Norwegian Cruise Line today unveiled the first images of its new 153,000-gross ton, 4,200-passenger Norwegian Epic, the company’s largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date. Currently under construction at STX Europe in St. Nazaire, France, the contemporary, balcony-rich, 19-deck ship will be 1,068 feet long, 133 feet wide, with a draft of 28.5 feet when completed in May 2010.

NCL will open Norwegian Epic’s sailings for group block bookings exclusively for travel partners later this month. Cruises are scheduled to go on sale to the public this spring.

NCL plans to unveil additional details about Norwegian Epic, including the line’s signature hull artwork, in the coming months