Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ship headquartered in Miami, Florida.
It was founded as Norwegian Caribbean Lines in 1966 by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison, with just one 830-ton steamer offering low-cost Caribbean cruises. Arison soon left to form Carnival Cruise Lines, while Kloster acquired additional ships for Caribbean service. NCL pioneered many firsts in the cruise industry like: the first Out Island Cruise, the first combined air-sea program (marketed as "Cloud 9 Cruises") which combined low cost air fares with the cruise, first shipline to develop new ports in the Caribbean, like Ocho Rios in Jamaica. NCL was responsible for many of the cruise innovations that have now become standard throughout the industry.
NCL made headlines with the acquisition of the France in 1979, rebuilding the liner as a cruise ship and renaming her Norway. The conversion cost more than $100 million USD. The Norway was then significantly larger than any existing cruise ship, and exploited the extra space available by adding a greater than usual variety of onboard entertainment. Her success paved the way for a new era of giant cruise ships.
NCL has since expanded to other areas of the Western hemisphere, including Alaska,Europe, Bermuda, and Hawaii, (NCL America, Inc.).
Its subsidiary Orient Lines, founded in 1991 to run the Marco Polo was acquired in 1998. NCL itself was acquired by the Star Cruises subsidiary of Malaysia-based Genting Group in 2000.
Norwegian is well known for creating towel animals for its guests.
Fleet
NCL
- Norwegian Crown(Sold to Fred Olsen Cruises leased back until 11/07 New name Balmoral)
- Norwegian Dawn
- Norwegian Dream
- Norwegian Jewel
- Norwegian Majesty
- Norwegian Sun
- Norwegian Spirit
- Norwegian Star
- Norwegian Wind
- Norwegian Pearl
- Norwegian Gem
NCL America
Past Ships
- MS Sunward 1966-1976 (scrapped 4/2004 at Chittagong)
- MS Starward 1968-1995 (now Orient Queen for Abou Mehri Lines, Beirut) - sistership to Skyward
- MS Skyward 1969-1991 (now Leisure World for New Century Cruises, Singapore) - sistership to Starward
- MS Southward 1971-1994 (now Perla for Louis Cruise Lines, Cyprus)
- MS Sunward II 1977-1991 (now Coral for Louis Cruise Lines, Cyprus)
- SS Norway 1979-2003 (renamed Blue Lady currently awaiting to be scrapped in Alang,India)
- MS Norwegian Sea 1988-2005 (now SuperStar Libra for Star Cruises)
- MS Westward 1990-1993 (now Black Watch for Fred Olsen Cruises)
- MS Sunward (2) 1991-1993 (now Boudicca for Fred Olsen Cruises)
- MS Leeward 1995-1999 (now M/S Silja Opera for Silja Line)
- MS Norwegian Star (1) 1996-2004 (now Albatross (2) for Phoenix Reisen)
- MS Norwegian Dynasty 1997-1999 (now Braemar for Fred Olsen Cruises)
Stored Ships
- SS United States (stored in Philadelphia)
- SS Independence (stored in San Francisco)