schramm@tymix.UUCP (Steve Schramm) (04/09/85)
So, how was your cruise? Specifically, what were your thoughts on: 1) the ship (size, layout, ride) 2) food and service 3) length of time at ports you visited 4) suggestions and tips. You see, me 'n' my SO are going on a cruise in September, and we're still trying to decide which company to go with. We'll be going on a ten day cruise, so please, PLEASE, tell me what you can...Thanks! -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "You are about to enter another dimension..."
doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (04/12/85)
I think the question is of enough general interest to warrant posting
the response...
My wife and I took a 7-day cruise on the SS Norway (Norwegian-Caribbean
Lines) last May. Very nice.
The Norway is unusual as a cruise ship, since it was originally built
as a trans-Atlantic ocean liner, the SS France. The sucker is *BIG*.
The cabins are larger than on most cruise ships (most are unbelievably
teensy-weensy, at least on the Norway both of you can stand up at the
same time...). The ride was very smooth, but if you've not been aboard
a ship before you should know that since the ocean heaves up and down,
all ships will rise and fall. What differs is whether the ship rocks
and tips at the same time, which the Norway doesn't.
Lots of deck space, three swimming pools (one indoors, large enough to
swim laps).
Because the Norway was originally an ocean liner with two classes of
service, the ship's layout is not optimum. You really need to plan out
your route to get from point A to point B, or you'll be climbing and
descending lots of stairs unnecessarily, and following a lot of blind
alleys (not the correct nautical term :-) This was my biggest problem.
The service was great. The food was fine, but cruise food is usually
superb, so being just "fine" is sort of knocking it.
The itinerary was a daytime stopover at St. Thomas, another at Nassau,
and a third at a private "out island" owned by NCL and used exclusively
for the Norway. The other NCL ships visit a different private "out
island". At first I thought that there wouldn't be enough ports of
call, but it turned out that I actually preferred having a day of rest
between days of sightseeing and partying.
I had expected to be bored while stuck on the ship; I'm not a "kick back
and relax" kind of person. But there was plenty to do; in fact we had
to miss some stuff that we would have liked to have done. And for the
slack times, the Norway has color TV in the cabins :-) (well, it's
closed-circuit, and they run shows that they video-taped while in port).
One point about the Norway -- its draft is too great to allow it into
any of the harbors that it visits. All passengers are transported from
ship to shore on "tenders" which the Norway carries on board. I didn't
find that to be at all a problem, but some people do object.
--
Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{hao,ihnp4,decvax}!noao!terak!doug