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OVERVIEW On July 29th 2007,
we had the pleasure of sailing on Norwegian Cruise Lines' Norwegian Crown
for 7 days from New York to Bermuda.
The ship is one of the older ships in the fleet which has its
advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages:
- The ship is a nice size at 34,242 tons and 614 feet long, any
location on the ship is easily accessible.
- Because you are sailing with less passengers, you actually get to
know your fellow passengers.
- The crew is very accommodating and the service is very good.
- The food is quite good.
- The staterooms are large compared to many ships of today. We were 4
people in
a room (Quad) and there still was enough room for everyone to get
around and not feel crowded.
- The bathrooms are large and bigger than most found on ships today.
- Cabins have plenty of storage room.
- The ship was very clean.
- The public rooms flow together nicely and the ships is very easy to
become accustomed to.
The disadvantages:
- The ship was not designed with FreeStyle Cruising in mind. Some of the modifications made to the ship to create "Specialty
Restaurants" and other Freestyle perks seem a little disjointed.
- There seemed to be a shortage of crew at times - I think this was
due to the increased number of crew required to support the FreeStyle
Concept and a limited amount of crew accommodations.
- For people who are accustomed to large atriums and lots of glitz -
this is not the ship for you.
- Sometimes there are long lines - especially in the Yacht Club
Buffet.
The ship definitely grows on you. It quickly begins to feel like home
and is ideal for the Bermuda itinerary.
The Norwegian Crown has a traditional Lido Deck, which is not found on
most modern cruise ships today. This is a very nice feature which
allows passengers to sunbath and look out over the pool and the ship's
wake.
The Norwegian Crown has many of the amenities that are found on larger
ships including:
- Spa with various treatments.
- Gymnasium.
- Library.
- Internet Cafe.
- Children and Teen Center.
- Shops.
- Casino with gaming tables.
- Game room.
- Beauty Salon.
- Pool.
- Hot Tubs.
- Disco.
- Arcade (small).
The nicest characteristics of the Norwegian Crown is dictated by her
history. Originally built in 1988 as the Crown Odyssey, of Royal Cruise
Line, she was purposely built for affluent. She sailed primarily in the Mediterranean
during the spring, summer and fall then
world-wide cruising the balance of the year. This upscale clientele demanded spacious
accommodations and a roomy vessel.
In 1989/90 Kloster (then parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line)
purchased, Royal Cruise Line and the continued to operate the ship under
the Royal Cruise Line brand.
The Royal Cruise Line brand was disbanded and the Crown Odyssey was
transferred to NCL. She sailed for NCL as the Norwegian Crown from March,
1996 to May, 2000.
NCL decided to transfer the ship to Orient Lines. Renamed the
Crown Odyssey, she sailed primarily in the Mediterranean.
On September 15, 2003, she
was returned to NCL as the Norwegian Crown
In 2003, she underwent a major refit in preparation for her role,
including the addition of three restaurants - Le Bistro, Italian pasta
cafe and a covered al fresco dining cafe. A children's activity area,
state-of-the-art fitness center and a number of cabins were added while
the spa and casino were expanded.
This will be the Norwegian Crown's last season for NCL. She has been
sold to Fred Olsen Cruise Line who caters mostly to British passengers. NCL has
been chartering the ship back from Fred Olsen for the last year and a
half.
Work has already began on NCL's part, to deactivate the Norwegian Crown,
with all non- essential items being transferred to other NCL vessels.
Items have been transferred to the Norwegian Dawn and the Norwegian Spirit
when the ships are in New York together and to the Norwegian Majesty when in St. George Bermuda.
Item that have already been transferred include holiday
decorations and other items that will not be used.
Representatives from Fred Olsen Lines are already onboard the ship.
They are assuring that NCL is performing the necessary upkeep to make sure
the ship is handed over in pristine condition. The hotel and restaurant
operations personnel from Fred Olsen will be boarding the ship during the
last month of operation for NCL - shadowing the NCL personnel to observe food handling and
hotel operations on this particular vessel.
When the Norwegian Crown finishes her last Bermuda cruise, at the end
of October, NCL will have 3 days to remove all items from the Norwegian
Crown. The ship will be handed-over to Fred Olsen in New York on
November 1st. She will head directly to Lloyd Werft Shipyards in
Germany for renovations.
Fred Olsen intends to increase her life span by performing an extensive
refit on the Norwegian Crown, including inserting a 100+ foot mid-section
in the ship. The new section will add public rooms, balcony accommodations
and an added pool.
Originally Fred Olsen intended to remove the Spa and gym deck which was
recently constructed on the ship - but has now decided to keep the
structure in place. Other work will include the removal of children's
center and restructuring of the existing public rooms and flow.
The fully renovated ship's tonnage will increase to 43,000 tons and
capable of carrying 1,340 passengers double occupancy.
The
Norwegian Crown will be renamed Balmoral and sail worldwide itineraries.
In 2008, she will visit New York on a number of occasions.
I would recommend a cruise on the Norwegian Crown, while there is still
time. She is not a mega-ship and does have imperfections, but over time
she will grow on you - You have to give her a chance. Now (September thru
November) is value season for Bermuda so you can also get a good deal.
I wish her well in her new career with Fred Olsen.
The following Fred Olsen URL will provide you a view and interactive
view of the renovated and extended Balamoral.
http://www.newfredolsenship.co.uk/
Click on the explore tab.
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