In 2023 (November-December) the ship is homeported in Baltimore (Maryland Cruise Terminal) for 5-day Bermuda and 12-day Caribbean itineraries. Call ports include Kings Wharf (Bermuda), as well as San Juan (Puerto Rico), Philipsburg (St Maarten), Basseterre (St Kitts), St Johns (Antigua), Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas USVI), Road Town (Tortola BVI) and Puerto Plata (Dominicana). NCL Joy is homeported in Miami (for the first time) for 5- to 7-day Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises.
Children's programs
Reaching the second tier, Silver (20 points), would take at the most three cruises if you're doing seven-night trips. Norwegian has a point-based frequent cruiser program, Latitudes Rewards, that has seven tiers, ranging from Bronze (requiring 1 point) to Ambassador (700 points). The line just recommends a step up to "smart casual" outfits in its more formal dining rooms and upscale specialty restaurants. In keeping with Norwegian's laid-backness, this might still mean nothing more than a crisper pair of jeans, or maybe slacks with a collared shirt, for men. Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Epic, for instance, have the Cavern Club, a reproduction of the British club that gave rise to the Beatles.
Different NCL Ship Classes
According to the current Cuban law, US citizens of Cuban origin (born in Cuba) are not allowed to visit the island country (including on cruise vessels). Regardless of their US citizenship status, Cuba-born Americans were denied booking on itineraries visiting ports in Cuba. However, the situation changed in April 2016, after Carnival Corporation negotiated with the Cuban government for allowing ships with Cuban-born passengers, as such US citizens are allowed to visit the country on USA-Cuba charter flights.
NCL Ships: FAQ
Enjoy superb French fare at Le Bistro or Premium Black Angus Beef at Cagney’s Steakhouse. Or roll up your sleeves and dig into a half rack of ribs at Q Texas Smokehouse. Norwegian Sun also is the ship that Norwegian deploys on some of its longest and most destination-focused itineraries, the type that particularly appeals to retirees looking to see more of the world.
Epic class
Called Guppies, the program offers parents a place to play with their youngest children, with occasional youth staff-led activities and games. As is typical for big-ship cruise lines, Norwegian has an extensive children's program, with programs and activities for children as young as 6 months through the age of 17. For those with money to burn (pricing on Norwegian Encore recently was $99 per person for a day pass), the Vibe Beach Clubs are lovely, secluded deck-top hideaways.
A new history page for NCL Norwegian was the year 1979 when was purchased the Transatlantic ocean liner SS France - thoroughly refitted and renamed SS Norway. The liner's drydock-conversion cost USD 100+ million, but it was money well spent. Bigger than any other passenger liner, SS Norway in its time offered extra space for a great variety of onboard entertainment, thus starting the new era of "ship cruise for fun" and creating the time of mega-liners. The cabins measure just 100 square feet but are superbly designed to maximize storage space. They're also clustered around the exclusive Studio Lounge, which has its own private bar and a television area where solo travelers can mingle at daily hosted happy hour gatherings. Notably, the entire back of each of these ships is dedicated to an upscale luxury zone for the fancy set called The Haven.
That tells you just how much the cruise industry has grown in recent years. Unveiled in 2010, it was originally supposed to be the first of a series of up to three similar vessels. However, after disagreements with the shipyard that built it, Norwegian eventually canceled an order for a second ship in the series and an option for a third ship in the series, leaving Norwegian Epic in a class of one. On the entertainment front, both ships offer Broadway shows in their main theaters and have a circuslike show in a secondary theater called "Cirque Dreams." The latter is a dinner show that comes with an extra charge.
Discover unparalleled luxury in The Haven, an exclusive enclave with our most premium and spacious accommodations. Enjoy the personal service of a 24-hour butler and world-class amenities, exclusively reserved for guests of The Haven. Built in 1998 for Star Cruises by Meyer Werft, Norwegian Spirit officially became a NCL vessel in 2004.
The first Jewel-class ship, Norwegian Jewel premiered in 2005 after being built by Meyer Werft in Germany. Similar to sister ship Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Jewel has connections to several pop culture figures; the ship’s godmother is former First Lady Melania Trump and the ship appeared on an episode of The Apprentice. It’s worth noting that many of these ships have received substantial and even multiple refurbishments since their original builds. So, even if you took a cruise on Norwegian Spirit, for example, you’d still be able to take advantage of refurbishments that occurred as recently as 2020. Lastly, the oldest class for NCL is the Sun Class, which debuted in 1999 and includes Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Sun. NCLH now has 13 ships on order over the next 12 years for a combined 41,000 berths, representing about 65% capacity growth, noted the analyst.
While not the biggest vessels in the Norwegian fleet, these ships will be notably packed with restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and decktop attractions. They also mark a more upscale turn for the line, with more space per passenger than earlier Norwegian ships and lots of suites. The line's nine newest ships are big, bustling floating megaresorts that can carry upwards of 3,000 to 4,000 passengers at double occupancy (and even more with every berth filled).
The line's smaller ships will have at least one or two pools, sunning areas and usually a sports court area — but not all that much else. You might even find Starbucks stores on some ships (the one-year-old Norwegian Prima has two!) and there are Starbucks products on every Norwegian vessel. Also, some ships have private restaurants just for passengers staying in The Haven.
All but one Norwegian ship (Pride of America) has a casino, and on the line's bigger vessels, they are huge operations. The casino on Norwegian Encore has more than 300 slot machines and 26 table games (including blackjack, roulette, poker and craps), plus its own bar. Every vessel has two or three main restaurants and a casual buffet where meals are included in the fare — the latter is usually called the Garden Cafe. However, unlike Royal Caribbean, Norwegian hasn't retained any of the trappings of old-style cruising. There are no formal nights, as you'll still find on Royal Caribbean ships, or dress codes.
From homeport Miami, the ship operates roundtrips (Sunday departures) on 7-day Eastern Caribbean itineraries with call ports San Juan Puerto Rico, St Thomas USVI, and Tortola BVI. In October 2025, the ship starts an Eastern Caribbean program with 5- and 7-day roundtrips from Miami. In August 2025, NCL Aqua starts homeporting in NYC (New York USA) offering 5- and 7-day voyages to Bermuda (King's Wharf). Due to the COVID pandemic, NCLH's entire fleet (all vessels of the brands NCL-Norwegian, RSSC-Regent, Oceania) is with an expanded cancellation policy. All bookings on pre-scheduled itineraries (departures March 14, 2020, through April 30, 2021) were given the option to cancel (up to 48 hours prior departure) without penalties. Since 2016, NCL offers weddings at sea, including same-gender ceremonies.
8 new ships coming to Norwegian Cruise Line, sister brands plus dock at Great Stirrup Cay - Orlando Sentinel
8 new ships coming to Norwegian Cruise Line, sister brands plus dock at Great Stirrup Cay.
Posted: Mon, 08 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The company also launched the construction of a multi-ship pier at Great Stirrup Cay, the company’s private island destination in the Bahamas and its Caribbean port of call. Those new concepts include Planterie, the brand's first dedicated plant-based menu eatery. As Norwegian explained, Planterie can be found in the Indulge Food Hall on deck eight and will offer "plant-based bowls and other healthy options." If you can't live without those sorts of features on a cruise ship, then the Dawn class probably isn't for you. An iconic presence in Hawaii, Pride of America has been permanently dedicated to the archipelago since its debut in 2005.
NCL's "Premium All Inclusive" deals were introduced on April 3, 2017, and include all cabin categories. The new offer includes 5 additional benefits for passengers booking a selection of port-intensive longer voyages (9 nights or longer) in all worldwide destinations. The additional perks are 250-min internet package, 120-min phone package, US$50 shore excursion credit (per call port), up to GBP 75 hotel credit (in select call ports) and up to GBP 150 flight credit. There's tons of great entertainment on Norwegian's vessels, plenty of venues for eating and drinking, and all sorts of deck-top diversions — at least on the line's newest ships. Throw in the brand's low starting prices, and it's an even more compelling package.
Norwegian has also thoroughly done away with the concept of big main restaurants with fixed seating. Norwegian's 10 smaller vessels break down among five classes, but many are roughly the same size and offer similar amenities. Instead of a few big main restaurants with fixed seating times, Norwegian ships offer a wide range of eateries and no assigned seating times — just make a reservation.
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