NCL’s Leeward Moves Forward

Amid the financial crisis of its parent company Kloster Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line introduced its new 950-passenger Leeward, a major make-over of an existing Baltic ferry, on three- and four-day cruises out of Miami in late October.

The ship is owned by Finland’s Effjohn International and operated by NCL in a joint venture.

Kloster, on a deadline to meet $34 million due in principal and interest payments, had been in negotiations with industry giant Carnival Corp. about a potential takeover based on Carnival’s ownership of an estimated $110 million worth of Kloster’s bonds. But those negotiations broke off Nov. 14.

Then NCL president Adam Aron announced Nov. 17 that Kloster had sold two ships from its Royal Cruise Line division, the Royal Odyssey and the Star Odyssey, both former Royal Viking ships, to an unnamed buyer for $110 million, then leased them back through April, 1996, with an option to extend the lease or buy them back at that date. That transaction would enable the company to make all payments due, Aron said.

Meanwhile, the new Leeward, despite its arrival three months later than anticipated following a $60-million renovation funded by Effjohn, has a new and appealing set of itineraries for its short cruises.

The three-day Friday sailings from Miami alternate weekly between a cruise to Key West and to NCL’s private Bahamian island, Great Stirrup Cay, for a beach day, and a cruise to Nassau. The four-day sailings leave Miami on Mondays and call at Key West, Cancun and Cozumel with a day at sea on Thursdays.

The mid-size ship is small enough to get around easily, and the cabins are larger than on many NCL ships.

What we found particularly appealing was the Art Deco-influenced decor throughout the vessel. There is a pair of smaller L-shaped dining rooms, rather than one enormous space, making mealtimes more akin to a restaurant experience.

In addition, an alternative restaurant called Le Bistro can serve as many as 150 passengers.

The food and service appear to have been upgraded since our last sailing on an NCL ship, with some ex-Royal Viking personnel working in the hotel division. The showy new menus are reminiscent of grand French restaurants.

The two-deck show lounge, where “The Pirates of Penzance” is staged during each cruise, is entered through a pair of doors and a short stairway reminiscent of a 1930s movie house.

The ship’s gym and spa are situated in a sort of jury-rigged-vr open hallway outside the balcony doors of the show lounge.

The original 40-person Finnish sauna on the ship was converted to the Sports Bar & Grill, where ESPN plays around the clock.

Several water options on the amidships deck--a small swimming pool, large Jacuzzi and children’s pool with sliding board--are supplemented with an overhead sun walk for joggers and a new topmost deck added during the renovation provides a basketball/paddle tennis court.

Top accommodations are the owner’s suites. One of them, the Presidential Suite, earned its name after former President George Bush occupied it.

Fares for the pair of lavish suites, which have huge verandas with outdoor hot tubs, separate living room and bedroom, and walk-in closet, range from $1,589 to $1,819 per person, double occupancy, including air fare, depending on season and length of sailing.

There are eight more modest but still spacious penthouses with small balconies, separate living rooms and bedrooms, and mini-refrigerators that range from $1,339 to $1,569 per person, double occupancy.

Standard outside doubles are $849 to $1,129, and bottom-priced inside cabins with upper and lower berths are $609 to $839. Third and fourth passengers occupying the same cabin with two full-fare adults pay $200 to $260.

We found plenty of closet-hanging space but a paucity of drawers in the category B outside doubles. And some of the Atlantic Deck aft cabins are noisy with sounds from engines, beginning at cabins 4227 on the port side and 4028 on the starboard side to the end.

For more information, call Norwegian Cruise Lines at (800) 327-7030.