Norwegian Getaway christened in ‘muy caliente’ Miami style

 

The godmothers - Miami Dolphins CheerleadersThe godmothers – Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders

In the kind of party that only Miami can throw—women in red polka-dot swimsuits swinging from hoops, sizzling Latin dancers in black boots, Tito Puente Jr. firing up the crowd and eye-candy godmothers the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders—Norwegian Getaway was christened Friday in the late afternoon sunshine.

Latin Grammy artist and Miami native son Pitbull got naming ceremony guests on the upper deck dancing, their arms pumping in the air, in a finale of smoke, fireworks and confetti that stole the show.

‘She’s Miami’s ultimate ship,’ Norwegian Cruise Line ceo Kevin Sheehan told the crowd, even tossing in a few Spanish words— ‘Muy caliente!’ (Hot!)—to describe a special Burn the Floor show that’s part of the entertainment customized for Norwegian Getaway’s Miami deployment.

Norwegian Cruise Line, which started modern weekly Caribbean cruising from Miami with the Sunward in 1966, is glad to be back with a year-round seven-day ship after a decade of seasonal seven-day sailings, Sheehan said.

Norwegian Getaway’s hull is splashed out with a bright mermaid by Miami artist David ‘LEBO’ Le Batard, mojitos are the signature drink and a number of the 28 dining spots and bars have outdoor seating on the open-air Waterfront, perfect for Caribbean cruising.

Le Batard was present, along with celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian who has three seafood restaurants on board, and ‘Cake Boss’ Buddy Valastro, whose ‘Carlo’s Bakery’ is featured in the atrium cafe.

Norwegian Getaway arrived in Miami after inaugural festivities in Europe and a Super Bowl showcase as the Bud Light Hotel in New York.

‘The ship is finally home,’ said Capt. Rune Myre, who praised its construction by ‘the German geniuses’ at Meyer Werft.

‘We feel the soul of the ship,’ the captain said, adding that he and the 1,600 crew ‘hope passengers coming on board will feel what we feel and be part of the Norwegian family … This is the ship everyone talks about and everyone wants to work on.’

Waiters circulated with bottles to spritz the crowd in the balmy Miami afternoon. Brooke Burke-Charvet, co-host of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ (and the godmother of Norwegian Sun in 2001) served as the master of ceremonies.

The audience included Bernard Meyer and Thomas Wiegand of Meyer Werft; Norwegian Cruise Holdings board members Adam Aron, Walter Revell and new director Robert Salerno (Avis Budget Group); PortMiami director designee Juan Kuryla and Miami-Dade commissioner Rebecca Sosa, who delivered an official proclamation of Feb. 7, 2014, as ‘Norwegian Getaway Day in Miami-Dade County.’

Also on hand were the leaders of many top retail groups, among them, Cruise Planners’ Michelle Fee, Avoya Travel’s Van Anderson and WMPH Vacations’ Uf Tukel.

Norwegian Cruise Line takes delivery of Getaway

By Tom Stieghorst

KevinSheehanBernardMeyer-GetawayDeliveryNorwegian Cruise Line has taken delivery of its newest ship, the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Getaway.

The Miami-themed ship will head across the Atlantic for initial duty as the Bud Light Super Bowl hotel, before sailing to Miami where it will start year-round Caribbean cruises in early February.

Getaway, which is being delivered nine months after its predecessor, Norwegian Breakaway, took Germany’s Meyer Werft shipyard 15 months to build.

From Bremerhaven, the ship is sailing to Rotterdam, Netherlands, for the start of inaugural festivities, which will continue in Southampton, England, before the ship departs for a transatlantic cruise to New York.

Norwegian has two more ships on order, Norwegian Escape, due in the fall of 2015, and Norwegian Biiss, coming in 2017.

Keel-laying of Anthem of the Seas

Keel-laying of Anthem of the Seas

Papenburg, 20November 2013 – The official keel-laying of the new cruise ship Anthem of the Seas was celebrated at MEYER WERFT in Papenburg by putting a block in place in the yard’s covered building dock. Jarmo Laakso, Associate Vice President Quantum Class from Royal Caribbean International, put down the lucky penny in the dock before the block of the new ship was lowered by the 800-ts crane.

The first of a total of 74 blocks of the new cruise liner weighs 620 tons. This keel-laying marks the official start of construction of the Anthem of the Seas. For the time being the 167,800-gt Anthem of the Seas is one of the biggest ships the shipyard has built so far.

Delivery of the Anthem of the Seas is scheduled for spring 2015. The sistership of Quantum is under construction in the Building Dock and is scheduled as early as in the autumn of 2014.

Both new ships for Royal Caribbean International will set standards due to their design, a parachuting simulator, bumper cars, virtual balconies and many more innovations.

Each ship can accommodate 4,180 guests at double occupancy and feature 2,090 staterooms

Photo:The first block of the new cruise ship Anthem of the Seas for Royal Caribbean Cruises is put in place in MEYER WERFT’s building dock II.