Memories of the Norway...we never knew how good we had it!!!!!!!

[DMH15]

My first cruise was also on the Norway in 1986. The last night was my birthday. I had a sad and unexpected divorce the year before, so when a friend asked me to go with her church's singles group I accepted.

 

I ended up sharing one of those broom closet insides with a nice new friend from the group. When I told her that I was terribly claustrophobic and couldn't handle the lower bunk she said ok. Well, it turned out that you could sit on the bottom bunk and the top was only a foot or so from the ceiling. The way I coped was drinking too much, dancing too late and then basically crashing.

 

Looking at the pix, we were so elegant.

 

Loved it. And I had a "magical casino experience".

[AFT_LOVER]

we had the newly built balconies on a suite. Too bad they didn't take the sway of the ship into concideration with the ill people on them. My galfriend who I got a job as a DJ at the radio station I worked at was married, I was her matron of honor & her parents wanted to have another party onboard Norway. SO poor gal gets a honeymoon in a suite with parents on one side & me on the other. Then 2 years later we get to do it again as a Xmas present from her. And again we are next door & her parents on the other side. No partitions for the 3 rooms, champagne in buckets and various munchies out there also that the chef created.

 

But now we have Epic & their suites to enjoy, NCL has the praise of their suites as the best on any cruiseline. The 5000 sq ft one I want to see.

 

RIP great lady.

 

 

The International Deck with its REAL TEAK WALKWAY!

Room service DELIVERED to tables outside of the bars and casinos..you just had to call and tell them where you were and they brought food direct to you!

Tables stewards who cleaned the slightest bit of crumbs off of the tableclothes BETWEEN each course.

Beverage attendants for each table to assist the waiter assigned to your table...and they REMEMBERED from the first day EXACTLY what you liked to drink and had it sitting at your table when you arrived.

Skeet shooting off of the upper deck.

 

Those were the days!

 

Anyone else care to share memories you have of the Norway???

[Planer's Edge]

We had an ocean view suite right next to the rear pool. As someone else posted we had a great bathroom with a a tub.

That rear pool had windows in it and you could walk around an area below and see people swimming. Also surrounding that area were small single cabins. They must have originally been for valets, maids, etc.

 

That was actually the mid shop pool. That pool was added when NCL converted the SS France to the SS Norway. Below is a picture of a model of the SS France and that "courtyard" area in front of those cabins. The new pool filled in this courtyard.

 

PE

[njhorseman]

We cruised on the Norway three times. Although she wasn't the first ship we cruised on, the Norway was what hooked us on cruising. She's my favorite ship to this day...odd and tiny cabins, dead end stairways and all.

[theduffys]

We lucked out with one of the big, elegant outside rooms. What I remember the most is the beautiful vanity with a three way mirror and lights all around. I felt like a movie star every time I used it.

[VegasCrossfire]

I am sitting here laughing so hard!!

 

We found the "secret passage" to the pool underneath with the windows and thought we were the only ones. We ended up at a dead end at the end of one of the "secret hallways". To this day, we laugh about that experience with our friends who cruised with us and followed us into the dead ends, etc.

 

GREAT MEMORIES!! Thanks for brining this topic up.:D

[MamaTene]

We sailed her twice. The first time we THOUGHT we would be economical and book 1 inside cabin for 2 COUPLES! Thank GOD they upgraded each of us to our own inside room...with bunk beds of course! And we had one of those "inside..inside" cabins..I remember going down the hall and turning left into a "roundabout" where another set of inside rooms were located. Thats where we were! Our cabin was 110sq ft!

And those "go nowhere" decks that you had to cross over then go down steps, then back up to get to the other end of the deck were indeed confusing. We ended up once in the kitchen!

[DougMacP]

Here's a review I wrote years ago on my third trip....I loved that ship..(sigh)

http://cruises.about.com/library/cruisereviews/uccrurev49.htm

[Planer's Edge]

Here's a review I wrote years ago on my third trip....I loved that ship..(sigh)

http://cruises.about.com/library/cruisereviews/uccrurev49.htm

Very nice review.

 

We were on a few weeks after you in 2001. We were aboard for the supposed last Caribbean sailing before she went to Asia. It was an 8 day Western Caribbean cruise. That was when my wife had the OMG moment. That cruise was absolutely over-run with French citizens because they were getting their beloved SS France back on their side of the pond.

 

PE

[vacation luvver]

I sailed on the Norway three times, once in 1987, and twice in the early 1990s. Both of the 1990s cruises were NBA cruises. Someone upthread also talked about going on an NBA cruise.

 

I had such a great time! At that time, NCL, in addition to NBA cruises, did NFL, MLB and NHL cruises, and other theme cruises, such as jazz, 50's, Wheel of Fortune, Health & Beauty, and I don't know what else. Unfortunately, nowadays, if you want to go on a theme cruise, you have to book with a particular TA, and the events are open only to members of your group and not to everyone. I thought it was more fun when the events were open to everyone.

 

That ship was big! I was so happy to find the staircase that connected all of the decks. I always had to allow ten to fifteen minutes to get from one place to another. There were so many passengers that we were all given either red, white, or blue cards, and every night, there were three shows, and the daily program said that people with red cards should go to see this show, and the people with white cards should go to see that show, and the people with the blue cards should go to see the other show, because the rooms weren't large enough to accomodate everyone, but everyone eventually got to see all of the shows.

[livetheatre]

for those, like me, new to cruising and may not know the history of the Norway I found this site to be helpful http://www.maritimematters.com/norway.html

[beemergal]

Thank you so much for posting this thread about the SS Norway! It brought back some fond memories and sent me on a hunt for photos I took on my first cruise the week before Christmas, 1982 on her. We had a broom closet room, but I loved the cruise from Miami to St. Thomas and Great Stirrup Cay. It was years later than I cruised again, but it was this cruise that showed me I would love it.

 

A couple of things I noticed when looking at these photos...notice that when we are docked in Miami (the view from the Outdoor Restaurant) the swimming pool is empty! I build swimming pools for a living now and realize how dangerous and odd that was. A later picture of the pool shows the water greenish and rockin' and rollin' from the waves. The picture of the library shows how many people were in there playing cards...a favorite past time then.

 

Good memories! Enjoy the photos! It will take 2 posts at least to show all the photos since we are limited to 5 per post

[beemergal]

More photos of my Dec 17 -24, 1982 cruise on the SS Norway

[Norwaylin]

My screen name was given to me by my friend who became my cruisemate for three cruises. My first name is Linda so she started calling me Norwaylin while on this cruise in October 1983. We were both first time cruisers and so excited to be sailing on such a large and beautiful ship. We chose an inside cabin, but not the smallest one. We had two lower beds with a table in between the beds. Also, we had a vanity with a bench where we could do our hair and makeup. Luckily for us, we didn't need to use the bathroom mirror. We are both short (5'2" and 4'11") so we hardly could see into the mirror above the sink.

Our sailing was one that featured former NFL players. We had John Leypoldt (Buffalo Bills) and Art Hunter (Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers). The first evening at dinner we were seated at a table with two other ladies. They were from New York City and had been friends since grade school. The table was for eight and we were soon approached by the maitre'd who asked if we minded sharing our table with two couples. We agreed. Apparently they had been placed at a table with some young women who didn't want married couples at their table. I guess they were hoping to meet some young men. Anyway, the two couples were John and Art and their ladies. Elaine and I had a great time with them all week. The program they presented was the Football Follies. After the program, they signed photos from their days as players.

That particular cruise went to St. Thomas, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay. Even though Elaine was getting seasick from two sea days on our way to St. Thomas, she decided that we should try another cruise the following year. Of course, it was an NCL ship -- MS Starward. The year after that it was Bermuda on Bermuda Star Line. I added three more cruises since then, but the Norway is still my favorite. Like others have said, she was elegant. The religious services were held in the Club Internationale with a priest presiding over the Catholic mass, non-denominational service AND (I heard) the Friday evening Sabbath Service.

[SMSACE6]

My very first cruise was in October 1999 on the Norway, eastern Caribbean cruise. I was hooked from the moment I stepped on that beautiful ship! I understand that cruise lines need to have modern ships, but I am very sad to see that this great "lady" ended up the way she has. She will always remain my very first cruise ship! I can still remember the public rooms and promenade decks, but I have forgotten the ones who came after. She will forever be in my memory!:)

[Giantfan13]

Just another quick story about the Norway. Reading these comments brings back memories that haven't been thought of in years.

On our crusie there was a gentleman who was on his 56th voyage on the Norway. We all read about how it would be great to retire and live on a cruise ship, well this man did just about that. He had an inside cabin and the cruise we were on was his 9th consecutive cruise. Talk about back2back2back2back etc.

[IWORK2CRUISE]

That was actually the mid shop pool. That pool was added when NCL converted the SS France to the SS Norway. Below is a picture of a model of the SS France and that "courtyard" area in front of those cabins. The new pool filled in this courtyard.

 

PE

Oops, it's been a while and I thought I remembered having to go all the way back to our cabin. I guess we did, and the pool was in front of that area rather than behind.

[Racer02]

I LOVE this thread... My first cruise was on the Norway in 2000 with my (then) 6 year old son. I was fresh off a horrible divorce and was looking for the ultimate get-away for my son and I. We preceded the cruise with a three day visit to Walt Disney World, which was (to the moment) the most unbelievable experience of my son's short life.

Mickey could not prepare him for his first glimpse of the Norway in all her glory docked in Miami. He had just recently (remember, he is 6) deviated his interests from steam engine trains (think Thomas the Tank) to ocean vessels thanks to the Titanic movie and exhibit. As "Dad" there was only ship that could fit that bill... it had to be "her".

We resided one of the previously described broom closet / bunk bed inside cabins.... We LOVED it. How awesome could that postage stamp of a living space be to a little guy? He immediately claimed the top bunk and set up his base of operations on the tiny dressing table, (you know, the one that was between the closet and the swinging door to the head). This space would come to include every piece of paper, sea shell, postcard and pirate souvenir that he could dig up during our adventure.

To this day, he remembers rising early (after what must have been a dozen magical days at sea), jumping from his top bunk, and rushing to the "Great Outdoor Cafe" (Is that what it was called?) to see our very first real island. The excitement of a foreign land and the adventures that await us were almost too much to bear, let alone breakfast.

One of my favorite, now slowly fading pictures is from the Captains' reception on this sailing... Before my son could develop his "picture face" that he would soon master, this framed treasure greets me each day as I return home, my only little boy, beaming with the captain of a real live ship standing at his side.

Oh yes, service was awesome, food great, and the ship exceeded expectations...all complaints were, well, absent......

I re-married one year later..... yup.... her little boy needed to sail the Norway as well....

Man, I miss her......

[DMH15]

Racer02-

 

What a darling story. Thanks for sharing.

[dfishner]

My second cruise was on the Norway was bascially a cruise virgin at the time but remembering how large the ship was and all that teak it was beautiful. We had a tour of the bridge which was so exciting. I remember on our tour that they mentioned they kept quite of bit of the interior from the France. The ship had great bones and was certainly a beauty. I don't remember the ports of call but do remember tendering and looking back at the ship and being blown away on how big it was.

[MamaTene]

Every day one of the officers from the deck would fill out cards that had picture of the ship and the current navigation stats for the day. They would place them in plexiglas holders at various intervals on the ship. I OF COURSE had to remove one for my scrapbook of the sailing. I love looking thru that album and reliving the great times!

Also, the ship offered FULL CHARTED Nautical maps for $7 that detailed the route we took, islands visited and signed by the officers....have one of those also!

[Meiying]

What a nice post. I lived and worked on the Norway in the Saga Theatre many many years ago. Remember when you could see a broadway type show there? That was us. I have to giggle at the room size posts because my crew cabin on the Norway was HUGE compared to my crew cabin on the Seaward. It's such a shame that this ship is no longer...there are videos of her demise circulating the web...they made me cry. :(

[lambs2]

We had an inside cabin, but we lucked out and had a huge room, while others that booked insides had broom closets.

 

Here is some our our family folklore about the Norway: Many years ago my inlaws sailed the Norway on their very first cruise, booked in an inside cabin. The story goes that when my MIL opened the door to their cabin she headed right back up to the front desk to tell them that there had been a mistake and they had been assigned to a closet! :eek:

[DMH15]

I mentioned I sailed the Norway in a singles group and had one of those closets. We went one night to the room of two of the guys, a group of us, not just me... Heehee. We wanted to see what a room that had a porthole and refrigerator looked like!

 

I laugh now, their room seemed so grand to me, I figured those guys were loaded! But now I book suites on NCL, and it makes me chuckle how in awe I was of their room!

 

Also, here's my casino story.

 

On the first night I went to play slots. I found a quarter machine where you could play 1 to 5 quarters, with no penalty for playing less than the max. I was playing 2 quarters and winning. This guy asked me why I was only betting 50 cents a pull and I told him that it was only the first night and I was pacing myself. He asked if he could put in some money and we could play the max and split the winnings. I said sure. I continued winning and thought it looked like I might double my money. Next thing I knew, he was scooping out quarters and went to the cage. I thought okay, he's going to split up some of the winnings. I watch him walk to a dollar machine behind me and start to play it. I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was investing some of our winnings. He played for a while, and so did I and our machines both "sang" a lot. After a few hours he asked me if I had enough fun for one evening. I said yes. When we took our buckets to the window my half share was $350.00!!!!!! Not bad for a $20 investment, two rolls of quarters!!!!

 

Well, from that point on, I only played dollar slots and was lucky the whole week. I came out $950.00 ahead for the whole week and when I added up my expenses for the trip, it was less than $900.00. So my gambling paid for the entire vacation.

 

The eerie thing is, I NEVER saw the guy again the whole cruise? I wonder to this day if he was real, or an angel of The Norway????

 

With today's paper tickets it could never happen. I miss the old change in the buckets anticipation of cashing out and seeing how much winnings were.

[crew mom]

The Norway was DS's first ship. He lived/worked on her, except for vacations and a short contract on the Sea, from Aug 00 until June 25th of 03, 4 weeks after the boiler explosion.

 

My first 3 cruises were on the Norway, all inside cabins. The first one had a bathroom so small the toilet was on an angle so you could actually sit on the toilet or be able to get into the shower area without climbing over the toilet! The last cabin had a bathroom that was almost as big as the stateroom and it had a tub. The staterooms were always a surprise!

 

Loved Club I, the Saga Theatre with her Proscenium stage, her deck's for strolling, her crew deck on the fantail. Also her distinctive funnels and the greatest voice on the seas. There is not a ship out there that sounds like the Norway did!