News • Norway •
2011-03-10
Norwegian Cruise Line launches its 2012/2013 Preview brochure
- “The best for less“: upgrades for early bookings until June 14, 2011
- Four Freestyle Cruising ships sailing in European waters: largest European deployment in company history
- Eight Freestyle Cruising ships in the Caribbean
- New ships in Alaska and the Panama Canal
Wiesbaden, March 2011: This week, Norwegian Cruise Line launches its preview brochure for the 2012/13 season – including the largest European deployment in company history. For the first time four Freestyle Cruising vessels will set sail in Europe – including two year-round. Norwegian Spirit will join Norwegian Jade sailing year-round in Europe offering 12-night cruises in Mediterranean during summer and fall, along with nine-night cruises to the Canary Islands in winter and spring. The company’s largest and most innovative ship, Norwegian Epic, as well as Norwegian Sun will continue cruising seasonally from Barcelona and Copenhagen respectively.
Norwegian Cruise Line also offers the usual variety of worldwide cruise itineraries: this 2012/13 season the company will have eight ships cruising in the Caribbean from four embarkation ports – Miami, New York, Tampa and New Orleans. For the first time, the 2.376-passenger Norwegian Jewel will sail Alaska’s Inside Passage from/to Seattle. Additionally, the cruise line expands its offer for cruises to Canada and New England during the Indian Summer and Norwegian Jewel will cross the Panama Canal for the first time.
In order to celebrate the highlights of the new season and the largest European deployment, Norwegian Cruise Line will reward customers who book a European or Transatlantic cruise for the 2012 summer season until June 14, 2011 with upgrades of up to six categories within their choice of accommodation (Inside, Oceanview, Balcony and Mini Suites) – simply “The Best for Less”.
“The 2012/2013 season is filled with new and exciting Freestyle Cruising choices. Whether it’s our ships cruising different destinations, disembarking from new homeports or sailing new itineraries, we offer the most freedom and flexibility when it comes to cruise travel,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s president and chief executive officer.
Michael Zengerle, Norwegian Cruise Line’s General Manager Europe continues: “We are very excited to have four Freestyle Cruising ships in Europe in the 2012/13 season. This will set the basis for further growth on the European markets.”
Detailed summary and news of the 2012/13 cruise programme:
Europe: Mediterranean and Baltic Sea
The 2.018-passenger Norwegian Spirit will make her European debut with two itineraries in the Mediterranean Sea and to the Canary Islands. The 12-night sailings in the Mediterranean run from April 28, 2012 to October 25, 2012 and cruise either from Venice to Barcelona or from Barcelona to Venice (available from 1.199 Euro per person). Ports of call include Toulon (Provence), France; Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Civitavecchia (Rome) and Naples, Italy; Mykonos and Piraeus (Athens), Greece; and Istanbul and Izmir (Ephesus), Turkey. The nine-night “Canary Islands from Barcelona” cruises will sail from November 6, 2012 to April 8, 2013 and call on Funchal (Madeira), Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Arrecife (Lanzarote); and Málaga (Granada). These cruises are available from 649 Euro per person.
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 Civitavecchia (Rome) and Venice, Italy. Norwegian Jade will continue her popular alternating seven-night cruises to the Greek Isles and the Eastern Mediterranean departing on Saturdays from April 28, 2012 to October 6, 2012 (from July 21 to August 25, 2012 “Greek Isles from Venice” route only, departing on Saturdays). The cruise “Greek Isles from Venice” calls on Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos and Katakolon (Olympia), Greece and is available from 699 Euro per person. The cruise “Adriatic, Greece and Turkey from Venice” is available from 649 Euro per person and calls at Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia; Piraeus (Athens) in Greece; and Ephesus (Izmir) in Turkey. Since there is no port repetition between the two itineraries, they can be easily combined to create a port-rich 14-night tour. Also from Venice, Norwegian Jade offers a six-night cruise “Croatia and Greece from Venice” on July 7, 2012 from 599 Euro per person; and an eight-night cruise “Greek Isles & Turkey from Venice” on July 13 from, 2012 from 859 Euro per person, as well as a seven-night cruise in the Adriatic on April 21 from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Venice; and on October 13, 2012 from Venice with disembarkation in Civitavecchia (Rome). These cruises are available from 649 Euro per person.
From Civitavecchia (Rome), Norwegian Jade will sail alternating 11-night cruises to the Holy Land and 10-night cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean from October 20, 2012 to April 17, 2013. The “Mediterranean & Holy Land from Civitavecchia (Rome)” cruises are available from 929 Euro per person and call at Alanya, Turkey; Limassol, Cyprus; Haifa and Ashdod, Israel; and Port Said and Alexandria, Egypt. The cruises “Eastern Mediterranean from Civitavecchia (Rome)” are available from 749 Euro per person and call at Katakolon (Olympia) and Piraeus (Athens), Greece; Izmir (Ephesus), Turkey; and include an overnight stay in Alexandria, Egypt.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest and most innovative ship, Norwegian Epic, will return to Barcelona sailing a series of 25 seven-night cruises in the Western Mediterranean from April 29 to October 14, 2012 (available from 649 Euro per person). The ship will call in Naples, Civitavecchia (Rome), and Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy; as well as in Villefranche (Nice) and Marseille, France as new ports of call. In addition, Norwegian Epic will sail one four-night “Western Mediterranean from Barcelona” cruise on April 25, 2012.
Norwegian Sun will continue sailing her nine-night “Baltic Capitals from Copenhagen” cruises 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 (available from 949 Euro per person). Norwegian Sun will also sail one 14-night “Norway, Iceland & Faroe Islands from Copenhagen” 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. This cruise is available from 1.499 Euro per person.
In addition, there are five opportunities for guests to have an experience of a lifetime crossing the Atlantic with NCL’s Transatlantic cruises. Norwegian Epic offers two options: an 11-night Transatlantic from Miami to Barcelona on April 14, 2012 and a 13-night Transatlantic from Barcelona to Miami on October 21, 2012. Norwegian Spirit offers a 13-night Transatlantic from New Orleans to Barcelona on April 15, 2012. Norwegian Sun crosses the Atlantic on April 21, 2012 from Port Canaveral (Orlando) to Copenhagen and back to Miami from Copenhagen on September 30, 2012. Transatlantic cruises are available from 549 Euro per person.
Caribbean and Bahamas
Norwegian Epic will continue sailing her alternating 7-night cruises in the Eastern and Western Caribbean from/to Miami from November 3, 2012 to April 13, 2013 (available from 549 Euro per person). The Eastern Caribbean cruise calls at St. Maarten; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and Nassau, Bahamas. Ports of call on the Western Caribbean cruise are Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico as well as Roatán, Honduras. Norwegian Jewel will also be returning to Miami from October 14, 2012 to April 14, 2013. The seven-night cruises “Eastern Caribbean from Miami” and “Western Caribbean from Miami” are available from 459 Euro per person.
In the 2012/2013 season, Norwegian Sun will set sail in the Southern Caribbean on 10- and 11-night cruises from/to Miami (available from 669 Euro per person). Ports of call on the 10-night cruise are St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Dominica, Barbados; St. Lucia and St. Maarten. On the 11-night cruise Norwegian Sun calls at Cartagena, Colombia; Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten as well as St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
In the 2012/13 season, again two Freestyle Cruising Resorts will be cruising from the Broadway metropolis New York: Norwegian Gem and, deployed for the first time in the Big Apple, Norwegian Pearl. From October to April Norwegian Gem will be cruising on the nine-night itinerary “Eastern Caribbean from New York” with stops in Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Antigua and St. Thomas (available from 599 Euro per person). On January 6 and 20 as well as on February 3, 2013, Norwegian Pearl sets off on her 12-night cruise “Southern Caribbean from New York”. Starting at 849 Euro, cruise passengers not only visit Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. Maarten, but also St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbados. In addition to their Caribbean itineraries, both cruise resorts will also be offering the cruise “Bahamas & Florida from New York” – Norwegian Gem from May to September 2012 and Norwegian Pearl from October 2012 to April 2013. The seven-night itinerary, available from 499 Euro, includes stops at Port Canaveral (Orlando), Nassau and Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.
The 2.224 passenger Norwegian Dawn will replace Norwegian Star from November 11, 2012 on the seven-night “Western Caribbean from Tampa” cruise. The ship will offer a series of 23 sailings, available from 399 Euro per person, with ports of call including Roatán (Honduras); Belize City (Belize) as well as Costa Maya and Cozumel (Mexico).
In Winter 2012/2013, Norwegian Star will sail on seven-night “Western Caribbean” cruises from her homeport, the metropolitan Jazz city New Orleans, calling at Costa Maya and Cozumel (Mexico); Belize City (Belize) and Roatán (Honduras). The seven-night cruise is available from 439 Euro per person.
In addition, Norwegian Sky will continue operating shorter three- and four-night Bahamas year-round from/to Miami until April 15, 2013. The three-night cruise from 229 Euro per person will set sail on Fridays and include stops in Great Stirrup Cay, NCL’s private island in the Bahamas as well as in Nassau, Bahamas. On Mondays, Norwegian Sky will be setting sail on her four-night Bahamas route from 289 Euro per person, which includes an additional stop in Grand Bahama Island.
Alaska & Canada
In Alaska, Norwegian Jewel will replace Norwegian Star and cruise from Seattle for the first time on a seven-night “Sawyer Glacier from Seattle” itinerary. Norwegian Jewel’s weekly Sawyer Glacier cruises will depart on Saturdays from May 26, 2012 to September 8, 2012 and are available from 679 Euro per person. Norwegian Pearl will return to Seattle sailing weekly seven-night “Glacier Bay from Seattle” cruises departing on Sundays from May 13, 2012 to September 9, 2012 and will sail through Alaska’s Inside Passage (available from 649 Euro per person). Besides the natural highlights Sawyer Glacier or Glacier Bay, on both routes passengers will experience typical Alaskan ports such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan as well as Victoria in British Columbia.
For the first time ever, Norwegian Cruise Line offers a 16-night cruise “Colonial America from Quebec City“ on October 26, 2012 onboard Norwegian Dawn to Tampa (Florida). The cruise is available from 1.099 Euro per person and calls at Portland (Maine); Boston (Massachusetts); New York (New York); Baltimore (Maryland); Norfolk (Virginia); Charleston (South Carolina) as well as Miami and Key West (Florida).
Hawai’i
As the only cruise ship sailing under US-flag, Pride of America will continue her year-round cruises from/to Honolulu around Hawaii’s four main islands until April 7, 2013. The seven-night cruises “Hawai’i Inter-Island from Honolulu” are available from 949 Euro per person. Ports of call include an overnight in Kahului, Maui; Hilo, Hawaii; Kona, Hawaii and an overnight in Nawiliwili, Kauai.
Panama Canal
In spring and autumn 2012, both Norwegian Pearl and for the first time Norwegian Jewel will be crossing the Panama Canal between Miami and Los Angeles respectively from New York to Los Angeles. The 14- to 17-night cruises can be booked from 1.089 Euro per person.
About Norwegian Cruise Line
NCL Corporation Ltd. is an internationally operating cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida. NCL (Bahamas) Ltd., Wiesbaden Office is the responsible branch office for the Continental European market.
Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a 44-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising which has revolutionized the industry by allowing guests more freedom and flexibility.
Today, Norwegian Cruise Line has 11 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships, providing the guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed cruise vacation on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea. The Company has reached an agreement for two 143.000-gross ton vessels for delivery in 2013 and 2014.
NCL’s largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship, Norwegian Epic, debuted in June 2010. Three of its modern Freestyle Cruising ships are deployed in Europe in the 2011/12 season; in the 2012/13 season with the largest European deployment in company history, the cruise line with have four ships sailing in European waters. Norwegian Cruise Line is the official cruise line of Blue Man Group, debuting for the first time at sea on Norwegian Epic, as well as the official cruise line of Legends in Concert and NickelodeonTM, the number-one entertainment brand for kids.
In October 2010, the cruise line received the World Travel Award as “Europe’s Leading Cruise Line” for the third year running.
High resolution, downloadable images are available at www.ncl.com/pressroom
For more information on the new Norwegian Epic visit http://www.epic.ncl.eu
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