Norway - Latest News

[newlywedcruisers]

Have they tried to fill that crack? If they're just looking to make it presentable some body putty could do the job. Or they could just Spackle over it and paint

 

-Monte

 

Hmmn..

I work for a cabinet supply company, and I have some metal crack cover up, I'd be willing to supply it w/ my awesome employee discount.

 

This way we don't have any more "national symbols" that are broked.

[seahorse]

You are quite welcome. I remember the old NCL prior to the acquisition by Star and think they were a better company even though they were hurting for cash. I also remember believing that the acquisition by Star with the promise of cash and autonomy would mean a bigger and better NCL...well it turned out to be a bigger NCL but I do not believe it is a better NCL...I am willing to bet that the promised autonomy was only a promise and the plays are called in from Malaysia.

 

One has to wonder what the cruise industry and specifically NCL would be like to day if Royal Caribbean had been able to purchase both NCL and Princess? I believe that it would be better since RCCL has kept its promise in permitting Celebrity to remain as it was and did not try to make it into a RCCL clone. Maybe if we are lucky, Carnival will decide to purchase Star? Can't be any worse than what we have today and hopefully it would be better!:cool:

 

NCL was going under big time before Star saved it from RCI and Carnivore. RCI almost ruined Celebrity and IMO did the brand harm. Their food still is not up to the standards that it once had and now X is getting just like RCI with their Monster Ships.

 

If you have not read "Devils on the Deep Blue Sea" I suggest that you do. NONE of the cruise lines are "Angles".....but hey,we all like to cruise......no?;)

[shoreguy]

I will also be watching to see if NCL doesn't make good with the Independence and SSUS, and write my congressman and senators if NCL tries to pull another fast one. Fair is fair. If NCL doesn't make use of the ships as it promised in exchange for exclusive rights in Hawaii, NCL deserves to lose those rights.

 

 

I don't believe the two were linked. NCL purchased the ships to keep others from entering the HI market and adding additional risk to fragile business venture. No condition to put ether ship back in service for the rigt to use foriegn bulid American flagged ships.

 

Back to the subject at hand. I would have loved a different ending for the France/Norway/Blue Lady but it was clear it life as a cruise ship ended in Miami in 2003.

[shoreguy]

NCL was going under big time before Star saved it from RCI and Carnivore. RCI almost ruined Celebrity and IMO did the brand harm. Their food still is not up to the standards that it once had and now X is getting just like RCI with their Monster Ships.

 

If you have not read "Devils on the Deep Blue Sea" I suggest that you do. NONE of the cruise lines are "Angles".....but hey,we all like to cruise......no?;)

 

Remarkable business - Carnivore was started with what amounted to stolen money

[seahorse]

I don't believe the two were linked. NCL purchased the ships to keep others from entering the HI market and adding additional risk to fragile business venture. No condition to put ether ship back in service for the rigt to use foriegn bulid American flagged ships.

 

Back to the subject at hand. I would have loved a different ending for the France/Norway/Blue Lady but it was clear it life as a cruise ship ended in Miami in 2003.

 

I think that NCL wanted to sail these ships up and down the East Coast in the beginning but then came the Dawn:D

[newlywedcruisers]

In for "Devils" from amazon--

Hope its a good read

[seahorse]

In for "Devils" from amazon--

Hope its a good read

 

I could not put it down.......but I have been in the business through a lot of it and met just about all of the "players":o

[Retired not Expired]

Have they tried to fill that crack? If they're just looking to make it presentable some body putty could do the job. Or they could just Spackle over it and paint

 

-Monte

 

Just borrow Tammy Faye's make up kit. That will fill and cover that little crack easy.

[newlywedcruisers]

Just borrow Tammy Faye's make up kit. That will fill and cover that little crack easy.

 

Two points for Retired.

[WildWillie]

It's always so interesting to see how a comment laced with sarcasm (about there being no landmarks or museums in the world) can elicit such serious feedback. Guys, I live in Virginia. I can't walk 2 feet without tripping over some preserved Civil War battlefield, monument, etc. Are they worth preserving? That's another debate.

 

Is the last of the great ocean liners worth preserving? To me, it's a no brainer. YES it was. Unfortunately, the right people (the ones with big money who could make it happen) didn't agree with me.

 

The majority of my cruises (24) have been with NCL. I have no plans to cruise with them again because I think the current fleet is lackluster, notwithstanding the cartoony hulls. As a former faithful customer, I plan to write to Mr. Veitch to let him know of my disappointment with the way the Norway was handled (the misinformation, deception with the German authorities, foisting it off on a country ill-equipped to handle the asbestos, willing as India is to let its workers die, etc.).

 

I will also be watching to see if NCL doesn't make good with the Independence and SSUS, and write my congressman and senators if NCL tries to pull another fast one. Fair is fair. If NCL doesn't make use of the ships as it promised in exchange for exclusive rights in Hawaii, NCL deserves to lose those rights.

You took the words right out of my mouth. I couldn't agree with you more.

[mbisson]

Just borrow Tammy Faye's make up kit. That will fill and cover that little crack easy.

 

Good one Retired!

 

And I bet there's something in their that would be a perfect color match

 

-Monte

[Mark]

WildWillie

 

My compliments...welcome to the club

 

Mark:cool:

[shoreguy]

In for "Devils" from amazon--

Hope its a good read

 

My review - it starts strong - then a bunch of filler - and finishes better.

 

If you are addicted to cruising some very interesting insight in to how we got to the industry of today - not the most honest collections of pioneers.

[salty dingo]

Blue Lady is laying on the beach in Alang. And now the human ants will start to devour her.

[shoreguy]

Blue Lady is laying on the beach in Alang. And now the human ants will start to devour her.

 

The NORWAY's itineraries have ranged from her regular seven day Miami-based Caribbean schedule to summertime cruises from Europe. A small fire in her aft turbo charger room while entering Barcelona, Spain, on May 28 1999 resulted in the termination of her cruise and the cancellation of the following cruise. She was scheduled to return to service, following repairs at Barcelona, on June 12, 1999.

Guess who was suppose to be on that canceled cruise a 13 day wine cruise Barcelona to the UK. :( :( :( FYI the repairs were done in Germany and the June 12 cruise departed as planned from the UK

[marktac]

For heaven`s sake:( .........I don`t know why I am getting involved in this but I guess I detest mis-information..........everything that was salvageable was removed a very long time ago.

 

I'm not at all sure that is the case. It was reported fairly recently that most of the furnishings were still in place (when the Dubai investors were looking at buying).

 

In any event, that is part of what goes on at Alang. You might want to take a look at the extensive photos at maritime matters dot com in their page "On the Road to Alang." It is very common to find the ship basically intact when it is beached.

 

MarkT

[Mark]

i wonder how many toilets there are on the Norway anyway? I am sure that when removed, they will help India improve their third world country infrastructure by increasing the number of working toilets and of course sinks. I read some where that the restrooms have holes in the floor.

[mbisson]

They tried restrooms without the holes in the floor, but nobody liked them.

 

-Monte

[electricron]

I don't believe the two were linked. NCL purchased the ships to keep others from entering the HI market and adding additional risk to fragile business venture. No condition to put ether ship back in service for the rigt to use foriegn bulid American flagged ships.

Back to the subject at hand. I would have loved a different ending for the France/Norway/Blue Lady but it was clear it life as a cruise ship ended in Miami in 2003.

 

I agree, the Independence and United States were not linked to NCLA's Hawaii loopholes. For one, they don't need any loopholes to operate directly between American ports. To do that, all that's needed is an American built ship, an American flagged ship, an American crewed ship, and an American owned ship. Both the Independence and United States meet all the requirements if operated by NCLA.

 

It's Star Cruises that pushed NCL to enter the Hawaiian market. After Star Cruises purchased NCL after a stock fight by Carnival fell throught, rumors abound that the Norway would go East while the Leo would go to Hawaii as early as 2001. None of the rumor changes occurred, although the Leo eventually entered the NCL fleet as the Spirit in 2004.

 

I think they purchased these two old American built ships as a back up plan in case they didn't get the loopholes for three foreign built ships in Hawaii service passed through Congress. Don't forget the American government was on the hook to finish both Project America ships under construction. The NCL deal with the loopholes in the Passenger Service Act took the American taxpayers off the hook for almost a $Billion. It's not like the American government didn't get anything in return.

 

Since the loopholes were passed, the need to refurbish these other two ships has diminished. I don't see NCL doing anything with the Independence, as it's much too small for a mainline cruise line. Even the United States, as is at 53,000 tons, is getting too small, yet it's too big to enter Bermuda's St. George harbour. But an expansion of the United States to a larger tonnage is possible, either more top side decks like the Norway (adding 10,000 tons) or even a stretch job like the Majesty, Dream, and Wind (adding 10,000 tons), or both (adding at least 20,000 tons).

 

Just to bring her back is going to cost over $100 million, installing a new propulsion plant varies from $40 million to $80 million alone. But the United States has only 17 years of wear and tear on her equipment, there should be 13 to 23 years of active service left in her machinery and pipes. NCL operated the Norway for close to 25 years after refurbishment, it could do so again with the United States.

 

But NCL needs customers booking cruises on its ships to do so. A boycott of NCL almost guarantees nothing will be done to refubish the United States.

 

A ship is much more than the steel it is made of. It's also the crew and passengers sailing on it. The Norway's crew and passengers are still scattered throughout NCL's fleet. It's just the steel that's missing. Although reporterly lying on an Alang beach today, it still sails in our memories, it will for as long as we remember.

[cruiseladytexas]

In 1982 I sailed on my very first cruise ship, the majestic SS Norway. I explored every nook and crannie that I could and spent countless hours walking the promanade and imagining the history and the myriad of people who walked her decks before me. I read every bit of memorabilia of the SS France and reveled in the stories or her. I found my way down to the Roman Spa, not an easy task, I walked down the winding staircase into her dining main dining room. I made my way up to the very top where her name rested SS NORWAY, near her smoke stack. We dined in Le Bistro, alternatative dining when alternative dining wasn't heard of, danced on her teak deck late at night, and saw a Broadway show in a real theater with velvet chairs and a real stage. She was the glory days of transatlantic cruising. To quote Cunard, "this isn't a cruise ship, she is an oceanliner". The SS Norway was more than a cruise ship, she was an oceanliner, and I, among many, will miss her more than I can tell you. This is a tragedy. I only was able to sail one more time with my eldest son, and I am glad for that experience. I planned to sail that last year, but, unfortunately, her life was cut short. I love old ships and the history. I have stayed on the Queen Mary twice, and would stay there again if I sail from Los Angeles. I will never tire of exploring her history, and I would have done the same if the SS Norway were preserved. Today I will shed more than a few tears for her. You, who didn't experience her, have not a clue. There are floating resorts and then there are ships........

 

Karen

Oh Say Can You Sea Cruises

Katy tX

[Almagetty]

There are floating resorts and then there are ships........

 

How true, how true . . . beautifully put. The Norway truly was "an incomparable".

[ggo85]

For most (if not all) of those who sailed her, the Norway was a special ship. She had grandeur and majesty that simply isn't part of most of today's floating hotels.

 

IMO, the reason many of us are so sad about her fate is:

 

(1) NCL wasn't truthful. We all understand business and money. Had NCL in the months after the fire simply said that, after reviewing the situation, it wasn't financially feasible to make the repairs given her age, power plant, etc., I think most of us could/would have accepted it.

 

However, for months, if not years, NCL promised that the Norway would return. She was being sent to Bremerhaven for repairs. Blah, blah, blah. It was on their website and in their press statements. And the saga went on and on. The ups, the downs, the false hopes. That's what has us bitter.

 

(2) She isn't just any other ship. I've been on various "of the Seas" and "Norwegian X" and "X Princess" ships and I can tell you that I wouldn't even notice if one of those were being scrapped. There is something special about the Norway. You either feel it or you don't. If you don't, fine. But don't try to minimize what those of us who are saddened are going through.

 

(3) The way she is being scrapped. Yeah, we would have loved for her to be the next Queen Mary and that isn't meant to be. And, no, I can't tell you what "better" way there is to scrap a ship. But there is something ignoble about being beached and having pieces stripped off you. The "ant" analogy is so apt.

 

Finally, I won't cruise on NCL again ever. First, there was the collision at sea on the Norwegian Nightmare in 1999 when NCL did nothing -- nothing at all -- to help or support those of us who were aboard. Second, there were the endless misstatements re the Norwary.

 

The three things you want most (or should want most) from a cruise line are:

 

(1) Safety

(2) Integrity

(3) Customer Service

 

I've seen none from NCL in the past 7 years. Those of you who will support it for the sake of the SS United States, what makes you think its fate will be any different than that of the Norway?

[newlywedcruisers]

IMO, the reason many of us are so sad about her fate is:

Finally, I won't cruise on NCL again ever. First, there was the collision at sea on the Norwegian Nightmare in 1999 when NCL did nothing -- nothing at all -- to help or support those of us who were aboard.

 

What ship was this? I wanna read more about it.

 

Thanks

 

**Edit to fix qoute**

[logcabin]

We have good friends who were "star" performers on the Norway for several years. Being that they were "star" performers, they had guest cabins, were able to eat with guests, etc. Also, they were allowed to invite friends to cruise for "cost" if the ship was sailing with available cabins. Many times they called us and invited us to go down to FL and sail on her. However, the time was never right and we never took them up on their offer. Boy, am I kicking myself for that now.

 

She was a beautiful ship..

[Welove2cruise2]

For most (if not all) of those who sailed her, the Norway was a special ship. She had grandeur and majesty that simply isn't part of most of today's floating hotels.

 

IMO, the reason many of us are so sad about her fate is:

 

(1) NCL wasn't truthful. We all understand business and money. Had NCL in the months after the fire simply said that, after reviewing the situation, it wasn't financially feasible to make the repairs given her age, power plant, etc., I think most of us could/would have accepted it.

 

However, for months, if not years, NCL promised that the Norway would return. She was being sent to Bremerhaven for repairs. Blah, blah, blah. It was on their website and in their press statements. And the saga went on and on. The ups, the downs, the false hopes. That's what has us bitter.

 

(2) She isn't just any other ship. I've been on various "of the Seas" and "Norwegian X" and "X Princess" ships and I can tell you that I wouldn't even notice if one of those were being scrapped. There is something special about the Norway. You either feel it or you don't. If you don't, fine. But don't try to minimize what those of us who are saddened are going through.

 

(3) The way she is being scrapped. Yeah, we would have loved for her to be the next Queen Mary and that isn't meant to be. And, no, I can't tell you what "better" way there is to scrap a ship. But there is something ignoble about being beached and having pieces stripped off you. The "ant" analogy is so apt.

 

Finally, I won't cruise on NCL again ever. First, there was the collision at sea on the Norwegian Nightmare in 1999 when NCL did nothing -- nothing at all -- to help or support those of us who were aboard. Second, there were the endless misstatements re the Norwary.

 

The three things you want most (or should want most) from a cruise line are:

 

(1) Safety

(2) Integrity

(3) Customer Service

 

I've seen none from NCL in the past 7 years. Those of you who will support it for the sake of the SS United States, what makes you think its fate will be any different than that of the Norway?

 

Did nothing??? :mad:

 

http://www.ncl.com/news/pr/index_1999.htm

 

What more did the passengers want??