Norwegian Escape

Last updated

Norwegian Escape
Cruise ship Norwegian Escape (1) (cropped).jpg
Norwegian Escape in Bremerhaven, 2015
History
Civil Ensign of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas
NameNorwegian Escape
Owner Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings
Operator Norwegian Cruise Line
Port of registry Nassau, Flag of the Bahamas.svg  Bahamas
Ordered18 October 2012
Builder
Cost € 700 million
Yard numberS693
Laid down19 September 2014
Launched15 August 2015
Sponsored by Pitbull
Christened9 November 2015
Acquired22 October 2015
Maiden voyage2015
In service2015–present
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and type Breakaway Plus-class cruise ship
Tonnage164,998  GT [1]
Length1,069 feet (325.9 m) [2]
Beam
  • 136 feet (41.4 m) (waterline) [2]
  • 153 feet (46.5 m) (max) [2]
Draft28.29 feet (8.622 m) [2]
Decks20
Installed power
  • 2 × MAN 14V48/60CR (2 × 16,800 kW)
  • 3 × MAN 12V48/60CR (3 × 14,400 kW)
  • 1 × Cat 3516C DH (1 × 2,500 kW)
Propulsion
Speed23 kn
Capacity4,266 [4]
Crew1,733 [2]

Norwegian Escape is a Breakaway Plus-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), a subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. She was the fleet's first Breakaway Plus-class ship to be delivered and was designed with larger dimensions and gross tonnage than her older sister ships, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway , at 164,998 GT.

Contents

After NCL ordered the ship with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft in October 2012 at an estimated cost of € 700 million, her keel was laid in September 2014 and she was floated out from the building dock in August 2015. She was subsequently delivered in October 2015 and was officially christened by Pitbull in Miami on 9 November 2015. Since her debut, she has homeported in Miami, New York City, and Orlando, operating itineraries to the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Maritimes.

Design

The passenger accommodations built on the 164,998  GT-vessel include 407 inside cabins, 114 oceanview cabins, 1,168 balcony cabins, 308 "mini-suite" cabins, and 82 studio cabins for solo travelers as well as 47 wheelchair-accessible cabins. 95 additional suite cabins across two decks were designed with conjoining use of exclusive facilities. [5] The ship's increase in double occupancy capacity from 3,969 of her older sister ships to approximately 4,270 resulted from an additional deck built for cabins. The ship was also widened by 5 feet (1.5 m), which increased the width of balconies by 40 centimetres (1.3 ft). [6]

The core of the specialty dining and entertainment venues aboard Norwegian Escape lies within an expanded three-deck complex positioned in the center of the ship across the sixth, seventh, and eighth decks. It was first unveiled on Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway and is also accompanied by an outdoor promenade, called The Waterfront, designed for al fresco dining. The complex includes numerous bars, restaurants, lounges, and a casino. [7] [8]

Norwegian Escape was also built with the largest water park in the NCL fleet. The sports complex additionally includes a three-story ropes course and various other ball courts. [9]

Construction

On 18 October 2012, NCL announced that it had entered into an agreement with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft to order its third Breakaway-class cruise ship, a 4,200-passenger vessel scheduled for delivery in October 2015 at an estimated cost of € 700 million. NCL chief executive officer Kevin Sheehan explained that the robust booking demand that the company saw for its first ordered Breakaway-class vessel gave the company confidence to move forward on its "Breakaway Plus" expansion plans following the investments NCL had made towards its onboard product. The new ship would be the fleet's first Breakaway Plus-class ship and would include additional passenger cabins and space for venues compared to her older sister ships. [10] [11] On 8 October 2013, NCL announced the name of the estimated 163,000  GT ship as Norwegian Escape, which was chosen from an online naming contest it had organized for fans on Facebook in September. [12] [13]

Guy Harvey's hull art on the bow of Norwegian Escape Norwegian escape (cropped).jpg
Guy Harvey 's hull art on the bow of Norwegian Escape

On 12 March 2014, NCL revealed marine wildlife artist Guy Harvey would design the new ship's hull art with his depictions of various sea creatures. [14] Meyer Werft marked the beginning of preparation for Norwegian Escape at its shipyard in Papenburg with the steel cutting on 20 March 2014. [15] Construction began on 19 September 2014 when Sheehan performed the coin ceremony at the keel laying ceremony, where the first of her 86 steel blocks was lifted into the dock. [16] She was floated out from the covered dry dock on 15 August 2015 for final outfitting [17] [18] before she began her conveyance along the Ems on 18 September 2015 from Papenburg to reach Eemshaven the next day. [19] After a period of sea trials, Norwegian Escape was delivered by Meyer Werft to NCL in Bremerhaven on 22 October 2015. [20] [21] [22]

On 7 October 2015, NCL named Pitbull as the ship's godfather, making him the first man bestowed with the designation; he christened the vessel on 9 November 2015 at PortMiami. [23] [24]

Service history

Following her delivery, Norwegian Escape set sail from Bremerhaven to Hamburg for the beginning of her inaugural festivities, where she would begin her two-night maiden voyage to Southampton. This made her the largest passenger vessel to start a cruise from Hamburg at the time. [25] [26] After her maiden voyage, she embarked on her transatlantic crossing to Miami on 29 October 2015. [21] [22]

NCL announced in March 2014 that Norwegian Escape would be deployed to Miami to sail Eastern Caribbean voyages to Tortola, St. Thomas, and Nassau on a year-round basis for her maiden season, and she began the operation on 14 November 2015, making her the largest cruise ship to homeport in Miami at the time. [27] [28] [29] She continued to homeport in Miami until spring 2018. [30] In April 2018, she was repositioned for the first time since her debut and began sailing from New York City for week-long cruises to Bermuda and the Maritimes. [31] She returned to Miami in November 2019 to operate week-long itineraries to the Western Caribbean. [32] NCL had scheduled to deploy Norwegian Escape abroad for her first full season operating from Copenhagen to the Baltic region in summer 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on tourism suspended those plans. [33] [34] After more than a year-long pause in operations, she restarted sailing from Port Canaveral near Orlando in November 2021 and cruised to the Caribbean. [35] [36] [37] The ship sailed from Civitavecchia to cruise in the Mediterranean region for her first summer in Europe in May 2022. [38] In Spring 2023 it operated from either Port Canaveral or Miami, sailing to the Caribbean. As of October 17, 2023, the Norwegian Escape sails from New York Harbor to New England and Canada with routes sailing from the Mediterranean planned in summer 2024.

Incidents

On the evening of 3 March 2019, the ship was struck by a "sudden, extreme gust of wind" northeast off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula while sailing south from New York to Port Canaveral. She had been caught in a 100-knot (190 km/h) wind gust, which forced the ship to list to the port side of the vessel. [39] The degree of heel caused several broken windows and made furniture and other loose items overturn in public areas and cabins. [40] NCL reported that several injured passengers and crew received treatment onboard and the ship continued on her way to Port Canaveral, where she later docked without any apparent damage and was permitted to continue operating the voyage as planned. [41] [42]

On 14 March 2022, Norwegian Escape ran aground while leaving Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic after gusts forced the ship to make contact with the channel bed. Initial attempts by tugboats to free her had failed so it took more than seven hours to wait for high tide in order to refloat the vessel. She subsequently returned to the port to be checked for damage, where it was determined she had sustained enough damage during the grounding to force the seven-day voyage to end prematurely. Passengers began disembarking the vessel two days later and were flown to Orlando on charter flights over the next few days. After all passengers had finished disembarking on 18 March, the ship sailed back to Port Canaveral and returned on 20 March. NCL cancelled several of the ship's subsequent voyages to accommodate time for repairs [43] [44] [45] before she returned to service on 16 April 2022. [46]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwegian Cruise Line</span> American cruise line

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is an American cruise line founded in Norway in 1966, incorporated in the Bahamas and headquartered in Miami. It is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling about 8.6% of the total worldwide share of the cruise market by passengers as of 2021. It is wholly owned by parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Cruises</span> Cruise line

Star Cruises was a cruise line headquartered in Hong Kong and operated in the Asia-Pacific market. The company was owned by Genting Hong Kong. It was the eighteenth largest cruise line in the world after Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises and 15 others.

<i>Disney Magic</i> Cruise ship

Disney Magic is a cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. She is the line's first vessel, later followed by the Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish, and Disney Treasure. She has 11 public decks, can accommodate 2,700 passengers in 875 staterooms, and has a crew of approximately 950. The interior of Disney Magic is decorated in the Art Deco style.

<i>Norwegian Spirit</i> Cruise ship

Norwegian Spirit is a Leo-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). She was built in 1998 for Star Cruises as SuperStar Leo by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. In 2004 she was transferred to NCL and renamed Norwegian Spirit.

<i>Norwegian Dawn</i> Cruise ship

Norwegian Dawn is a cruise ship that entered service in 2002 and is in operation with Norwegian Cruise Line.

MS <i>Freedom of the Seas</i> Cruise ship; first of her class

MS Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the namesake of Royal Caribbean's Freedom class, and can accommodate 3,634 passengers and 1,300 crew on fifteen passenger decks. The vessel also has 4 crew decks below the waterline. Freedom of the Seas was the largest passenger ship ever built from 2006 until construction of her sister ship, Liberty of the Seas in 2007.

<i>Norwegian Sky</i> Cruise ship

Norwegian Sky is a Sun-class cruise ship owned and operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. She was originally ordered by Costa Cruises as Costa Olympia from the Bremer Vulkan shipyard in Germany, but she was completed in 1999 by the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany for the Norwegian Cruise Line under the name Norwegian Sky. Between 2004 and 2008, she sailed as Pride of Aloha for NCL America.

<i>Norwegian Sun</i> Sun-class cruise ship launched in 2000

Norwegian Sun is a Sun-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. She entered service in 2001 in a dual christening ceremony at the Port of Miami with Norwegian Star. She was constructed at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany.

<i>Carnival Glory</i> Cruise ship built in 2003

Carnival Glory is a Conquest-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. She is the second of five Conquest-class cruise ships. As of March 2023, she operates out of Port Canaveral.

<i>Norwegian Jewel</i> Cruise ship

Norwegian Jewel is a cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). She is the lead vessel of NCL's Jewel-class cruise ships and entered service in 2005. The vessel sails primarily in the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Carnival Freedom</i> Conquest-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Freedom is a Conquest-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. She is the 22nd operating vessel in the fleet, and the last of the Conquest-class ships. The ship was built as part of a four-ship deal with Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard and was launched in Venice, Italy on April 28, 2006. She was delivered to Carnival on February 28, 2007.

<i>Carnival Magic</i> 2011 Dream-class cruise ship

Carnival Magic is a Dream-class cruise ship which entered service on 1 May 2011. The ship was named and christened in Venice by her godmother Lindsey Wilkerson Alsup, a former patient and current employee at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

<i>Norwegian Epic</i> Cruise ship

Norwegian Epic is a cruise ship of the Norwegian Cruise Line built under NCL's F3 Project by the STX Europe Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. When built she was the third largest cruise ship in the world.

MV <i>Balmoral</i> (2008) 2008 cruise ship

Balmoral is a cruise ship owned and operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. She was built in 1988 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, West Germany, as Crown Odyssey for Royal Cruise Line. She has also sailed for the Norwegian Cruise Line as Norwegian Crown and Orient Lines as Crown Odyssey. In 2007–2008 she was lengthened by 30 m (98 ft) at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg prior to entering service with her current operator.

<i>Norwegian Breakaway</i> Cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Breakaway is a cruise ship of Norwegian Cruise Line. It, along with Norwegian Getaway, are the first two ships in "Project Breakaway" ordered by Norwegian Cruise Line. They were named through a public contest - a contestant submitted the name Norwegian Breakaway, which was announced on 14 September 2011.

<i>Norwegian Getaway</i> Cruise ship

Norwegian Getaway is a cruise ship of the Norwegian Cruise Line. She was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, and was delivered to her owner on 10 January 2014. At the time of her christening she was the world's ninth-largest cruise ship with a passenger capacity of 3,969 and a crew of 1,640.

<i>Norwegian Joy</i> Cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Joy is a Breakaway Plus-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and is the second of four Breakaway Plus-class vessels in the company's fleet. Built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, she was delivered in April 2017.

MS <i>Sunward</i> (1966)

MS Sunward was a cruise ship built in 1966 for Knut Kloster. Originally designed and built for ferrying passengers and vehicles around the Bay of Biscay and Gibraltar, the promise and success of the Sunward would be short-lived. English currency restriction and the border closing between Spain and Gibraltar defeated the newly built ship's initial purpose. Ted Arison, an Israeli businessman, contacted Kloster about the possibility of converting the Sunward into a cruise ship in Miami. The Sunward operated as a cruise ship under the newly established Norwegian Caribbean Line. The ship proved to be such a success that Norwegian Caribbean Line commissioned newer, larger ships for its fleet, ultimately replacing the Sunward. She was sold to Compangnie Generale Transméditerranéenne in 1973, and later on with several companies. In 2004, the former Sunward was sold to Bangladeshi breakers for scrap. The vessel appeared in the 1970 dramatic film, "Darker than Amber" and the 1989 comedy "Going Overboard".

<i>Norwegian Bliss</i> Cruise ship

Norwegian Bliss is a cruise ship for Norwegian Cruise Line, which entered service on 21 April 2018. The ship was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. The ship had a schedule of debuting in Alaska, United States in June 2018, and is designed for improved energy efficiency to meet Alaska's environmental regulations.

<i>Norwegian Encore</i> Ship of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)

Norwegian Encore is a Breakaway Plus-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). She is the fourth Breakaway Plus-class ship in the fleet, following sister ships Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Escape, and Norwegian Joy, and debuted in November 2019.

References

  1. ↑ "Norwegian Escape (33199)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV . Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Norwegian Escape (331199)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV . Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "ABB wins $180 million in orders from cruise ship builders in 2013". ABB.com. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Norwegian Escape Cruise Ship". Norwegian Cruise Line. NCL Corporation Ltd. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Stieghorst, Tom (19 February 2014). "Accommodations details unveiled for Norwegian Escape". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  6. ↑ Stieghorst, Tom (21 September 2015). "Norwegian Escape will bring a different experience to sea". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  7. ↑ Tribou, Richard (30 September 2014). "Norwegian Cruise Line serves up dining details for Miami-bound Escape". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  8. ↑ "Norwegian Escape to Get 678 Ocean Place and The Waterfront". Cruise Industry News. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  9. ↑ "Norwegian Escape to get larger sports complex and water park". Travel Weekly. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  10. ↑ Sampson, Hannah (18 October 2012). "Norwegian Cruise Line places order for third megaship after a boost of early bookings". Skift . MCT Information Services . Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  11. ↑ "Norwegian Cruise Line Reports Results for Third Quarter 2012" (Press release). Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "Norwegian Launches New Ship Naming Contest". Cruise Industry News. 10 September 2013.
  13. ↑ "Norwegians Named their Ships Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Bliss" (Press release). Norwegian Cruise Line. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  14. ↑ Sloan, Gene (12 March 2014). "Sea creatures to adorn hull of new cruise ship". USA Today . Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  15. ↑ "Norwegian Escape Steel Cutting". Cruise Industry News. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  16. ↑ "Keel Laid for Norwegian Escape". Cruise Industry News. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  17. ↑ "Norwegian Escape Float Out Photos". Cruise Industry News. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  18. ↑ Wood, Donald (18 August 2015). "New Norwegian Escape Cruise Ship Floats Out From Building Dock". TravelPulse. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  19. ↑ "Norwegian Escape Starts Conveyance". Cruise Industry News. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  20. ↑ Isenbek, Michael (19 September 2015). "Norwegian Escape Leaves Shipyard For Dutch Port, Sea Trials Next". TravelPulse. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  21. 1 2 "Norwegian Takes Delivery of the Escape". Cruise Industry News. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  22. 1 2 "Norwegian Cruise Line Takes Delivery Of Norwegian Escape" (Press release). Norwegian Cruise Line. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  23. ↑ "Pitbull Named Godfather to Norwegian Escape". Cruise Industry News. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  24. ↑ Harpaz, Beth J. (10 November 2015). "Rapper Pitbull christens Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Escape". Toronto Sun . Associated Press . Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  25. ↑ Kalosh, Anne (25 October 2015). "Norwegian Escape largest ship to start a cruise from Hamburg". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  26. ↑ Sloan, Gene (26 October 2015). "New giant cruise ship sets sail on maiden voyage". USA Today . Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  27. ↑ "Norwegian Escape to Homeport in Miami Year-Round; Norwegian's Winter 2015/16 Itineraries Announced" (Press release). Norwegian Cruise Line. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  28. ↑ Sloan, Gene (15 March 2014). "Next Norwegian ship to sail year-round from Miami". USA Today . Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  29. ↑ Stieghorst, Tom (16 November 2015). "Norwegian brings largest ship to Miami with launch of Escape". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  30. ↑ Between 2016 and 2018, Norwegian Escape sailed from Miami. See:
  31. ↑ From the spring of 2018 to the fall of 2019, Norwegian Escape sailed from New York. See:
  32. ↑ "Norwegian Releases Fall, Winter Itineraries for 2019, 2020". Travel Agent Central. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  33. ↑ "Norwegian Cruise Line Announces Summer 2020 Itineraries" (Press release). Norwegian Cruise Line. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  34. ↑ Dolven, Taylor (29 July 2020). "Norwegian Cruise Line cancels cruises until November, one month past CDC ban". Miami Herald . Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  35. ↑ "Norwegian Cruise Line Expands 2021 U.S. Restart Plan From More Ports". Cruise Industry News. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  36. ↑ "Norwegian Cruise Line Fleet Status Restart Update". Cruise Industry News. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  37. ↑ Berman, Dave (23 November 2021). "Norwegian Escape rejoins Port Canaveral cruise lineup, giving port record fifth brand". Florida Today . Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  38. ↑ "Norwegian Cruise Line Summer 2022 Deployment Breakdown". Cruise Industry News. 13 February 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  39. ↑ Cappucci, Matthew (6 March 2019). "'Freak thing': 115 mph 'extreme' gust rattles Bahamas-bound cruise ship, injuring passengers". The Washington Post . Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  40. ↑ Breslin, Sean (6 March 2019). "Norwegian Cruise Arrives Safely in Florida After 115-MPH Wind Gust Rocks Ship, Injures Passengers". The Weather Channel . Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  41. ↑ Zdanowicz, Christina; Almasy, Steve (5 March 2019). "Several passengers hurt as cruise ship tilts when hit by sudden 115 mph gust". CNN . Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  42. ↑ Dahm, Daniel (6 March 2019). "Freak weather causes Norwegian cruise ship to list, injuring passengers". WKMG-TV . Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  43. ↑ "Grounded cruise ship carrying thousands refloated". BBC News. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  44. ↑ Sampson, Hannah (19 March 2022). "Cruise passengers released from ship that ran aground: 'It is a freaking madhouse'". The Washington Post . Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  45. ↑ NCL cancelled the voyages scheduled to set sail on the following dates:
  46. ↑ "Norwegian Escape Resumes Service After Repairs". Cruise Industry News. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.