Jump to content

What happened to NCL MS Southward ?


Recommended Posts

  • 11 months later...

The Perla, as she was in March 2006, was the first 'proper' cruise ship I sailed on (having been to St Kilda in 2003 on the 67-foot Cuma!) I went on her to Libya of all places, for the solar eclipse. After the washout in Cornwall in August 1999 I'd reckoned that if I couldn't see one in the Sahara Desert there really was no hope... had a great time. Since then I've been on several rather larger vessels like the Crown Princess, Adventure of the Seas and Ventura. It's rather sad to read that the Perla was scrapped in 2013.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
  • 5 months later...

We were on the Southward back in 87. It was our second cruise. I have been trying to get NCL to give us credit for the 8 day cruise, but they will not budge saying that Latitudes was not established until 1994. It would be such a simple thing for them to do and get some good PR but no.

I thought I would share this with the people on this link. Had a great time on the Southward. No more NCL cruises for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Interesting read, my 1st cruise was on the Southward in 1982, I was 35, thought I was really living! I had an outside cabin designed as a single, no surcharge (those were the days)! It was a great introduction to cruising and 83, 84, 85 I was on the ssNorway. 1986 on the Royal Princess (built in '84 still sailing as Artania)! But it was the Southward that got me hooked on cruising! I remember Singleworld, too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was on the Southward and we went to Catalina Island , San Diego and Encenada. It was my 2nd cruise, but the first on NCL. Swore I’d never do another NCL again and didn’t until this past July. Can’t say that I would do another in the very near future. I’ve been on 20+ cruises. Everyone is entitled to there own opinions.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...

I found more photos from our first cruise 2/15/1987 on the Southward.  The older couple that was in the photo was a TV Station Manager I believe and they were wonderful people.  I hope as the years go along that more photos will be posted.  We were a young vibrant couple (still are but a bit older lol) I hope that this brings fun memories for those who were on the ship.

 

B02C9089-84A4-4004-9B35-7D80EA126AFD.jpeg

D7A3723F-0D07-468B-B59A-777480F54660.jpeg

9B22CEBA-FD4E-4D56-A0F0-402F2CBAF6FA.jpeg

E33291AA-225A-4FA3-A99B-949C65D4BEB7.jpeg

8492E72E-34E1-445D-A70A-8BBA35C8A310.jpeg

DB8972F1-56A3-4A83-9F67-F5835F2AF30C.jpeg

D70C1EF9-6E36-441C-9AE8-847E0C58BA77.jpeg

D949A885-1D70-4B97-B117-3F6659F68FEF.jpeg

607220D2-FF40-473B-B177-6F95EEA56459.jpeg

C18BC0D6-0020-46E2-88FE-32B099A90732.jpeg

315FBF82-8F67-4A0E-B68C-339DBEDF028C.jpeg

Edited by clairopt
Added more info.
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Clairopt, Great pics. Brought back memories. My wife and I honeymooned on the Southward in 1984. In a month or so we are taking a cruise on NCL Escape. The crazy thing the cost 30 some years later is nearly the same price we paid over 30 years ago!

 

 

NCL Honeymoon0001rs.jpg

NCL Honeymoon0002rs.jpg

NCL Honeymoon0003rs.jpg

NCL Honeymoon0004rs.jpg

NCL Honeymoon0005rs.jpg

NCL Honeymoonrs.jpg

Edited by Dads56
add content
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you so much for sharing these pictures. We sailed in 1983 on this ship for our honeymoon and unfortunately I got home to find my film in my brand new camera had not advanced so I had no honeymoon pictures which was so disappointing. The ship seemed so big to me as we walked up to it but after sailing on around 10 cruises since then with Harmony of the Seas being our last one this ship looks like a row boat. It doesn’t surprise me that it cost almost the same today as back then because you had way less people sailing on it so therefore making costs higher. 764 passengers compared to Harmony’s 6000.  So it was fun reminiscing.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Southward was also my first cruise, a honeymoon cruise to San Diego, Catalina and Ensenada back in September 1994, must have been one of the last cruises for the Southward for NCL.  I remember seeing her for the first time and thinking how big she was.  My cabin was so tiny, you could almost touch both side walls at the same time.  We had a blast and I think our bar bill cost as much as the cruise itself.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/19/2020 at 10:31 PM, madawa6 said:

I got home to find my film in my brand new camera had not advanced so I had no honeymoon pictures which was so disappointing

 

I had that disappointing experience as well.  What was the camera that seemed prone to that?  A Kodak Instamatic?  I remember that it would often not fire the flashcube when it ought to have done so and I lost some good photos.  

 

On 1/14/2020 at 9:06 AM, Dads56 said:

Great pics. Brought back memories

 

I made particular note of the photo of the couple formally dressed meeting the Captain.  Would one find that today on a NCL vessel?  

 

Reinforces my memory of my Sunward II cruise.  It was the best cruise value that I have ever experienced, but it was also a quality cruise experience.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I had that disappointing experience as well.  What was the camera that seemed prone to that?  A Kodak Instamatic?  I remember that it would often not fire the flashcube when it ought to have done so and I lost some good photos.  

 

 

I made particular note of the photo of the couple formally dressed meeting the Captain.  Would one find that today on a NCL vessel?  

 

Reinforces my memory of my Sunward II cruise.  It was the best cruise value that I have ever experienced, but it was also a quality cruise experience.  

I don't have many souvenirs of the Southward, except a deck of round playing cards, a model of the ship which came in a lil plastic case and a couple of postcards and a nice glass souvenir dish.

degw6jw-8946dbb8-002f-4108-97fe-4cec7f2d6905.jpg

round_norwegian_caribbean_line_playing_cards_by_wildelf34_ddf5uid-fullview.jpg

norwegian_caribbean_dish_by_wildelf34_dcb8nqy-fullview.jpg

d95yw1r-87f7dd00-354d-43e5-bf0b-998c67100121.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
On 9/20/2021 at 3:35 PM, rkacruiser said:

Southward was a good looking ship.  In my opinion, the best of all of those early NCL ships.  She became P&O's Spirit of London and then Sun Princess when Princess Cruises' placed her in their fleet.  

Sorry, can only give you partial credit for your response…

 

Southward had a sister ship who was sold while under construction - the Seaward. The Italian shipyard was nationalized during construction and the price skyrocketed.  NCL said “no thanks” and sold her on the ways to P&O, who was trying to modernize their fleet and compete on the West Coast with an upstart called Princess Cruises.  She was delivered as Spirit of London (with a different funnel than the NCL funnel at the time).  Instead of beating them, P&O joined them and bought Princess Cruises in 1974 and transferred Spirit of London to the fleet as Sun Princess.  Southward remained with NCL until she was sold in the 90s.

 

Edited by ShipsAreTheBest
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We sailed on Spirit of London in 1990, when she was StarShip Majestic, with Premier Lines.  It was our introduction to cruising, and to Premier, one of our all-time favorite lines.

She was a Big Red Boat at that time, but no evidence of "characters" aboard, as many have mentioned elsewhere.  Just a great shipboard experience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...