History of Norwegian Cruise Line in Timeline
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), founded in Norway in 1966 and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, is the fourth-largest cruise line globally based on passenger numbers. As of 2021, NCL held approximately 8.6% of the global cruise market share by passengers. The company is incorporated in the Bahamas and operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
2 hours ago : Norwegian Cruise Line Announces 2026-28 Asia Cruises, Tackles Chair-Hogging with Stickers.
Norwegian Cruise Line unveiled its 2026-28 Asia Pacific cruising guide and addressed chair-hogging issues with sticker enforcement at pools. These actions aim to improve guest experience and enforce fair usage of pool facilities on their cruises.
1966: Cruise Line Founded by Kloster and Arison
In 1966, Norwegian Cruise Line was founded by Norwegian Knut Kloster and Israeli Ted Arison, using the Sunward, a cruise ship/car ferry.
1966: Norwegian Cruise Line Founded
In 1966, Norwegian Cruise Line was founded in Norway.
1966: Introduction of Sunward
In 1966, the original Sunward had the capability to carry automobiles.
1971: Introduction of Southward
In 1971, NCL introduced Southward, their first true cruise ship without car carrying capacity.
1973: Sale of Sunward
In 1973, Norwegian Cruise Line sold its original ship, Sunward.
1977: Purchase of Cunard Adventurer
In 1977, Norwegian Cruise Line purchased the former Cunard Adventurer and renamed her Sunward II.
1987: Order of Seaward
In 1987, Norwegian Cruise Line ordered a new ship, the Seaward, their first new build since 1971.
1989: Acquisition of Royal Cruise Line
Between 1989 and 1990, Kloster acquired Royal Cruise Line.
1995: Addition of the Leeward
In 1995, Norwegian Cruise Line added the Leeward to its fleet.
1996: Transfer of Crown Odyssey
In 1996, the Crown Odyssey was transferred from Royal Cruise Line and became the Norwegian Crown.
1997: Operations in Australia
Between 1997 and 2001, Norwegian Cruise Line operated cruises out of Australia under the name Norwegian Capricorn Line.
1997: Acquisition of Majesty Cruise Line
In 1997, Norwegian Cruise Line acquired Majesty Cruise Line and added their two ships.
1998: Acquisition of Orient Lines
In 1998, Norwegian Cruise Line acquired Orient Lines.
2000: Sale to Star Cruises
In 2000, Kloster sold Norwegian Cruise Line to Star Cruises, introducing the freestyle cruising concept.
2001: End of Operations in Australia
Between 1997 and 2001, Norwegian Cruise Line operated cruises out of Australia under the name Norwegian Capricorn Line.
2001: Braemar for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
In 2001, the Braemar cruise ship began operating for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.
2001: Introduction of Norwegian Star
In 2001, the Norwegian Star debuted.
2002: Purchase of Project America Ship Hull
In 2002, Norwegian purchased the half-complete hull of the first Project America ship.
2002: Introduction of Norwegian Dawn
In 2002, the Norwegian Dawn debuted.
May 2003: Boiler Explosion on Norway
In May 2003, a boiler explosion forced Norwegian to withdraw the Norway from service.
2003: Purchase of American-flagged Liners
In 2003, Norwegian announced the purchase of the American-flagged liners United States and Independence.
2005: Norway Laid Up in Germany
In 2005, the Norway was towed to Port Klang, Malaysia.
August 2006: Sale for Scrap
In August 2006, the Norway was sold for scrap and renamed the Blue Lady.
November 2006: Epic Class Ships Ordered
In November 2006, two ships in the Epic class were ordered by Norwegian Cruise Line.
July 2007: Sale of Independence
In July 2007, Norwegian noted the sale of Independence, renamed Oceanic.
August 2007: Sale to Apollo Management
In August 2007, Star Cruises sold 50% of Norwegian to US-based Apollo Management for $1 billion.
September 11, 2007: Order to Break Up Blue Lady
On September 11, 2007, the India Supreme Court issued an order permitting the Blue Lady to be broken up at Alang.
February 2008: Withdrawal of Pride of Aloha
In February 2008, Norwegian reported that the Pride of Aloha would be withdrawn from service in May of the same year and would return to the Norwegian international fleet as the Norwegian Sky.
2008: Cancellation of Second Epic Class Ship
In 2008, the construction of a second Epic class ship was cancelled.
2008: Orient Lines Ceases Operations
In early 2008, Orient Lines ceased operations.
2008: 2008-present
This entry marks the start of the period from 2008 to the present.
June 2010: Delivery of Norwegian Epic
On June 17, 2010, the Norwegian Epic was delivered to Norwegian Cruise Line.
July 1, 2010: Deal to Buy United States
On July 1, 2010, the SS United States Conservancy struck a deal to buy United States for $3 million.
February 1, 2011: Ownership Transferred to SS United States Conservancy
On February 1, 2011, the ownership of the United States was officially transferred to the SS United States Conservancy.
June 1, 2012: Purchase of Norwegian Sky
On June 1, 2012, Norwegian announced the signing of an agreement to purchase Norwegian Sky.
October 17, 2012: Agreement for New Vessels
On October 17, 2012, Meyer Werft and Norwegian reached an agreement for the construction of two new vessels.
2013: Corporate Reorganization
Following an initial public offering and corporate reorganisation in 2013, Norwegian was made a wholly owned subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
2013: Breakaway-Class Ships Enter Service
In 2013, the first Breakaway-class ship entered service as the Norwegian Breakaway.
July 14, 2014: Order of Two Vessels
On July 14, 2014, two more vessels were ordered.
October 2015: Delivery of Breakaway Plus Class Ships
In October 2015, a Breakaway Plus Class ships were expected to be delivered.
November 2015: Norwegian Escape Enters Service
In November 2015, the Norwegian Escape entered service.
December 2016: Agreement with Cuban Government
In December 2016, Norwegian Cruise Line announced an agreement with the Cuban government.
2016: Launch of Genting Dream
In 2016, Dream Cruises launched Genting Dream.
February 2017: Order of Project Leonardo Ships
In February 2017, Norwegian ordered 4 new ships from Fincantieri under the codename "Project Leonardo", to be delivered between 2022-2025.
May 2, 2017: New PortMiami Terminal Announced
On May 2, 2017, Norwegian Cruise Line announced a new PortMiami Terminal.
May 2017: First Visit to Cuba
In May 2017, the Norwegian Sky was the first Norwegian Cruise Line vessel to visit Cuba.
2017: Launch of World Dream and Norwegian Joy
In 2017, the World Dream was launched and the Norwegian Joy entered service.
May 1, 2018: Construction Begins on PortMiami Terminal
On May 1, 2018, construction began on the new PortMiami Terminal.
July 2018: Order of Two More Ships
In July 2018, Norwegian confirmed that they had ordered 2 more ships to be delivered in 2026-27.
December 2018: Plans for New Pier in Alaska
In December 2018, Norwegian revealed plans to build a new pier in Alaska's Icy Strait Point.
2018: Norwegian Bliss Enters Service
In 2018, the Norwegian Bliss entered service.
June 2019: Halt of Cuban Routes
In June 2019, Norwegian's Cuban routes came to a halt due to new restrictions from the Trump Administration.
December 9, 2019: Keel Laid Down for Norwegian Prima
On December 9, 2019, the keel of the first ship was laid down and named Norwegian Prima.
2019: Norwegian Encore Enters Service
In 2019, the Norwegian Encore entered service.
2019: Completion of PortMiami Terminal
In 2019, the construction of the new PortMiami Terminal was completed in the fall.
March 14, 2020: CDC No Sail Order
On March 14, 2020, the CDC issued a No Sail Order for cruise ships.
March 2020: COVID-19 Misinformation
In March 2020, reports surfaced that managers at Norwegian were providing misleading information to customers about COVID-19.
March 28, 2020: Suspension of Cruise Voyages
On March 28, 2020, all passengers were disembarked and all ships were in port due to a suspension of cruise voyages.
May 5, 2020: Doubt About Going Concern
On May 5, 2020, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings reported substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern due to a liquidity crisis.
May 7, 2020: NCLH Secures Liquidity to Survive Zero Revenues
On May 7, 2020, the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) announced that the company had secured enough liquidity to potentially withstand 18 months of zero revenue, with plans to possibly resume cruising later in 2020.
June 30, 2020: Extended Suspension
The suspension of all cruise voyages across Norwegian Cruise Line was extended through June 30, 2020.
August 2021: Launch of Norwegian Prima
In August 2021, the Norwegian Prima was launched and commenced sailing in the same month of 2022.
2021: Market Share in 2021
As of 2021, Norwegian Cruise Line controlled about 8.6% of the total worldwide share of the cruise market by passengers.
2022: Launch of Norwegian Prima and Naming of Norwegian Viva
In 2022, Norwegian Prima commenced sailing, and the second ship was named Norwegian Viva.
2023: Completion of Norwegian Viva
The Norwegian Viva is expected to be completed by 2023.
2024: NCLH Secures Additional Liquidity
In 2024, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings secured over $2.2 billion in liquidity through capital market transactions, including common stock, senior secured notes, exchangeable notes, and a private equity investment.
2024: Braemar for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
In 2024, the Braemar cruise ship was operating for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.
2025: Delivery of Project Leonardo Ships
Four new Project Leonardo ships, ordered in February 2017, will be delivered by 2025.
March 2026: Norwegian Cruise Line Operations
As of March 2026, Norwegian Cruise Line operates 21 cruise ships with 7 more on order, and has operated 19 other ships in the past. All ships are flagged to the Bahamas, with the exception of Pride of America.
2026: Delivery of Project Leonardo Ships
Two more ships, ordered in July 2018, are scheduled to be delivered in 2026-2027.
Mentioned in this timeline
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