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November 1, 2007 – Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) announced
today that it will return to Grand Bahama Island beginning next
month and is increasing calls to The Bahamas, adding a total of
32 cruises between 2007 and 2009. Twenty-eight of these calls
will be made by NCL’s new “It” Girl, Norwegian Gem, which
entered service on October 1, 2007. Norwegian Jewel will make
the first stop in Grand Bahama, along with a stop in Nassau ,
during a three-day Bahamas Getaway cruise on November 15, 2007,
sailing roundtrip from Miami .
“This deployment reaffirms NCL’s long standing commitment to its
relationship with The Bahamas which began some forty years ago.
NCL was the first of the major cruise lines to call at The
Bahamas and was the first in the industry to own and include a
private island experience in our itineraries, at Great Stirrup
Cay in the Berry Islands ,” said Andy Stuart, NCL’s executive
vice president of marketing, sales and passenger services. “We
also have a long history of pioneering the development of new
cruise destinations and we are pleased to be a part of
establishing Grand Bahama Island as a major cruise destination.”
NCL estimates that these calls will contribute approximately $9
million directly to the economy of the Bahamas , with $4 million
going directly to Grand Bahama Island .
Norwegian Gem, carrying approximately 2,400 passengers, will
sail seven-day Bahamas and Florida itineraries roundtrip from
New York in December 2007, February, March, April and December
2008, with stops in both Grand Bahama Island and Nassau, along
with NCL’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay and Port Canaveral,
Florida. In 2009, the ship will sail the same itinerary from
January through April.
Norwegian Jade, a Jewel-class ship built specifically for
Freestyle Cruising, has three scheduled seven-day Bahamas and
Florida sailings roundtrip from New York on December 14, 21 and
28, 2008 with stops in Grand Bahama Island , Nassau and Great
Stirrup Cay, along with Port Canaveral.
NCL decided to return to Grand Bahama Island after being invited
by the Ministry of Tourism to experience all the island had to
offer. NCL’s development team toured the area for the new cruise
port facility, visited with the dolphins at UNEXSO, enjoyed a
rugged Safari Jeep Tour exploring the nature trails of Grand
Bahama and took an air boat tour through the mangroves.
“The decision by Norwegian Cruise Line to return to Grand Bahama
is welcome news,” said Minister Neko Grant, The Bahamas’
Minister of Tourism and Aviation. “It reaffirms NCL’s commitment
to servicing the Islands of The Bahamas.”
NCL Corporation Ltd. is an innovative cruise company
headquartered in Miami , Florida , with a fleet of 15 ships in
service and under construction. The corporation oversees the
operations of Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America and Orient
Lines. NCL is the Official Cruise Line of the PGA TOUR and
Champions Tour.
NCL plans to build two new third generation Freestyle Cruising
ships for delivery in 2010. NCL is on target to have the
youngest fleet in the industry by the end of 2007 with the
introduction of Norwegian Gem, providing guests the opportunity
to enjoy the flexibility of Freestyle Cruising on the newest,
most contemporary ships at sea.
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