Norwegian Encore Floats Out

Posted on 20 August, 2019 by Spacejunkie2

The new Norwegian Encore has left the building hall in Germany and is now at Meyer Werft’s outfitting dock ahead of an October delivery.

Following her delivery, the 4,200-guest ship will cross to New York for preview events, before ending up in her winter homeport of Miami in late November.

A representation of his modern and abstract style, the ship’s hull features a “labyrinth of color” inspired by Arranz-Bravo’s life by the sea in Barcelona and pays tribute to the vibrant guest experience for which the Norwegian brand is recognized, according to company statements.

After her debut in Miami, the Encore will move to Seattle in 2021, sailing seven-day cruises to Alaska.

Also new will be a partnership with LDV Hospitality to bring the Scarpetta concept to the Norwegian Encore with Onda by Scarpetta. The new restaurant is the first of its kind and will join the Scarpetta portfolio’s locations in New York, the Hamptons, N.Y., Miami, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Newport, R.I., and London.

The name Scarpetta is derived from the Italian expression, ‘fare la Scarpetta,’ which means to savor a meal to the last bite, according to a statement.

Norwegian Cruise Line boss nets $1.3m in the share sale

Posted on 19 August, 2019 by Spacejunkie2

Image result for andy stewart nCL

Norwegian Cruise Line boss Andy Stuart netted $1.3 million from the sale of shares.

He sold 25,000 shares in parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in two tranches last week, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The sale at $50 per share came after the company reported record second-quarter financial results with earnings of $240.2 million for the three months to June 30.

The lift in profits came despite the impact of the abrupt US government ban on cruise ships calling into Cuba and a technical problem with the ship Norwegian Pearl which forced one cruise to be amended and another to be canceled.

Company president and CEO Frank Del Rio said at the time: “The underlying fundamentals of our business remain strong across all core markets, and we continue to expect record financial results in 2019, despite the impact from the change in federal regulations which resulted in the cessation of premium-priced Cuba sailings.”

NCLH has a market capitalization of $10.88 billion and controls NCL alongside Oceania and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Norwegian Joy’s Onboard Revenue More Than Doubles in Alaska

Posted on 11 August, 2019 by Spacejunkie2

Norwegian Joy’s Onboard Revenue More Than Doubles in Alaska

The decision to move the Norwegian Joy from China to the North American market has been successful for Norwegian Cruise Line.

“The redeployment of Norwegian Joy to Alaska resulted to a profound improvement to her profitability, especially in the top line driven by more than doubling of her onboard revenue generation,” said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO, on the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ second-quarter earnings call.

The decision to pull the ship from China came in 2018, as part of the company’s strategic itinerary optimization initiative which also included its entry into new European homeports.

The North American launch of Norwegian Joy generated over $2.5 billion media impressions and further elevated Norwegian Cruise Line’s already the preeminent position in the all-important growing and high-yielding Alaska market, Del Rio said.

“We are extremely pleased to not only see her garnering the high pricing she rightfully deserves but also to see her deliver a customer experience that ranks her first in guest satisfaction for the Norwegian brand, driven by the high-tech and industry-first innovation onboard.”

Next year is shaping up to be even stronger for Joy in North America.

“And I may add that we won’t have the challenges of selling Joy, a very large ship, in a very abbreviated eight-, or nine-month booking cycle like we did this year when we announced her departure from China,” Del Rio explained.”We have a regular (18- to 24-month) booking cycle in front of us.”

According to Andy Stuart, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, Joy is ahead in the pricing of the vessel she replaced in the Alaska market.

Bullish on Alaska, the growth will grow with the Norwegian Sun joining the market in 2020, sailing seven- to 15-day cruises from Seattle.

“We believe the Norwegian Sun Alaska deployment will generate yield that will approach, if not be equal to what she was commanding in her Cuba deployment led by strong onboard spending,” Del Rio said.