Norwegian Bliss Becomes Largest Passenger Ship to Traverse Panama Canal During Her Inaugural Tour

 

MIAMI, FL – May 16, 2018 – Norwegian Bliss completed yet another milestone, as she makes her way to her home port of Seattle, becoming the largest passenger ship to transit the Panama Canal since the completion of the canal’s expansion project in 2016.

 

As the newest and largest Norwegian Cruise Line ship at over 168,000 gross tons and a capacity of 4,004, double occupancy, she passed through the new set of locks, on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides. The new locks were constructed as part of the biggest enhancement project since the canal’s opening in 1914.  Norwegian Bliss cruised through the canal, on her way to Los Angeles, California, and will complete her first Panama Canal cruise on Friday, May 25.

 

Norwegian Cruise Line took delivery of Norwegian Bliss in Bremerhaven, Germany on April 19, 2018, after which she began her inaugural tour.  Her exhibition commenced with a preview event for the European market, before she embarked on her transatlantic voyage on April 21.  Upon her arrival to the U.S., preview events took place in New York City (May 4-6) and Miami (May 8-10), with upcoming events to take place in Los Angeles (May 25-27), and Seattle where she will celebrate her official christening (May 30-June 2).

 

“We are very proud to showcase our newest ship and celebrate one more exciting milestone with Norwegian Bliss as the largest passenger ship to transit the new Panama Canal,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line.” We are excited for this sixteenth ship in our young and modern fleet to begin welcoming guests in her home port of Seattle and provide them with the outstanding service, dining, entertainment and amenities for which we are recognized.”

 

Following her U.S debut in New York City, Norwegian Bliss made an appearance in Miami for a two-day inaugural preview cruise from May 8-10 with brand partners, key media and industry representatives on board. Among the guests were Norwegian Bliss’ Godfather, Elvis Duran and members of the cast from the Z100 morning show.  Also present was renowned marine life artist, Wyland, who designed the ship’s hull art, entitled “Cruising with the Whales,” and who saw his finished work for the first time since the unveiling in January when he visited the Meyer Werft shipyard.  The engaging and beautiful art prominently features a stunning image of a mother humpback whale and her calf as the centerpiece of the design, signifying the beauty of Alaska and the importance of the sustainability and conservation of our oceans.

 

Guy Harvey, fellow marine life artist and creator of the hull design for Norwegian Escape, sister ship to Norwegian Bliss, made a surprise appearance in Miami, and along with Wyland treated guests to a live painting and discussion on the importance of protecting the world’s oceans and its wildlife.

 

One of most thrilling features of Norwegian Bliss is the 1,000-foot, open-air race track – the largest at sea.  Alex Vega, Miami-based celebrity car guru from Discovery Channel’s reality television show, “The Auto Firm with Alex Vega”, delivered two fully customized electric go-karts on May 8, prior to the ship’s departure. One sporting a metallic royal blue and the other in cherry red, both go-karts were outfitted with leather seats and complementing stitching details as well as sleek design elements, making the race at sea even more exhilarating.

 

Norwegian Bliss will arrive in Los Angeles for a preview event on May 25 before making her voyage to Seattle.

 

Starting June 2, Norwegian Bliss will cruise seven-day voyages to Alaska from Seattle with featured calls in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, British Columbia.  She will then cruise select voyages to the Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles and for her fall/winter season, she will sail to the Eastern Caribbean from Miami. In 2019, she will return to New York City and sail seven-day voyages to the Bahamas and Florida, the Southern and Western Caribbean.  For a complete list of available itineraries, click here.

 

For available media visits or interviews during her inaugural visit to Los Angeles on May 25, please contact publicrelations@ncl.com.

 

 

About Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a 51-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising.  Most notably, Norwegian revolutionized the cruise industry by offering guests the freedom and flexibility to design their ideal cruise vacation on their schedule with no set dining times, a variety of entertainment options and no formal dress codes. Today, Norwegian invites guests to enjoy a relaxed, resort-style cruise vacation on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea with a wide variety of accommodations options, including The Haven by Norwegian®, a luxury enclave with suites, private pool and dining, concierge service and personal butlers. Norwegian Cruise Line sails around the globe, offering guests the freedom and flexibility to explore the world on their own time and experience up to 27 dining options, award-winning entertainment, superior guest service and more across all of the brand’s 16 ships.

 

Recently, the line was named “Europe’s Leading Cruise Line” for the tenth consecutive year, “World’s Leading Large Ship Cruise Line” for the sixth consecutive year, the “Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Line” for the fifth consecutive year, as well as “World’s Leading Cruise Line” and “North America’s Leading Cruise Line” both for the second straight year by the World Travel Awards. Norwegian’s next new build, the highly anticipated Norwegian Bliss, will be delivered in April 2018 featuring many firsts-at-sea for the global market including the largest race track at sea, award-winning Broadway entertainment, two observation lounges for guests to enjoy stunning ocean and glacier views and more.  Norwegian will introduce an additional new “Breakaway Plus” Class cruise ship in 2019 and has four additional ships on order for delivery beginning in 2022, with an option to introduce two more ships in 2026 and 2027.

 

For further information on Norwegian Cruise Line visit www.ncl.com; contact us in the U.S. and Canada at 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784); or follow us on the following social channels for the latest company news & exclusive content: Facebook, Instagram and Youtube: @NorwegianCruiseLine; Twitter and Snapchat: @CruiseNorwegian; and WeChat: @gonclcn. High resolution, downloadable images are available at www.ncl.com/media-center.