Norwegian Cruise Line recently launched its 2024 Europe travel season with the arrival of Norwegian Epic to its seasonal homeport of Civitavecchia. It is currently on a 10-day Greek Isles and Italy voyage. The NCL Europe cruise season comprises 101 distinctive itineraries with 38 roundtrips and 63 open-jaw sailings. Ships call at 140 ports across Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Greek Isles, and the Atlantic Coast. Cruises will be departing from 13 homeports with New York City; Paris (Le Havre), France; and Oslo, Norway being three brand new options for NCL voyages to Europe. NCL will have a total of nine ships in region, including its newest vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, as well as Norwegian Escape. Escape returns to Europe following its first season in 2022. During the Europe cruise season, NCL offers a unique collection of shore excursions including, Beyond Blueprints architectural landmark tours; gourmet tours and immersive Go Local excursions. Europe cruise guests can dive deeper into the history of the region with NCL's expanding Cruisetours program, with a pre- or post-cruise-option inclusive of roundtrip flights, hotel stays, transport and excursions. The cruise tours are currently available in 10 European destinations, such as Istanbul, Paris, Barcelona, and Venice. "As we return to Europe, our goal remains consistent — curating unmatched and captivating experiences for guests," says David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line. Norwegian Escape will be the line’s largest vessel in Europe this season at nearly 165,000 gross tons. The ship will homeport in Barcelona, Rome (Civitavecchia and Venice (Trieste), sailing eight- to 10-day roundtrip sailings in the Western Mediterranean. NCL cruises in Europe are on sale through December 2025

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Norwegian Cruise Line has unveiled new culinary and beverage experiences coming to Norwegian Aqua, the line’s first vessel of the expanded Prima Plus Class. Norwegian Aqua is set to debut in April 2025. Norwegian Aqua will have three brand-new onboard offerings including Sukhothai, NCL's first-ever Thai specialty restaurant. It will also house Swirl Wine Bar, a new upscale wine bar; and Planterie, the first dedicated eatery offering a full plant-based menu. "Discovering new flavors and dining experiences is such a memorable part of any vacation," said David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line. "Expanding on our award-winning food and beverage program, we're looking forward to bringing new concepts to life aboard Norwegian Aqua." Making its debut on the all-new Norwegian Aqua is Sukhothai, the  first-ever Thai specialty restaurant, featuring an eclectic menu. It will serve a new spin on traditional staples, such as Thai Cashew Chicken; Salt and Pepper Prawns; Thai Grilled Steak Salad; and a variety of complementing curries. The upscale dining venue will boast a harmonious blend of traditional and contemporary Thai design elements. At the returning guest-favorite Indulge Food Hall, a new eatery, Planterie, will offer plant-based bowls and other healthy options. Planterie's menu will include dishes such as the Southwest Bowl with smoked tempeh and the Mediterranean Goddess Bowl filled with spiced vegetables, tabbouleh and honey-roasted carrots. Also premiering aboard Norwegian Aqua is Swirl Wine Bar, a contemporary wine lounge tucked away on deck six between the popular Whiskey Bar and Hasuki, the hibachi-style restaurant. It will feature a comprehensive wine-by-the-glass menu, and an extensive list of rare and premium vintages. The-new Norwegian Aqua will feature enhanced restaurants and lounges previously debuted on the Prima Class. One of the ship's main complimentary dining rooms, the Commodore Room, will now feature a rustic yet luxurious design inspired by its sea-faring namesake. Metropolitan, NCL's modern Sail & Sustain cocktail bar will return aboard Norwegian Aqua and boast a distinct new design from other Prima Class vessels The bar will now feature a grand piano and a small entertainment space for guests to enjoy live music. Nama Sushi and Sashimi, which first debuted on Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, will now feature a new design with a new color palette, inspired by the vibrant world of Manga art. Guest-favorite restaurants will return to Norwegian Aqua such as Hudson's, the elevated, main complimentary dining room; Le Bistro, the high-end French restaurant inspired by the Palace of Versailles; and Los Lobos, the contemporary, authentic Mexican dining venue with outdoor seating; Set to be the 20^th ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet, Norwegian Aqua will feature industry first experiences including the world's first hybrid rollercoaster and waterslide and NCL's first-ever Three-Bedroom Duplex Haven Suites. From April 2025, Norwegian Aqua will sail seven-day Caribbean itineraries departing from Port Canaveral, Port calls include Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and the Great Stirrup Cay private island in the Bahamas.

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Norwegian Cruise Line is launching a month-long 'Walk for Wellness' initiative in the UK, which kicks off on 1 May. It coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week (13 – 19 May 2024), highlighting that a walk can do wonders for physical and mental health. The initiative invites travel industry professionals to take a walk with a collective goal of reaching 40,000 miles, across five milestones. To give back to the UK travel industry and aid better mental health, NCL is partnering with ABTA LifeLine, a charity which offers vital support to agents. It assists with mental health concerns, as well as providing financial and emotional assistance when faced with redundancy, accidents, and bereavement. NCL will be making monetary donations for each milestone reached with a goal of £10,000. Gary Anslow, Regional VP and Head of UK&I said: "It's critical to have conversations around our health and wellbeing.” “It's important to manage stresses and walking is a great (and free) way to do that." Travel industry professionals in the UK can register for 'Walk for Wellness' at NCL's Walk for Wellness UK&I 2024. Once registered, they can connect their smartphone or wearable with the free MoveSpring app and start logging their miles. Participants will be encouraged to share photos, using the hashtag #walk4wellnessUKI. As an added incentive, NCL will be setting challenges throughout the month, with the opportunity to win one of four balcony staterooms for two on Norwegian Aqua's three-day launch cruise. They can also win a polaroid camera, spa and sport vouchers. 'Walk for Wellness' was first launched in Australia and New Zealand in 2020 to maintain personal contact when the whole travel industry came to a standstill. In October 2023, NCL's Continental European office launched their equivalent of 'Walk for Wellness' in the DACH market, which brought more than 750 agents together. They walked 56,000 miles and raised nearly € 10,000 for the mental health charity Aktionsbündnis Seelische Gesundheit (ABSG).

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Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has appointed Gary Anslow as Regional Vice President and Head of UK and Ireland. Anslow’s appointment is part of a slew of promotions within the sales team. Anslow will continue to expand NCL's localised presence and develop support for frontline trade partners in the UK and Ireland. He will report to Jason Krimmel, NCL's Chief International Sales and Marketing Officer. Also, Kirsty Webb has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager for the Cruise Specialist channel. Chantelle White was promoted to Business Development Manager within the Retail, Homeworker and Consortia channel. In addition, Laura Croft has been promoted from Regional Sales Executive to a new role as UK and Ireland Travel Partner Training Manager. She is focusing on the expansion of NCL's product and brand training programme across the UK and Ireland travel agent network. To further support that expansion, NCL will be adding two new field-based Account Executives to the UK sales team. "We now have 20 ships on sale, nine of which will be sailing in Europe this summer,” Anslow said. “The trade has always been critical to our success, and we are excited to be expanding and developing our travel agent trade sales team." Norwegian Cruise Line offers varied itineraries across nine ships in the region, including its newest vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva.  

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Norwegian Cruise Line is set to add over 1,000 dedicated solo staterooms across its fleet of 19 ships.  The line has opened sales for three new solo stateroom categories - Solo Inside, Solo Oceanview and Solo Balcony. They are available for sailings starting 2 January, 2024. Solo travellers can expect to pay less than a traditional double occupancy room. David J. Herrera, NCL president said:  "Since we first launched our solo staterooms in 2010 with Norwegian Epic, they have been quite popular with single travelers.” "We are continuously listening to our guests to deliver the experience they want." Guests in the new solo stateroom categories will also have access to the key card entry only Studio Lounge, available on select ships. This features a dedicated space to relax and a bar. Solo travelers can enjoy activities scheduled for singles. It comes in response to a spike in the popularity of solo travel, with a growing number of individuals choosing to travel the world solo. According to a study by Travelport, solo travel made up nearly 18% of global bookings in the travel industry.

Norwegian Cruise Line will resume Hawaii cruise port calls in Maui again starting this holiday weekend. NCL’s Pride of America, which specializes in Hawaii cruising, will call at Kahului, Maui starting on September 3. Cruise lines had paused calls following the devasting fire in Laihana. “We have a strong connection with the people and islands of Hawaii,” said David J. Herrera, NCL president. “We temporarily adjusted our Hawaii cruise itineraries to avoid stressing the destination further,” The cruise line donated $50,000 to Maui United Way, and will be donating more than $150,000 in relief supplies. “We look forward to returning to this incredibly special destination.” Governor Josh Green said: “We appreciate the continued partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line and the support it has recently provided.” “While travel to West Maui is restricted, we are working with our tourism partners, such as NCL and encouraging them to make a steady return to other areas of the islan.” “Maui is dependent now more than ever on the return of mindful, respectful visitation,” the Hawaii Tourism Authority said.

Norwegian Cruise Line has officially launched the all-new Norwegian Viva. The first guests boarded NCL’s second Prima class ship for its maiden voyage from Venice (Trieste), Italy. It is on a nine-day journey through the Mediterranean, calling at Salerno, Cannes, Ibiza and Lisbon. Norwegian Viva will sail a selection of Greek Isles and Mediterranean cruises through November, before homeporting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In late November, singer Luis Fonsi, godfather to Norwegian Viva, will attend the celebration to officially name the ship in Miami. In San Juan, Viva will sail a season of Caribbean cruises. With a similar design to sister ship Norwegian Prima, Viva features onboard experiences like the three-level Viva Speedway, Indulge Food Hall, with 11 unique eateries; and The Drop and Rush slides. In May 2024, Norwegian Viva returns to Europe for more Mediterranean cruises.

Norwegian Cruise Line has taken delivery of newest ship Norwegian Viva. It becomes the 19th in the fleet and the second of six Prima Class ships planned to launch by 2028. Key features of Norwegian Viva include the three-story Viva Speedway and new dining concepts like the Food Hall, an open-air market featuring 11 eateries. "Delivery marks an important milestone and we are beyond excited to bring this spectacular ship to life," said David J. Herrera, NCL president. The 143,535 gross ton ship has a capacity for 3,100 guests. Following the ship's maiden voyage on 10 August 2023, Norwegian Viva will sail a series of Mediterranean and Greek Isles itineraries. Then it will cross the Atlantic for its official Christening ceremony in Miami on 28 November 2023 with Luis Fonsi, Latin GRAMMY award-winning artist and godfather to Norwegian Viva. The ship will homeport in San Juan, Puerto Rico for a season of Caribbean voyages from December 2023 through March 2024. Itineraries will visit Tortola, BVI; St. John's, Antigua; Bridgetown, Barbados and St. Thomas, USVI among others.  

UK and Ireland agents are being offered bonus commission of up to £100 on each NCL Europe 2023 cruise bookings this month.  The bonus commission includes bookings made on Norwegian Viva, NCL's newest ship and the second Prima Class vessel. It debuts this August with an inaugural season of voyages to the Mediterranean and Greek Isles. Bonus commission is available on bookings made through 31 August. "This bonus commission represents a rewarding earning opportunity for agents", said Gary Anslow, senior director of sales, UK and Ireland. "With nine ships sailing from 13 ports in Europe, and with a season extending through to November, our breadth of product offers something for everyone". Europe 2023 highlights include: 12-day Cruise to Europe: France, Spain & Portugal from Bilbao, Spain on Norwegian Gem 14-day Cruise to Northern Europe: Norway & Scotland from Tromsø, Norway on Norwegian Star "August represents a great opportunity for agents to showcase the range and value of summer and autumn 2023 itineraries," Anslow added. More details about the bonus commission at Toolkits-UK

Norwegian Cruise Line  announced Grammy nominated singer Luis Fonsi as the godfather of its newest ship, Norwegian Viva. The second Prima Class ship will be christened in Miami before homeporting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican-born Luis Fonsi will officially name Norwegian Viva at the 28 November 2023 christening in Miami." The "Live it Up!" theme of Norwegian Viva will continue throughout the evening, with a lineup of leading Latin entertainers joining Fonsi. They include Paulina Rubio; Marcello Hernandez; and Pedro Capó. "We are thrilled to welcome Latin music icon Luis Fonsi to the NCL family," said David J. Herrera, President of Norwegian Cruise Line. "Miami, our hometown, is immersed in Latin culture, and we want to celebrate Norwegian Viva's debut with an infusion of Latin talent.” Fonsi will officiate the ceremonial breaking of a champagne bottle on the ship's bow.  

Short city break costs have now risen to the same as a week’s beach holiday, according to new research. A survey, commissioned by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), finds that city break accommodation now costs an average of £382. Furthermore, eating out adds up to £229, with attractions coming in at £182. Brits also complained of inconvenient flight times (34%), the increased cost of short haul flights (32%) and 'not being able to fit in everything in' (30%). It found 61% would consider cutting down on eating out, activities, and excursions to reduce costs. Around half said they would think twice about going on a city break in the near future due the costs. Almost half of holidaymakers are considering longer trips rather than multiple short breaks through the year. NCL expects the trend of 'inter-sailing' to rise in popularity this summer. Gary Anslow, NCL Head of UK & Ireland Business said: "Brits have a real hunger for exploring the world, but the rising cost of travel is an ongoing challenge.” An NCL cruise aims to give holidaymakers the option to maximise their budget." "Our research found that half of holidaymakers like to visit a new place every time they go on a trip, and one in three want the best of both worlds."