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George Leppla

Age: early 50s
Occupation: Travel Agent
Number of Cruises: 30+
Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line
Ship: Norway
Sailing Date: April 28th, 2002
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean

I recently went on a group cruise aboard NCL's ship the SS Norway. While I don't usually write reviews, here are some thoughts about this ship and cruise. Many people say that the Norway is the kind of ship that you either love or hate but I fell somewhere in the middle. I liked this ship far more than I thought I would but there are some deficiencies in the ship and NCL that kept me from "loving" her. I had a wonderful cruise and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Cast of characters: I am a travel agent in my early 50's. I have been on over 30 cruises and while I had visited the Norway for short periods of time, I had never sailed on her. The people in my group ranged from seasoned cruisers to people on their first cruise.

Why we went: For the most part, we went because it was cheap! After 9/11, NCL decided to bring the Norway back to the Caribbean market for one more year after a 3 month dry-dock and refurbishment. This decision gave them little time for advance sales and combined with the fact that cruise sales were flat in the 4th quarter of 2002, there were some incredible inducements to sell this ship. Inside guarantees were sold for $299 pp, outside guarantees were $439 pp and even with NCL gouging by raining the port/tax to $197 pp, this was still a very inexpensive cruise. Add to that a 3rd/4^th passenger rate of $9 and it was possible for 4 people sharing a cabin to take a 7 night cruise for $351 per person including port/tax.

While price was the motivating factor for most of us, price alone won't mean much if the cruise isn't any good. In my opinion, the Norway gives an excellent value for the money spent. While pricing through the summer of 2002 looks higher, there are some very good deals in the Fall and anyone who hasn't sailed on this ship or anyone looking for a bargain should consider this cruise. As of now, NCL is taking bookings through March 2003 but the Norway's fate after that is uncertain. If she remains in the Caribbean I would certainly consider hosting another group cruise in 2003.

Embarkation: Smooth. Flew to FLL the day before the cruise, rented a car from Avis which I returned to the Avis office at the Miami port. Quick shuttle to the pier. The Latitudes line was empty and check-in was immediate. Less than 10 minutes from walking through the door to walking onto the ship. Good for you, NCL. Minor glitch... NCL sent Bahamas Immigration forms with the travel documents which I filled out. When we got to the check-in desk we were handed new forms to fill out.... different format, same info.

Latitudes: NCL is a good company but their ticketing department is sometimes not up to par. Most tickets arrived without the Latitudes number on them and a note stating that if your Latitudes number was missing, you should call a toll-free number and they would take care of this. When I called the Latitudes desk, I was told that the number was not on my reservation because my travel agent did not submit it. I politely replied that I WAS my travel agent and offered to fax this person a copy of the passenger list I had sent to NCL two months prior to sailing... complete with Latitudes numbers. "Uh... well... er... gee Mr. Leppla, we don't know how that happened."

Cabin: I was in cabin N145, oceanview. Very large, 264 sq feet. I believe this cabin was added to the ship in 1990... before that I believe it was part of the ship's office space. Huge shower, tiny TV, nice refrigerator. Plenty of shelves in the bathroom and lots and lots of closet space. No safe. Oh... and a baby crib. No... I do not have a baby. Cabin steward informed me later that he was given a note to have a crib in the cabin. Huh... another minor paperwork glitch. There was also a structural post near the center of the room. Did not interfere with anything. Two portholes and the heavy porthole covers were stored under the bed. The bed... one of the most uncomfortable beds I have ever slept on. The cabin steward went far and beyond his normal duties to try to make this better with limited success. Three electrical outlets! Two chairs and a round, glass topped table. All in all, a very nice cabin. While some members of your group reported problems with the air-conditioning, this cabin was cool all week long both in and out of port. In walking through the ship and being nosey, I got a look at a number of cabins and it sometimes appears that no two are alike.

Getting around: Man... carry a map when you get on the ship. At first, the Norway can seem like a maze of corridors. We were all going to meet for the sail-away but we walked around a number of decks before even finding a way to the open decks. It got better as the week went on, but not much. It also doesn't help that all elevators do not go to all the floors and in the case of one elevator that does stop on the Norway deck (behind the top floor of the Leeward dining room) you can not reach any cabins on that deck from that elevator without walking through the dining room.

The Ship: I had visited the Norway about 3 years ago and was not impressed. The ship was showing her age and in need of numerous repairs. What a change! It appears that during the Fall re-fit, all the carpets have been replaced. The windows the entire length of the International Deck have been replaced with new stainless-steel cased windows... and the "slate" floor has been expertly repaired and in some places, replaced completely. On-going maintenance was evident throughout the week. Big cheers to Star Cruises for bringing the Norway up to her current physical condition.

The Great Outdoors Cafe: "You never get a second chance to make a good first impression" and my first impression of this area wasn't good. The "welcome aboard" buffet was lacking. A small variety of salads, burgers, hot dogs and a couple of hot dishes. Poor layout... there are 4 different lines but only one place to get silverware. Two drink stations. Fresh fruit consisted of apples, oranges and bananas. Lots of big round tables... surrounded by those #%$&*# plastic resin chairs. A pox on the guy who invented them.

A second chance: Lunch the next day... and throughout the week at the Great Outdoor Cafe was a whole different experience! Each day two huge Weber Kettle Grills were set up and soon there were steaks, ribs, chicken, pork chops, bratwurst, brisket... all very well prepared and delicious. The 4 cafeteria lines were still there but the salads were varied from day to day (try the marinated tomatoes) and other hot dishes were served. There was a fruit station set up where freshly sliced pineapple and watermelon were available. Very nice job NCL... but please... do it from day one... put a smile on your passenger's faces right off.

BTW - breakfast at the Great Outdoor Cafe was pretty ordinary except that there were trays of lox and herring... both high quality goods. A nice touch on a Norwegian ship. Minor glitch... the morning we got to St. Thomas there was only an "Express Continental Breakfast" served. Very limited choices and a stupid thing for NCL to do. Not everyone was rushing to get off the ship at 7 AM.

The International Deck: This is the main social and shopping thoroughfare of the ship. It was very clean and even with the expanse of glass windows running the length of the ship... the air conditioning kept it comfortable. Shopping, Shore excursion desk, the "Information" desk, ice cream counter and library/internet cafe are all on this deck. In addition are three lounges. Windjammer is a tiny piano lounge with the lowest seating on the ship. A cozy place... I never got there at night when there was any entertainment. The Sports Illustrated Club is a general purpose facility where different events from Sock Hops to Karaoke were held. Lots of TV's ala every other sports bar in the world. It was a nice place to meet and sit and talk. The Club Internationale is a beautiful room... high, high ceilings and groupings of comfortable chairs and sofas... it was a great place to meet friends for drinks and conversation. Many people take their trays from the buffet to this room to have their lunch or breakfast. I don't think that is what the designers had in mind for this room, but with the lack of comfortable seating at the buffet, there is little other choice. I really liked this room a lot.

Dinner: We were in the Leeward Dining room, main level and Reynald and Isaac were our servers. Excellent service. We had 7 people at a table for 8 and after the first night, the table was set for 7 when we arrived. I requested iced tea the first night and it was served to me every night for the rest of the cruise without my asking. I also requested a chair without arms... and that was also waiting for me every night of the cruise. I make a point of mentioning this excellent service on my comment card... and I tipped these gentlemen accordingly. I prefer "Freestyle" or "Personal Choice" dining, but the service we received at our table was outstanding.

Food: I found the meals in the dining room to be very good... with some being exceptional. For the most part, the beef dishes were the best choices for me, but the Jerk Pork one night was very good! It should be noted that lobster is not served on the Norway. Not a big deal for me, but it's absence was noted by many.

Entertainment: NCL always has great entertainment and this cruise was no exception. The Ann Ryan production shows are great, staffed with some very talented singers and dancers. They work mostly with pre-taped soundtracks. The show band was small but good and the other entertainers were good. One comedian wasn't that great but the others were really good. Most of the comedy shows were held in the North Cape Lounge. This is a nice room for this... one level and the stage extends into the audience. Some seats are actually to the side and behind the stage, and there are a lot of poles in the way so sight lines aren't the greatest, but for comedy shows, this is a good room. The big production shows are held in the Saga Theater. This is a wonderful room for this type of show... no posts to impede your view, a large stage, a good balcony... good sound and lighting. The only drawback is the seating... same type of cheap seating as in my High School Auditorium. Plastic, cushioned seats with plastic armrests... but hey... when the lights went down, the shows were great.

Minor Gripe: I like dining at second seating then going to a show. I like to meet friends for a drink before dinner... but on many of the nights on this cruise, the show for people at second seating is performed BEFORE second seating... at 7 PM. I really hate this but it is not a deal breaker.

Tendering: Anyone who books the Norway should know that they are going to tender into every port. The ship carries it's own 2 tenders and each hold up to 450 people, but even then, it take about 2 hours to get everyone ashore. The do give out tender tickets so you don't wait in line forever, but it does take time to get that many people loaded onto the tenders, get to the dock, then get unloaded and back to the ship. I think NCL could hire a couple of extra tenders in St. Thomas and St. Martin and use 4 loading areas instead of 2 and get the people ashore much more quickly. Again, I know this was going to happen before I ever left home so it isn't a deal breaker, but there is a better way of doing it.

Ports: I am not going to have much to say about these ports... been to both numerous times. At St. Martin we took a cab to a place called Boo Boo Jam on Orient Beach. Nice beach, $5 chair rental, surf was high so swimming wasn't that great but the weather was beautiful and it was a nice day. There is a restaurant there... I thought it a bit over-priced but nothing outrageous. Next time I go I will rent a car and go exploring. St. Thomas we went to Megan's Bay. $6 cab pp each way, $3 pp admission. This place is beautiful! One of the best beaches I have ever been to. With it's sandy bottom, it is not a great place for snorkeling but for a day at the beach, it can't be beat. We brought our own refreshments and chairs so it was a pretty cheap day.

Pretty sight: The day we were in St. Thomas, the QE 2 was also there. Both the Norway and the QE 2 were anchored outside of the harbor. I am not an ocean liner fanatic but it was really nice to see these ships together. While I love the modern cruise ships, I have to admit that most of them look like floating refrigerators and the Norway and QE 2 looked just great... like you imagine an ocean-going ship should look like.

Cookies and Ice Cream: NCL makes great cookies and they are available daily. The Ice Cream counter was usually open from 2 to 5 PM... hand dipped, no charge, cones or cups.

Assorted Observations... good, bad and otherwise. Lifeboat drill was very fast and yes, they did take attendance. It was weird seeing the date 1969 on the life jackets. In many cases, these vests were older than the people wearing them. Too many announcements... WAY too many. The back-office at NCL needs help. Champagne ordered for members of the group wasn't delivered and wouldn't have been if I hadn't gone to the "Information Desk" to inquire. One member of our group was in a cabin that wasn't assigned a cabin steward. The daily "Drink of the Day" was usually pretty good. Did I mention that the cookies were great? Tables and chairs set up along the International Deck were a great place to snack, talk or just people-watch.

Seeing Crew members again: Having sailed on the Norwegian Sea three times in the past few years, I was very happy to see a number of the waiters on the Norway. Yes... they remembered me and we had a chance to talk during the week.

Disembarkation: One good thing about NCL is that you can stay in your cabin until your color tag is called to get off the ship. For some reason, the ship was cleared late and we did not get off the ship until about 10:30. Not NCL's fault.... but here is another glitch. We had purchased transfers from the ship to the FLL airport and when we got off the ship there were no busses. After waiting a while, we were told that a bus would be coming in about a half hour from the Miami airport to take us to FLL. As time was getting short, some of us decided to take cabins... $65. The people who did not take cabs DID make their flights, but I didn't want to take the chance... not knowing how long the lines at FLL would be (turned out to be non-existent). NCL knows exactly how many transfers they sold from the ship to FLL... not having enough busses to take care of everyone is just plain stupid.

OK... re-reading this and it sounds like a lot of petty annoyances but that is pretty much what they were, petty. As a whole, this was a wonderful cruise and like I said in the beginning, I liked cruising on the Norway far more than I thought I would. Yes, it was cheap but it would still be a good value at a higher fare. Are their deficiencies? Yep... but I can ignore them or work around them. Nothing happened to me that was more of a minor inconvenience.

Good friends, a good ship, great weather and a week away from work and a good value. What more could I want?

George in PA

Countryside Travel
www.countryside-travel.com

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