Philly Steve

One of my favorite ships but one sadly that I will never likely sail.  So many happy cruisers through the decades.

Thoughts, prayers for the family.

The judge in the SS United States eviction case urges a compromise by both parties while threatening to impose "a decision no one will like."

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the SS United States Conservancy, in a letter to the White House, is now offering to donate the ship to the state, National Park Service or any other entity that can offer a new home amid the legal case stemming from dock fees.

It may be the last SOS.

The SS United States faces possible eviction from it's Philadelphia pier while the SS United States Conservancy pitches a New York development plan to move the ship to Pier 76.  Rent was doubled during the pandemic. The Conservancy continued to make payments outlined in the original lease. 

Fans of the ship should monitor developments playing out in court in the aftermath of two hearings.

More at ssusc.org   

About to experience our first interior cabin but it has a virtual balcony. Crossing our fingers for a Royal Up on Anthem.

The positives outweighed the negatives on our first Oasis cruise last September.  Disliked the WJ and music venue acoustics, echo on pool deck. Loved the hull design, open solarium, water play and all that gorgeous glass.

America's flagship continues to be a "lady in waiting" on the Philadelphia waterfront.

According to the SS United States Conservancy website, developer RXR is still working on a combined museum-retail effort at the ship's NYC home port after the initial March, 2020 announcement. 

The Conservancy continues enrichment efforts and fund raisers including tours starting at $500. There was a contest to go aboard too.

ssusc.org

Loved the no extra charge breakfast at JR on Oasis. 

Thanks for the look ahead. Hopefully we'll be there next week.

Let the fun begin!

Yes, onward and upward.  Time for new adventures. I'll apply my Enchantment refund toward learning to sail. ☠

Grandeur or " Lady G." was our last cruise too, sadly two and a half years ago.  It was our fifth vacation on this ship and we were fortunate to book a corner aft cabin with walk in closet, perfect for 12 days.

Wonderful crew and hotel staff.  Friendly to Meet and Mingle gatherings.

One of the oldest ships in the fleet still has very sexy lines and has proven she can take a beating.

A great project! Thanks for sharing it with us. Will long remember the rivalry between Sovereign and Norway.

Thanks for sharing those wonderful memories. Yes indeed, mom knows best.

We cruised Nordic Prince/MS Carousel in 1999 on a Sun Tours southern Carribbean trip out of Aruba. Passengers were mostly British and we were amused at some of the showtime comic barbs aimed at Americans.  My wife says she's never had a better scone.  We played "find the old RCCL logo" game.  Remember the ship's daily "newspaper" that included sports and a Wall Street summary?

Cruising in the 90s was something else. A true get away.

On 8/29/2020 at 3:24 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

Indeed.  Song of Norway was the first with such an innovative design followed by sisters Nordic Prince and Sun Viking.  

 

I sailed on Nordic Prince during the Summer of 1984 and patronized the Viking Crown Lounge once.  Had to climb a flight of stairs to get to the Lounge; no elevator service was available.  Once there, it was quite a scenic spot.  But, the longer I stayed, the warmer I got.  At the time, I "blamed" it being attached to the ship's funnel and heat was being radiated through the walls into the Lounge.  No idea if my "thought" was correct or not, but one visit to that Lounge was sufficient for me.

What a treat it must have been!  Not many interior pics around, sadly.  

Love those candy tins that can be a sub-collection addiction.  I found, in East Tennessee, a framed print of the SS United States: a ship I can see from my condo.

Back on topic, it could be said the Song of America Viking Crown design was inspired by older sisters including Nordic Prince.  We cruised NP in her incarceration as MS Carousel but to my disappointment the funnel lounge had been removed.

I suspect quite a few cruise scrapbooks have been "raided."

I know about the Carter connection to Sovereign of the Seas but did not know about the former president's ties to Song.  I guess they were Royal fans.

Don't you love it when a flea market adventure nets a piece of cruise memorabilia? Sounds like a great poster found a proper home.

Thanks Heidi13 for the update. So glad to hear she lives.

With so much attention among ship buffs about the scrapping of RCI's Sovereign of the Seas, it made me wonder about the fate of the ship that inspired the wrap around Viking Crown design, Song of America.  

I know SOA was cruising for another line, maybe in Europe.  Anyone know what happened to her?

Loved Nordic Empress and sailed her a handful of times as Empress of the Seas.  We cruised the Caribbean and Bermuda, many times from Philadelphia. 

Sadly, an Empress "death watch" continues as the ship could be headed to the breakers. 

Went through the same heartbreak with SS Norway years ago.  Clock is ticking for so many other wonderful ships. Our best cruise to date was on Monarch. 

Not exactly POSH, but helping to crew the tall ship Gazela out of Philly.

Try the photo archives of the SS United States Conservancy.  The group had an event in the Cafeteria to mark the lighting of the funnels some time ago.  Great view.

www.ssunitedstatesconservancy.org