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Bill A. Belt

Age: 61 to 70
Occupation: Self Employed
Number of Cruises: 6 to 10 Cruises
Ship: Norway
Sailing Date: December 16th, 2000
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean

Sailing on the Norway was out third cruise this year and our first on a NCL ship. We were attracted to the Norway for two reasons. First  the ship was leaving the United States in 2001 for sailing in the Far East and secondly the prices were hard to beat. Since this ship will not be around but for a few more months the review will be limited.

Itinerary ---Not a great one to write home about. Stops at St. Maarten, St.Johns/St.Thomas and Great Stirrup Cay. The rest of the days you are at sea. Due to the draft of this ship there are no actual port stops. The ship is anchored a good distance from the shore/dock and tenders are used to take passengers ashore. This is a long and sometimes confusing task. You wait to get a ticket, you wait for your "ticket" to be called, you wait to board, you wait after you get on board and in all you have wasted upwards of two hours---time that is taken from the ship's scheduled. In St. Maarten the cruise brochures states 9:00AM to 6:30PM. Count on at least two hours --maybe more before you step one foot on shore and the last tender will leave about an hour before the ship is scheduled to sail. Now add 2200 to 2500 passengers trying to get ashore and return and include some crew members that appeared to be trainees and you soon wonder why you bother to leave home. The time spent for the St. Thomas stop was just more of the experience at St. Maarten. Both islands are certainly worth a shore visit but just don't count of the brochure time being available and tenders rides aren't my idea of spending your time wisely. The ship is just too big to dock at these ports. The tender trip to the private island was no better and the island had little to offer in comparison to the hassle with the tenders.

The Ship ---This is an old ship---forty years old--and certainly worth taking a trip on if you like the old ships. The crew worked hard to keep the ship clean. This type of ship is slowly disappearing as the new mega ships are put in service and we are most fortunate to have had the opportunity to sail on one of it's last voyages from the United States. Our room on the Sun Deck was one of those added to the ship about ten years ago and was one of the largest we have had on a cruise ship. It was well maintained, the cabin attendant was excellent, a very large and most complete bathroom. We enjoyed the cabin and balcony very much. We traveled with another party that had an outside cabin on the Atlantic Deck and we can only say--stay away from those rooms. They needed a lot of work to get them into an acceptable condition. During the cruise workmen were working daily to upgrade and replace items such as lighting. Common areas were clean, well lighted and a delight to be in.

Ship's Layout ---I am making a special section for this topic. This is an old ship that was built for two classes of cruise customers. It has been remodeled but the basic structure still remains. To get from the front of the ship to the rear dining room was a nightmare. Don't count on the elevators as they are old and slow. Walking down ten flights of steps is not too bad but walking up ten flights of steps will eventually get to you. Taking a particular stairwell will not necessarily get you to the floor you anticipated. You need to spend some time reviewing the ship's layout and the various stairwells, otherwise you will begin to feel like a "rat in a maze".

Food ---Don't expect a lot and you won't be disappointed. This is not gourmet food. It is adequate. Our waiter didn't always get the order correct and sometimes we never did receive an ordered food item. Baked Alaska is a cake with a tin foil cup containing lighter fluid set on top of the cake. OK--enough said. Maybe the chef really believes that is "Baked Alaska". Our waiter was nice and very accommodating especially to the four children we had in our party.

Alternative dining ---The food on the back deck was just food. The whole area needs to be scraped and a new dining area built. The supper club was nice, but be prepared to pay an extra $10 per person cover charge to eat in the supper club. Room service is excellent. Orders always correct, food good and always on time. Good place for afternoon snacks was the Sports Bar. Not too crowded.

Ship Personnel ---Ever been on a ship where there were personnel that could care less about you as a customer. I think this crew did their very best to treat you as a good customer that might come back for another cruise. Very good crew----only one jerk---the shore kid who snapped at a 12 year old girl during the evacuation drill. She didn't have a life vest and was just inquiring of her parents since she saw everyone else with a life vest. Wasn't my child--if it had been I would have gone to a supervisor. Oh yes--there were three of us in the cabin but only two life vest. When we ask for another it took over two hours to deliver. Also the life vest were dirty and not very well kept. Would probably float but don't count on the whistles, etc all working.

Entertainment ---The casino was friendly and clean. Good staff. The shows were acceptable. Just don't count on Broadway performances and you won't be disappointed.

Check-In ---This is always a problem with a lot of passengers. We stayed at a hotel the evening before and NCL had 5 or 6 staff there to assist passengers. Great ideal--but not very courteous staff. In fact NCL could get rid of four of them and the check in would probably run smoother. Having sent all the pre-registration materials in weeks before we thought we would be in great shape. Not so--had to fill all those forms out again at the hotel.

In reading the above I know that I have listed a lot of negatives however in general the cruise was very good and the price paid  made the difference. If I had paid a full retail price I would have been upset. You get what you pay for and we got a good deal. We will probably never to get to sail on another old classy ship like the Norway. We will always remember this trip and not let the negatives override the positives.

Disembarkation ---Excellent---baggage in place, transportation as promised waiting for passengers.

Check Out ---Smooth and our bill 100% correct. The retail shops did not contain a lot of merchandise. A customer in front of us wanted some after shave and was told they had sold out the first day. My wife ask for a brand name cologne and was told they sold out the second day. Photos are the same you'll find on most cruise ships. Way too many--but you don't have to purchase any if you don't want them.

If all you have traveled on are the new "glass and chrome" ships, then a trip on the Norway would be a different experience worth trying. Just keep telling yourself the ship is 40 years old and the staff is in training and the cruise will be a "breeze".

"A TIP" ---The "docking" at St. Thomas was on a day when there were ten (10) cruise ships docked at the same time. Check other ship schedules and try not to be at the same port when there are nine other ships at the same time. Never--never pay anywhere close to "brochure rate" for a cruise. One person was very upset when she found out the rate paid by the people in the cabin next to her was considerably lower than the "guaranteed low rate" quoted by her travel agent and which she paid for this cruise. Avoid "tenders" if at all possible. Check to see that the ship actually docks at a dock.

At 75 cents per minute (that's $45.00 per hour) the Internet service is not worth it. If you need Internet to check email there were locations on shore that were priced reasonably.

Would we go again---sure would---now that we know the ship's layout--we would select a room that would be closer to activities.

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