My wife and I will be cruising on the Norway Dec 29. We are sailing the Norway because she is the Norway. I enjoy the old ships and the history behind any old ship. So this is no problem my question is about the ports. I have looked at what tours are provided by NCL from the Norway. I truly cannot find a single thing that I care to do.

For those that have sailed the Norway and know her ports, is there any one thing that stands out in the ports that you feel are a must see or do? Laying on a beach or shopping are of absolutely no interest to me.

Thanks for any replies.

I am a bit prejudiced because i am a diver but if you are looking for something different try the intro to scuba from the Coki Beach dive Club ono St Thomas. I do not theink the ship offers this but I went to this operation for the first time last week when the Norway stopped there. They are very friendly,give you one on one service, and very reasonable priced. It is a $7 cag ride to get there and the ride with those cab drivers is more like a roller coaster. On St Martin if you want a laugh you can check out Orient beach. It is clothing optional and most folks there should look in a mirror before they excercise the option. Also just touring the island with a knowledgeable cab driver is interesting. How that island ever gets anything sone is amazing!! Good Luck. By the way the ship is great

Florida Diver thank you for your response it is appreciated.

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Originally posted by PEB:
My wife and I will be cruising on the Norway Dec 29. We are sailing the Norway because she is the Norway. I enjoy the old ships and the history behind any old ship. So this is no problem my question is about the ports. I have looked at what tours are provided by NCL from the Norway. I truly cannot find a single thing that I care to do.

For those that have sailed the Norway and know her ports, is there any one thing that stands out in the ports that you feel are a must see or do? Laying on a beach or shopping are of absolutely no interest to me.

Thanks for any replies.

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We were just on the Norway last week. The snorkeling at Coki Bay Beach was really great-alot of tropical fish and then coral fomations further out. I did see an intro to Scuba class go out and there were 6 participants and one divemaster and one of the participants appeared to be having some difficulty and the divemaster did not appear overly concerned. Now, I don't know if this was the dive operation the other poster referred to. In St. Marten we went to Orient Beach-there was no significant snorkeling there-I also don't shop so I am not sure what else there was to do in St. Martin. I snorkeled at Great Stirrup Caye-although last tender leaves at 6 you probably won't get over to the island until around 2-we were fourth tender off the ship after the tours and didn't get there until 2 and I had one of the first general population tender tickets (after the tours and the suites).Feel free to email me for any more information-I will eventually get around to writing a full review.

I do appreciate the response. It looks like I will be spending the majority of my time onboard the Norway but thats ok with me. I am a certified diver so I may look into that.

PEB, what are your interests besides diving that you like.

Stan

Stan my interests other than diving are to see wildlife and rainforests. I am mainly a cold weather person which is why I live where I live. I actually prefer diving in the cold fresh water lakes around Minnesota, especially Lake Superior, than I do the ocean. I would much rather be in the woods and among trees than in a town or laying on a beach.

The truth is we are sailing the Norway because she is the Norway. I love old ships. If I do not find anything in port to do or see that interests me I will still be happy staying on the Norway.

We also are trying out the Caribbean just to see what others seem to like about it. Our favorite place to cruise is Alaska and we do hope to do Antarctica, so the Caribbean is really something different for us.

Thanks for the info. I think you will really enjoy the Norway. She really is a grand ship. As far as the Caribbean it is strickly fun in the sun. That does not mean that there is no wildlife or trees as such.
St. Thomas as you probably know is well known for its shopping but it does have some nice scenery.
St. Marteen is in my opinion better suited for spending more than a few hours in port. If you get a chance go to the French side. It will be very different than the Dutch side where the ship stops.
St. John is really a nature preserve. Taking a tour of this island is really pretty.

Just keep in mind that these are small islands. They are small and poor except for St. Thomas. Since you say that you have never been, really get off the ship and get to know the islanders. If you do that I think you will like the Caribbean. Whatever you decide enjoy your cruise because the Norway really is a classy ship.

Stan

PEB, sounds like you would like St. John. You can take a ferry from ST. Thomas; they run fairly frequently (about every 1/2 hour) - allow time to get back from the ferry dock to the cruise port, as they are not right together. You can also book a St. John trip by shore excursion through the cruise line, though they will emphasize snorkeling rather than touring the island, I believe - check with the shore exc. desk about their tours there when you board, or check the NCL website or your travel agent for further info.
2/3 of St. John is a national park. Touring the island interior would be interesting, just to get a feel for a different kind of "wilderness" than you are used to; you could combine it with some beach time and/or snorkeling as well if you like. The National Park Service has a visitor center there with maps for hiking trails, etc.
Have a great cruise!
Karen

I appreciate all the comments and advice. Thank you all for helping out.