NORWEGIAN Cruise Line’s (NCL) recently renovated Norwegian Joy still has availability on its inaugural Alaska season, which begins on 04 May.
With Joy joining sister-ship Norwegian Bliss in Alaska, the cruise line has effectively doubled its beds in the region.
Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings (NCLH) Senior Vice President and Managing Director Asia Pacific Steve Odell told Travel Daily that NCL sees Australians as an important market for Alaska, which he believes will appeal to families looking for soft adventure experiences.
“Because we have these big new ships in Alaska, which are more family orientated, we see a big potential for growth from Australians.
“The challenge of Alaska last year was that Bliss was so successful in its launch that there wasn’t any space,” he said.
“Now having two ships here and getting into a third season there’s a lot of opportunity.
“There was a lot of noise created about having this kind of ship in the Alaska market so I think that’s our big growth opportunity,” he added.
Joy was purpose-built for the Chinese market but underwent a US$50 million renovation to make her almost identical to Bliss.
Changes from the Chinese version of the ship include replacing the carpet throughout the vessel, and the addition of 13 new dining, bar and lounge venues, which were facilitated by the removal of some of the casino and retail spaces onboard.
Joy’s speedway track was also widened in areas to allow more opportunities for overtaking and the pool deck was updated, adding extra pools and removing the outdoor garden which was predominantly used for tai chi.
Source: traveldaily