Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line

Type	Private company
Industry	Transportation
Founded	1966
Headquarters	Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Key people	Kevin Sheehan, CEO
Products	Cruises
Website	http://www.ncl.com

NCL America logo

NCL headquarters in Miami

The Norwegian Sun in Seattle, Washington (before hull art application)

The Norwegian Gem in Freeport, Bahamas

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.^[1] It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or seating arrangements for meals, nor is formal attire required. Norwegian Cruise Line has a sister company, NCL America. NCL itself is jointly owned by Star Cruises (a public company partially owned by the Genting Group based in Malaysia) and Apollo Management, with both companies owning 50% of NCL.^[2] Norwegian Cruise Line controls approximately 8% of the total worldwide share of the cruise market.^[3]

History

The company was founded as Norwegian Caribbean Line in 1966 by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison, with just one 830-ton cruise ship/car ferry offering low-cost Caribbean cruises. Arison soon left to form Carnival Cruise Lines, while Kloster acquired additional ships for Caribbean service. NCL pioneered many firsts in the cruise industry like: the first Out Island Cruise, the first combined air-sea program (marketed as "Cloud 9 Cruises") which combined low cost air fares with the cruise, first shipline to develop new ports in the Caribbean, like Ocho Rios in Jamaica. Like the original Sunward of 1966, NCL's second ship, the Starward had the capability to carry automobiles through a well concealed stern door. Later, this area was turned into cabins and a two deck movie theater, which is now a casino. NCL was responsible for many of the cruise innovations that have now become standard throughout the industry.

NCL made headlines with the acquisition of the France in 1979, rebuilding the liner as a cruise ship and renaming her Norway. The conversion cost more than $100 million USD. The Norway was at the time significantly larger than any existing cruise ship, and exploited the extra space available by adding a greater than usual variety of onboard entertainment. Her success paved the way for a new era of giant cruise ships. A boiler explosion in May 2003 forced NCL to withdraw the Norway from service, later being laid up in Bremerhaven, Germany until 2005 when she was towed to Port Klang Malaysia with the claimed intent to use her as an anchored casino or slow overnight casino cruises on her remaining boilers. Instead, she was sold for scrap and renamed the SS Blue Lady^[4] and later beached at Alang, Gujurat, India in August 2006 with claims that she had not been cleaned of toxic materials.^[5] On September 11, 2007, the India Supreme Court issued an order permitting her to be broken-up at Alang, despite the presence of large amounts of hazardous asbestos remaining on board.^[6][7]

NCL has expanded to other parts of the world, including Alaska, Europe, Bermuda, and Hawaii, (NCL America, Inc.). Between 1997 and 2001 the company also operated cruises out of Australia under the name Norwegian Capricorn Line.

Its subsidiary Orient Lines, founded in 1991 to run the Marco Polo, was acquired in 1998. NCL itself was acquired by the Star Cruises, subsidiary of Malaysia-based Genting Group, in 2000. In 2007 Star Cruises sold the Marco Polo to Transocean Tours, to be delivered in early 2008. Orient Lines will cease trading when the ship is delivered to its new owners.

In 2002, NCL purchased the half-complete hull of the first Project America ship, at the time under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, which was towed to Germany to be completed at the Lloyd Werft shipyard. Subsequently NCL acquired the rights to move two ships built entirely outside the United States under the US flag, making it possible to start a US-flagged operation under the brand name NCL America.^[8][9] In 2003 the company announced the purchase of the famed American flagged liners SS United States and SS Independence for use on the NCL America -brand. Although it has promised to restore the United States back to service, the future of the great ship remains uncertain to this day. In their July 2007 fiscal report, NCL noted the sale of the Independence, renamed SS Oceanic some time before. On July 1, 2010, the SS United States Conservancy struck a deal to buy the SS United States for $3 million. On February 1, 2011, the ownership was officially transferred to the SS United States Conservancy.

In August 2007, Star Cruises took the market by surprise when it sold 50% of NCL for $1 billion to US-based Apollo Management (owners of Oceania Cruises) in order to strengthen NCL's financial position.^[2] The NCL America brand stays solely under Star Cruises ownership for the next 16 months, after which a decision will be made either to liquidate the brand or to continue operations if the brand can be made profitable.^[10] In January 2007 the Norwegian Wind was transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises, becoming their SuperStar Aquarius.^[11] Subsequently NCL reported in February 2008 that the Pride of Aloha, one of the two remaining NCL America ships, would be withdrawn from service in May of the same year. Initial reports suggested she would be transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises,^[12] but it was later announced that she would return to the NCL international fleet as the Norwegian Sky,^[13] while the Norwegian Majesty and Norwegian Dream would be sold to Louis Cruise Lines.^[14] The sale of the Norwegian Dream was subsequently cancelled.^[15]

On October 25, 2010, Meyer Werft and NCL reached an agreement for the construction of two new vessels, slated for delivery in Spring 2013 and 2014.^[16] These ships will be the largest ever built in Germany, at 143,500 tons. Each ship will have a capacity of 4,000 passengers. Additional details will be unveiled as the construction progresses. The contract price for the two vessels reached €1.2 billion.^[16]

Kevin Sheehan, NCL's CEO, was featured on the January 2, 2011 episode of Undercover Boss. He was also the first boss to be nearly "outed" by a co-worker (Silvia, a waitress in the Manhattan Room aboard the Norwegian Epic, recognized him as she had served him previously).

In July 2011, Norwegian Cruise Line filed with the SEC to raise up to $250 million in an initial public offering.^[17]

Fleet

NCL

Ship	Built	Entered service for NCL	Tonnage	Class	Flag	Notes
Norwegian Sky	1999	1999/2008	77,104 tons	Sky Class	Bahamas	Previously Pride of Aloha and Norwegian Sky
Norwegian Sun	2001	2001	78,309 tons	Sky Class	Bahamas
Norwegian Star	2001	2001	91,740 tons	Libra Class	Bahamas	Originally ordered as Superstar Libra
Norwegian Dawn	2002	2002	92,250 tons	Libra Class	Bahamas	Originally ordered as SuperStar Scorpio
Norwegian Spirit	1998	2004	75,338 tons	Leo Class	Bahamas	Previously SuperStar Leo
Norwegian Jewel	2005	2005	93,502 tons	Jewel Class	Bahamas
Norwegian Pearl	2006	2006	93,530 tons	Jewel Class	Bahamas
Norwegian Gem	2007	2007	93,530 tons	Jewel Class	Bahamas
Norwegian Jade	2006	2008	93,558 tons	Jewel Class	Bahamas	Originally Pride of Hawaii
Norwegian Epic	2010	2010	155,873 tons	F3 Class	Bahamas

Last refurbished: Norwegian Sky in 2009;^[18] Norwegian Sun in 2004;^[19] Norwegian Star in 2010;^[20] Norwegian Dawn in 2011;^[21] Norwegian Spirit in 2008;^[22] Norwegian Jewel in N/A;^[23] Norwegian Pearl in N/A;^[24] Norwegian Gem in N/A^[25] Norwegian Jade in N/A.;^[26] Norwegian Epic in N/A^[27]

NCL America

Ship	Built	Entered service for NCL America	Tonnage	Flag	Notes
Pride of America	2005	2005	80,439 GRT	United States	First large, newly built US-flagged cruise ship in nearly 50 years.

Future ships

Ship	Class	Inaugural Run	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
Norwegian Breakaway[28]		2013	144,017 GT[28]	Bahamas	This ship will be delivered in April 2013 and will also be homeported in New York City. Largest ship to be based year-round out of New York[29]
Norwegian Getaway[28]		2014	144,017 GT[28]	Bahamas	Scheduled for delivery in April 2014[28]

Former ships

Ship	Built	In service for NCL	Tonnage	Status as of 2010.
Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Starward	1968	1968–1995	12,948 GRT	Since 2006 Orient Queen for Louis Cruise Lines.
Skyward	1969	1969–1991	16,254 GRT	Since 2000 Leisure World for New Century Cruise Lines.
Golden Star Cruises.
Alang, India.
Seaward Norwegian Sea	1988	1988–1997 1997–2005	42,276 GRT	Since 2005 SuperStar Libra for Star Cruises.
Westward	1972	1991–1993	28,221 GRT	Since 1996 Black Watch for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
Sunward (1991)	1973	1991–1992, 1992–1993	28,078 GRT	Since 2005 Boudicca for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
Dreamward Norwegian Dream	1992	1992–1998 1998–2008	39,172 GT 50,764 GT	Laid up at Syros, Greece as of 2010.
Windward Norwegian Wind	1993	1993–1996 1996–2007	39,127 GT 50,760 GT	Since 2007 SuperStar Aquarius for Star Cruises.
Leeward	1980	1995–1999	25,611 GT	Since 2007 Cristal for Louis Cruise Lines.
Norwegian Crown	1988	1996–2000, 2003–2007	34,242 GRT	Since 2008 Balmoral for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
Norwegian Dynasty	1993	1997–1999	19,089 GRT	Since 2001 Braemar for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
Norwegian Star (1997)	1973	1997–1998	21,848 GRT	Since 2004 Albatros for Phoenix Reisen.
Independence	1951	Never entered service owned 2003–2006	20,221 GRT	Wrecked while being towed to Alang for scrapping.
Norwegian Majesty	1992	1997–2009	40,876 GT	Originally 32,396 GT, lengthened 1999. Is now known as the Louis Majesty and operates for Louis Cruise Lines.[30]
SS United States	1952	Never entered service owned 2003 – 2011	53,330 GT	Sold to SS United States Conservancy on 7/1/10, Ownership transferred on 2/1/11

References

1. ^ "Contact Us." Norwegian Cruise Line. Retrieved on January 9, 2010.
2. ^ ^{a b} "Apollo invests $1billion in NCL Corp to take 50% stake". Cruise Business Review. 2007-08-17. http://www.cruisebusiness.com/news.php?u=20070817175042. Retrieved 2007-08-17. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "Cruise Market Watch Announces 2011 Cruise Line Market Share and Revenue Projections". Cruise Market Watch. 2010-12-11. http://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/blog1/articles/cruise-market-watch-announces-2011-cruise-line-market-share-and-revenue-projections/. 
4. ^ SS Norway ex France. Ssmaritime.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
5. ^ "'Toxic ship' cleared for breaking". BBC. 2006-08-02. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/south_asia/5237334.stm. 
6. ^ Maritime Matters: France, Norway^{[dead link]}
7. ^ "Indian court says ‘Blue Lady’ can be broken up". Khaleej Times Online. 2007-09-11. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=subcontinent&xfile=data/subcontinent/2007/september/subcontinent_september432.xml. 
8. ^ "Star buys Project America". Bnet. November–December 2002. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCP/is_3_24/ai_94223341. Retrieved 2008-04-14. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ "Project America rides again". MarineLog.com. 2003-01-18. http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIII/MMIIIJan18a.html. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 
10. ^ "NCL America's future to be decided within 16 months". Cruise Business Review. 2007-08-20. http://www.cruisebusiness.com/news.php?u=20070820162344. Retrieved 2007-08-20. ^{[dead link]}
11. ^ Asklander, Micke. "M/S Windward (1993)" (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. http://www.faktaomfartyg.nu/windward_1993.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-14. 
12. ^ "NCL Corporation Announces Adjustments to Hawai'i Fleet". NCL press release. Norwegian Cruise Line. 2008-02-11. http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/pressroom/pressRelease.html?storyCode=PR_021108. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 
13. ^ "It's official: Pride of Aloha re-joins NCL international fleet as Norwegian Sky". Cruise Business Review. Cruise Media Oy Ltd. 2008-05-06. http://www.cruisebusiness.com/news.php?u=20080506191733. Retrieved 2008-05-07. ^{[dead link]}
14. ^ Joshi, Rajesh; Lowry, Nigel (2008-04-14). "NCL close to offloading cruiseship trio". Lloyd's List. Archived from the original on 2008-04-26. http://web.archive.org/web/20080426034919/http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/ncl-close-to-offloading-cruiseship-trio/20017522772.htm;jsessionid=C139FEAE5B7ACF39DD67C12590103669. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 
15. ^ "No Dream for Louis Cruises". Cruise Business Review. Cruise Media Oy Ltd. 2008-09-30. http://www.cruisebusiness.com/news.php?u=20080930102316. Retrieved 2008-09-30. ^{[dead link]}
16. ^ ^{a b} Next Generation Freestyle Cruising ships. Meyerwerft Website. October 25, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010
17. ^ "Norwegian Cruise Line files for a $250 million IPO". Renaissance Capital. July 14, 2011. http://www.renaissancecapital.com/ipohome/news/Norwegian-Cruise-Line-files-for-a-$250-million-IPO-9974.html. 
18. ^ Norwegian Sky cruise ship photo gallery, ship schedule, destination, photos of stateroom, restaurant, publicroom. Cruiseweb.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
19. ^ NCL Norwegian Sun cruise ship reviews, pictures, deck plans, itinerary, photos, suites, restaurants, 2010. Cruiseweb.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
20. ^ NCL Norwegian Star cruise ship reviews, pictures, deck plans, itinerary, photos, suites, restaurants, 2012. Cruiseweb.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
21. ^ NCL Norwegian Dawn cruise ship reviews, pictures, deck plans, itinerary, photos, suites, restaurants, 2010. Cruiseweb.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
22. ^ NCL Norwegian Spirit cruise ship reviews, pictures, deck plans, itinerary, photos, suites, restaurants, 2010. Cruiseweb.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
23. ^ NCL Norwegian Jewel cruise ship reviews, pictures, deck plans, itinerary, photos, suites, restaurants, 2010. Cruiseweb.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
24. ^ Norwegian Pearl cruise ship photo gallery, ship schedule, destination, stateroom, restaurant, public room. Cruiseweb.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
25. ^ NCL Norwegian Gem cruise ship reviews, pictures, deck plans, itinerary, photos, suites, restaurants, 2011 cruises, 2012 cruises. Cruiseweb.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
26. ^ NCL Norwegian Jade cruise ship reviews, pictures, deck plans, itinerary, photos, suites, restaurants, 2010. Cruiseweb.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
27. ^ NCL Norwegian Epic cruise ship reviews, pictures, deck plans, itinerary, photos, suites, restaurants, 2013. Cruiseweb.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
28. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Project Breakaway Ships". Ship-Technology.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62UIqQCAy. Retrieved October 16, 2011. 
29. ^ Norwegian Breakaway to Sail from New York Year-Round – Cruise Industry News | Cruise News. Cruise Industry News (October 6, 2011). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
30. ^ Cruise Reviews – Ship Reviews & Cruise Lines Ratings. Cruise Critic. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.

External links

	Miami portal
	Companies portal

• Norwegian Cruise Line homepage