Your Cruise Your Way Cruise Blog

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) just keeps getting better. New ships, new itineraries and now, a re-commitment to the Bahamas which helped NCL come onto the scene over forty years ago. NCL announced they will be cruising to Grand Bahama Island again, and will be increasing its presence in the Bahamas by 32 cruises, most of which will be stops made by its newest “It” Girl, the Norwegian Gem. One of her sisters, the Norwegian Jewel, will be making the initial stop in Grand Bahama Island and Nassau out of Miami on a cruise November 15, 2007. This Bahamas Getaway cruise will be a regular offer by NCL, who is doing an excellent job of maintaining its place among the Big Three in cruising!

“This deployment reaffirms NCL’s long standing commitment to its relationship with The Bahamas which began some forty years ago. NCL was the first of the major cruise lines to call at The Bahamas and was the first in the industry to own and include a private island experience in our itineraries, at Great Stirrup Cay in the Berry Islands,” said Andy Stuart, NCL’s executive vice president of marketing, sales and passenger services. “We also have a long history of pioneering the development of new cruise destinations and we are pleased to be a part of establishing Grand Bahama Island as a major cruise destination.”
NCL estimates that these calls will contribute approximately $9 million directly to the economy of the Bahamas, with $4 million going directly to Grand Bahama Island. Norwegian Gem, carrying approximately 2,400 passengers, will sail seven-day Bahamas and Florida itineraries roundtrip from New York in December 2007, February, March, April and December 2008, with stops in both Grand Bahama Island and Nassau, along with NCL’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay and Port Canaveral, Florida. In 2009, the ship will sail the same itinerary from January through April.
Norwegian Jade, a Jewel-class ship built specifically for Freestyle Cruising, has three scheduled seven-day Bahamas and Florida sailings roundtrip from New York on December 14, 21 and 28, 2008 with stops in Grand Bahama Island, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, along with Port Canaveral.
NCL decided to return to Grand Bahama Island after being invited by the Ministry of Tourism to experience all the island had to offer. NCL’s development team toured the area for the new cruise port facility, visited with the dolphins at UNEXSO, enjoyed a rugged Safari Jeep Tour exploring the nature trails of Grand Bahama and took an air boat tour through the mangroves.
“The decision by Norwegian Cruise Line to return to Grand Bahama is welcome news,” said Minister Neko Grant, The Bahamas’ Minister of Tourism and Aviation. “It reaffirms NCL’s commitment to servicing the Islands of The Bahamas.”