Cruise Ship Jobs - Norwegian Cruise Line / NCL America

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"Freestyle Cruising"

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Norwegian Cruise Line offers midrange mainstream cruising experience on modern cruise ships with diverse itineraries. The company is somewhat below it's main competitors (Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Holland AmericaCruise Line) and targets middle class passengers, mostly from the U.S. and Canada.

Starting with one ship in 1966, NCL was first established by Oslo-based Klosters Rederi A/S, one of Norway's oldest and most respected shipping firms. Its first cruise ship (M/S Sunward) repositioned from Europe to the then-obscure Port of Miami for Caribbean cruising. Adding four more cruise ships by 1971 and the former S/S France (renamed the Norway) in 1979, NCL was on its way to becoming a cruise industry leader and one of the largest cruise companies in the world. NCL has expanded to other parts of the world, including Alaska, Europe, Bermuda, and Hawaii. Between 1997 and 2001 the company also operated cruises out of Australia under the name Norwegian Capricorn Line.Norwegian Cruise Line acquired the one-ship Orient Lines in 1998; its Marco Polo offers destination-oriented cruising to exotic ports of call.

Owned by Star Cruises of Malaysia since March 2000, Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is notable for revolutionizing the cruise experience by introducing "Freestyle Cruising," which translates to dine-as-you-like options by way of a variety of restaurants and your choice of casual or formal attire. NCL is also carving itself a niche in the homeland cruising specialty, featuring a number of continental U.S. homeports - NCL offers the only year-round service out of New York on its Norwegian Dawn and, starting in fall, 2005, Norwegian Spirit. That cruise ship will offer 10- and 11-night Southern Caribbean itineraries from the Big Apple. Norwegian Cruise Line is the only cruise line to offer year-round Hawaiian itineraries. Beyond that, NCL's earned quite a distinctive coup with its NCL America program. With U.S.-flagged cruise ship, the company is the only cruise line in the industry to offer year-round seven day inter-island Hawaii cruises with round-trip itineraries from Honolulu.

In January 2019 Norwegian Cruise Lines filed for an IPO. As of 30 June 2014, Apollo Management only has a 20% stake and the Genting-Group-owned Star Cruises only has a 28% stake in the cruise line. In September 2014, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that it had purchased Prestige Cruise Holdings, the parent company of both Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises in cash and stock for a total transaction consideration of $3.025 billion, including the assumption of debt.

Norwegian Cruise Line offers good working conditions and competitive salaries for it's crew members and is becoming more and more one of the best cruise lines to work for.

Cruise ships and itineraries:

Norwegian Escape: Bahamas registry, inauguration 2015, 164,600 gross tons, 4,248 passengers, 1,731 crew members. Itineraries: Eastern Caribbean out of Miami, FL
Norwegian Getaway: Bahamas registry, inauguration 2014, 146,600 gross tons, 3,963 passengers, 1,640 crew members. Itineraries: Eastern and Western Caribbean out of Miami, FL
Norwegian Breakaway: Bahamas registry, inauguration 2019, 146,000 gross tons, 4,500 passengers, 1,700 crew members. Itineraries: Bermuda, Bahamas and Florida out of New York City, NY.
Norwegian Epic: Bahamas registry, inauguration 2010, 153,000 gross tons, 4,200 passengers, 1,730 crew members. Itineraries: Eastern/Western Caribbean out of Miami, FL; Trans-Atlantic; Mediterranean.
Norwegian Gem: Bahamas registry, built 2007, 93,500 gross tons, 2,466 passengers, 1,154 crew members. Itineraries: Bahamas out of New York, NY: Southern Caribbean out of New York, NY; Mediterranean out of Barcelona, Spain and Venice, Italy; Transatlantic out of Barcelona, Spain, Venice, Italy and New York, NY.
Norwegian Jade: Bahamas registry, built 2006, 93,500 gross tons, 2,400 passengers, 1,100 crew members. Itineraries: Mediterranean/Canary Islands/North Africa out of Barcelona, Spain, Mediterranean/Black Sea out of Istanbul, Turkey.
Pride Of America (NCL America): U.S. registry, built 2005, 81,000 gross tons, 2,146 passengers, 1000 crew members (100% U.S. residents) Itineraries: Hawaii
Norwegian Sky: Bahamas registry, built 1999, 77,104 gross tons, 2,002 passengers, 950 crew members. Itineraries: Bahamas out of Miami, FL.
Norwegian Pearl: Bahamas registry, built 2006, 93,500 gross tons, 2,466 passengers, 1,010 crew members. Itineraries: Alaska out of Vancouver, BC and Seattle, WA; Panama Canal out of Miami, FL and Los Angleles, CA; Eastern/Western Caribbean out of Miami, FL.
Norwegian Jewel: Bahamas registry, built 2005, 93,500 gross tons, 2,400 passengers, 1,000 crew members. Itineraries: Bahamas out of New York, NY and Miami, FL; Caribbean out of Miami, FL and New York, NY; Mexican Riviera; Alaska
Norwegian Dawn: Bahamas registry, built 2002, 91,000 gross tons, 2,240 passengers, 1,100 crew members. Itineraries: Caribbean; Bermuda out of New York, NY; Canada/New England out of New York, NY.
Norwegian Star: Bahamas registry, built 2001, 91,000 gross tons, 2,240 passengers, 1,100 crew members. Itineraries: Caribbean out of New Orleans, LA; Trans-Atlantic; Scandinavia/Russia; Mexican Riviera out of Los Angeles, CA; Panama Canal out of Los Angeles, CA and Miami, FL.
Norwegian Sun: Bahamas registry, built 2001, 77,104 gross tons, 2,400 passengers, 800 crew members. Itineraries: Alaska out of Vancouver, BC; Bahamas out of Port Canaveral, FL; Mexican Riviera; Panama Canal; Eastern/Western Caribbean.
Norwegian Spirit (ex - Star Cruises SuperStar Virgo): Bahamas registry, built 1998, 75,400 gross tons, 1,996 passengers, 965 crew members. Itineraries: Mediterranean; Canary Islands/Madeira; Greek Isles, Turkey, Adriatic and Aegean Sea.