Four Freestyle Cruising vessels to set sail in Europe, including two year-round in 2012/13
Norwegian Cruise Line announced its largest European deployment ever for the 2012/2013 season with four Freestyle Cruising ships, including two year-round. Norwegian Spirit will join Norwegian Jade sailing year-round in Europe beginning in April 2012.
This is also the first time Norwegian Spirit will sail in Europe offering 12-night Grand Mediterranean voyages in the summer and fall, along with nine-night Canary Islands in the winter and spring. The company’s largest and most innovative ship, Norwegian Epic, and Norwegian Sun will continue cruising seasonally from Barcelona and Copenhagen respectively.
“Europe is one of the world’s fastest growing cruise markets and one where Freestyle Cruising is very well received. Given this, we felt it was the right time to deploy four ships, including two year-round, in Europe, marking our largest European deployment in the company’s history,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Chief Executive Officer. “Guests now have the flexibility of embarking from four homeports in Europe sailing to some of the most exciting destinations in the world.”
„We are very excited to have four Freestyle Cruising ships in Europe in the 2012/13 season. This will set the basis for further continued growth on the European markets”, said Michael Zengerle, Norwegian Cruise Line’s General Manager Europe.
Itinerary Details
The 2.018-passenger Norwegian Spirit will make her European debut with two itineraries including a 12-night Grand Mediterranean cruise from Venice, Italy and Barcelona, Spain, as well as a nine-night Canary Islands cruise from Barcelona. The 12-night Grand Mediterranean sailings run from April 28, 2012 to October 25, 2012 and begin in either Barcelona or Venice and call at Toulon (Provence), France; Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Civitavecchia (Rome) and Naples, Italy; Mykonos and Piraeus (Athens), Greece; and Istanbul and Izmir (Ephesus), Turkey. The nine-night Canary Islands cruises from Barcelona will sail from November 6, 2012 to April 8, 2013 and call on Funchal, Madeira; Santa Cruz de Tenerife; and Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands; and Málaga (Granada), Spain. Norwegian Spirit will also sail an 11-night Grand Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Venice on July 9, 2012 and a 13-night Grand Mediterranean from Venice to Barcelona on July 20, 2012.
Continuing her year-round sailings in Europe, the 2.402-passenger Norwegian Jade will sail seven unique itineraries with ports of call in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Croatia, Israel, and Egypt from her homeports of Civitavecchia (Rome) and Venice, Italy. Norwegian Jade will continue her popular alternating seven-night Greek Isles and Greece and Turkey cruises departing on Saturdays from Venice from April 28, 2012 to October 6, 2012. The Greek Isles cruises call on Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos and Katakolon (Olympia), Greece. The Greece and Turkey sailings call at Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia; Piraeus (Athens), Greece; and Ephesus (Izmir), Turkey. Since there is no port repetition between the two itineraries, they can be easily combined to create a port-rich 14-night tour. Also from Venice, Norwegian Jade will sail a six-night Croatia and Greece cruise on July 14, 2012; and an eight-night Greek Isles and Turkey cruise on July 20, 2012, as well as a seven-night Adriatic and Italy cruise on October 13, 2012 with disembarkation in Civitavecchia (Rome).
From Rome, Norwegian Jade will sail alternating 11-night Mediterranean & the Holy Land cruises and 10-night Eastern Mediterranean cruises from October 20, 2012 to April 17, 2013. The Mediterranean & Holy Land cruises call at Alanya, Turkey; Limassol, Cyprus; Haifa and Ashdod, Israel; and Port Said and Alexandria, Egypt. The Eastern Mediterranean cruises call at Olympia (Katakolon) and Piraeus (Athens), Greece; Izmir (Ephesus), Turkey; and include an overnight stay in Alexandria, Egypt.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest and most innovative ship, Norwegian Epic, will return to Barcelona sailing a series of 25 seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises from April 29 to October 14, 2012. The ship will call in Naples, Civitavecchia (Rome), and Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy; and Villefranche (Nice) and Marseille, France. In addition, Norwegian Epic will sail one four-night Western Mediterranean cruise on April 25, 2012.
Norwegian Sun will continue sailing her nine-night Baltic Capital cruises from Copenhagen, Denmark from May 4 to September 7, 2012 calling at Warnemünde (Berlin), Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; an overnight stay in St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden. Norwegian Sun will also sail one 14-night Norway, Iceland & Faroe Islands cruise on September 16, 2012 calling at Bergen, and Alesund, Norway; Lerwick, Shetland Islands; Thorshavn, Faroe Islands; Reykjavik, Iceland; Greenock (Glasgow), Scotland and Dublin, Ireland.
In addition, there are five opportunities for guests to have an experience of a lifetime crossing the Atlantic with NCL’s Transatlantic cruises. Norwegian Epic offers two options: an 11-night Transatlantic from Miami to Barcelona on April 14, 2012 and a 13-night Transatlantic from Barcelona to Miami on October 21, 2012. Norwegian Spirit offers a 13-night Transatlantic from New Orleans to Barcelona on April 15, 2012. Norwegian Sun crosses the Atlantic on April 21, 2012 from Port Canaveral (Orlando) to Copenhagen and back to Miami from Copenhagen on September 30, 2012.
