NCL CORPORATION OVERVIEW -
London, 05 December 2006…NCL is an innovative cruise company headquartered in Miami, FL with a fleet of 15 ships in service and under construction. The corporation oversees the operations of Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America and Orient Lines.
In February 2000, NCL was acquired by Star Cruises PLC (SES: STRC) of Malaysia. Following the acquisition of NCL, Star Cruises became the third largest cruise line in the world. Under 100 percent ownership by Star, NCL has embarked on an expansion program that involves new ships, onboard product enhancements, and innovative itineraries.
The company is currently undergoing a complete renewal of its fleet. Since 1999, NCL has launched eight new ships – Norwegian Sky (reflagged into the U.S. registry and renamed Pride of Aloha in 2004), Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Spirit, Pride of America, Norwegian Jewel and Pride of Hawai‘i. NCL currently operates 13 ships with over 24,240 berths, which represents approximately 9 percent of the overall cruise capacity in North America in terms of berths.
The company is building two further Norwegian Jewel class ships – Norwegian Pearl which will sail the Transatlantic on December 2, 2006 and Norwegian Gem (delivery in fourth quarter 2007). Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Gem will be the ninth and 10th big new ships to join NCL since the fleet modernisation began. Once Norwegian Gem is delivered in 2007, over 80 percent of NCL’s capacity will be big, new and modern, keeping NCL on track to offer the youngest fleet in the industry by 2010.
In May 2000, NCL launched Freestyle Cruising®, which challenges the conventional model of cruising, and is designed to meet the changing needs of today’s cruise guests. Hallmarks of the innovative onboard programme include up to 10 restaurants, open seating and extended hours in the main restaurants, “resort-casual” attire each night, increased crew-to-guest staffing up to the level typically found at top shoreside resorts, simplified tipping procedures, and a more leisurely disembarkation procedure.
In May 2003, NCL announced a new U.S. Flag brand - NCL America - under which all of its U.S. flagged, U.S. crewed ships operate. The brand was officially launched on July 4, 2004 with the christening of Pride of Aloha (formerly Norwegian Sky), the first modern ship to sail the stars and stripes in nearly 50 years. In 2005, Pride of America joined the NCL America fleet followed by Pride
of Hawai‘i in the spring of 2006.
In September 2006, NCL announced plans to build three new cruise ships, totaling 12,600 berths for delivery between 2009 and 2011. The new ships, with the project name “F3,” will incorporate a world of new features and will represent NCL’s third generation of Freestyle Cruising ships, a further evolution of NCL’s progressive dismantling of the structure, regimentation, and constraints of the traditional cruise experience.
Background: The NCL Fleet
NCL was first established in 1966 when one of Norway’s oldest and most respected shipping companies, Oslo-based Klosters Rederi A/S, acquired the M/S Sunward and repositioned the ship from Europe to the then obscure Port of Miami. With the formation of a company called Norwegian Caribbean Lines, the cruise industry was changed forever.
NCL launched an entirely new concept with regularly scheduled cruises to the Caribbean in a single-class atmosphere of informal luxury. No longer simply a means of transportation, the ship became a destination unto itself, offering guests an exciting, affordable alternative to land-based resorts. Sunward’s popularity prompted other lines to build new vessels to accommodate the burgeoning market, turning Miami into the world’s number one embarkation port.
NCL led the way with its introduction of a fleet of sleek, new “white ships”: M/S Starward (1968), M/S Skyward (1969), M/S Southward (1971), and M/S Sunward II (1971) replacing the original of the same name. In another bold decision, NCL in 1979 purchased the former S/S France and rebuilt the grand ocean liner in Bremerhaven, Germany, for Caribbean cruising. The 76,049-ton S/S Norway, then the largest and longest guest vessel afloat, assumed the honored position as flagship of the fleet.
The S/S Norway was transferred to NCL’s parent company in April 2005.
New Routes/New Ships
The late-1980’s brought new ships, new itineraries, and a new corporate name, as Norwegian Caribbean Lines became Norwegian Cruise Line in 1987 to reflect an expanded route structure. The following year, the 42,000-ton, 1,518-guest M/S Seaward was launched, the first of the new and larger vessels built to replace the now retired “white ships.”
Next came the 41,000-ton, 1,242-guest M/S Dreamward, which debuted in 1992 as NCL’s first ship to depart from Ft. Lauderdale.
NCL further expanded the fleet in November 1997, with the purchase of the 1,050-guest M/S Royal Majesty (built in 1992) from Kvaerner ASA. The re-named Norwegian Majesty provides seven-night cruises from Boston to Bermuda and from Charleston, S.C. to the Bahamas and Mexico.
In addition, NCL contracted with the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, to stretch three of its vessels in 1998 and 1999. Sister ships M/S Dreamward and M/S Windward were lengthened by inserting a prefabricated midsection into each vessel.
The 50,760-ton, 1,748-guest ships were re-introduced to the marketplace in 1998, each with 40 percent increased capacity. In 1999, NCL lengthened Norwegian Majesty, increasing the ship’s capacity from 1,056 to 1,462 guests, and its tonnage from 32,400 to 40,876 GRT.
In a move to strengthen Norwegian Cruise Line’s brand identity, most ship names were changed to reflect the “Norwegian” prefix. In October 1997, the Seaward became Norwegian Sea. The Windward resumed cruise service in March 1998 as the re-named Norwegian Wind, while the Dreamward became Norwegian Dream two months later. In September 2003, NCL transferred the Crown Odyssey from sister brand Orient Lines into the NCL fleet and renamed it Norwegian Crown.
NCL Growth
Along with the acquisition of Orient Lines, the stretching of Norwegian Dream, Norwegian Wind and Norwegian Majesty, NCL also debuted a brand new 2,002-guest vessel, Norwegian Sky, in August 1999. Norwegian Sky was renovated in the spring of 2004 and was renamed Pride of Aloha and re-flagged as a U.S. cruise ship. She debuted as the first ship in the NCL America fleet on July 4, 2004.
In November 2001, NCL simultaneously christened both Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Star in Miami. In December 2002, NCL introduced Norwegian Dawn, the company’s third ship purpose-built for Freestyle Cruising. Parent company Star Cruises transferred its flagship SuperStar Leo to NCL in May 2004 and she was renamed Norwegian Spirit.
Pride of America was launched in June 2005. The third NCL America ship, Pride of Hawai‘i launched in April 2006. All three NCL America ships sail seven-day inter-island Hawai`i cruises.
Norwegian Jewel, a sister ship to Norwegian Star and Norwegian Dawn, entered service in August 2005.
NCL has a program in place to transfer to Star Cruises all six of the mid-size middle-aged ships that constitute the core NCL fleet from pre-Star days.
Between 2005 and 2009, over 8,000 berths will leave the NCL fleet, as part of the company’s new building program that is under way not only to replace those transferred berths but also to continue to grow the fleet at the same time. As part of this fleet renewal program of adding bigger and newer ships, NCL transferred Norwegian Sea to parent company Star Cruises in August 2005. In May 2006, NCL announced that Norwegian Crown was being sold to Fred Olsen Cruise Lines Pte. Ltd. and will leave the NCL fleet in November 2007; and Norwegian Wind will be transferred in late April 2007 to Star Cruises to become SuperStar Aquarius.
Ahead of the Pack
Recognised as an innovator in onboard and onshore programming, NCL pioneered a number of industry “firsts” that include:
Freestyle Cruising: NCL created this innovative cruising experience that challenges the conventional cruise model. It is designed to meet the changing needs of today’s cruise travellers offering NCL guests a more relaxed, resort-style cruise product with complete flexibility and non-intrusive service of the highest standard.
Shore Options: NCL’s “Dive-In” snorkeling program was the first of its kind in the industry. NCL was the first cruise line to provide an uninhabited “out island” experience at Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.
Entertainment: NCL was the first in the industry to offer big-name entertainers and full Broadway productions within fully equipped theaters.
The Athlete’s Fleet: In 1998, NCL announced a groundbreaking partnership with Sports Illustrated that included SI/NCL logo merchandise and the introduction of an “SI Café” sports bar onboard the Norway.
NCL’s Children’s Program “Kid’s Crew”: Created for junior cruisers ages 2-17, the “Kid’s Crew” programs offers organised activities, games, parties and menus.
Internet Cafes, Wi Fi Access and Cell Phone Service: An Internet Café – the first ever at sea – was introduced on Norwegian Sky in 2000. Internet Cafés are now available fleet wide. NCL recently became the first line to offer remote wireless Internet access (Wi Fi) at sea and cell phone service.
NCL was also the first cruise line to launch a Web site – www.ncl.com – in 1997. The UK version of the website is available at www.ncl.co.uk.
- ENDS -
Editors Notes:
NCL Corporation Ltd. ("NCL") is an innovative cruise company headquartered in Miami, Florida, with a fleet of 15 ships in service and under construction. The corporation oversees the operations of Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America, and Orient Lines. NCL took delivery of its newest Freestyle Cruising vessel, the 93,500-ton Norwegian Pearl on 1 December 2006. The company is currently building Norwegian Gem for delivery in October of 2007.
In addition, NCL plans to build up to three new third generation Freestyle Cruising ships for delivery between 2009 and 2011. NCL is on target to have the youngest fleet in the industry by 2010, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy the flexibility of Freestyle Cruising on the newest, most contemporary ships at sea
For high resolution, downloadable images, please log onto NCL's website at www.ncl.co.uk/image_library.
Issued by Flagship Consulting
For further media information contact:
Kate Hopcraft
020 7886 8456
kate.hopcraft@flagshipconsulting.co.uk
Rob Atherton
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rob.atherton@flagshipconsulting.co.uk
