Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has one of the youngest fleets in the cruise industry. They are also among the most active trendsetters of all the cruise lines, including the ships of Carnival and Royal Caribbean International.
NCL cruises are famous for going against the grain with their “Freestyle” cruising concept. Where other cruise lines schedule passengers for various activities, such as dining and shows, NCL threw the rulebook in the rubbish bin. Why should passengers have to dine at a certain time and at a table with certain other passengers? Since they couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer to that question, they introduced Freestyle Cruising – doing things on your own timetable and dining when, where and with whom you want. They abolished many of the “traditions” of cruising, such as fixed dining times and dress codes.
They built new and bigger ships to accommodate the freestyle concept, and these ships offered several dining venues, sometimes as many as eight or ten. Some of those venues were speciality restaurants at which passengers had to pay an extra fee to dine, but many others were standard restaurants with no additional fee necessary.
The NCL cruise line also established niches in other areas, such as in “home port cruising.” Many folks have been put off of cruising simply because they have no desire to fly to a traditional east or west coast port, such as Fort Lauderdale or Los Angeles. To cater to these passengers, NCL established departures from a number of non-traditional ports such as New York, Charleston, SC; Houston and even New Orleans.
NCL cruises also established their NCL America brand, a trio of ships flying the U.S. flag that could thus sail Hawaii without having to make a stop in a foreign port. Unfortunately, that is idea of NCL’s that didn’t seem to work out, as they are now down to only one ship (Pride of America) serving that market. The remaining two, Pride of Aloha and Pride of Hawaii were re-flagged and deployed to other regions.
If you take an NCL cruise, you’ll find a very diverse crowd onboard. This cruise line primarily appeals to Americans, though more and more Brits and other Europeans are discovering its unique ambience and joining its passenger ranks. The average age of passengers is all over the board, depending on the length and region sailed, and it can range from young families with kids, to older folks, -- many with special needs. Couples, singles and gay and lesbian travellers also seem to prefer NCL’s ships, perhaps because of their casual onboard ambience.
The Norwegian Cruise Line is also establishing a major trading position for itself in the U.K. and it is targeting passengers from other English speaking countries as well, such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The ships of NCL are glitzy, grand and setting the pace for the cruise industry. Many include luxury villa style accommodation that sleeps upwards of twelve people, as well as interconnecting cabins. They also have put in Martini and Champagne bars, onboard bowling alleys, and electronic restaurant reservation systems.
NCL is all about choice, and they offer plenty of it for all members of the family. An NCL / Norwegian cruise holiday is a relaxed experience where people are encouraged to be on their own schedule and do their own thing.
NCL America’s Pride of America sails the Hawaiian islands year-round, offering primarily seven-day itineraries that begin on Oahu, and visit each of the other major islands, spending overnights in a couple of them.
They are also a leader in roundtrip seven-day cruises from US and Canadian ports with their homeland cruising program, which avoids the necessity for many families of flying to a more traditional embarkation port.
NCL also sails to Alaska and to the Caribbean, as well as offering three and four-night Bahamas cruises out of Miami. They also sail to Mexico and South America., as well as Europe. In fact, Europe is an area where NCL is developing a major presence by offering year-round itineraries to regions such as the Baltic, Eastern and Western Mediterranean, and the British Isles.
NCL cruises generally carry lower price points and this makes the line extremely attractive to budget-minded cruisers. An NCL cruise holiday is like none other, and while the “freestyle” concept of cruising will not appeal to everybody, it is something that should at least be tried once.
Find out about all the ships in the Norwegian Cruise Lines fleet