Norwegian Cruise Lines will reposition Norwegian Epic to Port Canaveral this winter, in response to strong demand for Caribbean cruises. Starting December 17, 2023, the ship will offer seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. "Thanks to our great partnership and strong collaboration with Norwegian, we're delighted to welcome back Norwegian Epic,” said Capt. john Murray, Port CEO “She's a terrific addition to our fleet of homeported ships." Norwegian Epic has 19 decks and can accommodate 4,100 passengers. It offers a range varied amenities including a bowling alley, Ice Bar, and The Epic Plunge bowl slide. NCL will share details of its Caribbean cruises in the coming weeks.

Norwegian Cruise Line has a bumper deployment of 10 ships offering Europe cruises this summer. Norwegian Prima will be homeporting in Southampton for the first time this summer season. NCL enhances its Europe deployment with longer, more varied itineraries. Norwegian Prima has returned to Europe and homeports in Reykjavik (Iceland), Barcelona and Southampton. A total of ten NCL ships¹ will offer Europe cruises through December 2023, including Norwegian Viva, the second Prima Class ship. There are 132 distinctive itineraries with 46 roundtrips and 86 open-jaw sailings. Cruises will be departing from a total of 15 homeports, including Bilbao. Tromso, Marseille and Ravenna (Italy), for the first time. NCL is shifting towards longer cruises, as 87% of its European voyages are set to have a duration of nine or more days. Shore excursions include six new categories such as Beyond Blueprints, Gourmet Tours and Go Local. " This season, we're thrilled to be offering even more opportunities ", said Gary Anslow, Head of UK & Ireland Business for NCL. "We've seen the demand for our European voyages return in full swing." Europe season highlights include Norwegian Prima's 10-day Northern Europe cruise from Reykjavik to Southampton and A nine-day Mediterranean roundtrip to Italy, France and Spain.

NCLH cruise ship Wi-Fi will be powered by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced it will be testing Starlink broadband on ships. It will start with Norwegian Breakaway with the aim to roll out across the fleet. After testing, it will initially be installed on seven ships. These include Norwegian Viva, Oceania Vista, and Regent’s Seven Seas Grandeur. It is expected to go live by the end of the year. “We are elated to offer Starlink internet access to enhance internet connectivity aboard our ships,” said Harry Sommer, new CEO. “It is incredibly important to us to ensure that this technology meets our high standards of excellence for our guests.”

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd president and CEO Frank Del Rio will retire this summer. He steps down from the top job and board of directors on June 30, the company said. Harry Sommer, president and CEO of the company's flagship brand Norwegian Cruise Line, will take his place. Current chief of flagship brand, Norwegian Cruise Line Harry Sommer will succeed Del Rio. "Leading NCLH has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional career," Del Rio said. Del Rio will continue as a senior advisor to the board until 2025. The company also announced the appointment of David J. Herrera as NCL’s new President from 1st April 2023. Herrera is currently NCL's Chief Consumer Sales and Marketing Officer. He was previously senior advisor to the CEO and Chairman of Prestige Holdings in 2012. With Herrera's appointment, Adam Malone, who oversees consumer and integrated marketing, will take the role of Chief Marketing Officer.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced sales for new 2024/2025 exotic itineraries. It includes the first time Norwegian Spirit, Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky are operating Asia cruises. The schedule includes new calls to Manama, Bahrain; Rarotonga, Cook Islands; Sokhna, Egypt; and Akita, Japan. NCL is expanding its voyages to Antarctica, South America, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific by 37%. Extraordinary Journeys are increased by 15%. "Our guests are craving longer, immersive and more unique itineraries," said CEO Harry Sommer. "These new sailings represent the most diverse itinerary program to date with extended Asia cruises." Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky will debut in Asia, with an extensive eight-month season from October 2024 through May 2025. They sail country-intensive voyages in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan. It includes a collection of Japanese spring cherry blossom and fall foliage itineraries. For the first time, NCL will call to Akita, Japan during Norwegian Sun's 12-day roundtrip sailing from Tokyo,. Both ships will be joined by Norwegian Spirit, on a brand-new repositioning voyage from Australia. Other firsts include NCL's  debut from Ushuaia, Argentina on a 14-day South America voyage to Brazil and Antarctica.

Norwegian Cruise Line revealed the line-up of its popular series of wine cruises. The Meet the Winemaker program features renowned winemakers and culinary experts. The series offers an exclusive opportunity to engage with winemakers through various enriching seminars and activities. It includes wine tastings, paired dinners, culinary demonstrations and meet-and-greets. "Our Meet the Winemaker series is back and better than ever," said Harry Sommer, CEO. "Every year we aim to elevate this exclusive experience." The line-up includes celebrity chef and TV personality Aaron Sanchez, winemaker Miguel Torres and Emma Walker, Master Blender at Johnnie Walker. They join wine cruises in the Caribbean, Alaska, Bermuda and Northern Europe.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced new offering ‘Experiences at Sea.’ Ii is the union of Sixthman Festivals at Sea, a NCL subsidiary, and the Charters, Meetings and Incentives division. ‘Experiences at Sea’ hosts 13 consecutive events over 66 nights in spring 2023. The Experiences at Sea brand leverages Sixthman's 21 years of experience of over 160 charters. It aims to bring guests together to enjoy highly curated cruise experiences. "We are thrilled to offer 13 back-to-back immersive festival-at-sea cruises aboard Norwegian Pearl," said Anthony Diaz, CEO of Sixthman. It offers the first charter experience in Europe in celebration of the Rugby World Cup 2023. It will provide cruise packages ranging from 1- to 10-nights for the games between 8 September and 16 October 2023. Guests on board enjoy guaranteed official match tickets to a selection of games. "Experiences at Sea" strengthened its team roster with two new Europe-based roles, based in Southampton. Norwegian Pearl hosts several back-to-back theme cruises from Miami through 27 March encompassing, wrestling, LGTBQIA+ and varied music genres.

Solo travel is gaining in popularity with many choosing to leave friends or family at home. According to research commissioned by Norwegian Cruise Line, over one-third (37%) prefer to travel alone. Three in ten (31%) have already booked a solo holiday for 2023. The top reasons for solo travel are for a break (33%) or to treat themselves (30%). Almost one in five (17%) booked a holiday to reconnect with themselves after a break-up. Gary Anslow, Head of UK and Ireland Business at NCL, said, "We can see that enjoying the beauty of travel on your own enables a truly authentic experience." NCL launched the Studio concept in 2010, designed and priced exclusively for solo cruisers. The Studio complex can be found on nine ships within the NCL fleet. Norwegian Viva provides solo guests with 73 Studio cabins, all with exclusive access to the shared private area Studio Lounge. Norwegian Viva will sail through the Mediterranean later this year.

  Norwegian Cruise Line is resuming Covid tests for some guests. It advised travel partners that tests are required for all sailings. It applies only to guests who have recently been in Greater China. The new protocol will initially last until the end of January. It affects all sailings on all ships. Guests must present proof of negative PCR Covid tests taken within 48 hours. They must also take a test at embarkation. Further testing onboard is required every 48 hours until 10 days have passed since they left China. They must also be fully vaccinated. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as appropriate,” NCL said.

Norwegian passenger traffic exceeded 1.3 million passengers in December. The airline says domestic Christmas passenger traffic was at pre Covid levels. It represents an increase of 41% compared to December 2021. During 2022 Norwegian handled 18 million passengers. This is triple the number of passengers from the previous year. December load factor was 77.8%. "We are delighted to see that an increasing number of passengers choose Norwegian," said CEO Geir Karlsen. More than nine out of ten flights arrived on time or within one hour.

 

-NCL Takes Viewers to the Land of Fire and Ice for the History-Making Debut of Its Newest Groundbreaking Ship in Reykjavik, Iceland, Followed by a First-Hand Look at Its New Elevated Onboard Experiences-

-Two-Part Episode Is Available On Demand at www.ncl.com/embark -

  Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel, today announced the premiere of its next episode of “EMBARK with NCL,” a two-part feature chronicling the milestone launch of its record-breaking ship, Norwegian Prima, available on demand at www.ncl.com/embark.   For the first time ever, NCL is pulling back the curtain and inviting viewers to be part of the most important milestone of any new ship, the christening ceremony and celebration, with this first episode, “Christening Norwegian Prima: First in Class.”  The audience is given a front-row seat to the exclusive event which begins with a preview of the opening ceremony at the HARPA Concert Hall, the epicentre for the Icelandic cultural arts. The evening included performances by the award-winning Icelandic singer-songwriter Briet and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.  The festivities continue when Godmother Katy Perry boards Norwegian Prima to officially name and christen the vessel with the ceremonial champagne bottle break across the ship’s hull, marking the start of Norwegian Prima’s maiden voyage.   In part two, “Norwegian Prima: Discover Innovation,” viewers receive an inside look into brand and industry first experiences debuting aboard the ship, including Indulge Food Hall featuring 11 different eateries; the three-level Prima Speedway; two adrenaline-pumping slides, The Drop and Rush; the sustainable Metropolitan Bar; and a three-story transformational theatre showcasing “The Price is Right” and the Tony Award®-nominated musical “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.”   “With the debut of the Prima Class, we wanted our guests to be amazed from the moment they stepped on board, instantly creating everlasting memories with family and friends,” said Harry Sommer, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line. “And what better way to kick off that very first memory than christening Norwegian Prima in one of the most beautiful and spectacular countries in the world, Iceland. With this “EMBARK with NCL” episode, I’m extremely excited to offer our guests, for the first time, an inside look at this momentous milestone, as well as inspire them to join us for their dream vacation at sea.”   Hosted by American television personality and world traveller, Zay Harding, and Lexie Alford (aka Lexie Limitless), the Guinness World Record Holder for the youngest person to travel to every country by the age of 21, viewers will follow them along in this “EMBARK with NCL” episode as they experience everything Norwegian Prima has to offer, as well as discover the natural wonders of the land of fire and ice.   To watch the EMBARK with NCL episode featuring Norwegian Prima, tune in at www.ncl.com/embark. For more information on EMBARK with NCL, or to watch the complete series, visit www.ncl.com/embark.   For more information about the Company's award-winning 18-ship fleet and worldwide itineraries, or to book a cruise, please contact a travel professional, call 0333 2412319 or visit www.ncl.com.

Norwegian Cruise Line celebrated a new milestone as Norwegian Epic became the first of its ships to homeport in Haifa, Israel. The 4,100-passenger ship will embark on an open-jaw 11-day voyage to five countries includingTurkey and Italy. Nick Wilkinson, NCL Regional VP for Israel, Middle East and Africa, said: "The Israeli market is hugely important to us, and we know that our Israeli guests have been longing for embarkations out of their country.” Norwegian Epic will sail a variety of 10-, 11- and 12- day sailings in December 2023 as well as in March and October 2024. It calls at Ashdod, Limassol Rhodes, Patmos, Piraeus Naples, Livorno, Venice (Trieste) and Civitavecchia, as well as Split in Croatia. NCL further announced that Norwegian Viva, the second Prima Class vessel, will offer open-jaw voyages from Istanbul, Haifa and Piraeus in summer 2025.