Norwegian Cruise Line

MS Leeward

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Operator: Norwegian Cruise Line
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 1980/1990
Length / Tonnage: 524 / 25,000
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 474 / 950
Officers / Crew: Norwegian / International
Operating Area: Three night cruises to the Bahamas. Four night cruises to Key West and Mexico
Telephone / Fax: Tel 1554 7010 / Fax 554 7011

Metaphorically speaking....the LEEWARD is a lady with a past...with misfortunes behind her that would have done in a lesser ship... she burned, she was destroyed - by rights this one should be dead! Built to run between Helsinki and Stockholm this ship was the VIKING SAGA...Disaster struck her while she was refitting and she burned out (ships in drydock are especially susceptible to fire).

Down but not out, she was rebuilt as a cruise ship and renamed SALLY ALBATROSS...OK...it was a BAD choice of name and while moving at along at a fast clip (19.5 knots) she ran hard aground! That might have been it for her but under the tutelage of famed ship designers Yran and Storbraaten (never mind the DREAMWARD and WINDWARD they designed for NCL...think SEA GODDESS, SEABOURN, SILVER SEA, just to bring up some of the work they have done for companies with names which begin with the letter "S" to get an idea of the versatility of that team)...at La Spezia, Italy, where some of the most wonderful liners of all time were born (now think REX, CRISTOFORO COLOMBO, LEONARDO da VINCI and MICHELANGELO) she is risen like the proverbial phoenix...and is as safe as they come...I look at her with a mixture of admiration and awe tinged with frequent desire to spend lots and lots of time in her and if I lived in South Florida I would be sailing in this ship four or five times a year!

Now on her third life she is property of Finland's Silja Line...long famous for fabulous cruise/ferries in the Baltic...especially the popular Helsinki - Stockholm run. The LEEWARD is working under a special long-term charter agreement with Norwegian Cruise Lines...and has been working in the 3/4 day South Florida market since October 20, 1995...and let me tell you...we're lucky to have this one...she's classy, comfortable, elegant and sophisticated but even better than that...she;s affordable!!!

I like the decor! For a 25,000 ton ship that carried a maximum of 950 passengers the LEEWARD has a LOT of public rooms...like the duplex 510 seat Stardust Lounge, the Sports Bar and Grill, the Observatory Bar which doubles as the Disco, Gatsby's Piano Bar, the Tradewinds Lounge, the Conference Center...I like all of them (and that's RARE...I am very hard to please...I must have been in a good mood when I was aboard the LEEWARD but more likely she kept me in one)...If there is any single criticism I could let you make about this one....it would be that the Sports Deck pool and surrounding lido can be a bit crowded on afternoons when the ship is at sea...but there are plenty of other places to go, so don't think you're going to miss anything if you duck out on the madding crowd...you could join me in the gym...maybe...

NCL has long been famous in the industry for innovative entertainment both onboard and ashore and aboard the LEEWARD that NCL style is evident...Aboard the LEEWARD I like breakfast in the Sports Bar and Grill...not because I am a sports fan (I'm not) but because of the chance that I might glom eggs benedict just as they are placed in the chafing dish...but I am always amused to see the crowd of gents in the sports bar day or night...NCL knows that a lot of men are loath to lose touch with the sports world while on vacation...and the TVs in here are able to supply a variety of sporting events night and day! So consider THIS scenario - a bar full of big TV monitors, and not all tuned to the same station at that...an audience comprised mostly of men...all their eyes glued to the screens...where are the wives and girlfriends, mothers and daughters of these sports fans? Everywhere else...shopping, sunning, gaming...swimming...in port even snorkeling on NCL's popular "Dive-In" program.

Of course not every man aboard stays glued to the TV in the Sports Bar and Grill...some, like me, hide in their cabins where CNN is the soother of choice...Every cabin has a TV and besides CNN and ESPN there are full length movies and the occasional shoreside station... And talking about this NCL liner who could ignore the line's Broadway style entertainment...it's more than a matter of pride for the line now...it's a trademark...a full scale production of a Broadway show! Her first show was an adaptation of Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance". To find out just which show will be offered...ask your travel agent to ask NCL... Naturally there is other evening entertainment...and besides a disco and a piano bar (which is MY favorite place to hang out at night when I am not watching CNN in my cabin)...the LEEWARD has the expected casino...even if you don't play...and I don't...have a look for the "Roaring 20's decor is sure to pique your interest...Because children are very welcome on LEEWARD cruises, there is not only a room for them to play in...called Trolland (Norwegian for "Magic Land") there's an entire program devoted to junior cruisers...it's called "Kid's Crew" here...

Let's face it, choices in the 3/4 day market from South Florida are limited to megaships carrying well over 2,000 passengers, the ROYAL MAJESTY and the OCEAN BREEZE of related Dolphin Cruise Line OR the LEEWARD. One thing that keeps her ahead of the pack in her trade is her pair of dining rooms. With 270 seats the Four Seasons Restaurant supplements the larger 367 seat Seven Seas restaurant...I like the sizes of both rooms and to me they allow me to feel...well let me say that in either room I get more of the feeling of eating in a good restaurant in a European city than in a vast dining hall in some great resort. Adding to the LEEWARD's charm is Le Bistro. Like such rooms aboard NCL's other ships, the one here is a comfortable, cozy room where Italian and Continental are served in an open sitting...Try to get a table in here for at least ONE meal! And the food's not bad...not bad at all...plenty of choice and lots of it...you're going to eat too much anyway...so why bother to complain...if you get something you don't much like....tell the waiter and he'll be happy to bring you something else...

The LEEWARD has 475 passenger cabins and they are all very attractive and fitted with everything you'll need plus more than enough storage space for the time you'll be aboard. Just so you know...each one has TV, radio, telephone, individually controlled air conditioning and 110 volt electric current for hairdryers and laptops! Top of the line are two apartments graded "Owner's Suite"...because George Bush once occupied one of them it's called the "Presidential Suite"...these digs have a comfortable bedroom, bath with tub and shower, sitting room and private balcony (with not much of a view because of their particular location)...but with their own outdoor jacuzzis...Expect to pay over $550 per day per person for a bed in either of them...so if you are on a tighter budget...you should be happy in any of the other accommodations aboard from any of the eight deluxe, balconied penthouses through the variously located outside and inside cabins. If it's all the same to you...try to book a Category D or E rather than a lesser priced F or G...those rooms generally have lifeboats for views! Of course the money saved might be worth a limited view because you wont spend a lot of time looking out the widow of your LEEWARD cabin. Singles might try to get one of the four minimum priced outside on Promenade Deck...even with the single supplement it works out to a good deal for privacy!

For so many reasons almost everyone who cruises could or should try the LEEWARD...and you will find a wide variety of passengers on this one...plus a large number of couples in their 30s and 40s...with or sans progeny! Sometimes you'll find ME!

Three night cruises to the Bahamas. Four night cruises to Key West and Mexico. Maybe you should combine em...take me both...spend a week aboard...why not?

A couple of days ago when winter finally blasted into Baltimore, whipping in frigid air and blowing snow into town, my first thought was to get out of here for a couple of days....Guess what destination popped instantly into my mind? RIGHT....the LEEWARD for either a 3 night or a 4 night cruise...Something about her seems the perfect antidote to winter's chill...she's also one of the right ships for any other time of year if you need or want a cruise but your calendar won't let you take much time... Hey...then again...the four night cruises this ship makes are so good...I think it's worth playing hooky to take this one...