. The cold fruit soups were out of this world. The fish was always
fresh, and the beef cooked just the
way you ordered. The kids ate from the finicky kid menu or the regular menu, followed up
every night with ice-cream! Yes,
there was dessert with both lunch and dinner, and thank goodness for the walking/jogging
track! The dining room staff were
also wonderful. Upon arrival, I was experiencing lower back pain and the dining room staff
brought in a special chair each
time I came in. After two days, the staff also knew exactly what we wanted without asking.
After having lovely cappuccinos
delivered along with dessert each night (without asking I might add), I don't know how I
will survive at home now.
Even though this is a revue of the ship, I must also mention our ports-of-call. The
country of Norway was one of the most
beautiful places we have ever visited, and I highly recommend this trip to everyone.
Travelling the fiords by ship was truly
remarkable and memorable. We also visited Sweden, Amsterdam, and France. In each of these
ports, the Norway was
welcomed with great fanfare. Our arrival even made front page news in La Havre, France! It
was truly a wonderful and
memorable trip! I would welcome any e:mail from past or future cruisers! We will
definitely be planning our next cruise soon!
Jody Ulich Sunyjo@aol.com
Name: Sharon Savoie
Email: savoie@silicon-north.com
Age: 33
Occupation: business analyst
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Norway
SailingDate: December 5, 1998
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: K058/S2 Suite
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 70
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 79
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 79
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies: 79
LoungeService: 99
TenderService: 99
GoodForSeniors: 79
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 70
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 70
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 89
DeckSpace: 99
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 24 Jul 1999
Time: 13:52:51
Remote Name: ttyh33.ott.igs.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second cruise, the first being on RCL’s Majesty of the Seas in December
1996, our honeymoon. You
cannot really compare the Norway to a mega-ship such as the Majesty since the Norway was
built for trans-atlantic
crossings, while Majesty of the Seas is built for cruising. The Norway is not a glitzy or
glamorous ship, but if you
give her a chance she grows on you.
Our trip did not start out well. We utilized NCL’s Air/Sea Arrangements and were
disappointed. We had requested
to fly Air Canada, but were given reservations on US Air. And boy, when they say, you are
flying economy, they
mean it! We were at the Ottawa Airport at 4:30 a.m. for our 6 a.m. flight to Philadelphia.
We waited in the check-in
line up until 5:40 a.m.! US Air apparently had installed a new computer system worldwide
at 11 p.m. the day
before, but seemed to forget to train their employees on how to use it. It seemed to take
about 15 minutes to
check each passenger through. Luckily our flight left only about 15 minutes late. We had
45 minutes to catch our
connecting flight to Miami in Philadelphia. We boarded the flight to Miami about 30
minutes before we were
scheduled to take off. Then, they kept us sitting on the airplane for two hours before we
took off! Apparently more
computer problems. So they kept us waiting all that time, didn’t even offer us a
drink of water or anything. After we
finally took off, they gave us a measly cold box lunch. On Air Canada, even in economy,
you get a hot meal, and
in-flight movies. These old planes didn’t even have video screens.
We landed in Miami about an hour late. Then, it was hurry up and wait again. The NCL agent
met us and we had
to stand around and wait for other planes to arrive so they would have a busload to take
to the pier. We had to go
and get our own luggage and take it to the parking lot where we stood and waited on a bus
for 45 minutes or so.
Then, we were told to tip the bus driver. It seems like everyone has their hand out in
Miami looking for a tip. Once
we got to the pier, we were again accosted by the baggage handlers, who more or less told
us if they didn’t get a
tip they couldn’t guarantee our luggage would make it to our rooms! By this time we
were getting pretty grumpy.
Luckily the check-in procedure didn’t take too long. One comment – if you are a
U.S. Citizen you get a nice pocket
size boarding pass, which you will need to produce when you come back onto the ship from
the ports, etc. If you
are non-U.S. , they give you this huge boarding pass which is very cumbersome to carry. I
didn’t see why it
needed to be so big; a different colour would suffice.
We boarded the ship and got some confusing directions from a staff member as to how to get
to our cabin. Some
of the staff don’t speak English very well so directions are sometimes confusing. And
this is not an easy ship to get
around in! The many stairwells and elevators are very confusing. We noticed that even the
staff members had to
check maps to find out where they were going. Not all of the stairs and elevators go
completely from top to bottom
of the ship, because the ship was built to house classes of passengers, where steerage
passengers were not
allowed onto some of the upper decks. And, most of the elevators were not working the week
we were on board.
Although we were not happy to be trudging up 5 or 6 flights of stairs, we managed it
better than some of the older
passengers, who were quite unhappy about the situation with the elevators.
We had a Suite category S2 on the Sky Deck. I’m not sure why they called it a suite
because it was just one room
and a bathroom, but it was very nice. It had floor to ceiling windows, a king size bed, a
loveseat and coffee table, a
dressing table, a fridge, a TV, and a safe. Plus lots of drawers and closet space. We had
a full bathroom with tub
and shower combination. And I noticed we got nicer toiletries than the regular cabins did.
We were very happy with
our cabin. It was nice to wake up and look out the windows and watch the sun rise, and see
the islands we had
arrived at or whatever. And, there is a second pool area at the front of the Sky Deck, so
we were able to just walk
down the hall and be at the pool. Not many people seemed to know about this pool area so
we felt like we had our
own private pool. Also, the hot tubs were only one deck up, on Sun Deck, so we were able
to sneak up at night
and use them under the stars. They were supposed to close at 6 p.m. but we never saw the
covers on them until
after midnight.
We heard a lot of negative comments about some of the cabins on the lower decks, however.
They were fixing the
sprinkler systems on two of the decks (because of the new SOLAS regulations), so any one
who had booked a
cabin on one of those two decks got moved. People were apparently told they were being
upgraded, but it was
difficult to see how being moved to an inside cabin on the lowest deck (Biscayne) was an
upgrade! We were glad
none of these changes affected us.
Our first night, dinner was a disaster. We were a couple celebrating our 2nd anniversary
on this trip, and they
stuck us at a table for six with a family of four, with two children under the age of
three! They had to have high
chairs, food and forks were flying; it was awful! The next day we asked to be moved to a
table for two. This
actually worked out well because we got moved to the Windward Dining Room from the
Leeward, which in our
opinion was a much nicer dining room. Also, the first night, our waiter was awful, he
practically ignored us. After we
moved to the Windward we had a wonderful waiter named Ricardo, who was very friendly and
attentive. We also
had a nice busboy and maitre ‘d in our section. Our table for two was only about one
foot away from a table for six,
a group of seniors, four of which were also Canadian. They were all very nice people and
made us feel like we
were a part of their table, but we also had our privacy if we wanted it.
A note about the food – in our opinion, the food on the Norway was EXCELLENT. I have
read some of the reviews
in this database in which people will tell you it was only so-so, but then if you read on,
they ate only dinners in the
dining room, and breakfast and lunches in the Outdoor Restaurant. Well, my opinion is this
– if you go to eat at
McDonald’s, do you expect to be fed like you are eating at the Ritz-Carlton?? The
Outdoor Restaurant is basically
a fast food cafeteria, so don’t expect to get gourmet fare there. There is only so
much you can do with hotdogs
and hamburgers. If you want something better, eat in the dining room! We had all of our
breakfasts, dinners and
most of our lunches in the dining room, and the food was always exceptional. (The Eggs
Benedict were the best I’d
ever eaten!) They also gave us a special cake to take back to our room on the evening of
our anniversary, and
sang to us. The maitre 'd occasionally prepared special dishes right beside our table -
Caesar salad, Cherries
Jubilee, and Crepes Suzette! Everything we ordered was delicious and our service (after
the first night) was
superb.
We were lucky in that the weather held out for us and we were able to stop at all of the
ports. From what we heard,
often they don’t get to stop at all of the ports for one reason or another. One thing
about the shore excursions –
ask a lot of questions. We went on a couple of them and found that they are not exactly as
advertised. For
instance, my husband swims and snorkels but I do not. We went on the Wild Thing Adventure
in St. Thomas
because it says that you go to a secluded beach for swimming and sunbathing. Well, you do
go sort of close to a
beach, but you have to swim if you want to get to it! I ended up just staying on the Wild
Thing boat so it was a bit
boring for me. It seemed like the whole trip was geared more for snorkeling than anything
else, but they don’t
really tell you that when you book it. Also, we went on the Everglades tour back in Miami
on the last day, in which
you go on an Airboat ride. Well, I didn’t know anything about airboats, but I know
now that they are EXTREMELY
loud and they only give you wadded up toilet paper to stick in your ears for 'Protection'.
Our hearing was affected
for a couple of days afterwards. They never warned us about this on the shore excursion
desk, they are too busy
taking your money. And, everyone on the shore excursions is looking for a tip as well. I
don’t think you should
have to tip them when the shore excursions are already so expensive. We only did the
Everglades tour since our
flight arrangements were so poor on the way back (our flight didn’t leave until 5:30
p.m. – this makes it a very long
day since we were up since 5 a.m. to go through US Immigration at 6 a.m.).
We also found that the people who worked on the Information Desk as well as the Shore
Excursion desk, were
very unhelpful bordering on rude. Whenever you wanted to ask a question, you always left
feeling like they never
answered it and they were rude to you, to boot! I caught a cold the last couple of days
and went to ask them for a
decongestant. They offered me Alka-Seltzer! So I asked, could I just have some Tylenol,
but they wouldn’t give me
any because I didn’t specifically say I had a headache. Like they are doctors now or
something. I suppose I could
have gone to the Medical Center and asked, but it wasn't that serious. Its just, they
always seemed to make you
feel like you were bothering them. For comparison, on Majesty of the Seas, you could get
Tylenol, Advil, bandaids
and seasick remedies at the information desk, no questions asked.
Despite all of this, we did have a good time on this cruise. The ports themselves were
great; we went to Orient
Beach on St.Martin and had a great day. We didn’t get up early enough to go to
St.John but we did do some
shopping in St.Thomas before we went on the Wild Thing. The jewellery stores are amazing
here, excellent prices
if you bargain for them on gold, diamonds, emeralds, and tanzanite. If you love shopping
and jewellery, this is the
place to be! Their prices for liquor were very cheap as well. Great Stirrup Cay is very
beautiful, very clean facilities
and very relaxing way to end your cruise. One note for non-U.S. citizens – because
this cruise goes in and out of
US territory several times, you end up having to go through US Customs and Immigration at
6 a.m. on the St.John
day and again when you return to Miami. This is a bit of a pain since NCL confiscates your
passport when you
board the ship initially anyway, and verifies that you are who you say you are. We
weren’t sure why this was
necessary to keep repeating this process.
The ship itself takes a while to get used to; like I said it was somewhat confusing to get
around and you do a lot of
walking and stair-climbing. But it was very stable, you don’t feel very much motion
at all. Our cruise was the first
ever Sports Illustrated Afloat Cruise and it was exciting to meet a lot of famous sports
figures. The activities and
shows were also good, although we felt the shows were a little better and there was more
to do on Royal
Caribbean. The bingo was also very expensive to play; when we were on Majesty of the Seas
the jackpot on the
last day was over $10,000. On Norway it only got up to $3,000, and I think it was because
a lot of people just don’t
play because it was so expensive.
In general, we found that most of the staff who would be receiving tips were very
pleasant, helpful, courteous and
friendly. However, as I said, we found some of the other staff to be not as helpful (e.g.
the Excursion Desk,
Purser’s Desk and Information Desk staff). The excursion desk did not provide us with
very much information,
while the information and purser’s desk staff bordered on rude. Before our cruise, I
had ordered through NCL a
small gift for my husband. He had also placed a tuxedo rental through NCL. Both items were
to be in our
stateroom when we boarded. Neither was there, and when we asked about it no one at the
Information Desk
seemed to know anything about it and did not offer to find out about it for us. We finally
asked the concierge who
tracked them down for us on the second day. One note, you only get concierge service if
you book a suite, so I’m
not sure what we would have done if he had not helped. We also found some of the other
staff to be downright
rude. The people who hand out the towels for shore excursions practically yelled at me
when I did not have my
towel ready to hand back in (I had to get it out of my bag and I think he thought I was
taking too long; he practically
accused me of trying to steal it). I think when you pay good money for a cruise you should
not be insulted by the
staff.
One other little thing, they don’t give you a weather forecast for the next day like
they do on RCCL. So you are
sort of left wondering what to wear for the days ashore, etc.
All in all we had a good time but I am not sure that we would cruise the Norway again.
Next time we will choose
another mega-ship such as those of Royal Caribbean or the newer NCL ships. The advantage
to cruising the
Norway is that you can get a suite on the Norway for a very reasonable price compared to
some of the newer
mega-ships. And it is a very beautiful, classic, elegant liner (probably the only one of
its kind afloat today) that
everyone who likes to cruise should try at least once.
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