Highlights include Norwegian Star sailing to Asia, India, Australia and New Zealand; new 3-, 4-, 6- and 7-night itineraries aboard Norwegian Epic from Port Canaveral; and new South American itineraries featuring Brazil aboard Norwegian Sun
Wiesbaden, 2015-8-4 — /Travel PR News/ — Norwegian Cruise Line today announced exciting and exotic new itineraries for the brand’s autumn/winter 2016/17 deployment, bringing the world to guests who want to explore new sights while experiencing the freedom and flexibility that only Norwegian Cruise Line can offer. Norwegian offers guests new destinations and new ports to choose from in 2016 and 2017, including cruises to Asia on board Norwegian Star, with itineraries departing from Istanbul, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney and Auckland, marking the line’s return to the Asia and Australia regions for the first time since Norwegian Wind autumn/winter 2001-2002 and first-ever visits to The Gulf and India. Norwegian Epic will continue to spend her summers in Europe and return to the U.S. in the autumn as Norwegian’s newest and largest ship to homeport in Port Canaveral, offering 3-, 4- and 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. Exploring South America by sea will now be more accessible than ever with Norwegian, with a number of itineraries ranging in length from 7 to 20 nights, with embarkations in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Valparaíso (Santiago de Chile), Chile; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Norwegian Spirit will return to homeport in Europe year-round, sailing through the Eastern and Western Mediterranean with departures from Barcelona, Istanbul and Venice. In addition, Norwegian Jade will now sail seasonally in the winter months from Tampa to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, while Norwegian Jewel will sail two new 14-night Panama Canal sailings from Los Angeles and Miami in February 2016 and two in February 2017. Norwegian’s new itineraries will open for bookings in the course of this month.
“We are truly excited to offer these incredible new itineraries to our guests, who now have the opportunity to explore areas of the globe that we haven’t called on in many years and some that we’ve never before visited,” said Andy Stuart, Norwegian’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “Norwegian is taking guests to their dream destinations, where they can indulge in new tastes, new cultures and new experiences, along with the flexibility to unpack once and the freedom to explore many distinct destinations during one holiday-of-a-lifetime.”
Asia and Australia
In the autumn of 2016, Norwegian Cruise Line will cruise to the Far East for the first time since autumn/winter 2001-2002, with the recently renovated Norwegian Star sailing to the region for several unique itineraries that also feature first-ever visits to The Gulf and India. Norwegian Star will continue to spend her summer 2016 months cruising the Baltic Capitals from Copenhagen, Denmark. After her journey around Western Europe and through the Mediterranean, Norwegian Star will depart on October 31, 2016 from Istanbul on the brand’s first voyage to the Gulf region through the Suez Canal for a 20-night Eastern Mediterranean and The Gulf itinerary with stops in Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; Rhodes, Greece; overnight in Haifa, Israel; Port Said, Sharm El Sheikh and Safaga, Egypt; Aqaba, Jordan; Salalah and Muscat, Oman; and an overnight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
On November 20, 2016, Norwegian Star will sail a 21-night Journey to the East from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Singapore, featuring the brand’s first visit to India with an overnight in Mumbai and stops in Mormugao (Goa), Mangalore and Kochi. Additional ports of call include Fujairah and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Muscat and Khasab, Oman; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Phuket, Thailand; Penang, Langkawi and Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia and Singapore.
Throughout December 2016 and January 2017, Norwegian Star will do a series of 11- and 14-night sailings in Southeast Asia, departing from Singapore and Hong Kong respectively. Norwegian Star’s 11-night Southeast Asia itineraries departing from Singapore on December 11, 2016 and January 5, 2017 feature ports of call in Ko Samui and an overnight in Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand; Phú My (Ho Chi Minh City) and Nha Trang, Vietnam; Sanya and Hong Kong, China. Guests who sail on the ship’s 14-night Southeast Asia itinerary from Hong Kong to Singapore on December 22, 2016 will celebrate the holidays with calls in Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Ha Long Bay (Hanoi), Da Nang, and Phú My (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; an overnight stay in Laem Chabang (Bangkok) and a day visit to Ko Samui, Thailand.
On January 16, 2017, Norwegian Star will sail a 21-night Southeast Asia and Australia itinerary from Hong Kong, China to Sydney, Australia. Ports of call include Nha Trang and Phú My (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam; Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand; Singapore; Bali (Benoa) and Komodo, Indonesia; Darwin, Cairns, Airlie Beach, and Brisbane, Australia.
Norwegian Star will sail a 12-night Australia and New Zealand sailing on February 6, 2017 from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand. Ports of call for this adventure down under include Melbourne and Burnie, Australia; and Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier and Tauranga, New Zealand. Norwegian Star will also sail a 19-night Australia and New Zealand thrill-filled itinerary from Auckland, New Zealand to Singapore departing February 18, 2017. Ports of call include: Bay of Islands, New Zealand; Sydney, Brisbane, Airlie Beach, Cairns and Darwin, Australia; and Komodo and Bali, Indonesia; and Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia.
Norwegian Star will begin her journey back to the West with an 18-night Southeast Asia and India sailing from Singapore to Dubai, departing March 9, 2017. Ports of Call include Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur), and Penang, Malaysia; Phuket, Thailand; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Kochi, Mangalore, Mumbai and Mormugao (Goa), India; Muscat and Khasab, Oman; Fujairah and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Rounding out her season in the Far East will be a 20-night Eastern Mediterranean and The Gulf sailing from Dubai, United Arab Emirates through the Suez Canal to Venice, Italy departing March 27, 2017. Ports of call on this Western-bound journey include Fujairah, United Arab Emirates; Muscat and Salalah, Oman; Aqaba, Jordan; Safaga and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; an overnight in Haifa, Israel; a stop in Heraklion, Crete, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and finally, an overnight stay in Venice, Italy.
Europe
Norwegian will continue to offer a four-ship deployment in Europe during the summer of 2016. Norwegian Spirit will replace Norwegian Epic as the brand’s year-round European ship, while Norwegian Star will sail the Mediterranean and Western Europe in the autumn of 2016 en-route to the Far East.
Norwegian Star will begin her journey south with a 14-night Western Europe sailing from Copenhagen, Denmark to Barcelona, Spain departing on September 28, 2016. Guests will have the freedom and flexibility to taste, touch, shop and feel the flavours of Europe with ports including Oslo, Norway; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Zeebrugge (Brussels/Bruges), Belgium; Le Havre (Paris) and Le Verdon (Bordeaux), France; Cádiz (Seville), Valencia and the line’s first call in Gijón, Spain; as well as a call in Lisbon, Portugal.
Norwegian Star will sail an 11-night Classic Mediterranean itinerary from Barcelona to Istanbul in October 12, 2016. Highlighting some of Europe’s most sought-after destinations including Palma, Majorca, Spain; Marseille, France; Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples (Pompeii) and Taormina, Sicily, Italy; Piraeus (Athens) and Mykonos, Greece and overnight in Istanbul, Turkey.
Norwegian will return to the Holy Lands for the first time since 2013 with one 8-night Eastern Mediterranean and Holy Lands sailing round-trip from Istanbul aboard Norwegian Star departing October 23, 2016. Guests will marvel at the spiritual and natural wonders of the region with stops in Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; overnight in Haifa, Israel; Alanya, Turkey; and Rhodes, Greece.
Norwegian will offer two additional opportunities for guests to visit this incredible region, with two 11-night Eastern Mediterranean and Holy Lands sailings aboard Norwegian Spirit. The voyages will depart November 28, 2016 and April 12, 2017 on a port-packed itinerary from Venice to Istanbul with three overnight stops in Venice, Italy; Haifa, Israel; and Istanbul, Turkey. In addition, the itinerary will feature ports of call in Zadar, Croatia; Heraklion, Crete as well as Rhodes, Greece and Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey or Mykonos, Greece.
Norwegian Spirit will offer a series of 7-, 10- and 11-night Eastern and Western Mediterranean sailings from November 2016 to May 2017 departing from Barcelona, Venice, and Istanbul, marking the first time in many years that Norwegian has offered the opportunity for guests to embark a ship in the Turkish city. Ports of call vary by sailing depending on length but include Zadar, Croatia; Heraklion, Crete; Piraeus (Athens) and Rhodes, Greece; Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; Naples (Pompeii), Livorno (Florence/Pisa); Palermo, Sicily and Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Palma, Majorca and Valencia, Spain; Marseille, France and Valletta, Malta.
On December 27, 2016 and March 12, 2017 Norwegian Spirit will sail a 10-night Canary Islands and Morocco itinerary. Her stops will include Tangier, Morocco; Funchal, Madeira, Portugal; Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands and Málaga (Granada) and Alicante, Spain.
Caribbean & Bahamas
After more than a year in Europe, Norwegian Epic will return to Florida in November 2016 and will become the line’s largest ship to homeport from Port Canaveral. Norwegian will offer Freestyle Cruising at its finest aboard Norwegian Epic with a series of Eastern and Western Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries ranging in length from 3, 4, 6 and 7 nights, a sure opportunity to fit any schedule or itinerary preference.
Norwegian Epic’s 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary will be a beach-lover’s paradise with stops in Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. Guests can choose to soak up the sun or opt for an adventurous land-based activity on Norwegian Epic’s Western Caribbean itinerary, featuring stops in Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. Norwegian Epic will offer guests looking for a shorter cruise the perfect opportunity for a quick escape in January and March 2017 with 3- and 4-night Bahamas itineraries with stops in Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay.
Norwegian Jade will replace Norwegian Star and homeport from Tampa from November 2016 through April 2017 and sail a 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary departing on Sundays to Cozumel, Mexico; Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatán, Honduras; and Norwegian’s new Caribbean destination experience, Harvest Caye, Belize. In addition, Norwegian Jade will also sail two 8-night Western Caribbean holiday sailings in December 2016. Guests aboard these two cruises will enjoy the holidays under the sun with ports of call in Cozumel, Mexico; Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatán, Honduras; Harvest Caye, Belize; and Santo Tomás de Castilla, Guatemala.
Norwegian Jade guests can explore further into the Caribbean with two 10-night and two 11-night Eastern Caribbean cruises from Tampa. Marking the first time Norwegian has offered sailings longer than one week to the Caribbean from Tampa, Norwegian Jade’s 10-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary departing January 15 and March 19 will visit Key West, USA; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. John’s, Antigua; Philipsburg, St. Maarten and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Norwegian will call in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for the first time aboard Norwegian Jade’s 11-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary departing January 25 and March 29; additional ports of call include Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands or Tortola, British Virgin Islands and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Panama Canal
In addition to Norwegian’s previously scheduled Panama Canal deployment featuring two 14-night cruises in February 2016, the line has added two new 14-night Panama Canal sailings from Los Angeles and Miami on Norwegian Jewel, on February 5 and February 19, 2017 respectively. The mirrored itineraries feature ports of call including Cartagena, Colombia; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Corinto, Nicaragua; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; and will feature a bucket-list item: a daytime transit through the wondrous Panama Canal.
South America
As previously announced, Norwegian Sun will return to South America for the winter season in 2016 and 2017. During this season, Norwegian will offer a variety of sailings through South America with departures from new homeport Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as from Valparaíso (Santiago de Chile), Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Guests will experience adventures great and small with a South America sailing aboard Norwegian Sun. Norwegian will offer 10-night South America itineraries departing from Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro in December 2016, February and March 2017, where guests can soak up the vibrant South American culture with ports of call including an overnight stay on select sailings in Buenos Aires, Argentina; stops in Montevideo and Punta del Este, Uruguay; and Santos (São Paulo), Ilha Grande and Búzios, Brazil, with an overnight stay in Rio de Janeiro.
Those looking to experience the majesty of the holidays at sea can do so aboard Norwegian Sun’s South America 14-night Buenos Aires Round-Trip sailing departing December 23, 2016. The holiday sailing is sure to bring “boas festas”, happy holidays, to all aboard with an overnight stop in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and the best of Brazil with stops in Santos (São Paulo), Ilha Grande, Búzios, Angra dos Reis and an overnight stay in Rio de Janeiro; along with Montevideo and Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Norwegian will offer four South America 15-night itineraries between Valparaíso (Santiago de Chile) and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The East-bound itineraries depart from Valparaíso (Santiago de Chile) on January 21 and March 9, 2017 while the West-bound depart from Buenos Aires, Argentina on February 22 and April 10. These spectacular journeys feature calls in Punta Arenas, Puerto Chacabuco and Puerto Montt, Chile; Stanley, Falkland Islands; Montevideo, Uruguay; Puerto Madryn and Ushuaia, Argentina; with an overnight in Buenos Aires, Argentina. During these itineraries, guests will also cruise the Patagonic Channels, majestic Chilean Fjords, sail the famous Strait of Magellan; Beagle Channel and the spectacular Cape Horn.
Those who may only have one week for a quick South American getaway can opt for Norwegian Sun’s South America 7-night Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro sailings on February 5 and March 24, 2017. This weeklong itinerary offers a snapshot of Eastern South America with ports of call in Santos (São Paulo) and Ilha Grande, Brazil as well as Montevideo and Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Norwegian Sun will make her journey back to the Northern Hemisphere with a South America 20-night Valparaíso (Santiago de Chile) to San Francisco sailing departing April 25, 2017. Guests on this voyage can experience a myriad of cultures with ports of call in Central America’s quaintest cities and opt for a shore excursion to the mystical Machu Picchu from Arica, Chile. Ports of call for on this northern-bound adventure include Coquimbo and Arica, Chile; Callao (Lima) and Salaverry (Trujillo), Peru; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Corinto, Nicaragua; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala and Puerto Chiapas, Huatulco and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
For guests who wish to book one of the new adventure-filled itineraries, Norwegian Cruise Line is offering up to four incredible offers to enhance the on-board experience during Norwegian’s Freestyle Choice promotion from August 4 through September 30, 2015. Depending on the selected stateroom category, guests have the freedom to select their favourite on-board offer including a free Soda Package/Ultimate Beverage Package, a free US $ 50 dining credit/Speciality Dining Package, a free 100-/250-minute internet package or an on-board credit of US $ 25/US $ 100/US $ 200 per stateroom. Guests who book a suite or The Haven by Norwegian® will receive all four offers for free. For full details as well as terms and conditions please visit our website.
Seasonally, Norwegian also continues to offer three ships in Alaska, four in Europe, two in Bermuda, as well as a variety of exciting South America; Bahamas and Florida; and repositioning cruises. Norwegian will also continue to offer its unique inter-island Hawai’i cruises year-round on Pride of America from Honolulu. Norwegian’s short Bahamas itineraries on Norwegian Sky will continue to sail from Miami year-round, and will offer an all-inclusive experience featuring free premium beverages on all sailings in 2016 and beyond.
About Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is an internationally operating cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida with two offices in Wiesbaden and London overseeing operations in Europe.
Founded in 1966, Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising which revolutionized the industry by giving guests more freedom and flexibility. Today, Norwegian invites guests to “Cruise Like a Norwegian” on one of 13 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed cruise holiday on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea. In August 2014, the line was named “Europe’s Leading Cruise Line” for the seventh consecutive year, as well as in October 2014, for the second consecutive year, “Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Line” by the World Travel Awards. In addition the company has received the World Travel Award as “World’s Leading Large Ship Cruise Line” from 2012 to 2014.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s largest Freestyle Cruising ship to date, Norwegian Epic, debuted in June 2010 and, in the United States, has been named “Best Overall Cruise Ship” by the readers of Travel Weekly two years in a row and “Best Ship for Sea Days” by Cruise Critic. The Company recently took delivery of its most innovative ship to date, the 4.000-passenger Norwegian Getaway in the first quarter of 2014. The Company has four 4.200-passenger vessels on order at Meyer Werft: Norwegian Escape with delivery scheduled in the autumn of 2015, Norwegian Bliss with delivery in the spring of 2017 and two further ships with delivery in the spring of 2018 and autumn of 2019.
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