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NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE MOVES NORWEGIAN WIND TO WEEKEND ROTATION AND ADDS WRANGELL AS A PORT OF CALL FOR 2003 ALASKA SEASON

NCL now the leading Inside Passage cruise line

MIAMI, July 26, 2002 - Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) today announced it has moved Norwegian Wind to a seven-day rotation on Sundays for the 2003 Alaska season instead of Mondays as previously scheduled. NCL also picks up Wrangell, Alaska as an exclusive port of call.

With three ships sailing round-trip from both Seattle and Vancouver, NCL will carry more Inside Passage cruisers than any other cruise line. In addition, NCL will be the only line exclusively using purpose-built cruise terminals in the heart of both Seattle and Vancouver. Bell Street Pier, Seattle and Canada Place, Vancouver are both built specifically for cruise passengers and will offer NCL's guests the best boarding and disembarkation facilities available for Alaska cruising.

Encompassing 11 acres of waterfront plazas and restaurants, the Bell Street Pier is within walking distance of the Seattle Art Museum, the Seattle Aquarium, the Bell Harbor Piazza, a pleasure craft marina, an interactive maritime discovery center, the Pike Place Market, several major hotels and the city's waterfront trolley. Canada Place is the Port of Vancouver's premier cruise facility located in the city center, near excellent hotels, shopping, dining and entertainment. Canada Place features a distinctive white sail design, five-star hotel and the Vancouver convention and Exhibition Centre.

"We are focusing the growing NCL fleet on our popular Homeland Cruising program," said Colin Veitch, president and CEO of NCL. "We opened up Seattle as a cruise port in 2000 and now we will have a second ship there. We are also very pleased, after many years of trying to secure a slot, to be able to offer a weekend ship from Vancouver too. Passengers prefer weekend departures and it is a big plus to be able to offer them three ships to choose from to sail the beautiful waters of the Inside Passage."

Norwegian Sky and the brand new Norwegian Sun will depart from Seattle on Saturdays and Sundays respectively and Norwegian Wind will now depart from Vancouver every Sunday.

"NCL has long been an industry leader in itinerary development too," Veitch said, "and that tradition continues now with the addition of Wrangell, Alaska, to Norwegian Wind's itinerary. This will be the only Inside Passage cruise itinerary featuring four Alaskan port calls rather than the traditional three."

The stop at Wrangell will include several tours and excursions to offer passengers the best opportunity to experience this new destination, including a trek to Petroglyph Beach, featuring the largest concentration of rock art in Southeast Alaska thought to be more than 8,000 years old; Rainbow Falls, a 100 foot waterfall surrounded by a lush rainforest; a flight to Shakes Glacier and Shakes Lake, with more than 50 waterfalls and 3,000 foot cliffs; the only USGA rated golf course in Southeast Alaska; and a ride through the 160-mile Stikine River inside a heated, enclosed jet boat.

Beginning May 18, 2003, Norwegian Wind will offer seven-day sailings departing roundtrip from Vancouver on Sundays calling at Ketchikan, Juneau, Sawyer Glacier, Skagway and Wrangell.

Day

Port

Arrive

Depart

Sun.

Vancouver, British Columbia

- -

5:30pm

Mon.

Cruise Inside Passage

- -

- -

Tue.

Ketchikan, Alaska

6:00am

1:00pm

Wed.

Juneau, Alaska

7:00am

1:30pm

 

Cruise Sawyer Glacier

- -

- -

Thu.

Skagway, Alaska

7:00am

5:00pm

Fri.

Wrangell, Alaska

10:00am

3:30pm

Sat.

Cruise Inside Passage

- -

- -

Sun.

Vancouver, BC

7:00am*

- -

* Disembarkation usually begins two hours after docking.

Beginning May 11, 2003, Norwegian Sun will offer seven-day sailings departing roundtrip from Seattle on Sundays and calling at Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay (or Sawyer Glacier), Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia.

Norwegian Sky joins Norwegian Sun on May 17, 2003, with seven-day Alaska itineraries from Seattle on Saturdays including calls at Juneau, Skagway, Sawyer Glacier, Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia.

Miami based Norwegian Cruise Line is an international cruise company and industry innovator that operates a fleet of nine ships sailing to more than 140 ports around the world. NCL is currently building Norwegian Dawn (for delivery December 2002), a 2,240-passenger sister ship to Norwegian Star.

For further information on NCL, contact a travel agent or NCL in the U.S. and Canada at (800) 327-7030; in Miami-Dade County, Fla., (305) 436-0866; visit NCL's web site 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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