Epic Chugging Along

Norwegian Epic left Port Canaveral this afternoon for its shortened cruise to the Bahamas (pared down from a seven-night western Caribbean itinerary) and still apparently not able to cruise at normal speeds.

The complete story appeared in the February 18 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Norwegian Epic Troubles Grow

After experiencing propulsion problems in the early part of this cruise on Monday and having to divert to San Juan, things seem to be getting worse on the way back.

After canceling their first to calls (Tortola and St. Thomas) and diverting to San Juan and crashing into the pier and damaging it, passengers were told yesterday they were skipping their one port left from the original itinerary (Great Stirrup Cay) and heading directly back to Port Canaveral.

Today they were given the news they were going to be twelve hours late arriving at Port Canaveral. 

Details can be found in the February 15 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Moving Along

There's good news and bad news about Norwegian Epic. The good news is that after a more than 24-hour call in San Juan while some engine repairs were made, the ship was able to leave San Juan this evening.

The bad news is the passengers are spending a week aboard the ship and got to call at one port during that time, they are going right back to Port Canaveral without going to any of the ports that were on the original itinerary.

The complete story appeared in the February 13 issue of Cruise News Daily.

Epic Troubles

Norwegian Epic experienced a power loss Monday as it was sailing from Port Canaveral to Tortola. The ship reportedly had an engine failure which resulted in it having to sail at a reduced speed.

But that wasn't the end of the troubles for Norwegian Epic. It crashed into the pier when it arrived at San Juan. 

Details appeared in the February 12 edition of Cruise News Daily.

 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - March 8, 2018

CND subscribers also read about:

• A passenger going overboard from Norwegian Epic and living to tell about it 
• Viking Sun being christened in Shanghai
• MV Werften beginning construction of their 204,000-ton Global-class and Genting saying they will transfer it to their Dream brand which will use it to expand globally. 

Details appeared in the March 8 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Construction has begun on the 204,000-ton Global-class which Dream Cruises will be used to expand globally 

Rendering courtesy of MV Werften. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

Norwegian Returns to Canaveral with Norwegian Epic

Norwegian Epic arrived at Port Canaveral on Saturday for a winter season of Caribbean/Bahamas sailing that will run though March, but Norwegian has committed to bringing the ship back again in November. At 155,873 grt, Norwegian Epic is one of the largest and most feature-rich ship ever to homeport at Port Canaveral.

The complete story will appear in the November 14 edition of Cruise News Daily

Norwegian Epic at Port Canaveral

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

Norwegian Epic Returns to Service with New Features

After a three-week dry dock, Norwegian Epic returned to service in Barcelona on Monday looking refreshed in most areas, sporting new features and with improved hydrodynamics under the water. She will now wow European travelers for a final year in the Mediterranean before relocating to Port Canaveral next fall.

The most important reason for a dry dock - when the ship is taken out of the water - is the work that goes on under the waterline which is normally inaccessible.

Projects were complete both above and below the waterline while it was out of the water. The complete story appeared in the October 20 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Cruise News Daily Headlines for November 17, 2014

* Norwegian Epic to Be More Like Other Ships
Norwegian Epic is moving to the Mediterranean full time beginning next spring, and when it gets there a major element of the ship will be changing - the entertainment.

* It’s Back and Bigger than Ever
Fincantieri has returned MSC Armonia to MSC, and as promised, it is 5,000 gross tons larger and 24 meters longer.
   Tonight the ship is sailing from the yard in Palermo to Genoa where it will reenter service on Tuesday with a 10-day Canary Island Cruise.

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

"Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical" will open on Norwegian Epic in the fall of 2015

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

Cruise News Daily Headlines for January 13, 2014

* Norwegian Epic to Remain in Europe Year Round
Norwegian Cruise Line said today that when Norwegian Epic leaves Miami for its summer deployment to Europe in the spring of 2015, it’s not coming back. At the end of the summer season, it will remain homeported at Barcelona through the 2015/2016 winter and indefinitely beyond.
   Beyond upping the ante with the European market with a very large ship (the largest ever to be homeported in Europe year round), this move may mean an even bigger change for Norwegian Cruise Line.

* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about getting tough on crime ... and more on Concordia.

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers

Norwegian Epic to Homeport in Europe Year Round

Norwegian Cruise Line said this morning they will homeport Norwegian Epic at Barcelona year round beginning April 30, 2015.

The move may signal another significant change for Norwegian.

Details were in the complete article in the January 13, 2014 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Cruise News Daily Headlines for January 8, 2014

* The Legends Continue
One of Norwegian Cruise Line’s most popular entertainment acts just passed a milestone last week, and to celebrate Norwegian is giving them to opportunity to pass many more.
   Legends in Concert was one of the original acts to sail aboard Norwegian Epic, and they’ve never left. Last Friday, they celebrated their 1,000th performance aboard the ship.

* Ending the Search
Grand Princess and Star Princess were released from the search this afternoon for the crew member who appears to have intentionally gone overboard late Monday night from Grand Princess while it was sailing from San Francisco to Hawaii.
   Both ships have now resumed their journeys to Hawaii, and the Coast Guard has suspended its search. The search was unsuccessful.

* Ten Years Ago Today ...
Where does the time go? Ten years ago today Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II christened Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 in Southampton. Since that time, QM2 has sailed nearly 1.5 million nautical miles, the equivalent of three times to the moon and back, and she carried 1.3 million (human) passengers (and 2,000 dogs). More

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers

Port of Miami Looking Forward to Winter

The Port of Miami is looking forward to a winter with growth and four new arrivals at the port.

They will include Norwegian Epic, Celebrity Eclipse, inaugural activities for Oceania's Marina, and the return of Costa after several years' absence.


The complete article appeared in the October 5, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

First Look at Norwegian Epic (Part 2)

In the first part of this article we looked at an overview of how Norwegian Epic is going to change people’s expectations about what will be found aboard cruise ships. The rest of the industry is eventually going to follow along.

In the second part of the article, we are going to be looking at some specifics that I saw, and we’re starting with one of the places where you can see innovation everywhere: in the accommodations.

The complete article appeared in the July 13, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

First Look at Norwegian Epic

At the end of last week, CND spent two days aboard Norwegian Epic. At this point, we can tell you that it's going to create some major changes in the cruise industry over time, but maybe not the ones we expected before we saw it.

The basic cruise experience is still there, but just as over time Freestyle changed the norm in the industry, Norwegian Epic is going to change what passengers expect aboard their ship. But the changes won’t happen immediately.

In this CND article, we look at how what we saw aboard Norwegian Epic is going to change what passengers expect to find aboard a cruise ship, just as NCL's Freestyle has done.

The complete article appeared in the July 12, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

NCL Plans for Epic Christening, Lybian Line Builds Big Ship, NCL Passenger Assaults Girl at Dinner, That Pesky Sculpture in San Juan

CND subscribers also read about NCL choosing a host for Norwegian Epic's inaugural ceremonies in New York and the line webcasting the event live on Friday at 2pm. (You can register at http://ow.ly/24amt)

+ STX France signed the final contracts with Libyan oil carrier GNMTC for a 139,400-ton cruise ship carrying almost 3,500 passengers (double occupancy). The line has a fleet of 24 tankers, but this is their first venture into passenger shipping.

+ An NCL passenger was convicted of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old girl at dinner in the presence of his wife, child, and the girl's family.

+ The new San Juan port director pledges to get rid of the pesky sculpture which has already "stood in the way" of some of the port's cruise business.

Details of these items were in the "Other Things You'll Want to Know" column in the June 30, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Norwegian Epic Just Keeps Getting Cooler

It seems like an oxymoron, but one of the hottest tickets on Norwegian Epic is scoring a reservation to spend a half hour in the new ship's ice bar. And today, NCL announced it just got cooler, if that's possible.

The line announced an exclusive partnership with SVEDKA Vodka and Inniskillin ice wine, and the ice bar will be renamed the SVEDKA Ice Bar.

For a peek inside the ice bar, watch the video below: (And don't leave the door open.)

Norwegian Epic Fixed, Crystal Expands Visions, Carnival Glory Perfect, Calm in Jamaica

CND subscribers also read about Norwegian Epic being repaired and sailing from Southampton ... Crystal Cruises' expansion of their Visions enrichment program ... Carnival Glory scoring perfectly ... and good news for Jamaica and its visitors.

Details of these items appeared in the "Other Things You'll Want to Know" column in the June 23, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Costa Favolosa Takes Shape, Crystal Automates, and Work Continues on Norwegian Epic

CND subscribers also read about Costa's fifteenth ship taking shape, with the funnel being put in place on Costa Favolosa. Photos are on the CND website ... Crystal expanding online capabilities for passengers with bookings ... and Norwegian Epic left the yard with 200 yard workers and subcontractors aboard. Completion work will continue on the ship at least until it leaves Southampton and possibly during its transatlantic crossing, although most of the work is out of the sight of passengers.

Details of the above items appeared in the "Other Things You'll Want to Know" Column in the June 22, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

It's the Shaft for Norwegian Epic

Technical problems are delaying Norwegian Epic's overnight cruise from Rotterdam to Southampton for its preview cruise there.

The problem seems to be more serious than the statements would have you believe which simply refer to it as a technical problem. NCL confirms that the fault is with one of the propeller shafts.

The severity of the problem seems to be shown in the revised schedule necessary to get repairs completed before Thursday's transatlantic crossing. The line is under pressure to have the ship in New York on time for its high-profile christening (July 2) and hosting of Macy's July 4 fireworks.

The complete article appeared in the June 21, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Third Arson Fire Breaks out aboard Norwegian Epic

* Things Heat up on Norwegian Epic as Delivery Draws Near

Norwegian Epic is only a little more than a week away from delivery by STX France, and over the weekend there was another fire onboard. Like the other two, French police believe, preliminarily, that this one is the result of arson.

This fire broke out Sunday afternoon as yard workers, subcontractors and their families were touring the virtually completed ship.

Sunday's fire was extinguished quickly and caused little damage, although the ship did have to be evacuated, and visitors were not allowed to reboard for an hour and a half.

Authorities are now rushing to complete their investigations before Norwegian Epic is handed over to Norwegian Cruise Line and leaves the yard on June 17. They say indications in all three blazes are "almost certainly" pointing toward arson. Although it was originally thought that the fires were related to labor troubles at the yard, authorities have now begun to be concerned that they are not and the implications that would have.

Details appeared in the June 8, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.