Does anyone remember the Norway?

[QueenofEverything]

I actually crossed the North Atlantic in the 60's on this beautiful ship when it was the SS France. I was just a kid and we went from LaHavre France to New York. I remember it was really rough and I almost drowned in the pool. The water was swishing up and down and my Mother pulled me out by my hair as I went under! The only one to get seasick was my Dad (the Navy Man!) We had a cabin that looked out over the front of the ship and all you see was the bow going up and down and up and down and the clothes in the closet going back and forth, back and forth........

I also remember seeing "Mutiny on the Bounty" (the Marlon Brando one) in the theater.

We lived in Libya at the time and fresh fruit was scarce. The waiters were so nice, they used to hide bananas under the napkins for my sister and I because we got so excited when we got fruit. I still have a picture of my family and our waiters taken at dinner one night. I was always so sorry we never took a cruise on her as the Norway, missed opportunities!

[Admin]

My first cruise was on the Norway on June 16, 1984. I was 13. It was my sister's 16th birthday. I can't remember our deck but it was an inside for 3. Viking Deck maybe? My mom took us. Charo was the headliner for the week. I vividly remember meeting the Captain in Club Internationale and strolling the promenade in the evening. What an outstanding ship! It's what hooked me on cruising and NCL. I have tons of photos from that trip.

[ocnlvr3]

We took a 2 week med cruise in 98. We had our whole family 17 people and our parents had a huge suite that we all met in every night. We had our best waiter (Sammy) on that cruise. Never had that great of service since and we have had some awesome service.

My DH still has his Norway sweatsuit jacket that he brings on every cruise! Will always have special memories from that cruise since my parents are getting up there in years.

 

 

ocnlvr3

[crew mom]

....What was the stat everyone was so proud of? Was she as long as two football fields?Three?

The Norway, at 1035 feet, was the longest passenger ship ever built until the Queen Mary 2 in 2004. The Epic is 46 feet longer than the Norway.

 

The Norway, when she was the SS France, also had the privilege of carrying the Mona Lisa across the Atlantic. She had her own room by the way. She was a favorite passenger ship for many famous people from Salvador Dali and his pet cheetahs to Andy Warhol.

 

She was also the only ship ever registered that carried other ships, the Little Norway I and II. They were not boats but registered ships.

 

DS was on her when her boiler exploded in May, 2003. Not a good memory for him. He had worked on her since Aug. 2000. He stayed on her until just before she left for Bremerhaven. Because of that he was able to celebrate his 21st birthday in the Presidential suite with all the remaining crew members. They were down to about 50 crew by then.

 

The Norway was my first cruising experience. She was built with elegant lines and beautiful art work. It is too bad that more effort was not made to salvage the artwork by NCL. Unlike today's ships, where there are a zillion things to do, the Norway was still all about relaxation. Her decor was calming and there was nothing better then Club I or walking along the promenade deck. While I love freestyle and the current ships I am so glad I was able to have a chance to enjoy that style of cruising on the Norway.

[crusinmama06]

I love seeing these pictures! I sailed on Norway in June of 2002. And it was before I got my digital camera. ;) I am so used to seeing all of my past cruises -- but I haven't seen pics of Norway in years. :( Now I am going to have to go digging and find the album.

 

Norway wasn't my first cruise but it was the first cruise for my oldest daughter. :D So I guess you can say it kicked off her cruise obsession.

 

I do remember that the kids club (for the 2-5's) was located in the old dog kennels and the outside kids area was the old dog runs for the SS France. ;)

 

Now I have to go find those pictures...

[TrinaLC]

I had the privilege of two ocean crossings on the SS France, in 64 and 67.

 

Amazing.

 

We were in first class (the trips were work related) - truly luxurious.

 

And I do remember the dog runs! Fire hydrants and all.

[TrinaLC]

I actually crossed the North Atlantic in the 60's on this beautiful ship when it was the SS France. I was just a kid and we went from LaHavre France to New York. I remember it was really rough and I almost drowned in the pool. The water was swishing up and down and my Mother pulled me out by my hair as I went under! The only one to get seasick was my Dad (the Navy Man!) We had a cabin that looked out over the front of the ship and all you see was the bow going up and down and up and down and the clothes in the closet going back and forth, back and forth........

I also remember seeing "Mutiny on the Bounty" (the Marlon Brando one) in the theater.

We lived in Libya at the time and fresh fruit was scarce. The waiters were so nice, they used to hide bananas under the napkins for my sister and I because we got so excited when we got fruit. I still have a picture of my family and our waiters taken at dinner one night. I was always so sorry we never took a cruise on her as the Norway, missed opportunities!

 

Maybe we were on the same crossing! I think our 1964 cruise was June or July. Remember the "soda shop"?

[clarkg]

Sailed her as my 2nd cruise in 2001 I believe, had most of my wife's family on board. My favorite ship for a long time. Was really, really sad to see her demise.

[oldguysandgalls]

Oh yes, how fondly we remember the elegant and legendary SS Norway. Does anyone else still remember the "President's Dinner"? That's when they served the favourite dishes of past and current Presidents (and First ladies). We still talk about it...years later. Memories...Memories.

[RalphRackstraw]

I actually crossed the North Atlantic in the 60's on this beautiful ship when it was the SS France. I was just a kid and we went from LaHavre France to New York. I remember it was really rough and I almost drowned in the pool. The water was swishing up and down and my Mother pulled me out by my hair as I went under! The only one to get seasick was my Dad (the Navy Man!) We had a cabin that looked out over the front of the ship and all you see was the bow going up and down and up and down and the clothes in the closet going back and forth, back and forth........

I also remember seeing "Mutiny on the Bounty" (the Marlon Brando one) in the theater.

We lived in Libya at the time and fresh fruit was scarce. The waiters were so nice, they used to hide bananas under the napkins for my sister and I because we got so excited when we got fruit. I still have a picture of my family and our waiters taken at dinner one night. I was always so sorry we never took a cruise on her as the Norway, missed opportunities!

Good gosh! We seem to be part of a sub-population of former expatriate kids who fell in love with the big ships in the 1950's and 60's. My Dad, an engineer for Chrysler, worked at their International Division in Geneva, Switzerland 1959-66. Every two years, the company paid our round-trip expenses back to the States for "home leave". I see your family also sailed on the Independence as well as the France, both very agreeable ships.

[QueenofEverything]

Yes, the Independence was our initial trip over. My Mom always wanted to sail back and forth, but my Dad wasn't patient enough! We traveled all over the world, so I know that is where I got my wanderlust and my love of cruising!

[cabincop]

I went on Norway 4 x's one was the Yankee cruise right after they wone the ws Wade Boggs Dave Cone Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada it was a great ship and that was a great cruises GO YANKEES!

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

The SS Norway was a special ship in so many respects. It is a very sad thing to say that in our cut-throat commercial world, we are likely to never see a ship like her come about ever again.

 

 

The SS France was a ship built without compromise, built to represent a nation with heavy government subsidies. One of the fastest, most beautiful liners ever to float, the SS France ultimately was so unprofitable that the French Government could no longer subsidies its sailings. Thats when she was laid up and ultimatly became the SS Norway.

 

She was a real ship- her cabins where built into the space provided by the naval architects, each cabin built individualy, not the pre-fabricated boxes that are merely inserted into ships today. She is reminiscent of a time gone by, of a wonder that we are probably never going to see ever again. Which is why what happened to her was so sad, and the fact that Norwegian Cruise Line has all but forgotten about the ship that made it what it is today, the ship that represents so much about what sea-going, and ocean fearing is really all about. The fact that no ship carries the name Norway today, and nearly no tribute to her is paid on any of NCL's cruise ships. On the Norwegian Sky two weeks ago some of the equipment used for the game show where from the Norway- they had the old NCL logo on them along with the notations SS NORWAY.

 

I was hoping that NCL's next flagship would bear the name Norway. Some would jump to say that should not be the case, but the SS France was one of the most expensive, unique and innovative luxury ocean liners ever built in its age. The Norwegian Epic is what the SS France was then- an innovative cruise liner built on a massive scale. Yes, its as ugly as anything on the outside, but that is what cruising has become in the present day. The Norwegian Epic was built at Chantiers D'l Atlantique, the same shipyard that built the Norway, and is the first clear flagship to fly the NCL House Flag since the Norway's boiler failure in 2003. Somehow, I wished that the Epic would have been named Norway, or paid some sort of tribute aboard to the ship that built the foundations that NCL, and to an extent the cruise industry in its entirety stand on today (she was the first mega-ship, at a time when a lot of people thought putting a ship of that size in service was completely absurd).

 

 

RIP Grand Dame of the Sea

[JMB1]

I sailed on the Norway when she was the France about 1970 with my parents

from France to NY. Then it was a 2 class system.

Since then I sailed on her 15 more through my life. I cried when i heard they scrapped her. 1 of the most beautiful ships i ever sailed on.

[barbyj]

I sailed on the Norway at least 10 times or maybe more.

 

My last cruise on her was a special TransAtlantic sailing in August of 1996 from Miami to New York, then to LeHarve France, ending in Southhampton England. What a welcome we received in LeHarve. It was the first time the ship had returned to France since it had been the SS France.

 

There was a special plaque made to honor this that had all of the passengers names. I wonder what happened to that.

[agabbymama]

For all you folks that remember the Norway, this website has some nice shots of the exterior and interior.

 

http://www.shipparade.com/indx.htm

[hook316]

Cabincop, I have been searching for over 14 years for anyone else on this Yankees cruise in November of 1997. Cone, Jeter, Posada, and Boggs were there. Do you by ANY chance remember the 3on3 basketball tourney on board as one of the event? I was actually one of the three that played Posada/Jeter/Boggs in the Championship game (we lost). I was with my buddy and a third guy who's wife video taped the game and promised to send us a copy. As you can guess, we never got our copy, so now it is my QUEST to track this person down and see if I can somehow get a copy 14 years later.

 

Please drop me line.

 

Thanks,

 

Hook316

[Cruzinnana47]

So happy to see another thread on the Blue Lady. We were fortunate to have sailed on her twice (1995 and 2001) and in the same cabin both times. We have wonderful memories of our cruises on the Norway, which we will always treasure, but they are bittersweet when we think about what happened to this wonderful ship.

 

Agree with previous posters---we'll never see a ship like her again.

[coka]

Great photo .... thanks for posting it. I too miss this great ship. Celebrated my birthday on her and it was the best one every.

 

OceanDreams

 

Hahahahah! Yes, Oceandreams surely celebrated her birthday on it. I just went through all my photos over the years and I found the pictures of Ocean's birthday on the Norway. Sorry, I can not be post any of them here...because I KNOW she has some of me on other sailings in her collection...

 

coka

[sun~]

Great memories of our first cruise. We sailed January 1997, in an outside cabin on the atlantic deck. The cabin had a double bed and a twin bed right beside it. It was a little odd, but the cabin had lots of closets and was surprisingly spacious.

 

The Club International was fab! It looked like a movie set. The dining rooms were gorgeous. No cruise ship I have been on since compares to the Norway.

 

The service was great - I remember the cabin steward sat in a little cove tucked in one of the funny little hallways. He really did go in the cain and tidy up several times a day. Crazy!

 

Down the hall from us there was one of the infamous bunk bed inside cabins. They were tiny!

 

We have very fond memories of our first cruise!

[signora]

Sailed transatlantic on the France in 1972. My dad's business was doing well and we went first class. Every diner 'made an entrance' into the first class dining room and it was a fashion show! The food was beyond amazing: like a five star NY restaurant. And as children my siblings and I remembered you could order anything you liked, even if it wasn't on the menu (once I had steak for breakfast). My other memory is being assigned a deck chair: as soon as you sat down in the chilly Atlantic air a steward came over, wrapped you in a blanket and brought you hot bouilion. It was amazing.

[3boyz]

This was the first of many NCL ships we were on. Do not get me wrong, we like all the bells and whistles on these new ships but the old Dame was special. Rooms seemed bigger, much more relaxed atmosphere. Miss having high tea and hand sandwiches. This was class.

 

LOL, was on the Norway in 1980 with my wife who was 7 months pregnant at the time with our first child. Had to scrape together enough money for an inside stateroom in the bowels of the ship that had folding bunk beds in the wall. Being the gentleman that I am, I insisted that I take the top bunk as my wife was in her "waddle" stage. Could almost touch our bed, sink, and toilet at the same time ! Thirty years later we stayed in the Owners Suite on the Epic, where our bathroom was about 5 times the size of our entire cabin on the Norway. Looking back, still amazed at the overall beauty and gradeur of that ship. Still enjoy NCL, although the food quality has vanished with the Norway.

[CRUIS4ME]

OH MY Yes I will never forget the Norway. For us - what a tub! One of our earlier cruises...we took a cabin far forward because it had a port hole! The cabin was the first or second cabin in the bow and was shaped like a pizza slice. The port hole was three feet into the side of the ship from where we could reach, let alone see out.

That is when we learned what the meaning of different classes of passengers was. To get to the pool deck, we had to go up one staircase, across a corridor, down a staircase - up a staircase and over. It took 25 mins to reach the pool - so we packed for the day. Took everything we needed to be out on deck as getting back and forth to the room was an ordeal. Service and food were excellent though - but age was against her. It certainly was a memorable experience.

[cruitenn]

Our first cruise was on the N. Sun in 1985, loved it so we tried the Norway in 1986. We had a guaranteed outside cabin and ended up in the smallest cabin ever, N096 on the Norway deck. It was so small, the bathroom was as big if not bigger than the cabin. That did not deter us, we loved her classic beauty and our family sailed on her 12 more times. The kids actually grew up going to Trolland and the head youth coordinator during that time, Sally Evans (Silly Sally) had their picture on her desk. Our favorite suites were the former captain's quarter on the starboard side and the other suite on the port side on Norway deck across from the entrance to the Leeward dining room.

 

Our last cruise on her was on August, 2001 prior to her going to Europe and then coming back due to 9/11. We still miss her even after over 35 cruises on NCL and more than 20 on other lines (Celebrity, RCL, CCL and a couple of small lines).

[Jimnbigd]

Of course I remember her -- my first cruise, a Dixieland cruise. I wonder if she would still be sailing today had the boiler not blown.