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Norwegian Cruise Line Announces New Innovation

Norwegian Cruise Line have announced an exciting new innovation on their latest cruise holiday ship Norwegian Breakaway launching in April next year.

The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place is a new concept and includes an oceanfront boardwalk lined with shops, restaurants and bars, combined with three expansive, flowing decks of dining, bars, entertainment, gaming and more.

 “With our newest ship, Norwegian Breakaway, we are continuing our tradition of innovation with a brand new ship design that will provide our guests with a unique experience unlike anything else at sea,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. 

“The heart of Norwegian Breakaway and the elements that truly set it apart are The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place.  Guests will enjoy al fresco dining while admiring the beauty of the ocean, along with the excitement and exhilaration of three expansive action-packed decks, as everything is designed to flow seamlessly."

Located on Deck 8, The Waterfront is a revolutionary outdoor experience that adds a whole new dimension to the line’s signature Freestyle Cruising, by offering a number of seaside venues that feature breathtaking views and a sense of connection with the ocean. 

The hub of the ship is 678 Ocean Place, a space that uniquely flows, intertwines and connects three decks of daytime and nighttime amusements. There will be a total of 17 dining venues combined on both 678 Ocean Place and The Waterfront, along with 12 bars and lounges. 

Norwegian will also introduce a new dining concept on Norwegian Breakaway, Ocean Blu, the line’s first ever all-seafood restaurant, which will include a premium raw bar, along with a separate sushi bar.

NCL Launch New Youth Program

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced it is to revitalise its current youth program. The re-branded program will be introduced on Norwegian Gem in mid-February and will be rolled out to all of the line’s cruise ships subsequently.

“More and more families are choosing a cruise for their vacation since it represents such a good value and offers so much for the entire family. In fact, close to 150,000 children sailed on our ships in 2010 and that number continues to rise,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “We’ve already taken family programming to the next level by offering Nickelodeon experiences on some ships. Now, we want to make sure that we are continuing to offer the best possible experience for families. To do this, we are investing millions of dollars in revamping our youth and family programming.”

The current program, Norwegian’s Kid’s Crew in place since 1999, will be renamed and the age groups are being redefined to better address the skills and interests of children. The new age groups will be: three to five years; six to eight years; nine to 12 years; along with two teen groups: 13 to 14 and 15 to 17 years. There will also be programming for babies and toddlers ages six months to two years.

The new fully developed and enhanced curriculum tailored to each age group is being produced in conjunction with The King’s Foundation and Camps, a United Kingdom-based organisation that provides high quality sport and activity programs designed to make a positive impact on children. More focus will be placed on sporting activities, arts and crafts, theater and technology. Activities will change every 30 to 60 minutes depending on the age group and will be set within blocks of programming time in the morning, afternoon and evening.

The new curriculum will also include creative themes, such as circus day, theater/technology/sports and port of call day. The company has engaged Cirque Du Jour, a New York-based company that specializes in teaching children real circus skills such as scarf juggling, ball juggling, plate spinning, clowning and acrobatics. Circus workshops and shows will also be offered for the entire family.

In addition, the youth programs will be expanded to utilise other areas of the ships, including the sports courts, rock walls, theaters, lounges and public spaces and will feature more family events such as parades and scavenger hunts.

“We want to ensure our youth and teens are engaged in the programs we offer and that they are having fun,” said Richard Ambrose, Norwegian Cruise Line’s vice president of entertainment. “We have designed this new youth program to cater to the specific interests and skill sets of children and teens to ensure that they are having the vacation of a lifetime.”

The company is also investing in its youth staff, by increasing the ratio of staff to children and establishing new criteria for the hiring of counselors, including the requirement of a college degree in recreation or child care (or the equivalent experience).

The line currently offers exclusive Nickelodeon family events, shows and activities on three ships: Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Gem (beginning mid-February). Activities include pool games, breakfast with the characters, where kids – and adults – can eat, sing and play with SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Patrick, Diego and more; Dora’s Dance Party, where kids can join Dora and the Nickelodeon cast to dance and sing along; meet and greets with popular Nickelodeon characters, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and many more. In addition, there are also other family activities offered, including Nick Jr. story time, family trivia and special arts and crafts sessions.

Norwegian Breakaway Deployment Announced

Norwegian Cruise Line’s new state-of-the-art 4,000-passenger ship, Norwegian Breakaway, will sail from her year-round homeport of New York City to the Bahamas & Florida and the Caribbean during her inaugural winter season.

Following an inaugural summer season sailing seven-day cruises from New York to Bermuda, Norwegian Breakaway will embark on a series of 25 seven-day cruises to the Bahamas & Florida beginning on Sunday, October 13th, 2013.

The ship will also sail two 12-day Southern Caribbean itineraries on January 5th and 19th, 2014, along with two Weekend Escape cruises on January 17th and 31st, 2014.

These cruises go on sale to travel partners and Latitudes Rewards members (past guests) today and to the general public on Friday, January 6th.

“Norwegian Breakaway is one of the most highly anticipated new ships and has seen great demand for her summer sailings to Bermuda,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. 

“For her winter inaugural season, Norwegian Breakaway will offer guests a chance to escape from the cold of the Northeast and be transported in grand style to the tropics of the Caribbean and the Bahamas & Florida. 

“We are also excited to announce the ship will stop at our newly enhanced private island, Great Stirrup Cay, offering an exclusive beach experience.”

In October of 2011, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Norwegian Cruise Line announced that beginning in May 2013, Norwegian Breakaway will be the largest ship to homeport year-round in New York City, bringing 140,000 additional embarking passengers into New York City over two years, resulting in an estimated $35 million in additional direct spending.

Currently under construction at Meyer Werft in Germany, Norwegian Breakaway will be 144,017 gross tons and is scheduled for delivery in April 2013.

Norwegian Cruise Line is viewed as Europe’s Leading Cruise Line by the prestigious World Travel Awards.

 

Halloween Special with Norwegian Cruise Lines

Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet of 11 Freestyle Cruising ships will offer guests a spooktacular cruise experience for Halloween. Festive decorations will be adorned throughout the ship and guests can participate in special activities to celebrate the light-hearted holiday, from masquerade balls and costume contests to spooky scavenger hunts and scary movie trivia.

Those looking to experience the mystery and thrills of the season can attend Murder Mystery lunches performed by The Second City Comedy Troupe on board Norwegian Dawn; Epic; Gem; Pearl; Spirit; Star and Pride of America.

As guests set sail to the Bahamas & Florida, Bermuda, Caribbean, Europe and Hawaii, the celebration continues with themed desserts in the ship’s action-station restaurants. Decadent treats may include Pecan Caramel Spiders made with dark chocolate, caramel and pecans or Halloween cupcakes decorated with bewitching confections and made with chocolate, cream cheese and topped with a peanut butter frosting. To add to the festivities of the evening, adults can enjoy themed cocktail specialties such as a Blackbeard’s Ghost.

 

NCL commissions famous artist to paint next ship

 
NCL has commissioned New York based artist Peter Max to paint their next cruise ship.

It's the first time the line has asked a popular artist to paint the hull artwork on one of its ships, and it’ll be Peter Max’s first effort at painting a ship.

Although the New York artist is no stranger to painting large objects, his achievements include a Boeing 777 jumbo jet as well as a 600ft stage for Woodstock. He's also well-known for his paintings of various heads of states, including six American presidents and his artwork is on exhibition in hundreds of galleries and museums worldwide.

Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer had the following to say “Since Norwegian Breakaway will be making her home in New York, we felt it was fitting to ask the artist best associated with New York, Mr. Peter Max, to paint the ship’s hull. I am a huge fan of his work and know that the art he creates for Norwegian Breakaway will make the ship instantly recognizable.”

Peter Max is simply thrilled at the opportunity “I’ve painted a plane and a stage for Woodstock, but never a ship. I love ships and have travelled on them many times in my life. To see my artwork floating on Norwegian Breakaway out at sea will be a dream come true.”

The Norwegian Breakaway is scheduled for delivery in April 2013. She will weigh in at an impressive 144,017 gross tons and has been reported to have berths for 4,000 passengers. Breakaway’s sister ship Norwegian Getaway is scheduled for a April 2014 delivery.

Hurtigruten documents epic voyage

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

The longest live TV documentary in history was broadcasted across the world recently.

"HURTIGRUTEN - MINUTT FOR MINUTT" is 134 hours coverage of a voyage by Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes and has been viewed in no less than 148 countries.

The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s show, which was streamed online and shown on TV, is also entering a claim to the Guinness World Record for the longest live TV documentary.

Three million Norwegians tuned in producing the record-breaking ratings with an additional 2.9 million watching it online.

Half of the online viewers were based outside Norway and the UK was the fifth most popular country in terms of viewing figures. During the screening, Hurtigruten was the trending topic on Twitter, at one time with one tweet every six seconds.

The show’s Facebook site ‘Hurtigruten minute by minute’ received 65,000 ‘likes’ during the five-and-a-half day voyage.

Live coverage included Geirangerfjord and the western fjords of Norway, the crossing of the Arctic Circle, the Lofoten Islands, North Cape and the midnight sun.

Hurtigruten UK managing director Kathryn Beadle said: “Nobody could have imagined just how popular this show proved to be.

“Along the coast, crowds turned up in every port to welcome the ship and boats joined in to escort her along the way. The impressive figures demonstrate clearly show the incredible interest there is in Hurtigruten’s voyages along the Norwegian coastline and the global fascination there is for NRK’s innovative concept – Slow-TV.”

If you haven't got a spare 134 hours take a look at this sampler for just one minute.

 

New Design on NCL Cruises

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

The new cabin design on Norwegian Cruise Lines two new vessels has been revealed and named as Project Breakaway.

According to the Mirror newspaper the new cruise ships which are to be constructed at the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Germany, will each carry approximately 4,000 passengers and this week's announcement was about the 1,024 balcony cabins and 238 mini-suites.

"The overall design theme for Project Breakaway's staterooms is 'modern boutique hotel meets the sea.' We wanted an ambiance that is warm and inviting, and has a very contemporary feel with clean, modern lines.

"We also want to maximise the use of space within the staterooms, so our guests are as comfortable as possible and storage space is well planned throughout."

 


The cabins have been drawn up by London designers Priestmangood and working alongside Tillberg Design of Sweden, slot together with a wide section for the bed and a narrower area for the sitting space.

Each balcony stateroom onboard the new ships will have a king-size bed (which can be split into twins) with a leather headboard. There's a lighted recess above the bed to hold books, magazines, iPads and Kindles - which every passenger will no doubt travel with. A 26 inch television is mounted on the wall and tilts so it can be seen from the bed or sofa.

The bathrooms in the balcony cabins will have plenty of storage space and a decent-sized basin - neither of which was part of the design of the Epic cabins - and a "private shower" with a shaving bar.

The mini-suites will have oversized spa-like showers with a rain-shower head and multiple jets, along with a separate handheld shower head.

With these new cabin features, would it encourage you to take your cruise holiday with NCL Cruises?

NCL to focus on Europe for 2012/13

Posted by Susan O'Driscoll

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced its largest European deployment ever for the 2012/2013 season with four Freestyle Cruising ships, including two year-round. 

Norwegian Spirit will join Norwegian Jade sailing year-round in Europe beginning in April 2012.  This is also the first time Norwegian Spirit will sail in Europe offering 12-day Grand Mediterranean voyages in summer and autumn, along with nine-day Canary Islands in the winter and spring.  The company’s largest and most innovative ship, Norwegian Epic, along with Norwegian Sun will continue cruising seasonally from Barcelona and Copenhagen respectively.

“Europe is one of the world’s fastest growing cruise markets and one where Freestyle Cruising is very well received.  Given this, we felt it was the right time to deploy four ships, including two year-round, in Europe, marking our largest European deployment in the company’s history,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s chief executive officer.  “Guests now have the flexibility of embarking from four homeports in Europe sailing to some of the most exciting destinations in the world.”

Norwegian Spirit will make her European debut with two memorable itineraries including a 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruise from Venice, Italy and Barcelona, Spain during the summer, and a nine-day Canary Islands cruise from Barcelona through the fall and winter. 

The 12-day Grand Mediterranean sailings run from April 28, 2012 to October 25, 2012 and begin in either Barcelona or Venice and call on Provence (Toulon), France; Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Rome (Civitavecchia) and Naples, Italy; Mykonos and Athens (Piraeus), Greece; and Istanbul and Ephesus (Izmir), Turkey. 

The nine-day Canary Islands cruises from Barcelona will sail from November 6, 2012 to April 8, 2013 and call on Funchal, Madeira; Santa Cruz de Tenerife; and Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands; and Granada (Málaga), Spain. 

Continuing her year-round sailings in Europe, the 2,402-passenger Norwegian Jade will sail seven unique itineraries with ports of call in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Croatia, Israel, and Egypt from her homeports of Rome (Civitavecchia) and Venice, Italy.  Norwegian Jade will continue her popular alternating seven-day Greek Isles and Greece and Turkey cruises departing on Saturdays from Venice from April 28, 2012 to October 6, 2012. 

The Greek Isles cruises call on Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos and Olympia (Katakolon), Greece. The Greece and Turkey sailings call on Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia; Athens (Piraeus), Greece; and Ephesus (Izmir), Turkey.  Since there is no port repetition between the two itineraries, they can be easily combined on most sailings to create a port-rich 14-day European tour.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest and most innovative ship, Norwegian Epic, will return to Barcelona sailing a series of 25 seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises from April 29 to October 14, 2012. The ship will call in Naples, Civitavecchia (Rome), and Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy; and Villefranche (Nice) and Marseille, France. In addition, Norwegian Epic will sail one four-night Western Mediterranean cruise on April 25, 2012.

And Norwegian Sun will continue sailing her nine-night Baltic Capital cruises from Copenhagen, Denmark from May 4 to September 7, 2012 calling at Warnemünde (Berlin), Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; an overnight stay in St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden. Norwegian Sun will also sail one 14-night Norway, Iceland & Faroe Islands cruise on September 16, 2012 calling at Bergen, and Alesund, Norway; Lerwick, Shetland Islands; Thorshavn, Faroe Islands; Reykjavik, Iceland; Greenock (Glasgow), Scotland and Dublin, Ireland.

Rock out on Norwegian Epic

 

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

Norwegian Cruise Line has just announced a partnership with Gibson Guitar where guests can discover their inner rock star in the privacy of their own stateroom onboard Norwegian Epic. 

The ‘Check-In-Rock-Out’ programme gives guests the opportunity to borrow a Gibson guitar, companion pod, and a private amplifier with headphones to take to their staterooms and enjoy without disturbing other guests.

Each pod includes controls and special effects so that guests can select the type of sound they want to create, from classic rock to heavy metal, blues, classic and country - and then choose their own song to play. The rental cost is just $10 per day every day except on embarkation and disembarkation days.

“We are so excited about this programme,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer.  “We’ve brought world class performers to our guests on Norwegian Epic.  Now, we’re letting our guests be the superstars and play on world class Gibson guitars.  Whether you’re an expert guitarist or an air guitar fan like me, the ‘Check-In-Rock-Out’ programme will let you play like a rock star, in the privacy of your stateroom.”

“Our partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line will offer fans from around the world the opportunity to experience music like never before on the high seas,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar.  “We are delighted to be part of the global excitement surrounding the launch of Norwegian Epic and share in our mutual goals for world class entertainment.”

 

Norwegian Epic Uncovered

 

Drink in the latest images of NCL’s most innovative vessel, Norwegian Epic…