NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE GETS $1BN CASH INJECTION

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced fleet-wide upgrades following a $1 billion cash injection from private equity group Apollo Management.

Improvements will be made to dining, cabins and activities by summer 2008. The announcement was made at the christening of Norwegian Gem in New York City at the end of last year.


An extra $50 million (£25.5 million) will be spent on food and restaurant amenities in the next two years, which equates to an increase of 20% per passenger per day. Most of this will be spent on refitting the ships with Action Station restaurants, replacing traditional buffets with multiple points of service that aim to dispense with trays and queues.


Guests will be greeted with champagne on arrival whatever their cabin grade and there will be signature dishes at each restaurant. Room service will be available from all restaurant menus and reservation technology will be improved.


Among planned enhancements to the cabins, amenities, mattresses and towels will be upgraded balcony cabins and mini-suites will receive a 24-hour telephone concierge service and priority embarkation while suites and villas are to have concierge and butler service, in-room welcome champagne, a private breakfast and lunch area and outdoor butlers in the courtyard villas.


NCL president and chief executive Colin Veitch said Freestyle 2.0 had been driven by agent feedback.


"We don't want to rest on our laurels - we have achieved the milestone of offering the youngest fleet in the cruise industry and will now focus our attention on delivering the next generation of Freestyle Cruising - a significant enhancement to the guest experience across the fleet."


Many Freestyle 2.0 features are in place on Norwegian Gem, which sailed its inaugural US cruise this week. Soft refits will be rolled out across the fleet this summer and the Action Station restaurants will be fitted as each ship goes into dry dock.


Apollo Management will own 50% of NCL under the terms of the agreement, announced in August. Veitch said the $1 billion (£510 million) will be used to reduce debt and to help pay for the ships on order for 2010.

Emily Bamber in New York

NCL'S NEW "IT" GIRL MAKES HER GLAMOROUS DEBUT

She's hot, she's hip, she's the ultimate trip – Norwegian Cruise Line's (NCL) new "It" Girl of Freestyle Cruising® is here.

On Friday, 5 October NCL's latest ship, Norwegian Gem, made her debut in Dover and just like any "It" Girl, she wowed everyone who saw her. The inaugural event on Friday evening attracted celebrities like Ruby Wax, a bevy of paparazzi and travel professionals from around the UK to a Gem of a Night on-board celebration, culminating in a Fireworks Fantasia on Dover's Promenade.

The Jewel-class ship offers 15 decks of fun, including opulent suites and Villas, a four-lane ten-pin bowling alley, rock climbing wall, high-energy Broadway-style shows and the sheer indulgence of the South Pacific Spa and Beauty Salon. This "It" Girl has it all and with around one crew member for every stateroom, service is everything an A-lister would expect. She even has her own "HerSpace" page at www.gemitgirl.co.uk where you can win great prizes such as £50 of Harvey Nichols vouchers or a Nintendo Wii™ every week until the end of December 2007. And if you would like to get aboard this fantastic Gem of a ship then you could also win a 7-night Mediterranean cruise to experience for yourself all that she has to offer.

Norwegian Gem is fantastic but don't just take our word for it, check out her video right here and see for yourself.

Like any "It" girl, Norwegian Gem will be good at selling herself but to help her along we have created a selection of photographs for you to use on your website.

After spending the winter in the Caribbean, Norwegian Gem will reposition in Europe in April 2008 where she will pick up her series of 28 seven day Western Mediterranean itineraries roundtrip from Barcelona.

If you were at the festivities of the inaugural in Dover then thanks for coming and we hope you had a great time; if not then please enjoy her webpage, video and photographs and you never know you could be the lucky winner of that cruise aboard Norwegian Gem.

If you would like help marketing any of NCL's itineraries both for print and web then please visit our trade partners website at www.ncl.co.uk/agents/index.htm, password: freestyle, username: cruising.

Special Jetline Cruise offer: 13 Night fly cruise package to the Caribbean from New York on the Norwegian Gem from only £799pp. Book now for 14th January 2008 or 4th February 2008.