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Song of Norway RCCL


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  • 3 months later...

This was our first cruise Dec. 20, 1996 to Jan. 5, 1997 in the Caribbean. It's probably the best cruise we'll ever do. We've done 6 more after that. The weather was perfect. The people were great on board. We went St. Barth, Curacao, Aruba, St. Lucia, Grenada, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and last stop I believe was Labadee, Haiti. Great cruise!

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  • 2 years later...

The RCCL Song of Norway was the first cruise ship I cruise on in 1976, when I was 19 yrs old.

I am 61 yrs old now, long time ago.

I cruise on her again, in the 1980's .This ship was a great ship, lots of fun times!!!!

By the way there is a news article (3/21/2018) on Fox News.com, that Silversea cruise company is

lengthening their ship Silver Sprit to 49 feet. The company said this has never been done before, wrong.

The RCCL Song of Norway was lengthened 85.3 feet Aug 30, 1978. Hello to my cruise friends in PA.

 

Later

Texas Joe

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  • 4 months later...

I sailed on the Song of Norway, LA to Alaska in 1996, it was a special cruise, haven't been back to Alaska. End of April, the beginning of May, 1st ship of the season, no other ships, no crowds. Because we sailed from LA, we got Sitka, Haines, Wrangall, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. The welcome we received was awesome, weather turned out to be the warmest early May, had to buy short sleeve tees! Small ship made it just plain fun. Bridge would blow the horn like they would leave us as the last of us were running to board (still had time) but it got to be a joke. Captain said to me in line at the party, aren't you always running after one more Rainier beer?

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  • 1 year later...

My honeymoon cruise was Song of Norway in June 1989 from port of San Juan. It went to Martinuqe, Barbados, St. Martin, Antigua, and St. Thomas. 
I shot skeet off the back of the ship, and bought bottles of Scotch on the ship that I was allowed to take to room. 
Biggest entertainment was putt putt competition on back deck of ship, which I won and got a RC plastic medal. Lol 
There was no “anytime dining” and I didn’t care for those older passengers I was assigned dinner with. 
I loved the cruise, my first, but in hindsight for a young couple we would of probably had a better time with younger crowd on a partying ship like Carnival if it existed. 
Marriage didn’t last, wish I would of chosen better, someone who was more deserving 

Edited by Putintane
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  • 10 months later...

Hi, was on the Song of Norway back in 83 & 84, it was to the Caribbean, an fell in love with Rcl an have cruised a few other lines since then, but Rcl will always be home to me. Would rather sail on the medium size ships, that those mega ones, out there now. Have been to the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada/New England. Have also been on Song of America, Nordic Prince, Sun Viking, Viking Serenade, Legend, Splendor, Mariner, Explorer. 

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 months later...

My very first cruise was on SON in November 1976 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  Such a beautiful ship and wonderful service.   About 75 or  80 cruises later with a total of over 900 days at sea I still have such fond memories of that first time.    It's been two years now since my last cruise in northern Europe, where it rained most of the time for three weeks.   Since I recently turned 90 I think fond memories will have to sustain me.   I've been on all 7 continents and over 100 countries.   So glad I realized I might not always have the energy to travel and got plenty of it in while I was able to.  And before COVID-19.   But gee, I must admit that I do really miss cruising.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Full history of the names of the Song Of Norway:

  • 1970–1997: Song of Norway
  • 1997–2004: Sundream
  • 2004–2006: Dream Princess
  • 2006–2007: Dream
  • 2007–2008: Clipper Pearl
  • 2008–2009: Clipper Pacific
  • 2009–2010: Festival
  • 2010–2011: Ocean Pearl
  • 2012–2013: Formosa Queen
  • Sold for scrap: 2013
  • Scrapped: 2014

 

My parents cruised on her and now I have the souvenirs from her including a nice model, which I'll include photos of my S.O.N. items.

 

dckj4uq-18fc6d30-d6c0-420e-9b50-5d635e588f52.jpg

de3xcm8-6c77eea6-9602-4bf9-9629-6fb7bbad8c13.jpg

song_of_norway_cup_by_wildelf34_de4kmpn-pre.jpg

song_of_norway_model_by_wildelf34_dasflmu-fullview.jpg

Edited by norboy76
updated info
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  • 4 weeks later...
On 12/19/2009 at 11:16 AM, Bimmer09 said:

My first cruising experience was on the Song of Norway in August 1985

when I did 12 back to back cruises on her. Then in March 86 I began a run of 32 cruises, this time with Labadee added to the itinerary of Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

 

I was a musician on board so the cruises were free!

 

Unlike many of the crew (deck crew, waiters etc) I was in a position to mingle with the passengers and I don't recall hearing any complaints from them over such a long time span. They were having the time of their lives it seemed and many were repeaters.

 

I was very impressed by the food and service in the MDR where myself and my colleagues were served. Even though our three tables were non-tipping the waiters assigned there acted otherwise. Back then guests paid the tips on their last evening aboard and had comment cards to grade service in all areas of the ship (including the musicians) and a waiter with a low score would find himself working as a busboy the following trip or find himself serving us. This dip in his income (they were all male) would make him strive to regain his former status. As the Dining Room manager-a wonderful guy called Roberto- had his small office next to our table he was there to see, first hand, that his staff were offering the same service to us as the guests were to expect.

 

There were themed nights in the MDR- I recall Italian night with the waiters in red hooped tee shirts and straw boaters singing O Sole Mio;

French night had them in blue hooped shirts and berets, with members of the Polish dance band walking among the tables playing accordians and Caribbean night with the bar waiters dancing through the room spinning their trays. The guests loved these fun touches as did I. There was a midnight buffet that looked just like the photos in the brochure and wowed the guests. ( I have a copy of the RCCL brochure from 86 which gets the whole fleet of 4 ships into one booklet).

 

The staff on board were all of the same mind in my long experience-they were all upbeat, happy to be working there as part of a well -lead team

and it showed in their interaction with the guests.

 

The CD I remember most fondly was Greg Maxwell a jovial and very witty

Australian. Does anyone recall sailing with him?

 

I could go on and on but as this is my first post on CC I'll stop here.

 

I just wanted to stop by and salute what was a wonderful old ship made even better by the people I was fortunate to work with for so long.

 

Bimmer09 (who alas has ZERO cruises planned but I am working on it!!)

You may remember Jesus Moreno and his band from RCCL 1970s and 1980s. He lives back in Spain and twice a year still calls my father to say hello. Dad is almost 95 and one of the few remaining cruise industry pioneers still

living. Jesus was such a talented musician and a lot of fun. Great memories from growing up

in that industry. 

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On 12/19/2009 at 11:16 AM, Bimmer09 said:

My first cruising experience was on the Song of Norway in August 1985

when I did 12 back to back cruises on her. Then in March 86 I began a run of 32 cruises, this time with Labadee added to the itinerary of Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

 

I was a musician on board so the cruises were free!

 

Unlike many of the crew (deck crew, waiters etc) I was in a position to mingle with the passengers and I don't recall hearing any complaints from them over such a long time span. They were having the time of their lives it seemed and many were repeaters.

 

I was very impressed by the food and service in the MDR where myself and my colleagues were served. Even though our three tables were non-tipping the waiters assigned there acted otherwise. Back then guests paid the tips on their last evening aboard and had comment cards to grade service in all areas of the ship (including the musicians) and a waiter with a low score would find himself working as a busboy the following trip or find himself serving us. This dip in his income (they were all male) would make him strive to regain his former status. As the Dining Room manager-a wonderful guy called Roberto- had his small office next to our table he was there to see, first hand, that his staff were offering the same service to us as the guests were to expect.

 

There were themed nights in the MDR- I recall Italian night with the waiters in red hooped tee shirts and straw boaters singing O Sole Mio;

French night had them in blue hooped shirts and berets, with members of the Polish dance band walking among the tables playing accordians and Caribbean night with the bar waiters dancing through the room spinning their trays. The guests loved these fun touches as did I. There was a midnight buffet that looked just like the photos in the brochure and wowed the guests. ( I have a copy of the RCCL brochure from 86 which gets the whole fleet of 4 ships into one booklet).

 

The staff on board were all of the same mind in my long experience-they were all upbeat, happy to be working there as part of a well -lead team

and it showed in their interaction with the guests.

 

The CD I remember most fondly was Greg Maxwell a jovial and very witty

Australian. Does anyone recall sailing with him?

 

I could go on and on but as this is my first post on CC I'll stop here.

 

I just wanted to stop by and salute what was a wonderful old ship made even better by the people I was fortunate to work with for so long.

 

Bimmer09 (who alas has ZERO cruises planned but I am working on it!!)

Do you remember Alexander Butterfield? He was an entertainer from that era. His shows were reminiscent of Engelbert or Tom Jones. 

Edited by CruisinSinceAge5
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On 5/25/2021 at 6:46 AM, CruisinSinceAge5 said:

Do you remember Alexander Butterfield? He was an entertainer from that era. His shows were reminiscent of Engelbert or Tom Jones. 

Sorry, I'm not familiar with that name.

Norris

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 10 months later...
On 12/19/2009 at 6:40 PM, Bimmer09 said:

 

Belated congratulations!!

I recall playing for maybe a dozen weddings on board. I wonder if that still goes on?

 

There was live music by the pool on the SON- a steel drum band from the islands played all of their shows there(apart from Caribbean night in the MDR), including a night time one when we would leave Cozumel late. I had to play with them for a week as well as my own shows when their drummer was sent home for trying to bring some herbs aboard at Ocho Rios. I gather that live music by the pool is no longer a "given" on cruise ships, but it should be as it adds to the party atmosphere and the bands don't work long hours.

 

The SON didn't always sail at capacity which I think was 1100. I don't think the line dropped the prices then at the last minute to fill the cabins.

 

I thank everyone who takes the time to review on CC- it has been quite an eye-opener to see some of the cut-backs cruise lines have made over the years. Service and friendliness don't cost much-it's all a matter of leadership and instilling a can-do attitude.

 

Bimmer09

Can't help but wonder if the steel drum band you refer to was the one I knew from our cruise on SON in 1980. At least one or two of the 4 guys were from Barbados. We spent quite a bit of time with them.... fun group.. And the drummer (Caleb) would definitely been one to "bring som herbs aboard". So many good memories from that cruise. Curious if you recall any other details about that band.

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KatKd, I think during my 2 contracts I knew 3 steel bands and all were from Barbados and I hung out with a drummer called Stanley and a guitar player called Cecil. Also a bass player called Patrick. There was a drummer called Spider that I liked but I don't remember Caleb at this time. They were all nice people, well mannered and easy-going. Instantly likable.

 

Norris

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7 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

KatKd, I think during my 2 contracts I knew 3 steel bands and all were from Barbados and I hung out with a drummer called Stanley and a guitar player called Cecil. Also a bass player called Patrick. There was a drummer called Spider that I liked but I don't remember Caleb at this time. They were all nice people, well mannered and easy-going. Instantly likable.

 

Norris

Norris ... There was a Patrick who played bass and sang (at the same time Caleb was the drummer) when we cruised in 1980. Sweet guy who, at the time looked a bit like Michael Jackson ... before all the surgery. Spent quite a bit of time talking with him and Caleb on their breaks. Have pictures of them playing poolside and in the "Lounge of the Midnight Sun". Kept in touch via mail for a while ... sometimes wonder where they are now.

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KatKd, that was the Patrick I knew. 

Here is a shot from one of our many lunches at the Sans Souci Hotel in Ocho Rios in 1986fullsizeoutput_23b6.thumb.jpeg.235fbb0ab19215c2107f1c5d404f5687.jpeg.

 Patrick at center. I'm at right. The others are (L-R) Sue, a British Purser, Oscar a Ukrainian croupier and Cindy, between Patrick and me, a dancer from Canada.

Happy Days!

 

Norris

Edited by Bimmer09
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On 4/22/2022 at 1:48 PM, Bimmer09 said:

KatKd, that was the Patrick I knew. 

Here is a shot from one of our many lunches at the Sans Souci Hotel in Ocho Rios in 1986.

 Patrick at center. I'm at right. The others are (L-R) Sue, a British Purser, Oscar a Ukrainian croupier and Cindy, between Patrick and me, a dancer from Canada.

Happy Days!

 

Norris

 

Thanks for sharing!  Good looking group! I'm betting there are a lot of good memories. How did you find your way to being a cruise musician?  Do you still play?

 

When we did the cruise, I was just a 17-year-old kid. My extended family went as a group and being the “baby” of the family, one of my best friends did the trip with us so that I didn’t have to hang out with all the “old folks”.  Our summer jobs and a little help from our parents made it possible.

We were at that age where we were fearless and a bit foolish. The adults in the group probably trusted us a little more than they should have to just go off on our own while on the ship, but it definitely made for an amazing and memorable experience. The people we met were even more wonderful than the places we visited and Patrick made a lasting impression.  His description of Barbados as a “kiss me ass paradise” had my 17-year-old heart convinced that I would travel there before I turned 25. However, life comes along and the best of plans change.  So, I did not make it to Barbados while I was still young and foolish!  But ... it is on the proverbial “bucket list” while I start planning for an early retirement.

 

Really appreciate you taking the time to respond.  It has brought back some great memories! 

 

687148136_LoungeoftheMidnightSun.jpg.f91392ec440e68a4740c475f91be10d4.jpg

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