Biggest Norwegian Cruise Line ship ever begins maiden voyage
SOUTHAMPTON (TNS) – Another new giant cruise ship sailed with paying passengers for the first time just hours ago.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s 20-deck-high, 1,082-foot-long Norwegian Bliss departed Southampton, England, late Saturday on its maiden voyage – a 12-night trip across the Atlantic to New York.
At 168,082 tons, it is the largest ship ever for the cruise line and one of the 10 largest cruise vessels of all time from any line.
Capable of holding up to 4,004 passengers at double occupancy, Norwegian Bliss has been under construction for more than a year at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Meyer Werft delivered the ship to Norwegian Cruise Line on Thursday during a ceremony in Bremerhaven, Germany.
The enormous ship is arriving just three weeks after Royal Caribbean unveiled its biggest ship ever and Carnival Cruise Line added a sizable new vessel of its own. Together, the three newcomers are bringing more than 14,000 new beds to the cruise industry in what amounts to an unusually clustered burst of expansion from three of the biggest lines.
Norwegian Bliss isn’t nearly as big as Royal Caribbean’s new vessel, Symphony of the Seas, which at 228,081 tons is the world’s largest cruise ship. But it is significantly bigger than Carnival’s new vessel, the 133,500-ton Carnival Horizon.
Norwegian’s new vessel is the third ship in the cruise line’s Breakaway-Plus series, which also includes the 165,157-ton Norwegian Escape and the 167,725-ton Norwegian Joy. The two earlier vessels debuted in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
Designed to have all the trappings of a major mega-resort, Norwegian Bliss features such overthe-top amusements as a two-deck-high racing course where passengers compete against each other in electric go-carts – a first for a cruise ship catering to North Americans.
Like Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Bliss also features a sprawling water park with multistory water slides; a restaurant-lined boardwalk; Tony Award-winning production shows, including Jersey Boys; and a giant spa. Dining options include a modern Texas barbecue eatery called Q that will feature live pop country music – a new concept for the line.
Norwegian Bliss will spend the coming summer sailing to Alaska out of Seattle. It’s also scheduled to sail out of Miami and New York over the next two years.
The deployment to Alaska is notable in the cruise industry as Norwegian Bliss will be the largest cruise ship ever to sail in the state. In a nod to the deployment, the vessel is adorned with hull art by marine artist Wyland that includes a giant image of a mother humpback whale and her calf called Cruising with the Whales.
With the arrival of Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Cruise Line now has 16 ships.