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Wednesday, November 07, 2007

NCL Boosts Bahamas Cruises

In a big boon to the Bahamas, Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that it will return to Grand Bahama Island's Freeport next month for its first-ever regular season of calls. NCL has also added 32 calls to the cruise region on the whole between 2007 and 2009, 28 of which will be made by its latest new-build, Norwegian Gem, sailing roundtrip from New York.

Though NCL has called on Freeport as recently as last year -- November 2006 with Norwegian Dawn to be exact -- Carnival and Royal Caribbean are the only lines currently visiting regularly. Nassau is a cornerstone for numerous short cruises, most hailing from South Florida ports, on lines ranging from Disney to Imperial Majesty.

Freeport, on Grand Bahama Island, has for years taken a backseat to the more trafficked Nassau on New Providence Island -- and by and large, the isles of the Bahamas have not been front and center on itineraries for cruising's more glamorous new ships. But NCL's announcement shows the tide beginning to turn.

Norwegian Gem will sail seven-day Bahamas and Florida itineraries roundtrip from New York in December 2007, and February, March, April and December 2008, with stops in both Freeport and Nassau as well as Port Canaveral and NCL's private island, Great Stirrup Cay. In 2009, the ship will sail the same itinerary from January through April.

Aside from Norwegian Gem, two additional NCL ships will serve the Bahamas. Norwegian Jewel will make the first stop in Grand Bahama's Freeport during a three-day Bahamas Getaway cruise on November 15, 2007, sailing roundtrip from Miami (it also calls at Nassau). And Norwegian Jade (currently sailing in Hawaii as Pride of Hawaii) is scheduled to sail three seven-day Bahamas and Florida sailings roundtrip from New York on December 14, 21 and 28, 2008 with stops in Freeport, Nassau, Great Stirrup Cay and Port Canaveral.

In a sense, NCL's increased presence in Bermuda brings to mind an historic footnote: The line was one of the first major cruise lines to call on the Bahamas in the first place, according to a statement from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. And another? NCL was the industry pioneer in acquiring a uninhabited Bahamian island -- and opening Great Stirrup Cay, the first-ever private island.

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