What happened to NCL MS Southward ?

I worked on the Southward in the late 80's - i was working in the Gift Shop - does any one rember the Fashion Shows we put on...!!! How embarrassing...!!!

Jo

:):)The Southward, ah our first cruise. It was a 4 day out of Long Beach in about 1987. It was great, they even handed out party poppers to everyone as were departed the port. Back then we did most of our travels with a motorhome as a family. At first my wife was in fear of becoming sea sick so she wore THOSE patchs, you know the ones that make you look like a alien..She was not sure if she would enjoy the water. Funny thing she told me on the road back home when I asked her how she liked the cruise? All she said was SELL THE MOTORHOME, so now we'll be taking our :)31st:) cruise in about 3 weeks--need I say more....

We sailed on the Southward on our honeymoon. It was our first cruise in November, 1983. We loved it so much we booked it again in January, 1985. The cruise director was awesome, Sandy Mc Nichol from Scotland. I was told many years later by a captain that he owns and operates a pub in Scotland.

We didn't cruise for 12 years after the '85 cruise (we had 2 kids) but are leaving next week on our 15th.

I believe my wife and I experienced the Southward before any of you!:)

We honeymooned in June, 1973 on the Southward. It was a 5 day cruise out of Charleston to Nassau. It was our first cruise. We were just married, with newly minted college degrees. I had nothing to compare to, as it was our first cruise. We had a good time.

Turned out one of the couples at our table had just left the aerospace company in Florida I was reporting to after the cruise - said it was a lousy place to work!!:( His wife about smacked him! Don't poison his opinion, she said.

Turned out he was right - I left after 2 years and joined the company I retired from after 34 years in 2008.

We normally take escorted tours around the world (we have 46 countries under our belts) but cruise occasionally. Did another Caribbean in 1989, Aegean in 2004, and Mediterranean in 1997 (Carnival Freedom, 2nd cruise after its inauguration). We are doing 15 day Panama Canal (California to Miami) on one of the Celebrity boats next month. Look forward to it.

ms Southward (1971-present) Built in 1971 by Cantiere Navali dell Tirreno e Riuniti, S.p.A, Riva Trigoso (Genoa), Italyas ms Southward for Norwegian Caribbean Line (NCL). NCL, at that time, was jointly owned by Norwegian Knut Kloster and Israeli Ted Arison, founder of Carnival Cruise Line. That arrangement was dissolved in late 1971 however and Klosters Rederi A/S took over the NCL operation. Southward was designed for the North American cruise market and delivered to her owners in November 1971.

Following a transatlantic crossing, she was christened on 30 November 1971 in Miami, Fl. This was the first time a new cruise ship was not christened at the shipyard were she was built, but instead in the port of her area of operations. The trademark of Norwegian Caribbean Line at the time were twin swept-back funnels and an orange sunburst painted on the sides of their ships.

Southward was NCL's fourth cruise ship, the others being Sunward (1966), Starward (1968), and Skyward (1969). Initially, she was operated on Caribbean cruises out of Miami. In 1987 however, she was dispatched to the west coast of the United States to begin operating out of Los Angeles (San Pedro) on three and four-night cruises to Catalina Island, San Diego and Ensenada, BC, Mexico. As a result of this move Norwegian Caribbean Line changed its name to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) in late 1987.

In 1995, Southward was sold to Sun Cruises, the cruise division of UK-based all-inclusive travel company Airtours plc, who renamed her Seawing. Sun Cruises was founded a year earlier, in April 1994, to provide British holidaymakers with air and sea vacation packages at affordable rates. Seawing began operating for Sun Cruises in March 1995 cruising the Mediterranean in spring and summer and the Far East in the winter season. In February 2002, the new name of 'My Travel plc' was adopted by all the former Airtours brands, resulting in a change of house colors on its four cruise ships, Seawing (1995), Carousel (1995), Sundream (1996) and Sunbird (1999).

From May to October 2002, MyTravel's Seawing operated seven-night round trip cruises from Limassol, Cyprus into the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. From October 2002 to April 2003, she ran fourteen, sixteen and thirty-night cruises to the Far East including port calls at/in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. While in the Far East, Seawing also operated seven-night round trips from Phuket, Thailand. Then in April 2003 Seawing returned to the Mediterranean and Aegean, picking up where she left off with seven-night cruises from Limassol.

When Airtours decided to pull out of the cruise vacation and ship ownership business in 2004, Seawing was purchased by the then Greek arm of Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Line and renamed Perla. After a winter in the Far East, Louis operated her on cruises out of Piraeus to the Greek Islands and Turkey in 2005.

In May 2008, she was chartered to Greece-based Golden Sun Cruises and renamed The Aegean Pearl, operating three and four-day Greek island cruises from Piraeus. Her first cruise for Golden Sun took place on 19 May 2008.

That charter ended in 2009 and the ship was returned to Louis Cruise Line; however, her name has remained The Aegean Pearl up to now.

Some add'l pics of the former Southward:

Thanks for the picture, I should look back in my files to see what I have.

My wife and I sailed on her in October 1985 it was her first cruise. We had a great time on this cruise, we had a large table in the dinning room with a newly wed couple, I think a 50th anniversary, 25th anniversary it seemed like there was always some activity at our table. The husband of the newly wed couple was a military guy and he could eat, we always new he would have one of everything on the menue.

I would like to go back on her for a cruise just to see what it is like today.

Happy sailing

Brian J

My first cruise was on NCL's Southward in August of 1984. I was with another single buddy of mine and our travel agent booked us through an organization called Single World. It was one of the most memorable weeks of my life! I am still close friends with a girl I met on that cruise. Since that week I have cruised ten more times and can't wait to plan another one.

Thank you Copper10-8 for all the info and pictures. My wife and I sailed on the Southward for our honeymoon cruise in August 1986 out of Miami. We sailed on her again in 1992 out of Los Angeles. Have very fond memories from the Southward.

I believe my wife and I experienced the Southward before any of you!:)

 

We honeymooned in June, 1973 on the Southward. It was a 5 day cruise out of Charleston to Nassau. It was our first cruise. We were just married, with newly minted college degrees. I had nothing to compare to, as it was our first cruise. We had a good time.

 

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I might have you beat, I too was on the Southward in 1973. I have to dig a bit to find out what month. I'm the little guy.

I sailed the Southward in 1980 and remember the hammocks they had on the in between open deck area.I loved that section of the ship and spent many hours in the hammock having afternoon cocktails.

Does anyone remember the hammocks?

Ginnie

OMG talk about bringing back a memory! My sister and I loved those things! We were on the Southward three times - 1973, 1974 and 1979. I totally remember the hammocks! There I am with my family at dinner -1979. I'm the King! LOL

We sailed on the Southward on our honeymoon. It was our first cruise in November, 1983. We loved it so much we booked it again in January, 1985. The cruise director was awesome, Sandy Mc Nichol from Scotland. I was told many years later by a captain that he owns and operates a pub in Scotland.

 

We didn't cruise for 12 years after the '85 cruise (we had 2 kids) but are leaving next week on our 15th.

We also sailed on the Southward for our honneymoon in April, 1983. We never sailed again till 2001 because of starting our family. We will be sailing our 6th cruise in 2 weeks.:)

My wife and I cruised the Southward in March 88. A ten day cruise out of Miami.

The Southward was my very first cruise in 1983--been hooked on cruising since!:D

We cruised on the Southward on our Honeymoon November 20Th 1985. We were chased around the Carribean by a hurricane. We Loved that ship. It seemeed so big back then. We were on the Mariner of The Seas last week and when you compair pictures its amazing how much cruise ships have changed.

The Southward was our second cruise, a 3-day out of LA, to Catalina and Ensenada, back in about 1991. I recently had to dig up the receipt from that cruise to prove to NCL that we were "past guests". Would you believe we paid more for that cruise than we paid last June for a 3-day out of Miami to the Bahamas?

WOW!! So did we! Sept 24, 1988. Ours was a 4day to San Diego, Catalina & Ensenada. Great fun and it got us hooked but we didn't cruise again until 2004, and have been every year since then. Will be on Sapphire Princess 3/31! for the California Coastal! Yay!!

~Darnell & Sherrie~

Yeah, always wondered what happened to the ship...

This was also our first cruise but I can't remember the exact year -- I know it was mid 1980's. We are cruising NCL again this July in Hawaii and they don't have a record of us being previous cruisers with them. I need to look up the old pics so I can email them to show we should already be Latitude members. We have cruised 5 time since then and have 3 more planned. I can't believe how small that ship seems now and how big it felt back then....LOL!!!

I know this thread is old, but I came across it as I was curious about it and searched on it. It was also my very first cruise in the early 90's. I cannot believe how small it was back then, compared to what we sail on today. I remember the food was fantastic and the service was outstanding. My cabin was literally at the very front/tip of the ship. It was a cabin for a solo cruiser...and literally like a broom closet..lol! I felt every bit of movement up and down and got very seasick. Somehow I remember the CD's name..Bruce (don't ask me how I remember after all these years). Ports were Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic..the place looked like ground zero and I swore I'd never go back there), St.Thomas, Puerto Rico and Nassau. I also remember entering the costume party, which was something they often did back on cruise ships back then.

Sounds like many fond memories of the Southward. Nice to see she still sails in our heads.

My DH and I also sailed on the Southward for our honeymoon, Dec 1987. We just absolutely loved her. It was an 8 day western caribbean out of Miami. I still think the dining was the best we ever enjoyed. I have the fondest memories of our table mates. They were an older couple, maybe even in there 80's. They'd sailed on dozens of cruises and had so many fun stories. The one thing I do remember that we still laugh about happened at the last dinner onboard everyone gave their tips as we were being seated. Then all the wonderful service came to a halt. They never picked up a single plate, and we sat with all the dishes stacking up as we finished each course. The couple we ate with had warned us this would happen. But it was the only time we ever experienced it. I guess after receiving their tip they were done for the cruise. It was hysterically funny.

The M/S Southward was my first cruise in 1982. I was only 16 at the time and it started a love for cruising. I went with my dad in June of '82 to the Western Caribbean. I believe our waiter or busboy's name was Hong and was one of the best servers I've ever encountered. He was so much fun. I met a girl from Chattanooga and it became a Love Boat Experience that I'll never forget. I've been on several since but nothing compares to the first. I would have stayed on the ship for another month if they would have let me.

I joined NCL in May of 1992 and was first assigned to the Seaward then to the Norway. My time on the Norway was cut short (thankfully) as they needed someone on the Southward. When I saw the ship for the first time in March of 1993, the first thought in my mind (coming from the Norway) was "Where's the rest of the ship?". I served on her from that day until it left San Pedro on January 2, 1995. Luckily, when Air Tours bought the ship, they had no clue how to run it so part of the sale agreement was that NCL would furnish the crew for the first two years. I sailed the ship from San Pedro to Palermo, Sicily for refurbishing to Air Tours specs, and then on to Palma de Mallorca as our first home port. I finally left the Seawing in March 1996 when I was diagnosed as having cancer and was sent back to Miami. In all I spent 3 years on that ship and can honestly say she was the BEST ship I was on. I made many friends on that ship, both PAX and crew, especially in California, and mantain those friendships until today! This thread certainly brought back many, many pleasant memories!:)

She's not doing well at present:

http://maritimematters.com/2012/08/venus-former-southward-arrested-in-israel/

Our first cruise was on the Southward. We sailed out of Miami in May, 1972. Wow! That was a long time ago!:)