Day 8 on NORWEGIAN DREAM in Boston, MA (English Version)

My very last nightly round on the ship:



They cleared the spa. A tower cooler was not the souvenir I would like to take with. In the Observation Lounge eight seats for USCBP were prepared.





Although Albatros (a member of the German forum) did not travel with us, I could find him on board.



Click on the picture to read the text.



I went again to Deck 11 behind the bridge. It's true... she left 1992 as DREAMWARD the shipyard in St. Nazaire, France.



I was looking for memories for MY ports which I called with NORWEGIAN DREAM: Bermuda:



Boston:





What happened in Brunsbüttel, Germany (Entry from the North Sea to the Kiel-Canal-locks)? How did they support the hospital??? MathiasK (NORWEGIAN DREAM FAN CLUB, Albersdorf, Germany) was so kind and explained in the German forum the background story. Here the translation with the official approval to use the picture:



Crew and passengers of 2007 donated for the whole season for the children station of the local hospital in Brunsbüttel. From the board the season could donate around 15,000 USD. Some was added on by NCL Miami to round up the amount. Captain Bengtsson and Hotel Director Jean-Michelle Delihn presented on Sep 15, 2007 the check to the Head of the Hospital during a VIP Party. All the years before there were few ill guests onboard of NORWEGIAN DREAM and out of these contacts and the professional cooperation a lot of friendships between ship's doctors and shore's doctors were founded.

MathiasK's own wording you can find in kreuzfahrten-treff.de. But in German.





Twice Rostock, Germany???



I admit that I was playing with the thought to plunder the ship and planned to have an electric screwdriver with me.

Watching this blank space hurted me and I thought that someone already picked over the bones.

Is it St. Peter-Port on Guernsey, which was missing???



Dover, Kent, UK, where our very first voyage on NORWEGIAN DREAM began:



I said farewell to the idea to have my own slot machine. They cleared the casino as well.



No more applaude in the show lounge:



... The menus were taken away. The last dinner was served...



At least we got one more breakfast in "Four Seasons". Everything was well prepared. A lot of people were hanging around in the aisle because auf time change to Standard Time. Because we had two consequetive time changes during two days a lot of the passengers were already hungry.



No Kalina who prepared a coffee we liked. She knew what Americans liked and she knew what Europeans liked.





The only place we really had to criticize on was now under maintenance. I felt sorry that I will not profit anymore.



In our favourite restaurant nothing more will be served...





Even the lamp was repaired...



... and everything ready to go for a transfer to another ship...



A last view into the galley in which millions of meals were prepared.

Once in my lifetime as guest at the Captain's table...



Not anymore since Freestyle and cancellation of the formal nights: why should the Captain eat here???



Upstairs the last meal was already prepared:







My Latitude-Lounge was not set up again...



Here we will never hear again the laughters of kids when we pass by:



And outside it's much too cold to move without jacket...



No wonder...



Even I was unable to say good-bye from all our cruisecritic-friends personally:

I found some in the glass bin:



Accidentially I passed the cabin which I originally booked:



We were lucky that we did not stay there.

Something to be upset: an inclined lamp...



I returned to my stateroom to change to my winter clothings. For outside pictures it was too cold. Our invoice arrived.



We got charged twice the corkage fee!

Becky and me paid double. She in the restaurant and me again with the load master.

But we decided not to claim as the queue was too long.

Three ways to handle it:

Way 1: We write to Miami and maybe get 15 USD OBC (goodwill)

Way 2: We have a good reason to book again a cruise with Panos as F+B-Manager. With the conversion rate and inflation we could get six bottles of water and can experience again the greatest service in all his restaurants.

Way 3: We are lucky and meet Panos indeed in Greece and we can be sure to enjoy the very best Greek hospitality which much more worth than 15 USD.

Way 2 and 3 are our favourite to get back our 15 USD...

A very last round on the open decks:

















It was too cold and went inside.

Somebody stopped the clock to stopp the end. But it did not work.



Such deck plans were unique (maybe only NORWEGIAN WIND had them):



And Le Bistro was not always Le Bistro but a Café.



Here the guests of the suites get one more time their buffet...



I never remembered the deck's name. I case of a fire I would not have the clue to find my ways around.



And again our deck:



I was observing our entry to Boston port out of my window:







Somewhere far away you were hearing the sound of bells: for us or to announce the service. But that's much too early.



She stayed silent for our farewell...





Later I cannot stay anymore in my stateroom and I did not care how cold it was outside:

I went out on my "private balcony":













How many times did I stand there at Fort Independence to see the ships coming in or going out.



The very last time a pilot guided us into the port area of Boston.

The very last time the flag was flied at the bow for us passengers.



We made the turn before we get backwards into the port basin.

I watched it so many times before from the rooftop parking of USCBP and I now I experienced myself.







The very last time Captain Haddevik landed the NORWEGIAN DREAM.





He asked us to come to his office as he wanted to hand over something for the NORWEGIAN DREAM FAN CLUB we should mail out of Germany. I did not hope that it was the thing he thought at first: Our baggage was already downstairs.

When I said that I need to go to immigration first, he just said, that it would take a little longer as we were late.

For a good order's sake I asked him if the USCBP-agents were already with the pilot onboard and I need to be 7.15 am upstairs. He smiled and said: "They always come when we landed."

At the location where I am normally shipspotting, is zamboni girl from cruisecritic.com, who has here a great picture collection of NORWEGIAN DREAM herself.











Only two more shipspotters were interested to see how we entered the port. But they thought it was too cold to get out of their cars:





When we went to Deck 12 for immigration we were guided to the Stardust Lounge to wait:

Starboard for Non-US-Citizens
Portside for US-Citizens with purchases more than 800 USD value



Because the music system was already cleared they had to use the bullhorn.



The remained things from the show.



We asked if we can go and have breakfast.

It should take at least one hour, we were told. So went for breakfast.

We discovered following painting:





We saw Ramona one more time this morning and I thought well done on the painting.

Mr. P should be Herold.





We saw also Adina again but we had a malfunction with our camara in this moment.



And Thomas in the center.

You see, slowly the goods ran out. The collegues "helped" themselves from other's service stations.



... and obviously the little bowls for the cottage cheese were found...







The very last time Captain Hoddevik spoke to his passengers.

Unfortunately we were sitting next to the service station. So you hear in the foreground some rattling of the dishes.

The queue was still so long that went to the reception desk to report for Captain Hoddevik in his office.

Here we see again our Bermuda:



He showed us the last crew photo and the gift for the NORWEGIAN DREAM FAN CLUB. That's good as it fit in our hand baggage and we should not overstrained German Postal Service with the shipping.

As everyone is asked with TSA if you carry someone else's goods with you and we have in Germany a limit of 350 EUR duty free for both of us, he showed us what was inside.

We asked for a farewell-picture. He agreed subject the Norwegian flag will be in center of the picture.



When we added us to the queue they were still on Deck 10.

On Deck 12 there was a bad surprise expecting us: Only two USCBP-agents handled the immigration. That's why it took longer than expected.

As we ordered for 10 am our car from Hertz we get quickly our hand baggage out of the stateroom and say farewell to Marcus and Elesas.

We should met Karin in the Stardust Lounge but as we were under time pressure we went directly ashore.

But we were lucky to meet her again at the baggage claim. Our VIP-bags were waiting for us next to the entrance.



She apologied for the chaotic procedured but the ship itself was late and the immigration on the last ship were never this way that the passengers had to wait in the Stardust Lounge. Only because the huge number of Canadians. She had for us the very last postcards of NORWEGIAN DREAM for us. We said good-bye and maybe Bruno will meet her in Aschaffenburg, Germany as he is working next to her place.

We looked distressed for our car. I did see the Hertz-Agent who was waiting for me. We saw Becky and her family and said good-bye.

Here we found or car from Hertz. 25 USD was a good investment that we did not have to use a cab to the car rental location.



We went to Summer Street Bridge to bid farewell from NORWEGIAN DREAM.









But we need to go shopping. So we went first to Wrentham Outlet Village.



On the way we could enjoy a little bit of Indian Summer.

We stopped at cruisebrothers.com in Cranston RI and handed over some chocolate for Dorothy.

She did a great job and we used the occasion to get some brochures. Especially ths special edition for CELEBRITY SOLSTICE-Class. I hoped that they have more in their stock... I took them all... Psst...



From there straigth to New York City.

We missed the sail-away of NORWEGIAN DAWN. It was New York Marahton (again - the third time for me...) so it took much longer to our hotel.

Indeed we would a great view to NORWEGIAN DAWN. What a pitty!



For any kind of going out we were to tired. So we let a Chinese delivery service bring our dinner to our room.

A wonderful voyage was terminated with wonderful memories.

My memory is as always the signature of Captain Hoddevik in Douglas Ward's BERLITZ Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships 2008.



Dear Mr Ward:

We know eachother from MSC MUSICA 2007.

I hope it's fine with you that I took this page into my blog.

But NORWEGIAN DREAM is not anymore in service therefore the value of your information will not affect any purchases of your book.

If you do not agree: you have my e-mail-address.

Thanks and best regards to your wife!



So we finally bid farewell to this part of my blog from our NORWEGIAN DREAM-voyage.

A small post-cruise and conclusion part will follow.

Regards
HeinBloed