Norwegian Cruise Line today announced its 2011/2012 summer deployment and itineraries with highlights including a new homeport in Europe; more capacity and newer ships to Bermuda from the Northeast; and a year-round commitment to New Orleans. In a first for the line in Europe, Norwegian Sun will homeport in Copenhagen offering nine-day cruises to the Baltic. Continuing its ongoing commitment to Bermuda, the company is deploying Norwegian Gem from New York for the first time and Norwegian Dawn from Boston. In addition, Norwegian Spirit will homeport year-round in New Orleans, home to the 2010 Super Bowl Champions the New Orleans Saints, representing the first time the company will homeport a ship year-round in the Crescent City.
These cruises go on sale to Norwegian’s top travel partners and Latitudes members (past guests) today, February 9, 2010, and to the general public on Thursday, February 11. Norwegian is currently offering a 50 percent reduced deposit for all bookings made fleetwide through February 14, 2010. In addition, for all cruises booked to Europe, the line is offering up to a six category upgrade, if booked by February 14, 2010.
“Our summer 2011 deployment is filled with exciting itineraries and new choices, so that our guests can enjoy Freestyle Cruising to a variety of destinations around the world during the popular summer travel season,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s CEO.
In the Baltic, Norwegian Sun will sail from Copenhagen, Denmark, a new homeport for Norwegian, on 15 nine-day Baltic Capitals cruises. Ports of call include: Berlin (Warnemünde), Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; an overnight in St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm (Nynashamn), Sweden.
In addition to Norwegian Epic’s deployment from Barcelona to the Western Mediterranean in the summer of 2011, Norwegian Jade, which currently sails year-round in Europe, will replace Norwegian Gem sailing from Venice on a seven-day Greek Isles cruise with ports of call including: Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos and Olympia (Katakolon), Greece. The ship will also sail a seven-day Adriatic, Greece and Turkey cruise with ports of call including: Dubrovnik, Croatia; Athens (Piraeus), Greece; Ephesus (Izmir), Turkey and Split, Croatia. These sailings can be booked back-to-back for a 14-day cruise with no port repetition sailing to Greece, Italy, Croatia and Turkey.
Norwegian will continue its commitment to Bermuda, sailing two ships from the Northeast to Bermuda weekly from May through October calling on King’s Wharf. Norwegian Gem, one of Norwegian’s newest and largest Freestyle Cruising ships carrying 2,400 guests, will replace Norwegian Dawn sailing from New York on Sundays to Bermuda, staying for three full days. In Boston, the 2,224-passenger Norwegian Dawn will homeport there for the first time, replacing Norwegian Spirit which sailed from Boston for two years. The ship will depart on Fridays with three days in Bermuda.
For the first time in Norwegian’s history, the line will homeport year-round in the Big Easy with Norwegian Spirit sailing weekly seven-day Western Caribbean cruises from April 2011 through April 2012. The 2,000-passenger Norwegian Spirit will depart New Orleans every Sunday. Ports of call include Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras; and Belize City, Belize. Norwegian has homeported cruise ships in New Orleans seasonally since 2003 with Norwegian Spirit there in the winter since 2007.
Norwegian Jewel, carrying 2,400 passengers, will continue her year-round deployment in New York sailing seven-day Bahamas & Florida cruises departing on Saturdays through April 2012. Ports of call include: Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida; Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian’s private island) and Nassau, Bahamas. Norwegian Jewel will offer Nickelodeon™ at Sea, exclusively on Norwegian Cruise Line, with Nickelodeon-themed family programming on all of its sailings. Guests will have the opportunity to experience character meet and greets; interactive game shows; and more.
Also from New York beginning in December 2011 through April 2012, Norwegian Gem will sail a series of weekly seven-day Bahamas & Florida cruises, departing on Sundays, with stops in Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida; Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian’s private island) and Nassau, Bahamas.
In Alaska, both Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Star will return, sailing seven-day Glacier Bay and Sawyer Glacier cruises respectively, both from Seattle, Washington. Norwegian Pearl’s weekly Glacier Bay cruises depart on Sundays and will sail through Alaska’s Inside Passage with ports of call including: Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, Alaska; and Victoria, British Columbia. Norwegian Pearl will also sail a seven-day Alaska & Sawyer Glacier cruise from Vancouver to Seattle on May 8, 2011 and a seven-day Glacier Bay cruise from Seattle to Vancouver on September 18, 2011. Norwegian Star’s weekly Sawyer Glacier cruises depart on Saturdays sailing through Alaska’s Inside Passage with ports of call including: Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, Alaska; and Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Norwegian Star will also sail a seven-day Sawyer Glacier cruise from Vancouver to Seattle on May 14, 2011 and a seven-day Sawyer Glacier from Seattle to Vancouver on September 17, 2011.
For the shorter cruise option, Norwegian Sky will continue sailing three- and four-day cruises to the Bahamas year-round from Miami through April 20, 2012. The three-day Bahamas cruise departs Fridays and includes stops in Nassau, Bahamas and Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island in the Bahamas. On Mondays, the ship departs Miami on a four-day Bahamas cruise with stops in Grand Bahama Island, Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island; and Nassau, Bahamas.
