Is NCL abandoning US

[Uniall]

Norwegian Announces Largest European Deployment in Company's History

 

Four Freestyle Cruising Vessels to Set Sail In Europe, Including Two Year-Round, in 2012/13

 

Miami - Dec 15, 2010 --- Norwegian Cruise Line today announced its largest European deployment ever for the 2012/2013 season with four Freestyle Cruising ships, including two year-round. Norwegian Spirit will join Norwegian Jade sailing year-round in Europe beginning in April 2012. This is also the first time Norwegian Spirit will sail in Europe offering 12-day Grand Mediterranean voyages in the summer and fall, along with nine-day Canary Islands in the winter and spring. The company's largest and most innovative ship, Norwegian Epic, and Norwegian Sun will continue cruising seasonally from Barcelona and Copenhagen respectively. These cruises go on sale to Norwegian's top travel partners and Latitudes members (past guests) today, December 15, 2010 and to the general public on Thursday, December 16. "Europe is one of the world's fastest growing cruise markets and one where Freestyle Cruising is very well received. Given this, we felt it was the right time to deploy four ships, including two year-round, in Europe, marking our largest European deployment in the company's history," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian's chief executive officer. "Guests now have the flexibility of embarking from four homeports in Europe sailing to some of the most exciting destinations in the world." The 2,018-passenger Norwegian Spirit will make her European debut with two memorable itineraries including a 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruise from Venice, Italy and Barcelona, Spain during the summer, and a nine-day Canary Islands cruise from Barcelona through the fall and winter. The 12-day Grand Mediterranean sailings run from April 28, 2012 to October 25, 2012 and begin in either Barcelona or Venice and call on Provence (Toulon), France; Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Rome (Civitavecchia) and Naples, Italy; Mykonos and Athens (Piraeus), Greece; and Istanbul and Ephesus (Izmir), Turkey. The nine-day Canary Islands cruises from Barcelona will sail from November 6, 2012 to April 8, 2013 and call on Funchal, Madeira; Santa Cruz de Tenerife; and Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands; and Granada (Málaga), Spain. Norwegian Spirit will also sail an 11-day Grand Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Venice on July 9, 2012 and a 13-day Grand Mediterranean from Venice to Barcelona on July 20, 2012. Continuing her year-round sailings in Europe, the 2,402-passenger Norwegian Jade will sail seven unique itineraries with ports of call in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Croatia, Israel, and Egypt from her homeports of Rome (Civitavecchia) and Venice, Italy. Norwegian Jade will continue her popular alternating seven-day Greek Isles and Greece and Turkey cruises departing on Saturdays from Venice from April 28, 2012 to October 6, 2012. The Greek Isles cruises call on Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos and Olympia (Katakolon), Greece. The Greece and Turkey sailings call on Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia; Athens (Piraeus), Greece; and Ephesus (Izmir), Turkey. Since there is no port repetition between the two itineraries, they can be easily combined on most sailings to create a port-rich 14-day European tour. Also from Venice, Norwegian Jade will sail a six-day Croatia and Greece cruise on July 14, 2012; and an eight-day Greek Isles and Turkey cruise on July 20, 2012, as well as a seven-day Adriatic and Italy cruise on October 13, 2012 with disembarkation in Rome (Civitavecchia). From Rome, Norwegian Jade will sail alternating 11-day Mediterranean & the Holy Land cruises departing on Saturdays and 10-day Eastern Mediterranean cruises departing on Wednesdays from October 20, 2012 to April 17, 2013. The Mediterranean and the Holy Land cruises call on Alanya, Turkey; Limassol, Cyprus; Haifa and Ashdod, Israel; and Port Said and Alexandria, Egypt. The Eastern Mediterranean cruises call on Olympia (Katakolon) and Athens (Piraeus), Greece; Ephesus (Izmir), Turkey; and an overnight stay in Alexandria, Egypt. Norwegian's newest and most innovative ship, Norwegian Epic, will return to Barcelona sailing a series of 25 seven-day Western Mediterranean cruises from April 29 to October 14, 2012. The ship will call on Naples, Rome (Civitavecchia), and Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy; and Nice (Villefranche) and Provence (Marseille), France. In addition, Norwegian Epic will sail one four-day Western Mediterranean cruise on April 25, 2012. Norwegian Sun will continue sailing her nine-day Baltic Capital cruises from Copenhagen, Denmark from May 4 to September 7, 2012 calling on Berlin (Warnemünde), Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; an overnight stay in St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden. Norwegian Sun will also sail one 14-day Norway, Iceland & Faroe Islands cruise on September 16, 2012 calling on Bergen, and Alesund, Norway; Lerwick, Shetland Islands; Thorshavn, Faroe Islands; Reykjavik, Iceland; Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland and Dublin, Ireland. In addition, there are five opportunities for guests to have an experience of a lifetime crossing the Atlantic with Norwegian's Transatlantic cruises. Norwegian Epic offers two options: an 11-day Transatlantic from Miami to Barcelona on April 14, 2012 and a 13-day Transatlantic from Barcelona to Miami on October 21, 2012. Norwegian Spirit offers a 13-day Transatlantic from New Orleans to Barcelona on April 15, 2012. Norwegian Sun crosses the Atlantic on April 21, 2012 from Orlando (Port Canaveral) to Copenhagen and back to Miami from Copenhagen on September 30, 2012. To book these new sailings, please visit www.ncl.com; call or contact a travel professional. Also visit Norwegian's Facebook page at www.ncl.com/facebook to become a fan, vote for your favorite itinerary or be the first to boast about booking one of these exciting cruises.

 

When 7 years old, I walked my 5 year old sister home from school to find an empty house with no mother or father, no clothes, and no furniture. Had we been abandoned? As we sat on the front steps with my sister sobbing, I tried to be brave and strong for her. Our next door neighbor came running over to invite us for milk and cookies. She explained that our parents were moving everyting to a new BIG house and would be back for us at supper time. We grew to love the new big house, which is still the focus of happy childhood memories of home, hearth & family. But the initial gut wrenching fear of abandonment is remembered, as well.

 

Are there any parallels between my childhood fears of abondonment and NCLs major foray to Europe? What do you think?

[asylum575]

OK, so the Epic, Jade, Spirit and Sun will be in Europe.

 

That leaves the Gem, Jewel, Sky, POA, Dawn, Pearl and Star sailing out of US ports.

 

I'm not panicking just yet.:eek:

[Planer's Edge]

4 out of 10 ship (not counting POA) does not seem like abandonment to me. And 2 of those 4 are only there seasonally.

 

PE

[ColinIllinois]

Are there any parallels between my childhood fears of abondonment and NCLs major foray to Europe? What do you think?

 

I think therapy may be helpful for your childhood issues. ;)

[crew mom]

OK, so the Epic, Jade, Spirit and Sun will be in Europe.

 

That leaves the Gem, Jewel, Sky, POA, Dawn, Pearl and Star sailing out of US ports.

 

I'm not panicking just yet.:eek:

Plus one of the two new-builds should be out spring 2013 and may be ported in the US initially.

[Rochesterboatingdotcom]

Why not go somewhere else? The Caribbean is flooded with new ships from RCL, Celebrity and Carnival. NCL probably stands a better chance of filling ships where they don't have to compete with all the new builds.

[smeyer418]

Why not go somewhere else? The Caribbean is flooded with new ships from RCL, Celebrity and Carnival. NCL probably stands a better chance of filling ships where they don't have to compete with all the new builds.

and generally the Europeans pay more....

[newmexicoNita]

OK, so the Epic, Jade, Spirit and Sun will be in Europe.

 

That leaves the Gem, Jewel, Sky, POA, Dawn, Pearl and Star sailing out of US ports.

 

I'm not panicking just yet.:eek:

 

Plus the 2 new ships that I believe will be ready by 2013 isn't it? NCL will go where the demands are, just like other lines. Many of us have done so many ports in and around America and the CAribbean we are getting bored with them.

 

Nita

[electricron]

With the Spirit remaining in the Mediterranean for the winter season 2012-2013, which NCL ship is going to replace it in New Orleans. I can understand the lack of a ship from New Orleans during the summer season. Will New Orleans follow Los Angeles, Charleston, and Houston as homeports abandoned by NCL?

 

Note: The Jade was homeported in Barcelona, the Pride of America in Honolulu, the Sun in Port Canaveral, the Star in Tampa, the Gem and Jewel in New York, and the Epic, Pearl, Dawn, and Sky in Miami the previous winter.

[tru2logan]

and generally the Europeans pay more....

 

 

and generally tip less

[raventhebouv]

and generally the Europeans pay more....

 

and are not as fussy about the accommodations as Americans are. Most cruise lines send their "seasoned" vessels to Europe to get a few more years out of them and the Europeans don't seem to mind.

[LoisGriffin1]

and generally tip less

 

Tips are in the total fare paid for Europeans so wont affect tips for crew.

 

I am guessing NCL are doing this ready for the two new ships to be in the Caribbean.

 

The Spirit itinerary looks pretty good. I am very tempted even though we are supposed to be looking for Royal Caribbean in 2012 (want to go back on the Indy).

[Crusin6]

I can't believe it...the exact itin that I have been harping about on these boards......Barcelona, Provence, Florence, Rome, Venice, Mykonos, Izmir, Athens, Istanbul!!!!!

 

 

It is the addition on Istanbul and Athens that is sorely lacking with other lines except for Princess.

 

We are taking our first NCL cruise out of NYC in April...looks like our 2nd NCL cruise will be the Grand Med!!!

 

Hey, we took our first CCL cruise out of NYC...and then our 2nd was a CCL Grand Med.....

 

 

It's a sign I tell ya!!!!!:D

[OceanDreaming2]

I'm with John on this. NCL is abandoning LAX and now New Orleans, too. It's not always possible (or convenient) to fly to the East Coast or Europe. :(

[SteveH2508]

Have you also considered the economic situation?

 

Europe is probably not suffering quite as badly as the US - so more disposable income for people to cruise. I think NCL have made a smart move here.

 

I, for one, am quite pleased that this is happening, being an NCL fan.

 

I am not going to comment on the US v Europe tipping reference above or the complaining reference... :rolleyes:

[daffodiliaz]

Well this certainly changes things. We're booked for May 2011 on the Epic itin Barcelona-Livorno/Florence/Pisa-Rome-Naples-Palma Majorca-Barcelona.

In 2012 the itinerary would add Nice and Marseille, and remove Palma, meaning 1 additional port, so only 1 sea day. We're not really interested in Palma. More interested in France and Italy.

Let's say a Med cruise is once in a lifetime (for us probably). NCL is a great value and we like NCL. May 2011 is already so far away, so May 2012 would be so much longer. What would you do? Is seeing Nice and Marseille instead of Palma worth waiting another year? :confused:

[dwjoe]

Are there any parallels between my childhood fears of abondonment and NCLs major foray to Europe? What do you think?

I don't think you have anything to worry about! :)

[Tapi]

Save me a spot on the 10 night Greece, Turkey, Egypt itinerary on the JADE!! :D

[JColquhoun]

Why not go somewhere else? The Caribbean is flooded with new ships from RCL, Celebrity and Carnival. NCL probably stands a better chance of filling ships where they don't have to compete with all the new builds.

 

I agree!!!!!

[cvp]

I think this is NCL ceding the Caribbean, at the very least the Summer Caribbean to the Oasis and the Allure (along with Carnival). While I don't blame them (after all it's their duty to generate maximum profit) it does disappoint me since I prefer to cruise NCL.

 

I suspect it's also an admission that the Epic was a bad move (if changing the design of the next two wasn't enough of an admission).

 

It also represents more of an abandonment of the UK than an abandonment of the US. I guess that already took place after the Epic inaugural. Again disappointing for me personally.

[LoisGriffin1]

Yes I really wish NCL would use the UK. Thats why I went to Royal Caribbean recently. I am currently torn between RCL from Southampton or flying to take an NCL in Europe.

 

The Epics room quirks might work in Europe. We are used to strange layouts in hotel rooms (mainly because they are converted buildings) so it wont seem as weird to the European market.

[cmdchiefthom]

Actually looking at the itineraries, its kind of sad. The cruise lines seem to want to do to European ports what they've done to many Caribbean ports, turn them into tourist traps. :confused: Having lived in Europe for over a decade, what used to be quaint ports throughout the Med are going the way of St. Thomas, Cozumel, etc. in the Caribbean. :cool: I can just see Santorini with four or five mega-ships lined up to discharge thousands of passengers on the lift up to the top of the crater. :eek:

[dalgirl]

We are sailing Europe twice next year - the Jade and Epic - and have our eye on a Baltic cruise for July 2012 --- so I can't wait for the 2012 cruises to show up - the sooner the better! It is nice to see NCL giving us a lot more choices to see the world. I love the Carribbean, but I love traveling to new places even more:D And since we don't have time to do 2 week cruises, the new, shorter trips for Europe are wonderful.

[runner15km]

Have you also considered the economic situation?

 

Europe is probably not suffering quite as badly as the US - so more disposable income for people to cruise. I think NCL have made a smart move here.

 

I, for one, am quite pleased that this is happening, being an NCL fan.

 

I am not going to comment on the US v Europe tipping reference above or the complaining reference... :rolleyes:

 

Is there not issues with creditworthiness of Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain. I believe USA is not in such a situation.

[newmexicoNita]

With the Spirit remaining in the Mediterranean for the winter season 2012-2013, which NCL ship is going to replace it in New Orleans. I can understand the lack of a ship from New Orleans during the summer season. Will New Orleans follow Los Angeles, Charleston, and Houston as homeports abandoned by NCL?

 

Note: The Jade was homeported in Barcelona, the Pride of America in Honolulu, the Sun in Port Canaveral, the Star in Tampa, the Gem and Jewel in New York, and the Epic, Pearl, Dawn, and Sky in Miami the previous winter.

 

i hope not, but look at the number of ships (NCL) as well as others now doing the western Caribbean. I wish the Sun would sail out of NOLA< but with them just moving to Cape CAnaveral I doubt this will happen.

 

Nita