More Than They've Been Letting on

Another party was heard from today when NCLH revealed exactly how much not being able to go to Cuba is going to cost their brands. Again, as they've been asked in the past, they've downplayed how the importance of the market to them, saying how little of their capacity was involved in the market.

But when they published the numbers, it turns out Cuba was worth even more to Norwegian than it was to Royal.

Details appeared June 7 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

A Most Excellent Training Center

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced plans to build a state-of-the-art crew training facility near Manila in the Philippines. The facility will be called the Norwegian Cruise Line Center for Excellence.

The innovative 200,000-foot building is built in the shape of a cruise ship. It will serve both new and existing crew members.

Details appeared in the March 21 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Photo courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Additional Ship Ordered for Regent Seven Seas Brand

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has ordered a 54,000-ton ship for their Regent Seven Seas brand from Fincantieri.

The ship will be the sixth ship in the Regent fleet and a sister to Seven Seas Explorer and Seven Seas Splendor (scheduled for delivery in 2020).

Details appeared in the January 15 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

(School) Bells Are Ringing on Dominica

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has opened their second school in conjunction with the Hope Starts Here Hurricane Relief Fund. This one is a pre- and primary school in Morne Prosper Dominica.

Together with All Hands and Hearts, NCLH raised $2.5 million to rebuild schools in the Caribbean which were damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Details appeared in the January 14 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

NCLH Orders Two Ships for Oceania

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings ordered two of a new generation of ships they have named Allura-class, for their Oceania brand today from Fincantieri.

The ships are scheduled for delivery in 2022 and 2025. They are similar in size to the line's newest ships, Riviera and Marina, which were also delivered by Fincantieri from their Sestri Ponente yard in 2012 and 2011.

The complete story appeared in the January 8 edition of Cruise News Daily.

NCLH Partnership to Expand Icy Strait Point

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has announced a partnership with the Huna Totem Corp to build a second cruise ship pier at Icy Strait Point, Alaska.

The pier will accommodate Norwegian's largest ships, the Breakaway Plus-class, and is scheduled to be completed for the 2020 summer Alaska season.

The complete story appeared in the December 6 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - November 29, 2018

CND subscribers also read about:

• A big change in the penalty if Carnival finds you smoking anything in a non-smoking area
• The end of the Asian chapter in NCL's history

Details appeared in the November 29 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

That Won't Suck

On Monday, Norwegian Cruise Holdings announced a plan to reduce the use of single-use plastics and eliminate the use of plastic straws by August 2018.

The plan applies to all 26 ships in their fleet across all three brands (Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises) and both island destinations (Great Stirrup Cay and Harvest Caye).

Details appeared in the August 1 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Exercising Their Options

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings today said they were confirming an order for two additional Leonardo-class ships from Fincantieri.

The ships were originally options on an order placed for four of the new class in February 2017.

The complete story appeared in the July 12 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - June 21, 2018

CND subscribers also read about:

• Bahama Paradise Line's new program for solo travelers
• A change at the top of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings
• The end of an era for Norwegian Cruise Line

Details appeared in the June 21 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - December 7, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:

• Royal Caribbean declaring a quarterly dividend
• Carnival going to the Melbourne Cup
• NCLH moving to the NYSE

Details appeared in the December 7 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - November 15, 2017

CND subscribers also ready about:

• Changes in major stockholders' stakes at NCLH
• A fatal accident at Meyer Werft

Details appeared in the November 15 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - October 5, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:

• The new FCCA campaign to let consumers the Caribbean is still open for business
• NCLH is one in 500
• Mein Schiff 1 just floated out last Friday, and today Meyer laid the keel for Mein Schiff 2.
• Here comes Nate

Details appeared in the October 5 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Meyer Turku lays the first steel block of Mein Schiff 2

Photo courtesy of TUI Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - May 23, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:

• 34 people being prosecuted for carrying drugs aboard Costa ships between Europe and South America in both directions over a two-year period
• NCLH opened a new terminal at the Port of Seattle

Details appeared in the May 23 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

And Aren't There Supposed to Be 40 Thieves in the Deal?

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has partnered with China's Alibaba Group to market Norwegian Cruises in the Chinese market.

Alibaba is the world's largest online and mobile commerce company.

The complete story appeared in the May 5 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Too Soon to Be Excited by Cuba for the Long Term

Like all other cruise lines, the brands of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings are excited to be sailing to Cuba. And, yes, travelers are excited to be going to Cuba.

During today's conference call to discuss the company's fourth quarter earnings, NCLH president and CEO Frank Del Rio said he's “tremendously excited” by the first Havana call next month, and he went on to say they are “thrilled to be the first cruise line to offer weekly sailings from Port Miami with overnight stays in Cuba's historically and culturally rich capital, Havana, through December of 2017.” But ...

The complete story appeared in the February 22 edition of Cruise News Daily

Everybody to Cuba

This morning, the government in Cuba approved programs to the island by three NCLH brands and two RCCL brands.

Even though these limited programs are the beginning of changing the game in the Caribbean, Cuba didn't fling the doors wide open, and the US rules are still in place.

The complete story appeared in the December 7 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Updated 3:48pm
Both Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced this afternoon they have received approval from the Cuban government to begin cruises to the country from the US.

NCLH says their Oceania brand will be the first to call on Cuba with Marina on March 7. Seven Seas Mariner of their Regent band will be next with two cruises in April 2017. Norwegian Sky will follow up with a selection of four-day cruises that will overnight in Havana in May.

RCCL said their Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises brands will operate cruises from Florida to Cuba. The company said details will be announced soon.

The cruise itineraries will comply with U.S. Department of Treasury rules that permit travel companies to transport approved travelers to Cuba to engage in people-to-people activities as defined by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Details will appear in today's edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - May 5, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings signing a new contract with EMC to quadruple the bandwidth they provide to passengers for internet service. The new lightning-fast service will be available on all three of the company's brands by July.
• AIDAprima will be christened in Hamburg on Saturday night with coverage provided on the internet. It will be christened with a 12-liter bottle of Moet & Chandon's finest. A photo is below. 

Details appeared in the May 5 edition of Cruise News Daily 

Champagne at the ready for Saturday's christening of AIDAprima

Photo courtesy of AIDA Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

Other Things You’ll Want to Know - March 11, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• AIDA announced that 13-year-old actress Emma Schweiger will be godmother of their new flagship, AIDAprima.
• Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is reducing the size of their Board of Directors by two.
• A small ship captain was arrested for using another person's identity for 20 years. 

Details appeared in the March 11 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Emma Schweiger will be godmother to AIDAprima

Photo courtesy of AIDA Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission.

Going to China

Last week we noted that when Houston’s current two tenants at its Bayport Cruise Terminal leave in the spring, the port has decided not to continue trying to market the facility and is apparently giving up on their long-running efforts to find cruise ships to sail from the facility. In coming to that decision, we said one factor could well have been the realization that there is a shortage of ships in North America caused by lines sending ship after ship to Australia and China where yields are much higher.

That shortage is probably going to continue for some time to come, because the Chinese market is so vast, and cruise lines have such a tiny penetration of the Chinese vacation market. In this week’s call to discuss NCLH’s earnings, Frank Del Rio, the company’s President and CEO said, “The more we learn about the competitive landscape [in China], the more we continue to be certain that the emerging, evolving and growing Chinese market presents the best opportunity for maximizing fleet-wide profitability and is the best deployment option for new vessels to generate upsized incremental earnings.”

Details appeared in the February 24 edition of Cruise News Daily.