Tag Archives: Norwegian Breakaway Plus

Norwegian Cruise Line chief to stand down

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Norwegian Cruise Line chief to stand down

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings president and chief executive Kevin Sheehan is standing down.

He is being succeeded by Frank Del Rio of Prestige Cruises International, which was acquired by Norwegian in November.

Del Rio, a co-founder of subsidiary Oceania Cruises, has more than 20 years of experience in the cruise industry.

Norwegian subsidiary Prestige operates Regent Seven Seas Cruises alongside Oceania. Del Rio has served as chief executive of Prestige or its predecessor since April 2007.

Sheehan said: “It has been a privilege to lead Norwegian over the last seven years.

“I am proud of what we have accomplished, and take comfort in the knowledge that I am leaving the company much healthier and stronger than when I joined.

“With the company set for success, I hand the baton off to Frank, a proven leader in the cruise industry.”

Steve Martinez, member of Norwegian’s board of directors, said: “Frank Del Rio has established himself as a leader and innovator in our industry.

“Norwegian is poised for continued growth and we are delighted to have Frank lead our team during the next phase of the company’s evolution.

“We also thank Kevin Sheehan for his service to the company. Kevin has built Norwegian into the highly successful company it is today – a company that has reported 25 consecutive quarters of growth in trailing twelve month adjusted EBITDA coupled with consistent margin improvement.

“Most recently, Kevin was integral to the Prestige acquisition, assembling a diversified portfolio of brands that spans all market segments in the cruise industry, which we believe puts the company in a strong position for the future.”

Del Rio added: “I am excited to begin this new chapter in my long career in the cruise industry.

“I am blessed with a great team at Norwegian, and I am confident that together we can help our company continue to realize great things.”

Norwegian Escape to get larger sports complex and water park

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Rendering of the ropes course on Norwegian Getaway.

Norwegian Cruise Lines’ next ship will have a three-story ropes course and the largest aqua park in the fleet.

Norwegian Escape, due in 2015, will feature two Planks, the narrow steel beams on Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway that let guests walk eight feet out over the edge of the ship. The sports complex will have five zipline-style Sky Rails, including one that will loop out over the side of the 4,200-passenger ship.

Video of What's on the New Norwegian Escape

Video of What’s on the New Norwegian Escape

 

In addition to a full-sized basketball court, Escape will have a bocce ball court, a first for the line.

Also, there will be a mini-golf course themed to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle characters, an expanded Aqua Park and a new tandem slide in the Aqua Park called Aqua Racer.

Norwegian said it is also adding the line’s first dedicated nursery for children ages 2 and under.

In expanding its “Guppies” program to children ages 6 months to three years, Norwegian will offer an active area for play time and age-appropriate activities and a separate space for napping.  In addition to the nursery services, the ship’s Guppies program will offer a dedicated open play area for parents and babies to play together.

Escape is scheduled to cruise the Caribbean year-round from Miami, starting next November.

Huge Norwegian Escape Block Only Just Fits Through Yard Entrance

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Huge Norwegian Escape Block Only Just Fits Through Yard Entrance

video- Norwegian Escape block float out

video- Norwegian Escape block float out

The Norwegian Escape has only just managed to get through the entrance of its shipyard on Friday December 5th at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

As you can see from the video footage the large block was floated out of the construction yard for the first time and it was done inch by inch. The operation began in the early hours of the morning and it only just managed to get through. At times it was moving so slow it didn’t even seem like it was moving at all!

All the blocks are set to come together to make up the Norwegian Escape which will be the first Breakaway Plus vessel for Norwegian Cruise Line. There will also be a second sister ship built named Norwegian Bliss at the same shipyard.

When a major construction milestone is made at Meyer Werft there is often local cruise enthusiasts who head to the banks of the river to record or watch the process. Recently Royal Caribbeans Quantum of the Seas was the star of the shipyard but that ship has now entered service.

Norwegian Escape will be 164,600 gross tons and will carry over 4,000 passengers. It’s scheduled to be built by October 2015 and Once completed shall be sailing from the worlds busiest cruise port in Miami, Florida.