Norwegian Dream in happier times.
Photo Courtesy of NCL
Most cruise ships have an average life span of forty years. Toward the end of their careers, it can be difficult for ageing ships phased out of one fleet to find a buyer due to changes in maritime regulations or simply the cost of refitting the vessel.
One ship that is currently awaiting a buyer is Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Dream. At only 17 years old, she has been laid up at anchor, first in the Bahamas, then off of Piraeus, Greece, since November 2008.
Built in 1992, Norwegian Dream - then called Dreamward - was the first newbuild for NCL since the launch of the Seaward in 1988. Her nearly-identical sister ship, Windward, would be launched in 1993.
The vessels were immediately successful for NCL, which at that time had been going through a period of financial uncertainty. At 623 feet in length and 94 feet in width, the ships were modern but still small enough to fit into most ports with great ease. Recognizing that the cruise industry was ever changing, the Dreamward and Windward were built with an interesting feature in mind: the ability to lengthen the ships at a later date. This would be less expensive than ordering a newbuild outright, and would allow NCL, at a later date, to effectively have two 'new' ships.
That date arrived in March of 1998, when Windward arrived at the Lloyd Werft shipyards in Bremerhaven, Germany. She was cut in half and a new 131-foot midsection was inserted before she was welded back together. She also received a name change, becoming the Norwegian Wind. Dreamward arrived at Lloyd Werft shortly after to receive the same refit and name change. Dreamward was to become the Norwegian Dream.
One ship that is currently awaiting a buyer is Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Dream. At only 17 years old, she has been laid up at anchor, first in the Bahamas, then off of Piraeus, Greece, since November 2008.
Built in 1992, Norwegian Dream - then called Dreamward - was the first newbuild for NCL since the launch of the Seaward in 1988. Her nearly-identical sister ship, Windward, would be launched in 1993.
The vessels were immediately successful for NCL, which at that time had been going through a period of financial uncertainty. At 623 feet in length and 94 feet in width, the ships were modern but still small enough to fit into most ports with great ease. Recognizing that the cruise industry was ever changing, the Dreamward and Windward were built with an interesting feature in mind: the ability to lengthen the ships at a later date. This would be less expensive than ordering a newbuild outright, and would allow NCL, at a later date, to effectively have two 'new' ships.
That date arrived in March of 1998, when Windward arrived at the Lloyd Werft shipyards in Bremerhaven, Germany. She was cut in half and a new 131-foot midsection was inserted before she was welded back together. She also received a name change, becoming the Norwegian Wind. Dreamward arrived at Lloyd Werft shortly after to receive the same refit and name change. Dreamward was to become the Norwegian Dream.
The new Four Seasons Dining Room onboard Norwegian Wind/Dream.
Photo Courtesy of NCL
The new midsection included more cabins, an updated Four Seasons Dining Room, one of three onboard, that featured floor-to-ceiling glass windows that cantilevered out over the side of the ship, as well as expanded public rooms, an updated casino, and an entrance lobby on the promenade deck (the Dreamward and Windward, curiously, lacked an atrium - or even an entrance lobby - as originally built. Passengers embarked the ship to face a nondescript staircase and elevator bank. This refit gave a small, but classy, entrance lobby containing the Pursers and Shore Excursions desks.)
The Norwegian Dream was also given a feature that her sister lacked: the ship's radar mast and funnel were rigged with hinges and electric servo motors to allow them to be folded down, reducing the overall height of the ship and allowing it to transit the Kiel Canal, becoming one of the largest ships to be able to do so.
Fresh from a revitalization that made the Norwegian Dream sparkle like new, she embarked on a series of European cruises in 1998 and 1999. It was in 1999 that the honeymoon came to an end. On August 24, 1999, the Norwegian Dream collided with the container ship Ever Decent outside of Dover, England. This knocked containers from the Ever Decent into the sea, and crushed the Norwegian Dream's bow. Both vessels were in heavy fog at the time. After a short stay at the port of Dover, Norwegian Dream made her way under her own power to Lloyd Werft to be repaired.
The ship continued to sail an alternating mix of European and Caribbean cruises in the intervening years, even cruising to Alaska for the first time in 2005 where she ran unique 10-day itineraries out of Seattle. However, these cruises were plagued by a string of mechanical failures which left one of the ships MAN-B&W diesels inoperative. Dream was forced to sail an amended itinerary, or simply make it up as the voyage went along. The press had a field day, interviewing hordes of angry passengers as they embarked or waited days to embark, despite the fact that many were compensated by NCL for the delays.
On December 10, 2007, the Norwegian Dream once again ran into trouble: departing from Montevideo, Uruguay, she collided with a barge carrying cars and containers. Once again, the Norwegian Dream's bow was damaged, though not as heavily as in 1999, and containers and cars from the barge plunged into the channel. This closed the port for days, and forced the Norwegian Dream to return to port. Another cruise ship, Celebrity's Infinity, which had been scheduled to leave later that day, was also trapped.
NCL by this time was well on their way to having "the youngest fleet", with a series of successful newbuilds like Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Dawn, and Norwegian Pearl. On April 23, 2008, parent company Star Cruises entered into an agreement to sell Norwegian Dream, as well as flatmate Norwegian Majesty, to Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines. Louis mainly operated a fleet of older, ex-ocean liners, and was looking to increase their tonnage, particularly after the sinking of one of their newer ships, the Sea Diamond, off Santorini in 2007.
According to the agreement, the purchase price for the two vessels, all-in, was $218 million, payable upon delivery. However, later that summer, Louis backed down, saying they were only interested in Norwegian Majesty. They were no longer interested in Norwegian Dream due to "technical issues" with the ship.
Louis Cruise Lines paid $162 million for Norwegian Majesty, and in late October of 2008, Norwegian Dream completed the last of her revenue cruises for NCL, and sailed to be laid up at anchor off Freeport, Bahamas.
In 2009, the Norwegian Dream sailed across the Atlantic with a skeleton crew to the port of Piraeus, Greece, once again to be inspected by Louis Cruise Lines. Pullmantur Cruises also inspected her during this time.
As of this writing, Norwegian Dream is still at anchor off off Piraeus, Greece, awaiting a buyer. We've contacted NCL to see if they can provide us with any information about this unique ship's future - stay tuned.
The Norwegian Dream was also given a feature that her sister lacked: the ship's radar mast and funnel were rigged with hinges and electric servo motors to allow them to be folded down, reducing the overall height of the ship and allowing it to transit the Kiel Canal, becoming one of the largest ships to be able to do so.
Fresh from a revitalization that made the Norwegian Dream sparkle like new, she embarked on a series of European cruises in 1998 and 1999. It was in 1999 that the honeymoon came to an end. On August 24, 1999, the Norwegian Dream collided with the container ship Ever Decent outside of Dover, England. This knocked containers from the Ever Decent into the sea, and crushed the Norwegian Dream's bow. Both vessels were in heavy fog at the time. After a short stay at the port of Dover, Norwegian Dream made her way under her own power to Lloyd Werft to be repaired.
The ship continued to sail an alternating mix of European and Caribbean cruises in the intervening years, even cruising to Alaska for the first time in 2005 where she ran unique 10-day itineraries out of Seattle. However, these cruises were plagued by a string of mechanical failures which left one of the ships MAN-B&W diesels inoperative. Dream was forced to sail an amended itinerary, or simply make it up as the voyage went along. The press had a field day, interviewing hordes of angry passengers as they embarked or waited days to embark, despite the fact that many were compensated by NCL for the delays.
On December 10, 2007, the Norwegian Dream once again ran into trouble: departing from Montevideo, Uruguay, she collided with a barge carrying cars and containers. Once again, the Norwegian Dream's bow was damaged, though not as heavily as in 1999, and containers and cars from the barge plunged into the channel. This closed the port for days, and forced the Norwegian Dream to return to port. Another cruise ship, Celebrity's Infinity, which had been scheduled to leave later that day, was also trapped.
NCL by this time was well on their way to having "the youngest fleet", with a series of successful newbuilds like Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Dawn, and Norwegian Pearl. On April 23, 2008, parent company Star Cruises entered into an agreement to sell Norwegian Dream, as well as flatmate Norwegian Majesty, to Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines. Louis mainly operated a fleet of older, ex-ocean liners, and was looking to increase their tonnage, particularly after the sinking of one of their newer ships, the Sea Diamond, off Santorini in 2007.
According to the agreement, the purchase price for the two vessels, all-in, was $218 million, payable upon delivery. However, later that summer, Louis backed down, saying they were only interested in Norwegian Majesty. They were no longer interested in Norwegian Dream due to "technical issues" with the ship.
Louis Cruise Lines paid $162 million for Norwegian Majesty, and in late October of 2008, Norwegian Dream completed the last of her revenue cruises for NCL, and sailed to be laid up at anchor off Freeport, Bahamas.
In 2009, the Norwegian Dream sailed across the Atlantic with a skeleton crew to the port of Piraeus, Greece, once again to be inspected by Louis Cruise Lines. Pullmantur Cruises also inspected her during this time.
As of this writing, Norwegian Dream is still at anchor off off Piraeus, Greece, awaiting a buyer. We've contacted NCL to see if they can provide us with any information about this unique ship's future - stay tuned.
