| 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 |
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]
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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]
| 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]
| 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. |
| 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] |
| Ship | Built | In service for NCL | Tonnage | Status as of 2010. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunward (1966) | 1966 | 1966–1976 | 8,666 GRT | Scrapped in 2004 at 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. |
| Southward | 1971 | 1971–1994 | 16,607 GRT | Since 2008 Aegean Pearl for Golden Star Cruises. |
| Sunward II | 1971 | 1977–1991 | 14,151 GRT | Since 2005 Coral for Louis Cruise Lines. |
| Norway | 1961 | 1979–2003 | 70,702 GRT 76,049 GRT |
Sold after 2003 boiler explosion, scrapped in 2008 at 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 |
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