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

[MamaTene]

Sure do remember Bobby Goldsboro...best remembered for that song "Honey".

[gliles]

We loved the Norway, did the President's suite 2x because it was affordable. I loved the secret passageways and nostalgia of it all. I miss her. :(

[cruise-control22]

I have to say I will always have fond memories of the Norway. My Husband and I were married on the Norway and then had a two hour reception on board for our guests. All our wedding pictures have various spots around the ship in the background. It was great after the reception we kicked everyone off and just sailed away to the Virgin Islands. Had a beautiful suite with floor to ceiling window, however no balcony, and were able to reserve a table for two in the dinning room. It was such a romantic cruise - one morning we watched the sunrise over St Johns from our bed.

 

She just had such an old world charm. It was so sad to hear what had happened to her. I was really hoping they would restore her and put her back into service - I would have loved to cruise her again.

[Sauer-kraut]

When I booked a cruise on the Norway I checked the CC reviews and at the time I started to get worried because most of the posts were very negative.

"The carpets are worn", "The ship is sorely in need of updating", and in that vein. I was beginning to think we'd booked an inside cabin in a rust bucket.

 

Boy! Was I excited the first time I caught a glimpse of her blue hull as we pulled around in the taxi. She was truly a REAL ship, not one of the cut-off, snub tailed floating massive hotel things that were/are being built today. I was in awe of her, the aluminum/steel "picture" in the blond wood near the stairway.

 

My 2 memories are of one of the crew who was the only Norwegian working for Norwegian Cruise Line (she did the morning and afternoon activities) and the other was of her Captain. He was Danish, and he gave a talk for something (I can't remember why I was there, it might have been a meet the crew event or something). He was so proud of her and you could just tell he loved being her Master. He was very emotional when he spoke about her. I feel so bad that she had such an ignoble end.

[RSVE821]

Even though I probably shouldn't have fond memories of the Norway, I do. It was my first cruise in 1986 and wouldn't you know I and half the ship's passengers got a "flu bug" as it was termed in those days by the ship's doctor that I visited. Fortunately this happend the last couple days of the 7 day cruise so earlier I was able to enjoy a full production of a broadway musical (can't remember which one) and a concert by Petula Clark (who sunbathed topless on a secluded beach on the private island!). This type of entertainment was all very innovative back then.

 

Fast forward to cruise 24 coming up on the Epic with yet more innovations to wow us (well maybe not to some). I'm glad I didn't let that "flu bug" deter me from continuing to enjoy all that cruising has to offer.

[SEUNOBX]

:):):):):)
One smiley face for each time we sailed on the S.S.Norway.
My wife and I and took our first cruise on the Norway in 1983. We had two other couples with us. Needless to say we were hooked on cruising. We went again in 1984 and again in 1985 with a group of 40+. We have cruised with a group at least once a year ( 36 total ) since that first cruise. We went two more times after the Norway was refurbished and added more cabins.
Does anybody remember how much fun they had on deck during the "Olympics"? We always made it a point to try and participate as much as possible. I even won the "best legs" competition twice! The only drawback was having to tender in to every port because the Norway sat so low in the water. Thanks for the question, it brings back many wonderful memories!

[time2cruise1]

Want a "blast" from the past. Follow this blog From Sept 2001 as the Norway crossed the Atlantic on 9/11. Surprised this link still works. Great detailed pictures of the blue lady.

[URL]http://www.thewaywewent.com/nor_1.html[/URL]


[IMG]http://www.thewaywewent.com/images/n_wtc4_1161.jpg[/IMG]


Itinerary:
September 2, 2001: Miami
September 3, 4: sea days
September 5: New York
September 6: sea day
September 7: Halifax, Nova Scotia
September 8: sea day
September 9: St. John's Newfoundland
September 10, 11, 12, 13: sea days
September 14: Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland
September 15: Dublin (Dun Laoghaire), Ireland
September 16: sea day
September 17: Le Havre, France
September 18: Southampton, England

[Jimnbigd]

One odd thing not yet mentioned was the way the public men's room urinals would automatically flush whenever that men's room door was opened. It was a purely mechanical system, and varied somewhat between rest rooms. No other ship I've been on has this. Do any other men out there remember this?

[MamaTene]

WOW...thanks so much for posting the link to the Norway review with all the pictures! What a great trip down memory lane. Without a doubt, the best of the best!

[Cruzinnana47]

Thanks, time2cruise1, for posting the link to the blog about the Norway, which we thoroughly enjoyed reading and seeing photos of some of our favorite spots on that beautiful ship. Of course, the timing of that cruise around 9/11/01 makes it all that more poignant on many levels.

[curlymom]

My grandparents celebrated their 55th anniversary and decided to take us all away with them--16 of us total! It was a New Year's Cruise (1995-1996) and it was fabulous! So glamorous (I was 20 and had never cruised before), so amazing, so wonderful. My grandparents are/were extremely generous people, but that extended to much more than the material gift of an amazing cruise. They gave us the gift of their time the gift of time with our extended family: cousins, nieces/nephews, aunts & uncles. It was magical! Many family members are no longer with us, and we made wonderful & lasting memories.

Harris was our waiter and he was wonderful! He remembered all of our favorite entrees...he'd bring my grandfather extra chocolate desserts, or my cousin extra lobster. He knew what service was, and he made us feel like kings and queens (even though most of us were pretty poor college students!).

My best memory might be that this time period was during Clinton's first term in office, and the Fed. Gov't shut down for a time. That left us stuck in port on the ship in St. Thomas, anxious to get off, because there were no US officials processing paperwork. Looking back on it, I can think of worse places to be stuck!

[gliles]

[quote name='curlymom'] My grandparents are/were extremely generous people, but that extended to much more than the material gift of an amazing cruise. They gave us the gift of their time the gift of time with our extended family: cousins, nieces/nephews, aunts & uncles. It was magical! Many family members are no longer with us, and we made wonderful & lasting memories.[/quote]

Thank you for that. I recently lost both of my grandparents on my mother's side and your post moved me.

[jakedoc]

Fond memories also. We sailed her in 1987, it was our second cruise. I remember my poor wife stubbing her toe numerous times on the raised bulkhead door into the bathroom. She finally figured it out after 3-4 days. We remember having our waiter de-bone our fish on our plates and the great service he and his assistant gave us. As others said, skeet shooting and hitting golf balls off the ship. My favorite cocktail glass that I still use to this day is a blue glass with a clear"porthole" on one side and SS Norway underneath.

[curlymom]

So sorry to hear of your loss, gliles. May your memories bring you comfort, and you enjoy much happiness in making new memories.

My grandparents left me with many important lessons learned--making memories is one I try not to let slip by. Cruise on!

[srmsmg5]

So grateful that I had a chance to cruise on a true liner before she met a very undignified end! It was a 60th birthday present to my Mom, and my 3 sisters and I went together with her.

I loved everything about that ship. Her graceful lines, a true promenade, the nooks and crannies, even the not so easily laid out decks made for many laughs trying to navigate our way back to our cabin after visits to many watering holes!

My Mom is gone now, but that cruise hooked her and she spent many happy years on the high seas because of her wonderful experience on the Norway! :)

[Brownie Scout]

I never did sail on her when she was the Norway, but back in '72, a friend and I crossed from NYC to England on the France, which was her original incarnation. What a fabulous trip that was! (My friend had taken the Liberte to France three times as a child to visit grandparents, so she talked me into it.) To this day, it remains my favorite travel experience.

We sailed with Walter Cronkite and Chaim Potok, but since it was a two class ship and we were first-year teachers, you can guess how often we saw those two distinguished passengers. No matter. Being young, cute and carefree, we had a fabulous time.

Almost forty years later, I still have all the memorabelia from that wonderful voyage. [I]Sigh. [/I]

[GROOVERS]

Ahh, out by the pool, they had the grill right there, and everyday they would grill chocolate chip cookies and you could get milk with um to, just looking off the back, it was funderful!

The shops were almost like going to the mall, different stores all along the way. Back in them days, everybody dressed for dinner, and your waiter (or water boy), stood right there by the table. I can remember I ordered a filet, and it was a hunk of meat the size of your fist, and delicious!

We got to tour the bridge, I thought it was neat... I still got a picture of my Mother and I standing on the forward port side, overlooking those tenders, they were full size and hoisted with cranes.

Yes, The Norway, she was a GRAND OLD LADY, and will always be remembered. ;)

[hucifer]

My husband booked the Norway for my 30th birthday back in 2000. The waitstaff was incredible there. We've never had service like that before or since.

We did dislike how the ship was organized...go up one flight, down the hall, take these steps up three more flights...it was rough getting around the ship. Even by the end of the week-long cruise, we still weren't quite used to the layout.

We went on one excursion that we didn't care for. There was nothing wrong with it, per se, but we wanted NCL to know that it wasn't the best off-ship experience. To our surprise, they refunded our money. Totally not expected! We appreciated that they did that for us, even if that wasn't our intent.

It was a wonderful vacation!

ETA: I did a search on the Norway to see if anyone else remembered it, and I found this thread. I had no idea that so many people loved it. I also cannot believe this ship has such a long history.