Norwegian Bliss to be Custom Built for Alaska Cruising

Norwegian Bliss to be Custom Built for Alaska Cruising

Cruise News – October 13, 2016

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that its next new ship, Norwegian Bliss, will be the first cruise ship custom-built with features and amenities for the ultimate Alaska cruise experience. The new ship will cruise Alaska from Seattle beginning June 2018, becoming the first Norwegian Cruise Line ship to make its debut in the Emerald City.

“Norwegian was the first cruise line to begin cruising to Alaska from Seattle in 2000 and it’s only fitting that we bring our newest ship, Norwegian Bliss, directly to this incredible location,” said Andy Stuart, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line. “Alaska is one of the top destinations for our guests to explore and we are thrilled to be the first cruise line to offer our guests the opportunity to experience this coveted destination aboard a brand new, state-of-the-art cruise ship custom designed for Alaska, the first of its kind to ever debut in Seattle.”

The third ship in the line’s Breakaway-Plus class, the 4,000-guest Norwegian Bliss is designed with features and amenities to offer guests the ultimate Alaska cruising experience, and will sail weekly 7-day Alaska cruises each Saturday from Pier 66 in Seattle. The ship’s itinerary will feature calls in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, British Columbia, along with scenic glacier cruising.

Continuing Norwegian’s tradition of decorating each ship’s hull with signature art, Norwegian has also announced that the world’s premier marine life artist, Wyland, has been commissioned to design the hull artwork for Norwegian Bliss. Known for his iconic whale murals, marine life paintings, and sculptures, Wyland has inspired generations to be passionate about the importance of marine life conservation. (The hull art design will be revealed later this month.)

In addition, to further enhance the overall guest experience for cruisers from Seattle, Norwegian’s parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, has entered into a 15-year agreement with the Port of Seattle to collectively invest $30 million to upgrade the Pier 66 facilities, including expanding the guest check-in space by 300 percent to more than 150,000 square feet to a new VIP lounge with expansive views of Elliott Bay.

Norwegian’s first Breakaway-Plus ship is Norwegian Escape, which debuted from Miami in November 2015, and the second is the upcoming Norwegian Joy, which is set to debut in summer 2017 to homeport in Shanghai and Beijing as the line’s first ship purpose-built for the Chinese market.

Norwegian Bliss will be available for reservations in January 2017.

^{Photo: Norwegian Cruise Line}