Aloha
Dream
Majesty

soon according to this article:

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/ncl-close-to-offloadi...CF39DD67C12590103669

That is a reliable source too. I guess that spells the end of smaller ships in the NCL fleet.

Thanks for the link, Svein. While the departure of N. Dream and my N. Majesty were anticipated, it was previously thought they'd be transfered elsewhere within Star Cruises. Pride of Aloha comes as somewhat of a surprise. She's not even ten years old yet.

It's not a surprise for NCL to lose the Pride of Aloha, after all that was an option for the Apollo buy-in. What is a surprise is how quickly Star Cruises sells her to another cruise line.

Star could use another fairly modern cruise ship about the size of the Aloha.
Maybe when they think the time arises, they can repurchase the Spirit (ex-Leo) from NCL.

With this news, by 2010 the only smaller than Panamax ships in NCL's fleet will be the Spirit, Sun, and Pride of America.

Hello everybody,

according to the full article (now available free of charge), Pullmantur is likely to buy "Pride of Aloha" with "Norwegian Dream" and "Norwegian Majesty" likely going to Louis Cruise lines.

Pullmantur is really expanding these days with the buy of zenith an empress of the seas (am I right they bought her?)

I've sailed on both the Majesty and Dream...Nice ships but not Great.....but any ship is better than no ship at all....but sometimes Bigger isn't Better either....Happy sailing to one and all...

Bob E

I've never been onboard the Dream, but my Majesy is G R E A T!!

There will be nothing like her in the future.

The Majesty isn't going to the breaker yards.
Another cruise line, apparently Louis, will sail her for many more years. Louis sails mostly Greek Islands itineraries, where the Majesty should fit nicely.

Then you might say she started with the greeks and (so far) ended with the greeks

Svein,

given that Pullmantur is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises, I don't they had to "pay" for "Zenith" and "Empress of the Seas". They did buy the former "Tropicale" (which has been renamed "Ocean Dream") last month and will also get "Sovereign of the Seas" later this year. If they also buy "Pride of Aloha" they will have more than 10,500 by the end of this year, more than twice the number they had in early 2007.

I sailed the Dream when it was still the Dreamward. I think it may have been in 1988, sailing from New York to Bermuda. I loved it, even before the stretch and renaming.

Sandy

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy:
I sailed the Dream when it was still the Dreamward. I think it may have been in 1988, sailing from New York to Bermuda. I loved it, even before the stretch and renaming.

Sandy

Must have been after that, since the Dream was built in 1992

quote:

Must have been after that, since the Dream was built in 1992 Wink

Maybe I was dreaming?!?

Yes I guess it was after 1992!

Sandy

Sandy,

I recall your taking that cruise but can't recall the year. The Dreamward wasn't particularly new though, of that I am certain. Or did you also cruise on the Windward, and I am confusing the two?

I wish I could remember the year. I don't recall if I've cruised the Windward. I remember the Dreamward vividly because of the dining room at the back of the ship that had tiered seating, almost stadium seating! And there were tiered seats around the pool, too, which they could cover at night (the pool, that is) and make an additional stage out of it.

Dreamward was stretched in 1998, and we sailed her at least a couple of years before that. It was probably the mid 1990s.

Sandy

Sandy, Windward had exactly the same configuration, but if you cruised to Bermuda, chances are you were on Dreamward. We made a cruise on Dreamward from NYC to Bermuda in June 1995. I look forward to returning next month. While everyone else will be sunning, eating, drinking, or gambling, I'll be checking out the changes to the ship!

Svein, did you notice that we both referred to our favorite ship as "my Majesty?" I'm happy to share.

quote:

Originally posted by LisaP:
Sandy,
Svein, did you notice that we both referred to our favorite ship as "my Majesty?" I'm happy to share.

Hehe.. No, I didn't until now. I think we need to "share" her with tousands with the same opinion both crew and pax She is truly one of a kind and I've been thinking what factors that can make a ship so special for so many.

- First of all she's built in Finland. My experience tells me the finnish really know how to
build ships
- For officers and crew, she's really easy to operate. The layouts of galleys, stores spaces, corridors etc "makes sense". Her bridge layout is the same, and must have been one of the first cruise ships with a "cockpit layout" where the OOW can reach everything from his seat.
- All guests are commenting the happy crew. So why is the crew happy on the Majesty? It can be many things, but for all the years she's been with NCL, she's been doing the Bermuda run every summer. And three nights in Bermuda makes any crew member happy

quote:

First of all she's built in Finland. My experience tells me the finnish really know how to build ships

Excluding the Norway, perhaps the best riding ship I've been on was the Seaward (or Norwegian Sea). It wasn't an elegant ship and it seemed spartan really, but we had some poor seas with quartering swells in the Gulf Of Mexico and that ship handled them very well and there was not a lot of felt motion. It was built in Finland.

Of course, nothing compared to the deep draft steam turbine ride of the Norway.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Beers:

quote:

First of all she's built in Finland. My experience tells me the finnish really know how to build ships

Excluding the Norway, perhaps the best riding ship I've been on was the Seaward (or Norwegian Sea). It wasn't an elegant ship and it seemed spartan really, but we had some poor seas with quartering swells in the Gulf Of Mexico and that ship handled them very well and there was not a lot of felt motion. It was built in Finland.

Of course, nothing compared to the deep draft steam turbine ride of the Norway.

Of course Dave, The Norway was in a class of her own when it came to dealing with rough weather and seas.