NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE EXPANDS PRESENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Norwegian Cruise Line is ecstatic to reach another landmark in the company’s history. The cruise line has completed its inaugural season cruising from Cape Town, South Africa.

One of Norwegian’s 18-ship fleet, Norwegian Jade, is the first vessel to officially homeport in the South African port. The cruise line is offering guests 12-day Extraordinary Journeys sailing through the coast of Namibia and South Africa. These voyages include visits to Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), Richard’s Bay, South Africa, and Luderitz and Walvis Bay, Namibia. The itineraries also include overnight stays in Cape Town, South Africa. 

Norwegian Dawn Is Also Heading To South Africa

Norwegian Cruise Line has also announced that Norwegian Dawn will head to South Africa in the winter of 2024 to amplify the cruise line’s presence in the region. With an occupancy of 2,340, Norwegian Dawn will homeport in Cape Town, South Africa, and Port Louis, Mauritius. The Extraordinary Journey voyages will run from January through March 2024. 

Harry Sommer, Brand President, and CEO at NCL, said, “As part of our Guest First philosophy we are focused on enhancing our destination offerings, providing our guests with more immersive itineraries that are designed to create memories of a lifetime. Our new Africa voyages are a testament to that, combining bucket-list locations such as Cape Town and Mauritius with hidden gems like Pomene and Maputo in Mozambique or Fort Dauphin in Madagascar. With an average of almost 12 hours in each port, allowing more time to fully experience these unforgettable destinations, the new voyages are already amongst our fastest selling cruises for 2024 and are attracting guests from almost 60 countries worldwide.”

Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, comments: “Cruise tourism generates R300 million in economic impact for the Western Cape and supports thousands of jobs in the province. Positioning Cape Town as a homeport for international cruising and a gateway to Africa is a key growth opportunity for our region, and we welcome NCL’s commitment to sailing from Cape Town.”

Norwegian Dawn will depart— for the first time in the cruise line’s history— from Doha, Qatar, and sail to Mauritius on January 3, 2024, for her 17-day repositioning voyage to South Africa. Throughout this journey, the ship will call to the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania, and Madagascar. 

Shortly after, Norwegian Dawn will sail a 12-day cruise from Port Louis, Mauritius, on January 20, 2024. This itinerary features stops in Pointe des Galets, Réunion; Fort Dauphin (Toalagnaro), Madagascar; Pomene and Maputo, Mozambique; Richard’s Bay, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), Mossel Bay and Cape Town, South Africa.

Norwegian Dawn will then sail two 12-day round trip voyages cruising through South Africa and Namibia on February 1 and March 8, 2024. The itinerary includes calls to Mossel Bay and Durban in South Africa, and Luderitz and Walvis Bay in Namibia. On March 20, 2024, she will sail an expansive itinerary from Cape Town, South Africa, to Barcelona, Spain. This 21-day itinerary will cruise through Africa’s west coast. A few highlights on the itinerary include visits to Namibia, Angola, Sao Tome and Principe, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Senegal, Cape Verde, Canary Islands, and Morocco.