London, January 22, 2004 -- Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) today announced that the Star Cruises’ ship SuperStar Leo will spend this summer in Alaska as part of NCL’s popular Alaska Inside Passage programme. The 77,000-ton ship will take over Norwegian Sky’s previously published 9-night itinerary from Seattle from 15 May 2004.

The move comes in response to Norwegian Sky’s early transfer to Hawaii as Pride of Aloha. After a multi-million dollar remodeling in May, Pride of Aloha will be reflagged into the U.S. registry to assume Pride of America’s seven-day inter-island itinerary.

SuperStar Leo, first introduced in Singapore in 1999, was the very first purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ship and is one of Star’s two most modern ships outside North America.

According to NCL’s President and CEO Colin Veitch: “SuperStar Leo is an exciting, high-quality modern ship with vibrant colors, exceptional public areas and well-appointed cabins. She is the ideal way to meet our guests’ expectations for their Alaska cruise. She is the first sister in the family of ‘freestyle’ ships that culminated just a year ago in the spectacular Norwegian Dawn.”

Stephen Park, NCL’s UK General Manager added, “ I am delighted that we have been able to move so quickly to ensure that we did not disappoint our UK customers. Essentially this means that all our Alaska and Hawaii itineraries will be fulfilled for 2004. We will now begin to contact travel agents who have Guests booked on Norwegian Sky to advise them that their Guests have been rebooked aboard SuperStar Leo.

“As the SuperStar Leo features a multitude of outside cabins with 65 percent of those having private balconies, a larger percentage than Norwegian Sky, we are confident that all Guests booked on Norwegian Sky will move to an equivalent or superior cabin on their chosen sailing date. In addition, all Guests currently booked on Norwegian Sky will receive a $25 per person onboard credit when they sail on SuperStar Leo.”

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Editor’s Notes:
The 2,000-Guest SuperStar Leo was built by Meyer Werft, Germany and was Star Cruises’ first newbuild and largest vessel. SuperStar Leo features Freestyle Dining with seven restaurants including two main restaurants, three alternative restaurants -- Maxim’s (a French restaurant); Shogun (a Japanese restaurant) and Tai Pan (a Chinese restaurant), -- the Raffles Lido Cafe and the popular 24-hour Blue Lagoon.
Like her big sister Norwegian Star, which begins her first Alaska season in May, SuperStar Leo is a family-friendly ship with a wide choice of interconnecting cabins perfect for multi-generational families of all sizes. All staterooms are richly appointed with each containing a much larger bathroom unit than other ships, with separate WC, shower, and washstand compartments separated by sliding doors.
The ship also boasts an expansive children and teen facility, and together with Norwegian Star, they have the largest dedicated children’s areas in Alaska cruising.
SuperStar Leo has an impressive array of entertainment venues including a 1,000-seat theater, a disco, a cinema, several bars and lounges and a world-class casino. The ship also features meeting rooms, a sports deck and a Roman Spa & Fitness Center. SuperStar Leo is a triple winner of the 1999 ShipPax Awards for her outstanding sun decks, bars and lounges, and cabins.
SuperStar Leo will be operated in Alaska with a fully specified NCL product and offer the Freestyle Cruising program found on all other NCL ships. She will begin sailing from Seattle on May 15th, the scheduled start of Norwegian Sky’s Alaska season, with 9-night cruises to the Inside Passage with calls in Ketchikan, Juneau, cruising Sawyer Glacier, Skagway and Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

January 22, 2004