So, why is it even called "Norwegian" Cruise Line?

[snoopysnake]

Just had my first cruise on Norwegian (on the Pearl) and as someone with half-Norwegian ancestry, I was disappointed not to find ANYTHING on the ship connecting it to Norway.  I didn't really expect to, I just wanted to.  Imagine going to a bar called "O'Leary's Irish Pub" and not finding any Irish things in it?

 

Uff da!  Couldn't they have at least have some Norway decor somewhere on the ship?  Something Norwegian on the menus or in the gift shops?  If the line wants to have "separation of ship and Norway" then why do they keep the name?

 

Those of you who are veteran NCL cruisers, has this always been the case?  Was there ever any thing Norwegian to enjoy on board?

 

BTW, I have been on a cruise to Norway (2012, Vision of the Seas) and hope to return before I am too old!  (My Norwegian grandma lived to be 98, but still...)

[deepbluediver]

It's just a name with very loose ties to a founder who was Norwegian.

 

From the Wiki page for NCL: "The cruise line was founded in 1966 by Norwegian Knut Kloster and Israeli Ted Arison, with the 8,666-ton, 140-m long cruise ship/car ferry, Sunward,^[4] which in 1966 operated as a car ferry between Southampton UK and Gibraltar, for that one short season only. The Sunward was first managed under the Arison Shipping Company, and marketed as Ensign Cruises.^[5] Arison soon left to form Carnival Cruise Lines, while Kloster acquired additional ships for Caribbean service, with the line renamed and marketed as Norwegian Caribbean Line."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Cruise_Line

 

BTW, there's also nothing "Royal" about Royal Caribbean cruise line either. Don't read too much into any name. It's all marketing.

[ColeThornton]

All the stewards and cooks are descended from Norwegian Vikings

[don't-use-real-name]

You want something Noregian from the Galley - I'll give you - LUTEFISK !

 

[graphicguy]

Quick Wikipedia search and you find this....

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Cruise_Line

[BirdTravels]

35 minutes ago, snoopysnake said:

Just had my first cruise on Norwegian (on the Pearl) and as someone with half-Norwegian ancestry, I was disappointed not to find ANYTHING on the ship connecting it to Norway.  I didn't really expect to, I just wanted to.  Imagine going to a bar called "O'Leary's Irish Pub" and not finding any Irish things in it?

 

Uff da!  Couldn't they have at least have some Norway decor somewhere on the ship?  Something Norwegian on the menus or in the gift shops?  If the line wants to have "separation of ship and Norway" then why do they keep the name?

 

Those of you who are veteran NCL cruisers, has this always been the case?  Was there ever any thing Norwegian to enjoy on board?

 

BTW, I have been on a cruise to Norway (2012, Vision of the Seas) and hope to return before I am too old!  (My Norwegian grandma lived to be 98, but still...)

Probably for the same reason you don’t find Royalty on Royal Caribbean or Princesses on Princess Cruise Line (they are over on Disney). 

[ColeThornton]

6 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Quick Wikipedia search and you find this....

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Cruise_Line

 

Quick reading of the thread shows that in post #2.    🙂

[Homosassa]

As someone who cruised Norwegian Caribbean Line back in the seventies, yes, there were some Norwegian offerings in the dining room.

 

Royal Caribbean is also Norwegian in origin.  However, it's claim to fame was the Danish chocolate  that made its appearances on both the pillows at night and in the fabulous chocolate desserts.  Sadly the high quality chocolate and desserts disappeared from the Royal Caribbean ships in the first decade of the 2000s.    It was available on Celebrity (still is) and on Azamara.

 

Other cultural  connections that have disappeared over time in food and activities on board for various lines are as follows:

 

Celebrity: Greek 

 

Princess (Sitmar): Italian

 

Holland America: Dutch

 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

40 minutes ago, snoopysnake said:

as someone with half-Norwegian ancestry

Skol brother!!  Dad was 100% Norwegian and Mom was darned close.  Dad could speak Norwegian and we recited the Norwegian dinner prayer, in Norwegian, every time we had supper.

 

44 minutes ago, snoopysnake said:

Uff da! 

That proves that you are Norwegian.  We weren't allowed to say dang in our house.  Uff da was the only acceptable utterance of disgust.

40 minutes ago, snoopysnake said:

Was there ever any thing Norwegian to enjoy on board?

Yes!!  We're Norwegian and can certainly be enjoyed every time we sail!  Of course, I've been told that not everybody enjoys the @ChiefMateJRK, but there is plenty of room on the ship for all.🐀

 

5 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Probably for the same reason you don’t find Royalty on Royal Caribbean or Princesses on Princess Cruise Line (they are over on Disney). 

Inaccurate!  (see above) 😎

[www3traveler]

Norwegian has several Captains from Norway and at least one Chief Engineer.

[cruiservictor]

We cruised many times with Chief Engineer Anders Nadal on the Breakaway. He would say that when he was onboard, that was the only time the Breakaway would have a Norwegian crew member. 

[Robkat]

35 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Probably for the same reason you don’t find Royalty on Royal Caribbean or Princesses on Princess Cruise Line (they are over on Disney). 

Funny!  

And, I'll add, no celebrities on Celebrity (although guess that COULD be a possibility! 😆)

As mentioned above, DH reminded me that we've often had Scandinavian captains on NCL cruises.

Just got struck by this odd memory ... When we were crusing quite a bit on Holland America, they'd have a Dutch night in the MDR and at each table, there'd be these very strange and not very attractive paper hats that were, I guess, supposed to be Dutch.  We didn't particularly like wearing them, but didn't want to appear like spoilsports, so we'd put them on for a few minutes and once the section was filled (this was back in the days of fixed dining with the same people seated all around you each night), we'd surreptitiously slide them off!  😆😆

[wolft927]

I worked on board NCL ships from 2002 to 2007, I can absolutely say back then there where many offficers from Norway 

[Wedgie Wedgie]

Seems almost every cruise the capn tells us about his "wessel". Sounds Norwegian to me.

[Lakesregion]

5 hours ago, snoopysnake said:

Just had my first cruise on Norwegian (on the Pearl) and as someone with half-Norwegian ancestry, I was disappointed not to find ANYTHING on the ship connecting it to Norway.  I didn't really expect to, I just wanted to.  Imagine going to a bar called "O'Leary's Irish Pub" and not finding any Irish things in it?

 

Uff da!  Couldn't they have at least have some Norway decor somewhere on the ship?  Something Norwegian on the menus or in the gift shops?  If the line wants to have "separation of ship and Norway" then why do they keep the name?

 

Those of you who are veteran NCL cruisers, has this always been the case?  Was there ever any thing Norwegian to enjoy on board?

 

BTW, I have been on a cruise to Norway (2012, Vision of the Seas) and hope to return before I am too old!  (My Norwegian grandma lived to be 98, but still...)

Many years ago NCL was an upscale ocean liner company operating under the Norwegian Flag. Over the years it slide way down in fashion and style. Only in the last few years have they tried to bring back some level of civilization to the uber casual aspects of the offerings.

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 minutes ago, Lakesregion said:

Over the years it slide way down in fashion and style. Only in the last few years have they tried to bring back some level of civilization to the uber casual aspects of the offerings.

Fashion and style?  Civilization?  Do you not like casual on vacation?

[foodsvcmgr]

Although there are few if any Norwegian references left on NCL, I would respectfully disagree about the other lines mentioned.

Celebrity still has a preponderance of Greek officers.

Princess still has many Italian maitre d’s and an Italian speciality in the MDR nightly.

Holland America still has many Dutch officers, some ships feature a Royal Dutch Cafe and a few Dutch items show up in the MDR.

[pcakes122]

3 hours ago, wolft927 said:

I worked on board NCL ships from 2002 to 2007, I can absolutely say back then there where many offficers from Norway 

Many of the crew members (not just officers) were Norwegian when NCL began, and it remained that way through at least the 80s (similar in numbers to the Filipino population on board these days!)

 

I know this because my sister (American from NJ), originally an NCL cruise consultant in Miami, met her husband (Norwegian) when she took an onboard position at Guest Services back in those days.  They were married on a turnaround day by the ship's chaplain (a member of the Norwegian Seaman's Church.)  (Side note..the theme from "The Love Boat" was played at their reception - it was that era! lol.) The crew mess served Norwegian food every day -  and there were Norwegian specialties on the passenger menu as well!

 

Onboard life at that time was a very tight Norwegian community. 😊  Anyway, many of those folks are still in touch and have a private FB group.  My sister and her Norwegian hubby are still going strong lol

 

The best part of this for me was that friends and family cruised (at that time) for $25 a day.  Because my sister had friends in the Miami office, my first cruise ever was on the SS Norway in a Pool Deck Suite for $175 for the week. 

 

Anyway, yes! NCL actually used to be a Norwegian cruise line at one time! (Btw, NCL originally stood for Norwegian Caribbean Line, but the name was changed as they added more itineraries.)

[Captain_McSorely]

4 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Skol brother!!  Dad was 100% Norwegian and Mom was darned close.  Dad could speak Norwegian and we recited the Norwegian dinner prayer, in Norwegian, every time we had supper.

 

That proves that you are Norwegian.  We weren't allowed to say dang in our house.  Uff da was the only acceptable utterance of disgust.

Yes!!  We're Norwegian and can certainly be enjoyed every time we sail!  Of course, I've been told that not everybody enjoys the @ChiefMateJRK, but there is plenty of room on the ship for all.🐀

 

Inaccurate!  (see above) 😎

 

SKOL brother 🐀!

[Lakesregion]

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Fashion and style?  Civilization?  Do you not like casual on vacation?

There is casual and then there is casual. Baseball hats worn backwards is not casual it is sloppy. same with wife beaters and other such garb. Remember casual at the Breakers in Palm Beach is not the same as casual at bubba's BBQ lodge.

[graphicguy]

7 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Quick reading of the thread shows that in post #2.    🙂

Ooops… didn’t peruse the whole thread.

[brad0576]

9 hours ago, snoopysnake said:

Just had my first cruise on Norwegian (on the Pearl) and as someone with half-Norwegian ancestry, I was disappointed not to find ANYTHING on the ship connecting it to Norway.  I didn't really expect to, I just wanted to.  Imagine going to a bar called "O'Leary's Irish Pub" and not finding any Irish things in it?

 

Uff da!  Couldn't they have at least have some Norway decor somewhere on the ship?  Something Norwegian on the menus or in the gift shops?  If the line wants to have "separation of ship and Norway" then why do they keep the name?

 

Those of you who are veteran NCL cruisers, has this always been the case?  Was there ever any thing Norwegian to enjoy on board?

 

BTW, I have been on a cruise to Norway (2012, Vision of the Seas) and hope to return before I am too old!  (My Norwegian grandma lived to be 98, but still...)

Why is Royal caribbean royal....I have never seen a Princess on Princess..... or a Celebrity on Celebrity....or a Virgin on Virgin lol

[PATRLR]

4 hours ago, brad0576 said:

or a Virgin on Virgin lol

How do you know that? 😉

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by PATRLR

[Karaboudjan]

12 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

Many years ago NCL was an upscale ocean liner company operating under the Norwegian Flag. 

Do you have a source for that?  The only NCL connection to ocean liners that I can find is them buying and operating the France.  There was a Norwegian American Line but they appear to have been entirely unrelated to NCL/Norwegian Caribbean Line.

[deliver42]

Does all this nonsense mean Virgin Cruise lines is only for virgins?