MIAMI
– June 6, 2006 - NCL Corporation (“NCL”)
today announced that Norwegian Spirit will drop anchor
in the Big Easy beginning in November 2007 sailing seven-day
exotic Western Caribbean cruises through April 2008. Norwegian
Spirit’s itinerary will feature calls into Belize
City, Santo Tomas, Guatemala and Costa Maya and Cozumel,
Mexico.
“We are the first cruise line back
in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina this fall with
Norwegian Sun and our commitment to this historic and
beautiful city continues in 2007,” said Colin Veitch,
president and CEO of NCL Corporation. “Freestyle
Cruising out of the Big Easy has proven to be very popular
and we are pleased to be returning there next year.”
“We are thrilled with the commitment
that NCL has shown our city and that the company will
return in 2007 with Norwegian Spirit,” said Gary
LaGrange, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans.
“New Orleans continues to be one of the most popular
points of embarkation for cruise ship customers and the
cruise industry has evolved into a major economic engine
for the entire city, generating $226 million in direct
and indirect sales annually. NCL is a vital part of that
success."
After the 2007 summer deployment out of
New York, Norwegian Spirit repositions to New Orleans
beginning November 18 replacing Norwegian Sun, which moves
to Hawai`i for the winter season.
Norwegian Spirit’s summer season out
of New York features an 8-day itinerary with a day-long
call into Bermuda, an overnight in St. Thomas, USVI, and
a call into Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
Norwegian Spirit alternates this itinerary
with 6-day Bahamas and Florida itinerary calling in Port
Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, Nassau and Great Stirrup
Cay, Bahamas.
NCL has three ships based in New York for
the 2006 and 2007 summer season including Norwegian Spirit;
Norwegian Crown with seven-day cruises to Bermuda; and
Norwegian Dawn, featuring seven-day cruises to Bermuda
and Bahamas. In the winter of 2006, Norwegian Dawn sails
alternating 10- and 11-day Eastern and Western Caribbean
cruises out of New York.
In November 2007, Norwegian Gem will be
homeported in New York as NCL places its newest ship year
round in the Big Apple sailing a short series of seven-day
Florida and Bahamas cruises and four 10- and 11-day cruises
to the Southern Caribbean in the winter; and seven-day
cruises to Bermuda and the Bahamas in the summer. In November
2007, Norwegian Dawn will move to Miami, where she will
sail seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruises for the winter.
Norwegian Spirit features NCL’s signature
Freestyle Cruising with eight restaurants, 12 bars and
lounges, a state of the art spa and fitness facility,
a pirate-themed activity complex for kids, a teen center,
basketball court, golf driving net, casino and conference
center among other amenities.
Norwegian Spirit accommodates 1,966 passengers
and features 18 spacious suites and nearly 600 oceanview
staterooms, of which nearly 65 percent offer private balconies.
Suites feature private bedrooms, bathrooms
with separate shower and whirlpool bathtubs, living rooms
with dining areas, stereos with CD/DVD library, computer
access with internet connection and butler and concierge
services.
All staterooms feature NCL’s high-quality
finishes, with rich cherry wood, tea and coffee makers
in every room, and a much larger bathroom unit than other
ships, containing WC, shower, and washstand compartments
separated by sliding doors.
Norwegian Spirit’s New Orleans itineraries
will be on sale in the next few weeks.
NCL Corporation Ltd. (“NCL”)
is an innovative cruise company headquartered in Miami,
Florida, with a fleet of 15 ships in service and under
construction. The corporation oversees the operations
of Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America, and Orient Lines.
The company christened its newest ship, Pride of Hawai`i
on Saturday, May 20, 2006, the largest and most expensive
U.S. flagged passenger ship ever built. It is currently
building two ships, Norwegian Pearl scheduled for delivery
in the fourth quarter of 2006 and Norwegian Gem scheduled
for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2007.
For further information, please contact
NCL in the U.S. and Canada at (800) 327-
7030; visit NCL’s website at www.ncl.com or on AOL
at keyword: NCL; or to download
high-resolution photography, visit www.ncl.com/hires.
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