Voyages of the Past: a Day Aboard Norwegian Wind

By Aaron Saunders On May 17, 2011 · 1 Comment

Today, we take you back to July 1998 and Alaska aboard the Norwegian Wind.

Built for Norwegian Cruise Line in 1993 as the Windward, the big news in 1998 was her refurbishment and subsequent lengthening at the Blohm + Voss shipyards in Germany. Cut clean in half, she had a new midsection inserted that contained more staterooms, an additional swimming pool, a new Four Seasons dining room, and an expanded set of public lounges.

Emerging as Norwegian Wind, she still had that ‘new ship smell’ when we sailed aboard her in July 1998 on a roundtrip Alaska cruise from Vancouver. But although 1998 wasn’t that long ago, there were some major differences between this sailing and any modern cruise: there was no such thing as passenger internet aboard ships at this time (not to mention WiFi). Seating was fixed for dinner, and assigned for lunch in one of the three distinct restaurants aboard. Only breakfast offered a buffet option. And Trapshooting with a bridge Officer was offered on the aft deck of the ship during the inside passage sail.

The day ended with the famous Chocoholic Extravaganza at 11:30pm, held in the new Four Seasons restaurant on Deck 9 midships. The program exclaims, “Indulge in your wildest chocolate fantasies!”, which might open to interpretation…

Norwegian Wind left the NCL fleet in 2007 to operate as SuperStar Aquarius for Hong Kong-based Star Cruises.

Here then are some highlights aboard the Norwegian Wind for Tuesday, July 7, 1998:

TIME	ACTIVITY	LOCATION
8:00am	The track is open for walking and jogging	Promenade Deck 7
8:00am to Noon	All Latitudes Members who have not checked in, please do so!	Reception Desk, Deck 7
9:00am	TV Tune Trivia with your Cruise Director's staff	Lucky's, Deck 10, Starboard
9:00am to 111:00am	Stop by the Casino for coffee and danish	Casino, Deck 10
10:30am	Trap Shooting with a Bridge Officer (10 shots for $10 Cash Only)	International Deck 9, Aft
10:45am	GIANT JACKPOT BINGO	Stardust Lounge, Deck 10
11:00am	Basketball throw contest with Tim	Sky Deck, 13
12:00pm	Lunch: Main Seating	Assigned Restaurants
1:30pm	Lunch: Late Seating	Assigned Restaurants
2:00pm	Trivia Challenge!	Dazzles, Deck 10
3:00pm	Honeymooner's Party with your Host Rob	Lucky's, Deck 10
3:30pm	Wine Tasting ($10.00 charge)	Four Seasons, Deck 9
3:30pm	Kayak Demonstration: join your Dive-In staff for a demo	Sun Deck 11, Midship
4:15pm	Trapshooting with a Bridge Officer (10 shots for $10 Cash Only)	International Deck 9, Aft
4:45pm and 7:00pm	Captain's Welcome Party	Stardust Lounge, Deck 10
7:00pm to 8:00pm	Join Bobby Reynolds for Beautiful Music	Lucky's, Deck 10
8:45pm	The Not-So-Newlywed Game	Observatory, Deck 12
9:00pm & 10:30pm	Broadway Legends: Starring the Jean Ann Ryan Company	Stardust Lounge, Deck 10
11:30pm to 12:30am	Chocoholic Extravaganza!	Four Seasons, Deck 9

More information on NCL’s current Alaska itineraries aboard Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Star can be found on their website.

Today, we take you back to July 1998 and Alaska aboard the Norwegian Wind. Built for Norwegian Cruise Line in 1993 as the Windward, the big news in 1998 was her refurbishment and subsequent lengthening at the Blohm + Voss shipyards in Germany. Cut clean in half, she had a new midsection inserted that contained more staterooms, an additional swimming pool, a new Four Seasons dining room, and an expanded set of public lounges.
Emerging as Norwegian Wind, she still had that ‘new ship smell’ when we sailed aboard her in July 1998 on a roundtrip Alaska cruise. But although 1998 wasn’t that long ago, there were some major differences between this sailing and any modern cruise: there was no such thing as passenger internet aboard ships at this time (not to mention WiFi). Seating was fixed for dinner, and assigned for lunch in one of the three distinct restaurants aboard. Only breakfast offered a buffet option. And skeet-shooting was offered on the aft deck of the ship during the inside passage sail.
Here then is a day aboard the Norwegian Wind for Tuesday, July 7, 1998.