Norwegian Cruise Line to introduce new youth programme
Family fun takes centre stage
09/01/2012 Download as PDF
To better meet the needs of the growing family holiday market, Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that it is revitalising its current youth programme and will implement a new best in class programme fleet wide.
The re-branded programme will be introduced on Norwegian Gem in mid-February and will be rolled out to all of the line’s Freestyle Cruising® ships subsequently.
“More and more families are choosing a cruise for their holiday since it represents such good value and offers so much for the entire family. In fact, close to 150,000 children sailed on our ships in 2010 and that number continues to rise,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “We’ve already taken family programming to the next level by offering Nickelodeon experiences on some ships. Now, we want to make sure that we are continuing to offer the best possible experience for families. To do this, we are investing millions of dollars in revamping our youth and family programming.”
The current programme, Norwegian’s Kid’s Crew in place since 1999, will be renamed and the age groups are being redefined to better address the skills and interests of children. The new age groups will be: three to five years; six to eight years; nine to 12 years; along with two teen groups: 13 to 14 and 15 to 17 years.
There will also be programming for babies and toddlers ages six months to two years.
The new fully developed and enhanced curriculum tailored to each age group is being produced in conjunction with The King’s Foundation and Camps, a UK-based organisation that provides high quality sport and activity programmes designed to make a positive impact on children. More focus will be placed on sporting activities, arts and crafts, theatre and technology. Activities will change every 30 to 60 minutes depending on the age group and will be set within blocks of programming time in the morning, afternoon and evening.
The new curriculum will also include creative themes, such as circus day, theatre/technology/sports and port of call day. The company has engaged Cirque Du Jour, a New York-based company that specialises in teaching children real circus skills such as scarf juggling, ball juggling, plate spinning, clowning and acrobatics. Circus workshops and shows will also be offered for the entire family.
In addition, the youth programmes will be expanded to utilise other areas of the ships, including the sports courts, rock walls, theatres, lounges and public spaces and will feature more family events such as parades and scavenger hunts.
“We want to ensure our youth and teens are engaged in the programmes we offer and that they are having fun,” said Richard Ambrose, Norwegian Cruise Line’s vice president of entertainment. “We have designed this new youth programme to cater to the specific interests and skill sets of children and teens to ensure that they are having the holiday of a lifetime.”
The company is also investing in its youth staff, by increasing the ratio of staff to children and establishing new criteria for the hiring of counsellors, including the requirement of a college degree in recreation or child care (or the equivalent experience).
The line currently offers exclusive Nickelodeon family events, shows and activities on three ships: Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Gem (beginning mid-February).
Activities include pool games, breakfast with the characters, where kids – and adults – can eat, sing and play with SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Patrick, Diego and more; Dora’s Dance Party, where kids can join Dora and the Nickelodeon cast to dance and sing along; meet and greets with popular Nickelodeon characters, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and many more. In addition, there are also other family activities offered, including Nick Jr. story time, family trivia and special arts and crafts sessions.
More details of the new youth and teen programme will be released in the coming months. Further information on Norwegian’s family offerings can be found at http://www.ncl.co.uk/freestyle-cruising/family-fun
For more information contact a travel professional, call 0845 201 8900 or visit www.ncl.co.uk.
| ABOUT NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE | |||||
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About Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line is an internationally operating cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida with two offices in Wiesbaden and London overseeing operations in Europe. Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a 45-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising which has revolutionized the industry by allowing guests more freedom and flexibility. In October 2011 the company launched its new brand platform “Cruise like a Norwegian” that celebrates the community of diverse holiday makers who are passionate about their experiences and highlights the key elements of Freestyle Cruising. Today, Norwegian Cruise Line has 11 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships, providing the guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed cruise vacation on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea. The company has two 4.000-passenger vessels on order: Norwegian Breakaway for delivery in April 2013 and Norwegian Getaway for delivery in April 2014. Norwegian’s largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date, Norwegian Epic, debuted in June 2010. Three of the modern Freestyle Cruising ships are deployed in Europe in the 2011/12 season; with the largest European deployment in the company’s history, the cruise line will have four ships sailing in European waters in the 2012/13 season. Norwegian Cruise Line is the official cruise line of Blue Man Group, appearing for the first time at sea on Norwegian Epic, as well as the official cruise line of Legends in Concert, Howl at the Moon Dueling Pianos, Gibson Guitar, and Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids. Cirque Dreams® & Dinner is also featured on board Norwegian Epic as the first show of its kind at sea under a big top. In September 2011, the cruise line received the World Travel Award as “Europe’s Leading Cruise Line” for the fourth year running. |
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| Issued by Flagship Consulting | |||||
| For further media information please contact: | |||||
| Kiren Pooni | 020 7886 8442 | kiren.pooni@flagshipconsulting.co.uk | |||
| Lewis Shields | 020 7886 8449 | lewis.shields@flagshipconsulting.co.uk | |||
| Belinda Hallworth | 020 7886 8456 | belinda.hallworth@flagshipconsulting.co.uk | |||
