NORWEGIAN Cruise Line’s (NCL) new Norwegian Prima is driving strong results for the company, with VP and MD APAC Ben Angell yesterday confirming the innovative vessel is the “most in-demand ship in the company’s 55-year history”. Excitement within NCL is at fever pitch in anticipation of Prima’s maiden voyage, with...
NORWEGIAN Cruise Line’s (NCL) new Norwegian Prima is driving strong results for the company, with VP and MD APAC Ben Angell yesterday confirming the innovative vessel is the “most in-demand ship in the company’s 55-year history”.
Excitement within NCL is at fever pitch in anticipation of Prima’s maiden voyage, with the company to formally take delivery of the newbuild in Italy today.
At a celebratory event in Sydney yesterday, Angell noted that the ship is the first new class for NCL in a decade, with Prima the first in a series which will see sister vessels arrive on an annual basis for the next six years.
“It’s a real milestone for our organisation…she is an absolute step change for our brand.
“Prima will really elevate our brand from, I’ll call it ‘contemporary premium’, to ‘premium contemporary’,” Angell said, adding “she is a truly spectacular vessel”.
“She’s been built with our guest-first philosophy at the centre of every decision.
“We’ve always listened to our guests, taken all the learnings and designed the ship with what they tell us, what they want at the centre of every decision.
“NCL has all the bells and whistles like the three-storey racetrack and the fastest slides at sea, but we also innovate with purpose,” he said.
“So it’s no surprise that Prima is resonating extremely well with Australian and New Zealand guests,” Angell added.
Prima is a “ship of firsts,” he said, with the vessel designed with characteristic attention to detail from Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings President Frank Del Rio.
Features include a reimagined “keycard access ship-within-a-ship” Haven enclave, the Ocean Boulevarde with a host of outdoor dining options, a huge variety of entertainment and upmarket restaurants, while Angell said NCL’s destination-rich itineraries in northern Europe were also proving popular.
Europe is a key focus for the company, which has eight ships in the region this year, increasing to nine in 2023 with the addition of Prima to the line-up.
Norwegian Prima will be christened by godmother Katy Perry in Reykjavik, Iceland at the end of next month.
Angell is pictured right with NCL Director of Sales, Damian Borg, at yesterday’s preview event.
