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Norwegian cruise ships draw a diverse crowd, though the majority of passengers on ships sailing to the Caribbean and in Alaska and Hawaii hail from North America. You'll find a decent number of people from other English-speaking countries, and smaller numbers from South America and Europe. On European cruises, North Americans still dominate but you'll find more people from the United Kingdom and other European countries.
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Known for its "freestyle" cruising, the laid-back Norwegian experience is all about choice, offering one of the largest selections of dining and entertainment venues per ship. Plus, with Norwegian's Free At Sea offer, every cruise fare includes a choice of things like free Wi-Fi, specialty dining, drinks or excursions. In November 2022, NCL Norwegian Joy offers passengers a Bahamian winter escape on 5- and 7-day roundtrip sailings from New York City featuring overnights at the Royal Naval Dockyard. NCL Getaway also offers 5-night voyages (December 2022 and February-March 2023). In August 2021, NCL signed with Starbucks a partnership for delivering the coffee brand fleetwide (on all liners by 2022-Q4) as well as on NCL's private island resorts in Bahamas (Great Stirrup Cay) and Belize (Harvest Caye).
Dining
But it's not as difficult as it might at first seem to hit the more rewarding higher tiers in just a few years if you're cruising a lot. Reaching the second tier, Silver (20 points), would take at the most three cruises if you're doing seven-night trips. Norwegian has a point-based frequent cruiser program, Latitudes Rewards, that has seven tiers, ranging from Bronze (requiring 1 point) to Ambassador (700 points).
Breakaway Class
If you're after something more adrenaline pumping, you can spot polar bears and the midnight sun on cruises into Norway's arctic reaches. And if you want to see the Northern Lights in Norway, that's on the cruise menu too. Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. Guests whose cruises were impacted were given full refunds of their fare and a 10% discount in the form of a future cruise credit.
Night Hawaii Cruise
Every vessel has some sort of sushi restaurant, often called Sushi or Wasabi, and there are hibachi-style teppanyaki restaurants on nearly every Norwegian vessel. However, unlike Royal Caribbean, Norwegian hasn't retained any of the trappings of old-style cruising. There are no formal nights, as you'll still find on Royal Caribbean ships, or dress codes. Norwegian has also thoroughly done away with the concept of big main restaurants with fixed seating. Norwegian appeals to vacationers who want a big-resort experience at sea with lots of options for dining and entertainment.
Norwegian Cruise Line Sets Sail with New Culinary Horizons on Norwegian Aqua - Travel Daily
Norwegian Cruise Line Sets Sail with New Culinary Horizons on Norwegian Aqua.
Posted: Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:00:00 GMT [source]
NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line unveils culinary and beverage innovations for Norwegian Aqua
The news made NCL the 3rd major cruise company with shipboard lifeguards - following Disney and Royal Caribbean. Since 2016, NCL offers weddings at sea, including same-gender ceremonies. NCL Norwegian expanded the company's plans for its Bahamian privately-owned island Great Stirrup Cay and the exclusive luxury resort destination Harvest Caye (Belize). Harvest Caye Port has a large-sized swimming pool, private beach, shallow lagoon (watersport activities), private cabanas available for rent, as well as a huge flora and fauna diversity.
However, rain is an often-unavoidable fact even during the country's drier summer months. Always have a backup plan for onshore activities and shore excursions in Norway in case of inclement weather. Take advantage when the sun is out, and, if it's raining, don't be afraid to push back an activity to later in the day -- often a rainy morning will turn sunny later on (or vice versa). The star of any Norway cruise are the Norwegian fjords, along the nation's west coast. Expect dramatic waterfalls tumbling down verdant cliffs and mountain sides as well as amazing hiking and kayaking trips when closer to shore.
Both NCL's first vessels - Sunward (1966) and Starward (1968) - were car ferries, but later their car decks were refitted into cabin decks (housing staterooms) and a 2-deck high theatre lounge. In January 2023, NCLH announced its newly-established brand “Experiences At Sea”. The new program is a partnership with the NCL's subsidiary "Sixthman Festivals at Sea" and NCL’s CM&I division (Charters, Meetings & Incentives). Experiences At Sea is managed by Anthony Diaz (Sixthman's CEO and CM&I's Senior VP).
By this deal, Starbucks coffees are available at all restaurants (including MDRs), plus at self-serve stations at the buffet-style restaurant Garden Cafe (on select ships). Starbucks was introduced by NCL in 2018 (on Norwegian Bliss), while Norwegian Sky became the world's ever-first ship to offer Starbucks' Nitro Cold Brew (nitrogen-infused beer). Note that due to the ship's small size, some of Norwegian's signature features, including a private The Haven suite complex and solo cabins, aren't found on the ship. Notably, the public areas that include these restaurants feel more spacious than many of the other ships in the Norwegian fleet.
Immerse yourself in the local culture by admiring the colorful wooden houses and medieval ruins and indulging in the fresh regional cuisine. When you visit Norway, you'll find like you've entered a whole new world. Norway is famous for its fjords, the narrow, steep-sided inlets formed by retreating glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. Head to Geiranger to see Europe's highest fjord, or explore Molde's 12-mile fjord that winds through the archipelago. No matter how you choose to ford the fjords, you'll see why Norway is known for these natural wonders. Some local initiatives protesting against cruise travel have also gathered momentum, so cruisers should be aware of these issues before setting foot ashore.
However, Norwegian's 10 older ships are much more modest in size, measuring around 75,000 to 94,000 tons and carrying closer to 2,000 passengers at double occupancy. In February 2016, Norwegian ordered 4 new ships from Fincantieri under the codename Project Leonardo, to be delivered in 2022–2025. In July 2018, NCL confirmed that they had ordered 2 more ships to be delivered in 2026–27.
One thing you need to know upfront about going on a Norwegian cruise is that there are a lot of extra charges — and sometimes quite high extra charges — on the line's ships, particularly for things like restaurants. At their core, Norwegian ships are mass-market ships, with entry-level cabins that are affordable to middle-class travelers. However, overlaid across most vessels are high-end suites and services that are at a luxury level, and the line draws a good number of luxury-seeking travelers. The line's nine newest ships are big, bustling floating megaresorts that can carry upwards of 3,000 to 4,000 passengers at double occupancy (and even more with every berth filled).
One notable outlier among the smaller ships is the 2,186-passenger Pride of America. Sporting a patriotic U.S. theme (you'll find venues named after Thomas Jefferson and John Adams), and a distinct array of lounges and entertainment, it's the only big cruise vessel based year-round in Hawaii. Smaller only than Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line and MSC Cruises, the brand has become increasingly known for having some of the biggest, most amenity-filled vessels at sea.
Norwegian Encore begins a 21-day Panama Canal cruise on October 23, 2022, sailing from Seattle WA, repositioning to Miami FL. During the sailing, 8 out of 11 port-of-calls include a minimum of 9 to 11 hours of port time. From October 2022 through March 2023, Norwegian Cruise Line offers a variety of itineraries ranging from 8 to 21-day sailings traversing the Panama Canal onboard 6x NCL boats (Encore, Jewel, Pearl, Bliss, Gem, Joy). Norwegian Sun is for the first time sailing in Asia beginning January 28, 2022, offering a 5-day Japan itinerary from Hong Kong, prior to sailing a series of 11-day voyages from Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Hong Kong, and Singapore. Starting November 2025, Norwegian Gem ship offers roundtrip voyages visiting The Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean island destinations. A new history page for NCL Norwegian was the year 1979 when was purchased the Transatlantic ocean liner SS France - thoroughly refitted and renamed SS Norway.
Walk through Greece's enchanting, sun-bleached streets, or find your own paradise in a secret beach in The Caribbean. Our award-winning ships are designed for you to enjoy as you choose while cruising to the most beautiful destinations around the world. No matter where your dream vacation takes you, feel free to cruise your way.
At around 143,000 to nearly 170,000 tons, all eight currently rank among the 50 biggest cruise ships in the world (although their rankings will shift downward as more big ships debut). Still, as we'll explain below, it offers a wide range of accommodations, some of which fall squarely in the luxury segment. In some cases, its ships have an exclusive area full of high-end cabins and suites called The Haven that comes with its own private pools, lounge areas and even restaurants. Its largest vessels are among the biggest cruise ships at sea (they must be, to accommodate everything mentioned above). If you want an intimate cruise experience, Norwegian probably isn't a good choice.
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