NCL Starward

[Norwaylin]

I took my second cruise on the MS Starward. My first cruise was in 1983 on the SS Norway, but a year later I went on the MS Starward. I met someone special on that second cruise. We were part of a Singleworld group.

[alwayssingin]

My first cruise was on the Starward in 1981. I remember thinking that the cruise was great but I probably wouldn't want to do that again. This October I will go on cruise No. 25 on the Explorer of the Seas. I guess cruising just gets in your blood.

One thing I remember about the Starward is that there were no TV's in the cabins, and the Starward had a large movie theater (which I believe was later converted into cabins). The cruise was in September, and it had to go about fifty miles off course to avoid a hurricane.

 

I was on this cruise! Me and my friend Vicki were barely 18. We had our first drinks on that trip. We stayed up all night with three guys we met from Houston to watch the sun rise. I have pictures somewhere.

[wmsherwood]

My wife and I honeymooned on the Starward in 1991 (her first cruise). It was a great ship, though tiny by today's standards. It's sad to hear what has happened to all the older ships, but that's the way it goes. I had booked us on the Norway a few years ago and it had the boiler explosion just 2 weeks before our cruise -- I really wanted to sail on one of the old classic liners -- oops, off subject.. The Starward will always hold good memories form me!

bill

[torpeedo]

I decided to organize all of our cruise memorabilia for the past 22 years of cruising. I came across a folder from our second cruise together. Dec 6, 1986 MS Starward! Found so many great things we had kept. We have the Cruise News for most every day. Captain was Hartvig Von Harling. Cruise director was Bruce Chaffkin. We sailed out of Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, not sure,and it was a STORMY day. The seas were so rough the waves were crashing over the crows nest bar. Nobody allowed on the outside decks! We missed Great Stirrup Cay due to the weather.

We have a copy of the Onboard magazine Starward 1986. We also have the bar menu, postcards, roomservice menu, stationary, wine menu and a variety of other things all in the folder from the cabin which was 220.

We also have a a map of the caribbean signed by the captain with our names and the itinerary on it. Since we found this I think we will have it framed as a momento and also a great map of the caribbean.

That was a great ship. We have also sailed on the Sunward in 1985 and had a great time there as well.

Believe it or not, this is the last NCL cruise we took. Since then we have been HAL fans and also do a few cruises on RCI and Carnival.

[Keep A Secret]

We sailed the Starward in 1985 from Miami to the Western Caribbean: Nassau, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

 

We signed up for the "Dive In" program that took a group of us for a snorkeling expedition at each port. I still have my Dive In t-shirt.

 

One of my favorite memories was sitting late at night, with a rum drink, all the way up at the top of the spiral staircase in the "Crow's Nest", a little seating area forward of the covered pool. A great place to look up and stargaze.

[RonnieS]

The Starward. My first cruise. It's like you're first kiss, the girlfriend is long gone but the memory last forever.

 

I remember an outstanding guitarist that played in the "atrium". Great service and food. The last day at sea a storm that followed us from Cozumel back to Miami.

[chasetf]

The Starward. My first cruise. It's like you're first kiss, the girlfriend is long gone but the memory last forever.

 

I remember an outstanding guitarist that played in the "atrium". Great service and food. The last day at sea a storm that followed us from Cozumel back to Miami.

Our first cruise was the Starward out of Puerto Rico on a seven day down to Barbados and back with stops in St Thomas, Antigua, Martinique, St Maarten. Many fond memories and we had great weather all the way (March) :D

[torpeedo]

We also did the dive in program and had the tee shirt! Unfortunately it is long gone but I have a picture on the beach with Dive in shirt on! That was a great program. Our first snorkel experience.

[Topsider]

I am trying to discover if this was my first cruise. It was January 2, 1975. We went to the Orange Bowl the night before and watched Notre Dame lose. The next day we boarded a ship at Miami. I thought it was the Commodore Lines Starward. The adults had a suite in the front. It had a stainless steel bathtub. This was considered very special. We kids had the room next door and it had bunkbeds and a porthole that actually worked! The stewards stood outside our rooms all the time. The weather was bad and I can recall being on an enclosed promenade and someone was talking about the ship having a garage for cars.

I am not sure which ship was I on. I know we stopped in Nassua......the rest is a blur. Any ideas?

 

-Paul

[Downdie]

Doug:

Just a little Canadian slant to this thread. For a few years in the late nineties or early 2000's a Canadian travel company Regent/ World of Vacations chartered the Bolero from Festival for winter seasons in the Caribbean to replace ROC's Triton which they had previously used. I know she was very popular, having met people on my 2001 Stella Solaris cruise who swore by her. Also, a couple of years ago during the Last Lebanese/Israeli war the government of Canada rented her as the Orient Queen to evacuate Canadian citizens and some Americans I believe from Lebanon to Cyprus.

[nycpamela]

I just came across this thread and the Starward was also my first cruise. I sailed solo in September 1992 as part of a Singleworld group. It was nice because I was at a table with other solo travelers. The route was the same that chasetf described - San Juan, full day at sea to Barbados, then St. Maarten, Antigua, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise except for my cabin.

 

I remember that I purposely chose that route because if I had gotten too seasick I planned to fly back from Barbados, but I didn't get too sick even though I had an inside cabin on a lower deck and could smell the fumes from the ship's engines in my cabin. :eek: Could that be the reason that I waited 12 years to take my next cruise? :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Next cruise 05/18/2008 Carnival Valor (yippee)

RCL Adventure of the Seas (12/05/04)

NCL Starward (09/13/92)

[CeleBrat]

My first cruise too! With my mother and brother. Mom wanted to take us on a cruise so we wouldn't get all "caught up" in the Spring Break crowd/festivities.

 

I remember the room stewards always standing outside our door too, and it totally creeped me out. He wouldn't ever say anything to us. He just stared as we walked by.

 

Fun cruise though. Totally got the Dive-In shirt too!

 

 

CeleBrat

[SandG]

This was my first cruise too. I think it was 1987 (but it might have been 1988) and we sailed out of San Juan. My husband and I didn't have much money back then and we got an inside cabin on the lowest deck. It was really tiny and sleeping was tough because there was a lot of engine noise and vibration down there, but when we weren't in our cabin, we had a good time. We decided at the time we'd never get an "inside" again, although I'm sure they're much nicer now.

 

Sue

[tally10]

We sailed on her in 1974 for our honeymoon. We had an ocean view cabin and we were placed at a table for 4 with another honeymoon couple. It was a gift from my parents for not having a large wedding. We sure enjoyed her. I had gone on her sister ship, the NCL Skyward previously with my parents. Does anyone know what happened to her?

[RonnieS]

I had gone on her sister ship, the NCL Skyward previously with my parents. Does anyone know what happened to her?

 

The Skyward is still around. Flagged in Singapore under the name "Leisure World".

[bb-62driver]

Took NCL Starward on a cruise with my parents while still in college back in 1981. Took her again 9 years later on a belated honeymoon cruise to the southern Caribbean in 1990. Remember winning a nice set of leather drink coasters for a pig calling contest in the forward cocktail lounge. Seem like forever ago now...

[izzyvet]

Just doing some research, you can book her and take a cruise on her now!!

 

Louis cruise lines,

 

http://www.louiscruises.com/itinerary.html?CRS=OQ07090525&CRSLST=OQ07090525

 

Would be a bit of nostalgia to sail on her again.

[Norwaylin]

The Starward was my second cruise. I thought it was well designed that you didn't have to walk so far to get to the other end of the ship. (My first cruise was the SS Norway--the length of three football fields we were told.) Also, I met someone special on the Starward who lives in Colorado.

[PTPiper]

Thanks to all for the smiles and memories regarding the Starward. This too was our first cruise and our honeymoon. We always tease that when you take that type of honeymoon you get to know each other very initmately because there was no room to even change your mind. It's nice to know the ship is still in service and the tidbit about the car deck.

[lovetexas]

This was also our honeymoon back in 1987. We flew to San Juan and had some great ports. We had great seats in the dining room right over the water and the wake. It was an outstanding cruise!!

 

If she is still around, I might have to think about a 25 year anniv cruise...hmmm..:cool:

[BruceMuzz]

I saw the Orient Queen in Kusadasi today. She looked great.

[Jo in AZ]

The Starward was also our first cruise in May, 1986. We had a cabin with two portholes which we never let down the porthole covers until.....late in the cruise around 3 in the morning there was a loud knock on our door. It was someone to tell us to put down our porthole covers as we were in a severe storm. To this day we remark as to how they knew we didn't have our "covers" down!

 

We also did the "dive-in" snorkeling program (and I don't like anything but a pool) but enjoyed it immensely.

 

Also sailed Skyward in 1989 and a couple of week-end cruises on the Southward out of LA in the early 1990's. Since then we have become platinum on Princess but will be going back to NCL this year with a cruise out of New Orleans on the Spirit -- an itinerary we can't wait to travel.

 

(I might add that I was afraid to bring up cruising to hubby as he was in the Navy for four years and didn't know how he would feel to be on another "ship" -- as you can see he loves "cruising").

 

Happy cruising --

Jo and Carl

[happytotravel]

Hi,:)

The first ship my husband worked on as a doctor was the Starward in August 1992. As one of the perks I was allowed to accompany him! It was the first time both of us had been on a cruise ship. We never even thought about what if we get seasick!

 

We were on for 4 weeks, then onto the Sunward, the SS Norway (she was a Queen!), Seaward as well as the Crown. He stopped working on ships in 1996. After that we began traveling as passengers in 1999 up until he got too ill to cruise in 2009.

 

We have super wonderful memories both as crew members as well as passengers.

 

I've been on this website for several years now but never checked out the "whatever happened to" before. Glad I finally did.

 

Cruising is certainly the way to vacation.

happytotravel:)

 

PS: The Starward is still with Louis Cruise lines

[nona0541]

My first ship. Sailed on her April 1980. Very fond memories.:)

[bearing]

There's a lot to know about her!

 

She's a very historically significant vessel, as some claim that she was the very first purpose-built Caribbean cruise ship, ever. Personally I attribute that to her sister SKYWARD, because I consider STARWARD in her original form to have been a cruise ferry (and indeed her designer, Tage Wandborg, describes her as "a cruise/ferry hybrid") and thus ineligible for the title.

 

Most passengers never knew it, but in her very early years (from her entry into service in 1968 through the mid-1970s), STARWARD had a car deck. She was an evolution of the very first NCL ship, SUNWARD of 1966, which was originally built by Knut Kloster (whose family controlled NCL until their mid-1990s financial crisis) for a cruise ferry service from Britain to Spain and Portugal, a venture called Klosters Sunward Ferries. This did not work out and Kloster teamed up with Ted Arison (who later left and founded Carnival) to form Norwegian Caribbean Line. SUNWARD ran a 7-night cruise/ferry service from Miami to various Caribbean ports, carrying both cruise passengers and, on her car deck, trailers with cargo bound for the islands. The larger STARWARD was indeed built for the Carribbean, but as she too had a car deck, I do not consider her to truly be the first purpose-built Caribbean cruise ship. SKYWARD was built without the car deck, and by the mid-1970s NCL was out of the business of carrying trailers, but the design of the ships clearly carries on the legacy of ferries. Modern cruise ships, in their design, owe far more to ferries than to the ocean liners of yore, and ships like SUNWARD, STARWARD, and SKYWARD are direct links between ferries and cruise ships. (The design history of ferries and cruise ships continues to be intertwined to this day, to the point where it is almost impossible to say whether the cruise ship evolved from the cruise ferry or vice versa - it's almost a "chicken/egg" dilemma with each one borrowing from the other with 40 years of cross-incubation.)

 

 

Good info, Thanks :)