Travel Weekly senior editor Michele McDonald sailed aboard
a new entrant in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet. Her report
follows:
ABOARD THE NORWEGIAN CROWN -- Can a ship be "too classy for the
Caribbean"?
That was the question posed by some passengers on a recent
sailing of the Norwegian Crown, which joined the Norwegian Cruise
Line fleet 10 months ago.
NCL has, in a sense, answered the question: It recently
announced that the Norwegian Crown will head south of the Equator
-- the first of its fleet to do so -- and be permanently based
during winters in South America.
The "too classy" comments might have been overstating the case,
but the Norwegian Crown has been something of an anomaly in its
market niche.
Built in 1988 as the Crown Odyssey for Royal Cruise Line, the
ship was designed for the traditional ambience of European cruising
rather than the casual, outdoorsy milieu of the Caribbean.
Cabins are roomier than usual, and the public areas are more
spacious, with a lot less neon than one would expect in such a
venue.
Subdued colors and marble and brass touches distinguish the
ship; the Rendezvous Bar, located off the Stardust Lounge, has a
stained-glass ceiling.
The Seven Continents dining room is elegant enough that the
baked-Alaska conga line seemed simply weird.
In addition to its European character, the Norwegian Crown also
was built to negotiate the more unpredictable waters of Europe.
"She is," said Capt. Tom Strom, "just more ship," with a deeper
draft than the larger Windward.
That factor stood the Norwegian Crown in good stead this fall,
as Tropical Storm Marco played a cat-and-mouse game with weather
experts in the Caribbean.
The new itineraries are designed to make better use of the
ship's qualities, in terms of both sturdiness and character ("She's
too much of a lady to get sand in her skirts," one agent said).
Beginning in January 1998, the Crown will operate 14-day cruises
between Santiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Chilean ports of call include Puerto Montt, Puerto Chacabuco and
Punta Arenas.
Passengers will cruise the channels of Patagonia, lined by
majestic glaciers that rival those of Alaska.
These include the Beagle Channel, named for the ship that
carried the most famous naturalist of his time, Charles Darwin,
over the same waters.
The ship also will call at Ushuaia, on the Argentine side of
Tierra del Fuego.
A visit to Cape Horn will offer the opportunity for Antarctica
flightseeing as well as seeing one of the truly "uttermost" parts
of the earth.
The remaining port calls are Port Stanley in the Falkland
Islands, Puerto Madryn, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay, before
finishing up at Buenos Aires.
Prices will range from $2,499 to $6,899.
Repositioning cruises to and from Miami will sail on Jan. 3 and
March 14, visiting Grand Cayman; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; a Panama
Canal transit; Salinas, Ecuador; Lima, Peru, and Arica and
Antofagasta, Chile.
The ship will continue to spend summers in Europe.
Before the Norwegian Crown embarks on the South American
cruises, a scheduled drydock will add one of the favorite features
of the NCL fleet: Le Bistro, the line's signature alternative
open-seating restaurant.
But the Sports Bar and Grill that has become a trademark of
NCL's newer ships will not make its way to the Crown; it would, in
fact, stick out like a sore thumb on both the ship and the
itineraries.
Meanwhile, the Crown has some nice touches of its own, including
a comfortable nook of the Top of the Crown Lounge where cigar
aficionados can indulge and socialize amid the white wicker
furnishings; the atmosphere is so convivial that even people who
aren't wild about cigars tend to hang around.
The main section of the Top of the Crown, currently affording a
fabulous view of islands, sunsets and Caribbean Sea, will be a
spectacular venue for sailing among the Chilean fjords.
The white, wood-paneled Lido Lounge is so secluded that some
passengers never find it, which makes it a snug and quiet haven for
those who do.
Alas, future passengers might never get the opportunity; it
might be sacrificed to make room for Le Bistro.
That should not be too great a hardship, though, given that the
ship has a total of six bars and five lounges.
Passengers can atone for the excesses in the well-appointed
bottom-deck spa, which has a nice range of exercise equipment and
an indoor pool.
Keep in mind, also, that January to March is summertime down
south, so those Penthouse Deck spa pools will not go to waste.