Exclusive first look at Norwegian Breakaway float out

Exclusive first look at Norwegian Breakaway float out

Exclusive first look at Norwegian Breakaway float out

By Melanie Hall

Travel Weekly has been given an exclusive first look at Norwegian Breakaway’s float out from its dock in Germany this morning.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s vessel, the largest ship built in Germany, was floated out of Meyer Werft’s covered building dock earlier today in Papenburg, where the 146,600-tonne ship has been under construction since September 2011.

Norwegian Breakaway

The 4,000-passenger ship, with her signature hull artwork designed by pop icon Peter Max, departed the building dock as the first ship to depart bow-first.

Norwegian Breakaway has an overall length of 324 metres, and is 39.70 metres wide.

The ship’s float out represents a major milestone in the vessel’s construction as it denotes that the ship has now moved into the final phase of construction with delivery taking place in just 58 days.

Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer, said: “Norwegian Breakaway represents a significant achievement both for Meyer Werft and Norwegian Cruise Line in terms of innovation and design.

“Celebrating her float out today brings us closer to her much-anticipated delivery on April 25 when she will make her debut in Europe before arriving in her homeport of New York City on May 7. We can’t wait.”

Norwegian Breakaway

Bernard Meyer, managing partner of Meyer Werft, said: “This new vessel is a further milestone for us. Its construction complies with the latest safety standards, and the ship meets all valid environmental regulations.

“Beyond that Norwegian Breakaway includes a lot of unique design elements and technical innovations.”

Following the float out, tests were carried out in the harbour and the ship was berthed alongside the yard’s outfitting pier. On March 4, the first crew members will move into their staterooms on board, and begin to familiarise themselves with the ship, readying her for guests.

Norwegian Breakaway’s conveyance down the river Ems towards the North Sea, where she will prove her seaworthiness, is scheduled for March 10, weather permitting.

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Norwegian reports improved profits despite ‘unexpected challenges’

Norwegian reports improved profits despite ‘unexpected challenges’

By Phil Davies

Norwegian reports improved profits despite 'unexpected challenges'Norwegian Cruise Line has delivered improved profits for 2012 of $169 million against $127 million the previous year despite the year’s “unexpected challenges”.

The result for a period when the cruise industry had to deal with the impact of the Costa Concordia disaster was announced after the company’s recent move to become a public company.

Full year revenue was up by 2.6% to $2.27 billion with an improvement in yields put down to increased fares and onboard revenue.

Norwegian posted a fourth quarter net profit of $5.6 million against a loss of $1.9 million in the same period in 2011, despite a rise in fuel costs.

Looking forward, the company expects a further improvement in net yields of between 3.5% and 5.5%.

The line takes delivery of Norwegian Breakaway, the first of two new ships, in April, along with a Breakaway Plus vessel due to enter service for in autumn 2015.

President and chief executive Kevin Sheehan said: “While 2012 included some unexpected challenges in the macro environment, our results demonstrate our ability to manage our operations through these external factors and report healthy growth.

“We are very pleased to begin our journey as a public company by posting strong results for 2012.

“In addition, our fourth quarter results marked our 18th consecutive quarter of year-over-year adjusted EBITDA growth.

“2013 marks the beginning of the next chapter of Norwegian’s growth story,” he added.

“The delivery of our Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class vessels, designed to improve on the already successful platform of Norwegian Epic, along with our strong product proposition that offers a consistent experience throughout our fleet, has Norwegian well positioned for 2013 and beyond.”

New campaign invites travelers to ‘Cruise Like a Norwegian’

New campaign invites travelers to ‘Cruise Like a Norwegian’

By Donna Tunney
NCL-newadNorwegian Cruise Line is attempting to reposition itself with a consumer-facing branding platform centered on the theme “Cruise Like a Norwegian.”

It’s a multifaceted campaign that rolls out Oct. 10 with network and cable TV commercials, digital advertising, new logos and social media components on Facebook.

The high-energy, some might say sexy, TV commercials aim to help coin the phrase used in the branding theme.

“Dine like a Parisian. Surf like a Hawaiian. Love like a Venetian. Party like a Brazilian. Cruise like a Norwegian,” the commercials declare.

Norwegian CEO Kevin Sheehan said the cruise line has spent the past four years on “a variety of initiatives” to improve and enhance the company and brand. “We felt this is the right time to issue this bold invitation to cruise with us by piquing interest and creating excitement around our brand,” he said.

“We believe this new brand platform will differentiate us and help clearly define a Norwegian cruise as one of the best vacations.”

Maria Miller, the line’s senior vice president of marketing, said the campaign’s slogan “is an invitation to those wanting to experience life in dynamic ways to come in and experience the brand.”

She added: “We are trying to broaden our demographic. … It’s a bold, confident statement that presents the brand in a new way yet builds on our heritage.”

Miller noted that the launch of the Norwegian Epic, along with entertainment upgrades, helped open the line to more families and younger people in recent years. The new branding platform, she said, will put Norwegian “front and center” among consumers who have never cruised.

“This feels different than other cruise line advertising that’s out there. The core of what we’re trying to communicate is the breadth of experience we offer, the freedom and flexibility. Freestyle Cruising allows people to experience that,” Miller said.

The Facebook components of the rebranding launch include “Mix It Up,” an application that enables users to pair their own photos with the music featured in the “Cruise Like a Norwegian” ads, and an interactive quiz called “How Norwegian Are You?” The results will show how closely the user aligns with a Norwegian Cruise Line lifestyle.

The line also will reach out to agents in an effort to communicate what the new brand means to the frontline sale process.

Agent webinars will be offered, Miller said, and the line’s sales organization has materials they will distribute to retailers. Courses in NCL University will reflect the new brand philosophy.

She added that onboard elements include some changes to the line’s signature “White Hot Party” featured on every cruise.

“Some ‘Norwegian elements’ will be added to that,” said Miller, and the line’s crew members are being trained to “support and deliver the experiences we want our customers to have.”

The line for several months has been trying to move quietly away from “NCL” as an often-used abbreviation and toward “Norwegian” instead.

A spokeswoman for the line recently explained that the company wanted to focus on its “Norwegian roots” and no longer wished to be known by an abbreviation.

In the TV commercials, “NCL” appears once, and for just a split second, at the tail end of the ads.