A New Generation of NCL Ships
May 04, 2005
In an effort to meet their goal of having the most modern fleet of cruise ships in the world, Norwegian Cruise Line will be introducing several new and innovative vessels to the public. Starting June 2005 until the fall of 2006, NCL will be unveiling ships that will no doubt continue the cruise line's commitment to giving its passengers a totally unique cruising experience. With so much for its guests to look forward to, NCL seems to have the wind at its back.
The first ship that will grace the water with an NCL flag is the Pride of America. Its emergence, however, is late in the making, however. Although it was originally scheduled to take its maiden voyage on Independence Day of 2004, the date had to be postponed until June of 2005 because of a storm that had damaged the ship during construction, forcing the ship to take on water. After thorough repairs and renovations, the ship is ready to make its debut in Hawaii. When released, it will be the first U.S.-flagged ship in about 50 years to hit the ocean.
In only a few months after that, the 92,000-ton Norwegian Jewel will set sail. Beginning in August, she will set sail to Europe, Canada, New England, and the Caribbean. Following that, in February and the fall of 2007, two sister ships of Jewel - the names of which have not been released - will be delivered to NCL. And in the spring of 2006, the Pride of Hawaii will sail to the islands in the Pacific.
All this news comes on the heels of the recent cancellation of a letter of intent with the Helsinki, Finland-based shipyard, Aker Finnyards. Aker Finnyards has produced over a quarter of all the cruise ships within the last ten years, and it seems as if the cancelled letter of intent was due to the fact that the companys other shipyards had too much on the table. Aker spokesperson Sinikka Railo says that the cancellation took place in a "spirit of good understanding," and that "further cooperation between Aker and NCL" is very possible in the future.
The gist of the cancellation stems from the fact that NCL wanted a sister ship to the 92,000-ton Norwegian Jewel constructed and ready for delivery by the spring of 2007, but Aker stated that because of the influx of orders that Aker's other shipyards are dealing with, the soonest NCL could have the ship would be sometime in 2008.
NCL, therefore, decided to move their letter of intent to Meyer Werft, a German-based shipyard. Meyer Werft is handling construction for all five of NCL's upcoming ships. NCL, which operates under the Hong Kong-base parent company Star Cruises, third largest cruise line operator in the world, is happy to see things moving forward. "Following the disappointing decision recently to terminate discussions [with Aker Finnyards], we are very pleased now to have secured [the ship] for 2007," states Colin Veitch, NCL's President and CEO.
Norwegian is known for their Freestyle Cruising, a cruise experience that NCL designed to give passengers more choice in dining, service, and activities. With ships such as Pride of America having as many as 8 restaurants, 10 lounges and bars, and lots of activities for on and off the ship, it seems their new generation of vessels is seeing how far Freestyle Cruising can go.
Michael Gloss Jr
