Thursday Briefing: Norwegian Cruise Line Orders Four Next-Gen Cruise Ships

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) has announced a new agreement with Fincantieri S.p.A. to construct four new next generation ships for Norwegian Cruise Line

As part of the agreement four ships are slated for delivery in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, with an option for two additional ships to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. 

Each ship will accommodate approximately 3,300 guests and represent a new class, building on the line’s Breakaway-Plus class. The new design will prioritize energy efficiency, with details on new guest amenities to be announced later. 

Norwegian’s Breakaway Plus class includes the recently-launched Norwegian Escape and the upcoming Norwegian Bliss. The Norwegian Escape, which was delivered in October 2015, incorporates the largest The Haven by Norwegian ship-within a ship concept in the Norwegian fleet, as well as two new specialty restaurants from James Beard Award-winning Iron Chef Jose Garces: Bayamo, which serves Latin seafood, and Pincho Tapas Bar. Also new onboard was the Food Republic, a sophisticated food hall developed by Miami-based The Pubbelly Restaurant Group.

The Norwegian Bliss is set to debut in Alaska in 2018 with a lineup of features designed specifically for Alaska cruises, including exhaust gas scrubbers designed to significantly decrease emissions and hull art that depicts iconic Alaska wildlife. 

The new ship order is the latest in a busy period of development for the major cruise lines. This year nine new ships will launch, including a number that will appeal to North American travelers, such as MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside; the ultra-luxury Silver Muse; and Viking’s just-delivered Viking Sky and the Viking Sun, which launches later this year. Other just-launched ships include Royal Caribbean International’s Harmony of the Seas; Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Vista (which will soon be joined by the Carnival Horizon); and Holland America Line’s Koningsdam. In the luxury space, the Seabourn Encore was just christened earlier this year, and the new Seven Seas Explorer launched last year. 

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