Norwegian Jade To Call Europe "Home"

With the popularity of cruise travel growing across the Atlantic, we've seen this coming. For the first time in their 41-year history, Norwegian Cruise Line will homeport a ship year-round in Europe. The 2,400 passenger Norwegian Jade will sail a variety of itineraries in Europe year-round, extending its inaugural season in Europe that begins March 30, 2008. The ship will homeport in Europe full time through to the spring of 2010 instead of the current seasonal deployment that was to end in Nov 2008. As part of the year-round deployment, NCL is introducing three new European itineraries: 12-day Eastern Mediterranean sailings and 9-day Canary Islands and Morocco sailings, along with a 14-day Eastern Mediterranean holiday cruise, all roundtrip from Barcelona.

“We’ve seen strong growth in Europe and Freestyle Cruising has been a big success with our European guests,” said Colin Veitch, NCL’s president and CEO. “Norwegian Jade has been very well received in her first season, and our full three-ship fleet in Europe is doing so well that we are now confident in committing a ship year-round to this strongly growing market.”

London-based Travel Trade Gazette reports that NCL expects Norwegian Jade’s two winter itineraries from Barcelona to appeal particularly to the UK market, although healthy interest from other European source markets and North America is anticipated as well. TTG quotes NCL's UK general manager Stephen Park as saying, “This is a massively positive move for the NCL business. Europe is the centre of growth in cruising at the moment and NCL has endorsed that by its commitment to Europe.”

Yes, my fellow Americans, that means more choice for Europe and less for the Caribbean. Norwegian Jade was originally slated to sail from NYC on 10- and 11-night Caribbean cruises beginning in Dec 2008. NCL is offering booked passengers the opportunity to move their reservations to comparable sailings on Norwegian Gem, the cruise line's newest vessel.

Norwegian Jade’s new European sailings from Nov 2008 through April 2009 go on sale March 3, 2008. The balance of the new deployment through to spring 2010 will be opened for sale shortly thereafter. NCL reps are available at 877-474-2960 Mon through Fri from 9 am to 5 pm ET to assist anyone with existing reservations on Norwegian Jade’s transatlantic and New York sailings. Get the full story in CruiseDiva.com's Cruise News.