Norwegian Cruise Line Begins “Project Breakaway” Reveal

Cruise lines love to give new projects a coded name and Norwegian Cruise Line’s has dubbed their next new class of ships “Project Breakaway.” Cruise lines also like to keep us guessing about the new features and designs and host “reveals” to pique our interest as we await their launch. With the introduction of the first of two Project Breakaway vessels still two years away, NCL has unveiled a look at its new balcony and mini-suite stateroom designs for the company’s next generation Freestyle Cruising ships. Scheduled for delivery in April 2013 and April 2014, each of the 144,017 gross ton vessels will have approximately 4,000 passenger berths.

“The overall design theme for Project Breakaway’s staterooms is ‘modern boutique hotel meets the sea.’ We strongly considered the overall needs of our guests when designing these staterooms and wanted them to be greeted with an ambiance that is warm and inviting and has a very contemporary feel with clean, modern lines,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s chief executive officer. “We also wanted to maximize the use of space within the staterooms, so that our guests are as comfortable as possible and storage space is well planned throughout. Ultimately, our goal is to achieve a really good balance of form and function–well designed, beautiful, comfortable and sensible living space.”

Project Breakaway ships represent an opportunity for the Norwegian guest to “break away” from the routine of work, school, and daily stress, and find a true respite at sea. These new ships will take the best of the best from all of Norwegian’s existing ships drawing on the line’s experience of having launched 10 ships in the past 10 years–starting with Norwegian Star and Sun in 2001 and culminating with the launch of Norwegian Epic in 2010.

Norwegian commissioned design group Priestmangoode of the United Kingdom, working in conjunction with Tillberg Design of Sweden, to design the staterooms for Project Breakaway. Priestmangoode won accolades and awards for designing the Studios, the first staterooms designed specifically for solo travelers, on Norwegian Epic. Project Breakaway staterooms combine the form and function of the line’s Jewel class ships’ staterooms with the modern and contemporary design touches of Norwegian Epic.

Project Breakaway ships will each have 1,024 balcony staterooms and 238 mini-suites set in rich paneling with warm tones and accent colors. Each balcony stateroom has a king-size bed (that can be separated) with a pillow top mattress set against a chestnut leather headboard cushioned and tufted to make reading and sitting up in bed more comfortable. A convenient lighted recess above the bed can hold books, magazines, tablet computers, or electronic reading devices. Each room has a sofa bed with additional storage. A built-in 26-inch flat screen television is mounted on the wall and tilts so it can be viewed from the sofa or the bed. Underneath the television is another recessed nook to hold cruise information, books, and magazines. A built-in vanity area features shelving and lots of storage space. LED lighting surrounds the perimeter of the ceiling to give the room warmth. There is also a full-size closet that is easily accessible with sliding doors. The staterooms are energy efficient, utilizing key card access to control lighting in the room.

The balcony bathroom features a contemporary, clean design, ensuring more generous and comfortable space and, most importantly, privacy. Gone is unpopular bathroom cubicle layout of Norwegian Epic’s New Wave stateroom design. The new bathrooms have multiple rich-wood shelving areas to help reduce clutter and keep everything within easy reach for guests. There is an enclosed vanity underneath the sink that hides the trash bin, along with more storage. The built-in sink is generous in size and has an easy to use faucet. A private shower with a shaving bar for ladies completes the room.

Cruise Diva’s favorite category on NCL ships, the mini-suites are a roomier version of the balcony stateroom with a larger, more luxurious bathroom that incorporates a large, modern double sink with two faucets complete with a mosaic glass tile backsplash. There are open and enclosed storage spaces under the sink. The bathroom also features an oversized spa-like shower with a rain shower head and multiple body spray jets, along with a separate handheld shower head.

Norwegian will reveal additional stateroom category designs and more announcements will happen throughout the summer, fall, and beyond with the first ship scheduled to open for reservations this October. Information on Project Breakaway can be found at www.ncl.com/breakaway.

Images top-to-bottom, right: balcony stateroom, balcony stateroom, balcony bathroom; top-to-bottom, left: mini-suite, mini-suite bathroom