Andy Stuart News

Norwegian Cruise Line, the innovator in global cruise travel, returns to New Orleans introducing Norwegian Breakaway to the Big Easy with five to 11-day cruises to the Caribbean. At 1,068 feet and 145,655 gross register tons, the recently renovated Norwegian Breakaway is the largest cruise ship to homeport in the city of New Orleans, as well as the youngest in port this season. The namesake ship of the Breakaway class offers guests the freedom and flexibility to design their dream vacation at sea with no assigned dining and entertainment times, 25 dining options, 22 bars and lounges, a comprehensive water park featuring the fastest waterslide at sea, one of the largest ropes courses of any ship and an entertainment program that mirrors the vibrancy of the Big Easy.

The Panama Canal welcomed the Norwegian Cruise Lines-operated Norwegian Bliss, the largest passenger vessel which to ever transit the waterway. "The Panama Canal is proud to welcome the Norwegian Bliss and recognizes that this distinct milestone is made possible by the Canal Expansion, as well as the experience and efforts gained in the two years since its inauguration," said Deputy Canal Administrator Manuel Benítez. The Norwegian Bliss left Germany's Meyer Werft shipyard in March to begin a 15-day itinerary this month, sailing from Miami, Florida through the Panama Canal and up along the west coast of Central and North America before reaching its final destination at the Port of Los Angeles in California.

Norwegian Cruise Line has taken delivery of the 168,028-gross-ton cruise ship Norwegian Bliss from shipbuilder Meyer Werft during a ceremony in Bremerhaven, Germany, marking the conclusion of an 18-month building period.Norwegian Bliss is the third vessel in the line’s Breakaway Plus class and the first cruise ship specifically designed for Alaska cruising.The ship features a two-level competitive electric-car racetrack that sits at the top of deck 19; it is the largest at sea and a first for any North America-based cruise ship.

A keel laying ceremony was held for Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) new cruise ship Norwegian Bliss at the shipbuilder Meyer Werft’s facility in Papenburg, Germany. During the ceremony, one of the keel blocks of the 167,800 gross ton vessel was lifted into the covered building hall, signifying a major milestone in the ship’s construction. NCL president and CEO Andy Stuart laid the traditional coin, etched with the outline of the ship’s signature hull designed by wildlife artist Wyland, before the block was lowered into place.

Norwegian Cruise Line took delivery of Norwegian Joy, the brand’s 15th ship and the first custom-designed for the Chinese cruise market, from Meyer Werft during an on board ceremony in Bremerhaven, Germany. The vessel is due to arrive in China in June. “As Norwegian Cruise Line continues our global growth, Norwegian Joy’s delivery marks a momentous occasion in our company’s history, signifying our official entry into the Chinese cruise market,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer for Norwegian Cruise Line.

Norwegian Cruise Line said it will add additional weekly roundtrip cruises from Miami to Cuba aboard Norwegian Sky, the largest vessel sailing to Cuba. Together with the five previously announced cruises scheduled in May 2017, these 25 additional cruises will start in June 2017 and run through December 2017. Noting “great demand” for sailings to Cuba, Norwegian Cruise Line president and chief executive officer Andy Stuart said NCL is the first cruise line able to offer weekly sailings from Miami to Cuba through the fall of 2017 with overnights Havana.

Norwegian Cruise Line will commence a new era of Alaska cruising beginning June 2018, as the company announced today that its next new vessel, Norwegian Bliss, will be custom-built with features and amenities for Alaska cruising. Norwegian Bliss will cruise to America’s Last Frontier from Seattle and will be the first Norwegian Cruise Line ship to make its debut in the Emerald City. At a ceremony held at Port of Seattle’s Pier 66, Norwegian President and CEO Andy Stuart shared the news alongside Port of Seattle CEO Ted Fick and Port of Seattle Commission President John Creighton.

More than 150 leaders in the cruise industry from around the world will meet here this week, as the Port of New Orleans hosts the 2016 Platinum Associate Membership Advisory Council Conference of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA). Local elected officials and tourism leaders will meet with cruise executives from FCCA’s 19 Member Lines, along with key cruise tourism stakeholders, to update them on New Orleans' tourism economy, infrastructure and attractions. Presenters include Gary LaGrange, Port of New Orleans President and CEO; New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Iftikhar Ahmad, Director of Aviation, Louis Armstrong International Airport…

Norwegian Cruise Line has celebrated the start of construction of its new Chinese ship, Norwegian Joy. A keel-laying ceremony was held at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany to mark the official start of the project, with a traditional “lucky coin” being laid down prior to the placement of the first block. Norwegian Cruise Line President and Chief Operating Officer Andy Stuart said: “We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate the Keel Laying for Norwegian Joy today with our partners at Meyer Werft. The two-level, open-air racetrack will be located on the top deck, and will be one of several ground-breaking features on the £640million cruise ship.

The Miami-based cruise operator Norwegian Cruise Line has announced its ground-breaking summer 2017 deployment for Europe with for the first time in company history five ships sailing in European waters as well as regular cruises out of Hamburg, with embarkation also available in Southampton and Amsterdam. Norwegian has launched three huge ships in the past three years – the aforementioned Getaway, sister Breakaway and last year, Norwegian Escape. The company has long promised a return to the U.K. – which it left in 2008 – once it had more ships. Norwegian said one of its newest ships, the 3,969-passenger Norwegian Getaway, would reposition to the Baltic for the summer from its current home in Miami, operating eight- and nine-night voyages out of Copenhagen.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that musician Pitbull will serve as godfather for its newest ship, Norwegian Escape, slated to be christened next month in Miami. On Monday, November 9, Armando Christian Perez, aka Pitbull, will be the honorary godfather and headline performer at a christening ceremony at PortMiami for the new ship Norwegian Escape. Currently under construction at Meyer Werft in Germany, Norwegian Escape will sail weekly seven-day cruises from Miami to the Eastern Caribbean beginning November 14…

Marking the beginning of construction of the second ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway Plus class, a steel cutting ceremony was held Tuesday, September 15 at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The new vessel, named Norwegian Bliss, is scheduled to be delivered in spring 2017. Once completed, the ship will weigh 165,600 gross tons, measure 330 meters in length and 41.4 meters in breadth, and feature capacity for up to 4,200 guests, with the capability to reach speeds up to 23 knots, according to the shipbuilder.

Beginning next year, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Spirit will join Norwegian Dawn in weekly stops at Port Canaveral. In addition, the Norwegian Majesty will make a call in Port Canaveral next year, bringing the total number of port calls for Norwegian Cruise Line to 45 in the next two years. “Port Canaveral offers a wide variety of options to our guests. The shore excursion program we’ve introduced with Norwegian Dawn has been very successful and we’re looking forward to offering those options and more to our passengers onboard Norwegian Spirit and Norwegian Majesty next year,” says Andy Stuart, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Passenger Services for Norwegian Cruise Line.

As a child, I often noticed a framed postcard that hung in the living room of my parents' home in Long Island. It was a simple silver rimmed frame with blue matting that showed back and front of the postcard — the front depicting a large ship with red, white and blue smokestacks — the back holding an autograph of former President Dwight Eisenhower (see photo below). For years, I passed this by as if it were of no significance. However, I would have never thought that one day I'd be writing about this framed postcard. The "large ship" to which I am referring is the United States Lines flagship, the S.S. United States, which my mother, Evelyn (Sullivan) Ciardiello, traveled on from New York to Europe in 1963 — 11 years after the vessel held its maiden voyage on July 3, 1952.