Memories

It is fitting that she was renamed “The Blue Lady” for her last voyage into eternity. From 1980 to 2006 she was indeed a glamorous, if somewhat impetuous, grand blue lady known to the cruising world as The Norway. To the hundreds of thousands of guests she carried over the years, the ss Norway represented a chance to enjoy the last vestiges of ocean liner style cruising. And while operated as a “mass market” product by Norwegian Cruise Lines, the physical layout of the ship and the fact that she began life as French Line’s ss France was enough to remind her fans of this special ship’s ocean liner heritage. Many new ships with unique features and designs were introduced during the Norway’s reign as queen of the Caribbean, but she remained in a class by herself.

The Norway will always have a special place in my heart for two reasons. It was “my ship” in the sense that as the newly appointed Director of Marketing for Norwegian Caribbean Lines in Miami in 1980, my main job was to oversee the production of advertising campaigns, brochures and inauguration plans for this incredible ship. But even more importantly, I met my wife of 26 years on the Norway employee cruise! Today, we both remain in the industry we love.

It saddens me that her fans were never able to give the Norway a proper farewell. Recently, the QE 2 was retired to Dubai with grace and dignity. Unfortunately, a series of misfortunes dictated that our Norway would not have this same honor. I am actually relieved that the ship breakers in Alang, India have finally taken the last piece of this historic vessel. It pained me to see images of the ship being cannibalized section by section. So, here we won’t dwell on what is, but what was – great memories, nostalgia and a salute to the Norway in her heyday, complete with the greatness and the not so great things that happened.

In reflecting about the many people who loved and miss this ship, I thought how about a “reunion” of sorts. Obviously, we can’t sail again or even visit the ship. Second best idea? Gather together on a cruise and give the old girl a proper going away tribute. A retirement party, a wake, a reunion, or whatever you wish to call it. I thought it would be interesting to do this on an NCL ship and, while their new fleet looks nothing like our Norway, it would be a fitting place to gather to share our stories, memories and cruise experiences. So, let’s do it!

I have blocked some group space with a large national agency, Cruise Planners for the October 24, 2009 departure of the Norwegian Pearl from Miami to the Eastern Caribbean. We are inviting the former captain and other key players from the early Norway era to join us. We are setting up a web site to provide specific information, reservations and complete program details.

Even if you can’t join us, I would love this blog to evolve into a place where you can come to share stories so that we don’t let the memory of this great ship disappear. In future posts, I will share several stories from industry friends who worked at NCL during the reign of our Norway. And by all means, please share your with us all.