Norwegian Dream

MS "Norwegian Dream" is a cruise ship owned by Star Cruises and operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. She was built in 1992 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France as MS "Dreamward". In 1998 she was lengthened at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany and received her current name.

Concept and construction

The "Dreamward" was the first in a pair of two identical cruise ships ordered by Kloster Cruise for Norwegian Cruise Line from Chantiers de l'Atlantique. The sisters were planned with a gross register tonnage of approximately 40,000, and maximum passenger capacity of 1246 persons. However, they were also designed from the start with the concept of lengthening in mind, making it possible for the company to easily expand their capacity without having to order entirely new ships. [Ward (2006). p. 440]

The lengthening was eventually carried out in March—May 1998 at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany, where the ship was cut in half and a new ] Sometime before 1998 they received the new NCL livery with a dark blue funnel and an all-white hull.

Following the lengthening and name-change in 1998, the "Norwegian Dream" was also used for cruising around Europe. On 24 August 1999, the "Norwegian Dream" was involved in a collision with the container ship "Ever Decent" while en-route from Zeebrügge, Belgium to Dover, England. Although her bow was damaged, the "Norwegian Dream" continued to Dover under her own power. Damages to the "Ever Decent" were minimal. The power on the "Ever Decent" was off due to a fire that occurred, and there was dense fog in the area causing the "Norwegian Dream" to be unable to see it and run into it.Fact|date=July 2008 Although there were no fatalities, the accident raised some criticism of the lack of oversight and the safety of non-United States -registered cruise vessels. [cite web |url=http://www.amo-union.org/Newspaper/Morgue/10-1999/Sections/News/cruise.htm |title=Foreign-Flag Cruise Industry Beset By Casualties |accessdate=2007-05-26 |publisher=American Maritime Officer ] Following the accident, the "Norwegian Dream" was repaired at Lloyds Werft.

In 2004 the ownerships of the "Norwegian Dream" was transferred to NCL's parent company Star Cruises, in preparation for possible sale or transfer to the Star Cruises fleet. On 10 December 2007, the "Norwegian Dream" was involved in a further collision with a barge whilst leaving the port of Montevideo, Uruguay. The collision caused some damage above the waterline which did not appear to be serious. The collision caused several cars and five containers to fall off the barge, which closed the port for some time.cite web|url= http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN10448469 |title=Cruise ship, barge collide in Montevideo |accessdate=2007-12-10 |date=2007-12-10 |publisher=Reuters]

On April 23 2008 Star Cruises entered an agreement to sell the "Norwegian Dream", as well as her fleetmate "Norwegian Majesty", to the Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines, who were reportedly willing to pay $218 million for the ship.cite web|url=http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/star-cruises-218m-norwegian-dream-sale-fails/20017575692.htm|title=Star Cruises $218m "Norwegian Dream" sale fails |last=Hand |first=Marcus |date=2008-09-30 |publisher="Lloyd's List" |accessdate=2008-09-30] International Shipping Partners were also interested in the "Norwegian Dream". [cite web |url=http://dougnewmanatsea.com/2008/04/18/seatrade-pride-of-america-not-sold/ |title=Seatrade: Pride of America Not Sold |accessdate=2008-04-19 |date=2008-04-18 |last=Newman |first=Doug |work=At Sea with Doug Newman |publisher= ] Louis was supposed to pay the entire $218 million upon the ships delivery, but by 29 September 2008, when the ship should have been delivered to Louis, they canceled the deal due to "technical issues relating to the vessel". [cite web |url=http://www.cruisebusiness.com/news.php?u=20080930102316 |title=No "Dream" for Louis Cruises |accessdate=2008-09-30 |date=2008-09-30 |last= |first= |work=Cruise Business Review |publisher=Cruise Media Oy Ltd ] The deal for the "Norwegian Majesty", however, was completed in July.

Current cruises

Until April 2008, "Norwegian Dream" will sail South American cruises out of Valparaiso. She will then reposition to Boston and sail both Bermuda and Canada / New England cruises for the remainder of the year. [cite web|url= http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/fleet/itineraries.html?shipCode=DREAM|title= Norwegian Dream Itineraries|accessdate= 2008-04-08]

Amenities

Activity/Bar/Entertainment Venues
* Monte Carlo Casino
* Lucky's Piano Bar
* Observatory Lounge
* Wet Bar, Champs Bar, Coffee Bar, Rendezvous Bar, Topsiders Bar
* Stardust Lounge
* Galleria Shops
* Internet Cafe
* Library/Card Room
* Kids Corner, Video Arcade
* Conference Center

Restaurants
* Le Bistro French Restaurant
* Terraces Main Dining Room
* Sun Terraces Trattoria
* Four Seasons Main Dining Room
* Pizzeria
* Sports Bar and Grill
* Room Service

Health/Sports Facilities
* Spa & Salon
* Fitness Center
* Jogging/Walking Track
* Basketball/Volleyball Court
* Golf Driving Net
* Swimming Pools
* Hot Tubs

[cite web|url= http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/fleet/publicRooms.html?shipCode=DREAM|title= Norwegian Dream Public Rooms|accessdate= 2008-04-08]

References

External links

* [http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/fleet/shipInformation.html?shipCode=DREAM NCL Website]
* [http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=42 CruiseCritic.com review]
* [http://www.bookerassociates.btinternet.co.uk/Pages/dream1.htm Collision photos]
* [http://fishki.net/comment.php?id=41259 Collision photos]