Norwegian Breakaway to have Sabrett hot dog carts

Posted on 4 December, 2012 by Spacejunkie2

Norwegian Breakaway to have Sabrett hot dog carts

By Tom Stieghorst

Norwegian Cruise Line said the Breakaway will have three Sabrett hot dog carts, associating another New York icon with the 4,000-passenger ship.

Sabrett’s yellow and blue umbrellas and all-beef frankfurters are ubiquitous on New York streets.

“We’re so excited to offer our hot dogs on board Norwegian Breakaway,” Sabrett vice president Mark Rosen said.

The Breakaway will enter service in April and sail year-round from New York, and Norwegian has taken pains to link the ship to the city. The hull will be painted with a likeness of Lady Liberty and a city skyline, and the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes will serve as godmothers.

Norwegian also said that Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Lager beer will be served at the Uptown Bar and Grill.

“Our guests will truly get a real taste of the city as a part of their whole New York experience while onboard,” Norwegian CEO Kevin Sheehan said.

CEO says without port gambling, NCL could leave Bermuda

Posted on 1 February, 2012 by Spacejunkie2

CEO says without port gambling, NCL could leave Bermuda

By Donna Tunney

Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan told the Bermuda Sun that the cruise line wants to open its casinos while in port, and said Norwegian’s future in Bermuda could hinge on it.Sheehan said that while Norwegian would like to extend its commitment to the destination beyond 2013, “We will have to wait and see what happens with the casinos and how the new ship performs. We will look at the operating costs and the casino situation. That could alter the decision for the long term.”

Added Sheehan: “We have made a commitment to Bermuda for the next two years and we would like to see it grow.”

Cruise ships are required to keep their casinos closed while in a Bermuda port, but Sheehan said that evening operating hours onboard a Norwegian ship would not compete with any Bermuda businesses. Guests have been asking to gamble onboard while in Bermuda, he added.

Bermuda’s minister of transport, Derrick Burgess, has said in recent months that the island government would address the shipboard gaming issue.

The Norwegian Star and the Norwegian Dawn will operate a series of Bermuda cruises this summer from New York and Boston, respectively, and the line has confirmed that the 4,000-passenger Breakaway, which launches in 2013, will offer Bermuda cruises from May to October of that year from New York.

HAL’s Veendam won’t sail to Bermuda after 2012

Posted on 19 November, 2011 by Spacejunkie2

HAL’s Veendam won’t sail to Bermuda after 2012

By Donna Tunney

Holland America Line’s 1,350-passenger Veendam will not return to Bermuda on regularly scheduled cruises after the 2012 season.The ship has operated seasonal Bermuda cruises from New York since 2010.

“The 2012 season will mark three years of Bermuda cruising roundtrip from New York, and in 2013 other destinations are being considered as part of our overall global deployment,” the cruise line said in a statement.

Holland America said that it would “continue to call in Hamilton occasionally on other itineraries.”

Holland America is the second Carnival Corp. brand to reveal plans to reduce its presence in Bermuda.

Carnival Cruise Lines recently notified Bermuda tourism officials that it would not require the use of several berths it had reserved for next summer.

Four Carnival ships — the Pride, Fantasy, Glory and Miracle — made a combined 16 calls to Bermuda this year. But in 2012, just one ship, the Pride, will make one call.

Holland America said the Veendam’s 2013 deployment would be announced next year.