Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) was founded in 1966 by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison as Norwegian Caribbean Lines and is now headquartered in Miami. The cruise line made history with the concept of Freestyle Cruising: away from fixed dining times and dress codes, toward flexible restaurant-switching and a relaxed atmosphere. More than 30 restaurants per ship are not uncommon, along with 20+ bars and an extensive entertainment program.

Current flagships are the Norwegian Encore (2019), Norwegian Bliss (2018), and Norwegian Joy (2017) of the Breakaway Plus class, each with approximately 167,000 GRT and 4,000 passengers — including one of the fastest water slides at sea, race tracks, and the Norwegian Joy featuring its own go-kart racing track on the top deck. The Norwegian Prima, introduced in 2022, launched the new Prima class with smaller, more premium-oriented ships.

The onboard language is English and the onboard currency is the US dollar. Norwegian is the only American cruise line to operate a year-round Hawaii route with the Pride of America — the only large ship sailing under the US flag. Other routes include the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, the Mediterranean, and transatlantic crossings.