Norwegian Cruise Line announces debut of 4200 passenger ship

Top executives at Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) released details about their newest and much-awaited cruise ship during an online seminar held for travel agents.

They also announced that the ship, built to carry 4,200 passengers, is currently being built in Europe and will sail on Caribbean voyages after its debut in the summer of 2010.

Inaugural events for the Epic will be held in Europe and the US, after which the new ship will sail to its home port of Miami. From Miami it will operate cruises in the Caribbean, alternating between seven-day Western Caribbean and seven-day Eastern Caribbean voyages, running through April of 2011, according to NCL executives.

The 150,000-ton Epic, which until this week was known by its code name F3, breaks new ground for NCL both in its size and range of features. It will be 60 per cent larger than any of the ships in the NCL fleet today and boast innovations such as curved walls in the cabins and an ice bar.

Originally NCL ordered two ships of the Epic’s size for delivery in 2010, but in December 2008 it reduced its order to one. The builder is the STX Europe shipyard.

Cruises on the Epic’s Western Caribbean itinerary will call at Costa Maya, Mexico, Roatán, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico. Its Eastern Caribbean itinerary will include calls at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and Nassau, Bahamas.

www.ncl.com