Norwegian Cruise Line expands fleet but ships will be smaller

Norwegian Cruise Line is expanding its fleet with six new ships, but they’ll be different to today’s ocean liners.

The planned Norwegian Prima class of cruise ships.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on leisure tourism but has not stopped the world’s third cruise largest fleet from expanding, with the Miami-based NCL announcing it will add six more ships to its fleet from next year.

NCL’s president and CEO Harry Sommer on Thursday announced the line will expand its fleet to 23 vessels once the new ships – costing $1.03bn apiece – are added.

Mr Sommer is so confident of the cruise industry’s future that he says this will not be the last ships NCL, or Norwegian Cruise Line, will add to its fleet, adding that “everyone is hungry for positive news about cruising.’’

But the days of the superliner may be over with each of the new ships, built much smaller than regular ocean liners.

“We did not want to do another replica, we are trying something a little bit different, I think with COVID-19 it makes all the sense in the world,’’ Mr Sommer said.

The ships, which will start rolling off their production line in Maghera, Italy from July, 2022 will take around 3215 passengers, down from the behemoth liners of the past which could accommodate around 6000 guests plus crew.

“This is not a fleet replacement exercise,” Mr Sommer said. “We look at this as having a new class. We are going to send these ships to more exotic areas because they are smaller, we envisage they will go to Iceland and smaller ports,” he said.

Asked how NCL would fund the $6bn plus exercise, Mr Sommer says NCL has plenty of liquidity. “We have $US3.5bn in the bank.”

Enjoying more space on the Norwegian Prima vessels. Picture: Supplied.

The Prima Class ships might be smaller but NCL’s APAC managing director Ben Angell says they offer passengers more space, by moving the engines from the back of the ship to the middle and adding up to 36 per cent more room per guest compared with similar lines.

Mr Sommer figures that passengers no longer want indoor shopping malls at sea but want to experience the ocean, hence the installation of two glass bridges over the ship’s side. “The emphasis is on outdoor space and this was done ahead of COVID, people go on ships not to be in an indoor mall, they go to see the ocean.”

Norwegian Prima class ships will offer the most outdoor deck space of any new cruise ship, including more total pool deck space than any other ship on NCL’s fleet, as well as multiple infinity pools and vast outdoor walkways, allowing guests to take in the sea and the ocean breeze.

How pools on the Norwegian Prima class will look. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Sommer said demand for cruising has been slowly picking up since the middle of last year, and in recent months passengers have been booking cruises further out.

The first itineraries for the Norwegian Prima ships will concentrate on the Northern Hemisphere, the UK, the Caribbean and Bermuda and start in the 2022 Northern Hemisphere summer.

“Despite the fact that we have not sailed in more than a year, we have not stopped working and even doubled down on investing in our brand to deliver unforgettable guest experiences that go beyond expectations,” Mr Sommer said. “As we’ve begun revving up our operations to begin cruising this July, we’re proud to announce the start of an exciting new chapter in our story of innovation as we welcome the Prima Class and the first in a line of world-calibre vessels with Norwegian Prima.”

Back bar: aboard the Norwegian Prima cruise ships. Picture: Supplied

Norwegian Prima will offer 13 suite categories as well as the largest three-bedroom suites of any new cruise ship and the brand’s largest-ever inside, ocean view and balcony staterooms, including the brand’s biggest-ever bathrooms and showers for standard stateroom categories.

From August 17 to September 13, 2022, Norwegian Prima will sail 10-day voyages from Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Copenhagen, Denmark followed by a season in Bermuda and The Caribbean.

Norwegian Prima is yet to announce any Australian or New Zealand itineraries.