The Norwegian Spirit is resuming revenue operations today in Tahiti, marking the completion of Norwegian Cruise Line’s restart plan.
Ten months after first welcoming guests back onboard, the company has now reactivated its entire 17-ship fleet.
As the last ship to return, the Norwegian Spirit is launching service in South Pacific, with a series of longer cruises linking the region to Hawaii.
For its first post-pandemic sailing, the 1999-built vessel is offering a 12-night sailing from Papeete to Honolulu.
The one-way voyage features calls in a total of four destinations in the French Polynesia, in addition to four different ports in Hawaii.
After additional cruises in the region, the Norwegian Spirit repositions to Alaska in late June.
As part of Norwegian’s five-ship summer program in the Last Frontier, the vessel will be based in Seattle, offering varied five- to 11-night itineraries to Skagway, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Victoria, Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, Haines, Vancouver and more.
Originally built for Star Cruises, the Norwegian Spirit entered service in 1999 as the SuperStar Leo. In 2004, after a two-week drydock, the Asian cruise line transferred the ship to Norwegian Cruise Line, which was part of the same business conglomerate at the time.
In early 2020, the Spirit underwent a major refurbishment that included the complete reconstruction of most of its public areas and cabins.
During the $100 million-transformation, the vessel emerged with 14 new venues, additional staterooms and an expanded Mandara Spa.
Among other interventions, new complimentary dining venues were also introduced, including an an additional main dining room, Taste; the 24-hour eatery, The Local Bar and Grill; the all-day dining outlet, Garden Café; the Great Outdoors Bar; and the Waves Pool Bar.
In addition to the Norwegian Spirit, the Norwegian Sun also resumed service for Norwegian Cruise Line this month.
On May 5, the vessel kicked off a program of summer cruises in the Alaska departing from Seattle.
