Norwegian Cruise Line facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Norwegian Cruise Line

Headquarters in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Tourism
Founded	1966; 59 years ago (1966) In Norway
Headquarters	Miami, Florida, U.S.
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Harry Sommer (CEO)
Products	Cruises
Revenue	$6.06 billion (2018)
Parent	Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), often called Norwegian, is a large American cruise company. It started in Norway in 1966 and has its main office in Miami, Florida, USA. NCL is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world. This means it carries many passengers, about 8.6% of all cruise travelers worldwide as of 2021. It is part of a bigger company called Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

The History of Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Caribbean Line's first ship, the Sunward

Norwegian Cruise Line was started in 1966 by Knut Kloster from Norway and Ted Arison from Israel. Their first ship was the Sunward, which was a car ferry and cruise ship. It sailed between the UK and Gibraltar for a short time.

Ted Arison later left to start Carnival Cruise Lines. Knut Kloster bought more ships for trips in the Caribbean Sea. The company then changed its name to Norwegian Caribbean Lines.

New Ideas for Cruises

Norwegian Caribbean Lines was the first to do many new things in the cruise world.

• They were the first to have their own private island, Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.
• They offered "Cloud 9 Cruises," which combined cheap flights with a cruise.
• They created "Freestyle Cruising." This meant passengers could eat when they wanted and dress more casually.
• They also helped open new ports in the Caribbean, like Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

Building New Ships

The Starward and its sister ship, the Skyward, were the first ships built just for NCL.

NCL's second and third ships, the Starward and Skyward, were the first ships built especially for the company. They could even carry cars through a hidden door at the back. Later, this area was changed into cabins and a movie theater.

NCL then ordered two more ships that were only for cruises, without car space. These were the Southward in 1971 and another ship called the Seaward, which was never delivered to NCL. In 1973, NCL sold its first ship, the Sunward, because it was too small. They bought another ship in 1977 and renamed it Sunward II.

The Famous SS Norway

The SS Norway arriving in Southampton.

In 1979, Norwegian Cruise Line bought a huge old ocean liner called the SS France. They spent over $100 million to turn it into a cruise ship and renamed it Norway.

The Norway was 1,000 feet long and weighed 52,000 tons. It was much bigger than any other cruise ship at the time. Its success helped start a new trend of building giant cruise ships.

More Ships Join the Fleet

The  Norwegian Dream (formerly Dreamward).

By the late 1980s, NCL's ships were getting older and smaller compared to new ships from other companies. So, NCL ordered a new ship in 1987, the Seaward.

NCL also added ships from other cruise lines they bought, like the Westward and Sunward (III). In the early 1990s, NCL ordered smaller new ships like the Dreamward and Windward. These smaller ships allowed for more flexible travel plans.

In the mid-1990s, NCL continued to buy used ships, like the Leeward in 1995. They also changed the names of most of their ships to start with "Norwegian" (except for the SS Norway).

Norwegian Cruise Line also started offering cruises in new places like Alaska, Europe, Bermuda, and Hawaii.

New Owners and "Freestyle Cruising"

In 2000, a company called Star Cruises bought Norwegian Cruise Line. With this new owner, NCL introduced a new idea called "Freestyle Cruising" on their ship, the Norwegian Sky.

This new way of cruising meant passengers did not have to eat at fixed times or wear formal clothes. They had many different dining options and more relaxed activities. This idea changed the whole cruise industry.

Modernizing the Ships

The Norwegian Star was the first new ship built under Star Cruises' ownership.

With money from Star Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line could start replacing its older ships with new ones. The Norwegian Star arrived in 2001, followed by the Norwegian Dawn in 2002. Four more new ships were added over the next five years.

NCL America

In 2002, NCL bought a partly built ship hull in the US and finished it in Germany. This allowed them to start a special US-flagged cruise line called NCL America. They also bought two old American ships, the United States and Independence, though the Independence was later sold.

The SS Norway Leaves Service

In May 2003, there was an explosion on the SS Norway. This meant the ship could no longer be used. It was later sold for scrap metal in 2006. There were concerns that the ship still had dangerous materials like asbestos on board when it was taken apart.

Changes in Ownership

In 2007, Star Cruises sold half of Norwegian Cruise Line to a US company called Apollo Management. This helped NCL become financially stronger.

In 2013, Norwegian Cruise Line became a fully owned part of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH).

More New Ships and Changes

In 2008, NCL announced that the Pride of Aloha ship would return to the international fleet as the Norwegian Sky. Other ships, the Norwegian Majesty and Norwegian Dream, were sold.

The Norwegian Epic

NCL ordered two large ships in 2006, but one was later canceled. The remaining ship, the Norwegian Epic, was delivered in 2010. It is a very large ship with many unique features.

Breakaway Class Ships

The first two Breakaway-class ships, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, started sailing in 2013 and 2014. NCL then ordered even bigger ships, called the "Breakaway Plus Class." These ships are very large, carrying over 4,000 passengers. The Norwegian Escape arrived in 2015, followed by the Norwegian Joy in 2017, Norwegian Bliss in 2018, and Norwegian Encore in 2019. The Norwegian Encore is the largest ship in NCL's fleet.

In 2017, the Norwegian Sky became the first NCL ship to visit Cuba. NCL offered weekly trips from Miami to Havana until 2019, when new rules stopped these cruises.

Project Leonardo Ships

In 2016, Norwegian ordered four new ships from Fincantieri under the name "Project Leonardo." These ships are around 140,000 tons. Two more were ordered later. The first ship, the Norwegian Prima, started sailing in 2022. The second, the Norwegian Viva, began sailing in 2023.

NCL also built a new cruise terminal at PortMiami and planned a new pier in Alaska's Icy Strait Point.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused major changes for cruise lines. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stopped cruise ships from sailing. Norwegian Cruise Line and its sister companies had to stop all their voyages. All 28 ships returned to port, and passengers left the ships by the end of March 2020.

The company faced financial challenges during this time. However, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings was able to get more than $2.2 billion in funding to help them continue operating. They also started putting new health and safety measures in place, like special air filters, to prepare for sailing again.

Norwegian Cruise Line's Ships

As of April 2024, Norwegian Cruise Line has 19 cruise ships sailing. They also have eight more ships on order to be built in the future. Most of their ships sail under the flag of the Bahamas. However, the Pride of America is special. It sails only within the United States and is flagged and registered in the US.

Current Ships

Ship	Built	In service for NCL	Last refurbishment	Gross tonnage	Passengers (Double Occupancy)	Flag	Notes	Image
Sun class
Norwegian Sky	1999	1999-2004, 2008–present	2019	77,104	1,928	Bahamas	Originally built as Costa Olympia, later sailed as Pride of Aloha for NCL America.
Norwegian Sun	2001	2001–present	2018	78,309	1,976	Bahamas
Dawn class
Norwegian Star	2001	2001–present	2018	91,740	2,348	Bahamas
Norwegian Dawn	2002	2002–present	2021	92,250	2,340	Bahamas
Leo class
Norwegian Spirit	1998	2004–present	January 2020	75,904	2,018	Bahamas	Previously named SuperStar Leo.
Pride of America class
Pride of America	2005	2005–present	March 2016	80,439	2,186	United States	This is the only US-flagged cruise ship.
Jewel class
Norwegian Jewel	2005	2005–present	November 2018	93,502	2,376	Bahamas
Norwegian Jade	2006	2006–present	March 2017	93,558	2,402	Bahamas	Formerly named Pride Of Hawaii, renamed in 2008.
Norwegian Pearl	2006	2006–present	February 2017	93,530	2,394	Bahamas
Norwegian Gem	2007	2007–present	November 2015	93,530	2,394	Bahamas
Epic class
Norwegian Epic	2010	2010–present	November 2020, October 2015	155,873	4,100	Bahamas	The only ship in its class.
Breakaway class
Norwegian Breakaway	2013	2013–present	April 2018	145,655	3,963	Bahamas
Norwegian Getaway	2014	2014–present	June 2019	145,655	3,963	Bahamas
Norwegian Escape	2015	2015–present	2021	164,600	4,266	Bahamas	Part of the Breakaway Plus subclass.
Norwegian Joy	2017	2017–present	February 2019	167,725	3,883	Bahamas	Part of the Breakaway Plus subclass.
Norwegian Bliss	2018	2018–present	None	168,028	4,002	Bahamas	Part of the Breakaway Plus subclass.
Norwegian Encore	2019	2019–present	None	169,145	3,998	Bahamas	Part of the Breakaway Plus subclass. This is the largest ship in NCL's fleet.
Prima class
Norwegian Prima	2022	2022–present	None	142,500	3,099	Bahamas
Norwegian Viva	2023	2023–present	None	142,500	3,215	Bahamas

Future Ships

NCL has ordered several new ships that will join their fleet in the coming years.

Past Ships

Here are some of the ships that used to be part of the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet.

Ship	Built	In service for NCL	Gross tonnage	Status as of 2025	Image
Sunward	1966	1966–1973	10,558	Taken apart for scrap metal in 2004.
Starward	1968	1968–1995	15,781	Taken apart for scrap metal in 2018.
Skyward	1969	1969–1991	15,653	Taken apart for scrap metal in 2021.
Southward	1971	1971–1994	16,710	Taken apart for scrap metal in 2013.
Sunward II	1971	1977–1991	14,194	Taken apart for scrap metal in 2014.
Norway	1961	1979–2003	76,049	Taken apart for scrap metal in 2008.
Seaward / Norwegian Sea	1988	1988–2005	42,285	Taken apart for scrap metal in 2022.
Westward	1972	1991–1993	28,613	Sold for scrap metal in 2022.
Sunward	1973	1991–1992, 1992–1993	28,551	Taken apart for scrap metal in 2021.
Dreamward / Norwegian Dream	1992	1992–2008	50,764	Was SuperStar Gemini for Star Cruises, then sold for scrap in 2022.
Windward / Norwegian Wind	1993	1993–2007	51,309	Was SuperStar Aquarius for Star Cruises, then sold for scrap in 2022.
Leeward	1980	1995–1999	25,611	Now Celestyal Crystal for Celestyal Cruise Lines.
Norwegian Crown	1988	1996–2000, 2003–2007	43,537	Now Balmoral for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.
Norwegian Star	1973	1997–1998	28,518	Taken apart for scrap metal in 2021.
Norwegian Dynasty	1993	1997–1999	24,344	Now Braemar for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.
Norwegian Majesty	1992	1997–2009	41,662	Now Crown Iris for Mano Maritime.

Ships That Never Sailed for NCL

These ships were considered by NCL but never actually joined their fleet.

Ship	Built	Gross tonnage	Status as of 2025	Image
Independence	1951	26,658	Wrecked and taken apart for scrap metal in 2010.
SS United States	1952	38,216	Still docked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Seaward	1972	17,042	Sank in 2016 near Laem Chabang, Thailand.

Private Islands

Great Stirrup Cay.

Norwegian Cruise Line owns two special private islands in the Caribbean where their passengers can visit:

• Harvest Caye in Belize
• Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas

Other Cruise Lines Owned by NCL's Parent Company

Over the years, Norwegian Cruise Line's parent company has owned or partnered with other cruise lines:

• Royal Viking Line (1984–1994)
• Royal Cruise Line (1989–1996)
• Norwegian Capricorn Line (1997–2001)
• Orient Lines (1998–2008)
• Oceania Cruises (2014–present)
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises (2014–present)

See also

In Spanish: Norwegian Cruise Line para niños