Ship:      NCL ss Norway Dates:    Sunday, April 20-27, 2003 Ports:     Miami, St. Maarten, St. Thomas/St. John, Great Stirrup Cay

As avid and enthusiastic cruisers, we boarded the Norway thinking that by the end of the cruise, we would either love this ship or hate her.  She was built in 1962 as the ss France, a two-class ocean liner.  In the '80s NCL bought and updated her then and again in the early '90s.  We have read many reviews of this ship, and heard about the classic lines, beautiful public areas, fine dining and service.  The negatives concerned mostly the tendering issue, tiny, slow elevators, stairways that didn't go where you thought they would, and unpleasant odors.  If all things had gone well, we might have had a good time.  Because we never left the ship, we were grateful that we had booked a penthouse suite, as we had a nice comfortable place to nap.

Embarkation:  Our flight arrived about 10:45, we retrieved our luggage and were in a cab ($18 flat rate) and at the pier by 11:30.  We took our bags to the pierside check-in, where we found out our cabin number (having booked a guarantee).  Check-in took all of 5 minutes (part of which included a short SARS questionnaire), after which we joined a line for a 45-minute wait for boarding (bench seating is available if you can't stand up that long).  The final security check went very fast, and when we reached the ship we were escorted to our suite.  The luggage had not yet arrived, so I took photos of the cabin and we went to find something to eat.  After the safety drill, we watched the sailaway from our balcony.  Aaaaahhhhh.....
 
 

The cabin:  Our penthouse suite, Sky 074, category AC (aft, portside), was 462 square feet plus an 84 square foot balcony. This cabin was the highlight of our cruise.  It had a king size bed (two singles pushed together), small couch (accent pillows were annoyingly slippery), two occasional chairs and large glass coffee table.  There were two consoles; one with large storage compartments and TV, the other with a full lighted mirror and small stool.  There was one useable outlet to which we connected a power bar for our various appliances.  The bathroom was two rooms; the main room with counter sink and tub and another room with toilet (and its own telephone extension), medicine cabinet and another sink.  An attractive wooden box of toiletries and two soft bathrobes were also provided.  Behind the built-in with the fridge and bar serviceware was a huge walk-in closet and small drawer storage with the safe which operates on your personal pass code (I really prefer these to those which require a credit card).
The balcony had a dining table, two chairs and a lounge chair, and you can see through the railing.  Balconies are divided by a solid wall that does not reach quite to the floor and railing, so you can easily see into the neighboring balconies.  The seating is not particularly crowded, but not exactly spacious.  We only got slivers of sunshine at any time during the day, so don't expect to sunbathe out there.

The ship:  Considering her age, I think the Norway is being kept in very good shape.  We saw shampooing, polishing and painting (even the corridors got a coat of paint on our trip), and all the public rooms we saw were far from shabby.  As this ship was originally a two-class ship, the stairways and corridors don't always make sense, which is one of the drawbacks of sailing this  classic ship.

The Main Drags:  Unlike her newer sisters, there is no atrium on the Norway.  The International Deck is where you will find most of the indoor activity.  This deck is enclosed and adequately air conditioned, completely glassed floor to ceiling, stem to stern and divided into two avenues.  The starboard side is The Champs Élysées, where you will find the Shore Excursion Desk, Ice Cream Parlor, the Sports Illustrated Café (spans the deck), Club Internationale (also spans the deck) and several shops.  The port side is called Fifth Avenue, and you will find the Purser's Desk, Onboard Credit Desk, Windjammer Bar, Internet Café/Library and two more shops.  There is also a corridor up forward with access to the Concierge and Children's Playroom and one midships  with the entrance to the Saga Theater balcony.  Aft of the Club-I is the Great Outdoor Restaurant with partially covered outdoor seating overlooking the aft pool.  You can also find indoor seating along the Avenues or take your tray into Club-I or the Sports Bar. The Pool Deck is where you will find -duh- the pool, Le Bistro, North Café Lounge, Photo Gallery, Casino and Saga Theater.

Dining:  Traditional seating (main and late) is offered in the Windward Dining Room (original first class room) and the Leeward Dining Room (updated in the '90s).  We found the Windward to be beautiful but very noisy, and transferred to the Leeward.  Meals served in both rooms were identical (they share a kitchen), and we did not notice the level of service to be any less in the Leeward.

Alternate fine dining can be found in Le Bistro (cover charge of $12.50 pp; lobster tails (2) with dinner is $7.50 additional).  The room is lovely and uncluttered, although the chairs are very low-backed and you can't lean back comfortably.

The Great Outdoor Restaurant was the worst I have ever personally experienced.  The layout was confusing, crowded and disorganized.  Two drink stations offered coffee, hot and cold water (and a variety of tea and hot chocolate bags) and unsweetened iced tea, and there was one soft drink cart.  Selections changed daily, except for the pizza, hot dogs and burgers.  They grill the meats right there in the serving line! The outdoor seating was crowded, and many people stayed on to "visit" long after they were done eating.  Indoor seating is available, but Club-I only offers coffee tables which is uncomfortable, and the seating in the corridor is cheap.

The Ice Cream Parlor served excellent ice cream (either sundaes or cones) but was "stuck" at the end of the International Deck and consisted of two mismatched freezers and some parlor furniture.  No partitions or decorator touches even tried to give this an "ice cream parlor" feel.

Room Service: For breakfast we ordered breakfast each night for the following morning (the usual card-on-the-dooknob) and these meals were reasonably accurate.  The menu offers the usual coffee or tea, pastries, fruit, cereals and omelets.  The 24-hour room service menu offered:
 

Sports Illustrated Café:  A gazillion TV monitors were all over the walls displaying current sports events and other sportscasting and interviews.  This is also where there were some of the daily activities, dancing and Karaoke, and was a nice place to get a hot mexican snack in the afternoon.

Saga Theater (main showroom):  We did not attend any of these shows, so we really have no comment.

Shops:  All these shops were typical cruiseship shops... they offer the usual cruisewear, gift items, perfumes, liquors, jewelry (all price ranges, including gold-by-the-inch) and necessities.

Casino:  We spent a good amount of time at the blackjack and craps tables, and there were plenty of slots for everyone.  They offered gaming demonstrations and the typical blackjack and slots tournaments.  I can't figure out why on one side you have to walk through the arcade to get to the casino... kids shouldn't be that close, IMO.

Pools:  While we didn't use the pools much (waited 'til everyone else went ashore) we found the main pool to be more attractive, although the deck itself was too hot to walk from your chair to the pool.  The Sky Pool area smelled pretty bad (between the funnels) and the day we went there were a few used towels on the chairs and no fresh ones available.

Internet Café:  24-hour wireless internet is offered (in the café, on your own laptop or NCL's rental laptops) with pre-paid time package plans ($3.95 activation fee) which can be shared with your family and friends:
 

Excursions:  The Norway uses tender service, as she is unable to dock at the ports she visits.  Little Norway I & II are smaller boats that hold 400+ passengers for the shuttle between ship and port.  While some people have complained about the long wait and tight schedules, the tours are coordinated to allow for this extra time.  Suite passengers have preferential tender boarding, and the rest goes fairly quickly.  The Excursion Order Sheet you will find in your cabin will describe each tour along with the level of exertion and price (children's fares sometimes reduced).  Without going into details, the following are offered:
 

Ship Activities:  We were quite pleased with the variety of activities offered on this cruise (were bored to death on Celebrity).  There was always something interesting to do, like Blackjack and Slots Tournaments, Bingo, Art Auctions, Excursion and Shopping Talks, Star Seeker Talent Show, Horseracing, Shuffleboard, Various Trivia Games, Spa Silent Auction,

Golf Putting  Contest, Dance Lessons, Skin Care Demos, Wine Tastings, Karaoke, Win Lose or Draw, Snorkeling Lessons, Scarf-Tying and Veggie Carving Demos, Name That Tune and Joker's Wild!  Add to that the poolside activities, spa treatments and work-out facilities, and you have a very well-rounded activity program.

Staff:  Most of the CD staff was invisible during the day, except for the younger activities staffers who ran the bingo games... they were the most enthusiastic and friendly CD staffers we've met in a long time.  Our cabin steward Edwin was very efficient, given the fact that we slept all morning, and he had to miss a couple of mornings.  Our waiter was very efficient, and our Maître d' was very helpful changing our rooms and seatings around.  The waitstaff in Le Bistro were a little more polished.  The Concierge was somewhat helpful... he had our champagne (complimentary from NCL) switched for the non-alcoholic kind, sent us chocolates and chocolate covered strawberries and made reservations for us one night in Le Bistro (which we could easily have done ourselves).  The last day he sent us a note informing us that while his services are complimentary, a gratuity is indicated "at your discretion".

Children's Program:  The Kid's Crew offers active, energetic, educational and fun activities for kids ages 3-12.  Kids will get involved in arts & crafts, treasure hunts, sports, games and parties which will "challenge both their imagination and determination".  For 13-17 year olds, Teen's Crew offers enough dancing, pool parties and trivia games to keep them busy.  Unfortunately for us, many of the teens spent their time being kids in the adults' areas (including bars and the casino).

Motion:  The Norway, being the longest cruise ship in the world, has very little trouble with motion.  Since we were 3 cabins from the stern, we experienced a LOT of vibration whenever the engines were going.  It was hard to fall asleep sometimes (and I NEVER have trouble falling asleep on a ship).

Rules and Regs:
 

• Guests with children attending shows in the Saga Theatre and North Cape Lounge must sit 3 rows back
• Topless sunbathing is prohibited
• Diapers of any kind are not permitted in the pools or hot tubs.  Children must be toilet trained to use these facilities
• No jogging between 8:00 pm and 9:00 am

Normally at the end of my reviews I have a travelogue, including photos of our adventures, but we honestly did not leave the ship until Miami... our first "Cruise to Nowhere".  We spent a lot of time in our cabin, mostly sleeping, or at games, or eating something, or at the spa.  We really wanted to visit Great Stirrup Cay and get a raft and float until both sides were done.  Unfortunately for us there was a Med-Evac the night before and we had to veer off course a couple of hours so a patient could be airlifted from the ship.  The Captain announced that we would have to skip Great Stirrup Cay and "for our inconvenience" generously offered a complimentary glass of champagne with dinner that night.  Thanks.  A lot.  We don't drink alcohol.  For the record, we dined at Le Bistro that night, and no champagne (or substitute) was even offered.

Grins and Gripes:

The Great Outdoors Café:
  I have attended many "Welcome Aboard" luncheons and have never been so incredibly turned off as by my experience in this -um- place.  It was hot.  It was crowded.  The trays and flatware were in the middle of the serving places so you had to dodge the people leaving the line.  The serving areas were so convoluted I can't even describe it.  The tables and chairs are cheap dollar-store stuff.  The people stay seated after they're finished even though they can plainly see others walking around with full trays looking for a place to sit down.

  Burgers, hotdogs, pizza and cookies were the best... and there's LOX and CREAM CHEESE  but no bagels.

Tendering:
This can be a big drawback for anyone who has trouble getting around, specifically hopping from a ship to a boat, or who cannot stand out in the heat for long periods of time.  Little Norway I & II each hold over 400 pax, but it takes awhile to fill each one up before departing, and the long line can be frustrating and unpleasant.
  Suite pax get priority tender tickets.

Would we sail on the Norway again?    No.