2023 was an exciting year for Norwegian Cruise Line. With the debut of new itineraries and a new ship, Norwegian has seen many updates over the last twelve months.
With the 2023 year coming to an end, we are looking forward to the future. What does 2024 have in store for Norwegian Cruise Line?
Here's how the next year will shape this major player in the cruise line industry.
Itineraries
One of the ways Norwegian Cruise Line sets itself apart from the rest of the cruise industry is their wide range of itineraries. From 14-night port-intensive sailings to quick weekend cruises, Norwegian has an itinerary to fit nearly every desire and need for prospective guests.
With the introduction of newer ships in the last few years, such as Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Prima, and now Norwegian Viva, it means that the cruise line is even more capable of delivering a great itinerary selection to guests.
I have been able to sail with Norwegian Cruise Line in the Caribbean, as well as in Europe, and both types of itineraries have been awesome. I appreciate that Norwegian offers affordable sailings to these destinations, as well as frequently runs discounts on travel essentials and add-ons, such as airfare, drink packages, and more.
In 2024, Norwegian Cruise Line will be conducting cruise sailings to destinations such as Alaska, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mediterranean, Bermuda, Northern Europe, Transatlantic sailings, the Panama Canal, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand, Africa, Mexico, South Pacific, Canada and New England, Greek Isles, and Pacific Coastal region.
With all of these offerings, Norwegian Cruise Line covers and sails to nearly every region of the world! There's so much for guests to choose from for their next cruise vacation. Additionally, some ships will be changing their sailing routes.
For example, Norwegian Spirit, Norwegian Cruise Line’s oldest ship will be changing its course somewhat for the 2024 year. Usually, Norwegian Spirit can be seen sailing to and around Alaska. In the summer of 2024, Norwegian Spirit will make its way over to Japan, where it will be conducting Asian cruise itineraries for the remainder of the season.
My recommendation for those considering a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line in 2024 is to keep an eye on sailings. Quite often, Norwegian will change the price on particular cruise sailings the closer it gets to the embarkation day.
Additionally, popular itineraries may fill up quickly, because of this it can be important to book a cruise sooner rather than later if you are planning on traveling during the holidays or want to cruise on a popular itinerary on a newer ship.
Read: What is it like to travel with Norwegian Cruise Line to Europe?
Ship updates
With the recent debut of Norwegian Prima in 2022 and Norwegian Viva in 2023, Norwegian Cruise Line has shown they are more than capable of releasing new ships frequently.
This trend is set to continue with the announcement of Norwegian Cruise Line’s next vessel, Norwegian Aqua, in 2025. Norwegian Aqua will be the first ship in Norwegian’s newest rendition of the Norwegian Prima Plus Class.
Onboard, guests will find expansive outdoor spaces to relax, as well as the first-of-its-kind Aqua Slidecoaster and LED sports court engineered specifically for immersive play. At 1,056 feet long and 156,300 gross registered tons, she will be larger than her two predecessors, too.
Throughout the course of 2024, there are sure to be many more updates released about this new and exciting Norwegian Cruise Line vessel!
Norwegian Viva is the newest ship in the fleet, and it's quite impressive, offering much for passengers to explore onboard. It was exciting to see the latest and greatest that Norwegian Cruise Line has to offer to the cruise industry.
Looking into the future
(Artist concept art for the brand-new Norwegian Aqua)
Norwegian has a bright future ahead as it sails into the new year. In November, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings reported a strong third quarter 2023 financial report.
“We achieved strong third-quarter results, meeting or beating guidance on all key metrics, driven not only by healthy demand from our target upmarket consumer but also as our ongoing margin enhancement initiative, including relentless efforts to rightsize our cost base, continues to bear fruit,” said Harry Sommer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
Additionally, the company reports successful trends as the cruise line heads into 2024: “The Company continues to experience healthy consumer demand with the cumulative booked position for the fourth quarter of 2023 ahead of 2019 levels at continued higher pricing."
"On a 12-month forward basis, the Company also continues to be within its optimal booked position and at higher pricing. Onboard revenue generation remains robust with broad-based strength across all revenue streams. As of September 30, 2023, the Company’s advance ticket sales balance, including the long-term portion, was $3.1 billion, approximately 59% higher than the third quarter of 2019,” states Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings."
These statistics and financial facts are encouraging for the cruise line as it begins a new year.
New stateroom categories and solo cruiser opportunities
This past year, I was able to test out the solo cruiser experience onboard Norwegian Encore. Norwegian Cruise Line does an excellent job of providing accommodations and exclusive offerings for guests traveling solo. In addition to exclusive cabins for one, Studio Stateroom guests have access to the exclusive Studio Lounge, in which they can enjoy a complimentary specialty coffee.
They are one of the only cruise lines that offers solo cruise cabins, which they call Studio Staterooms, on nearly every ship. In fact, they plan on expanding on their revolutionary Studio Staterooms in 2024. Instead of just interior rooms, they'll begin offering solo inside, ocean view, and balcony rooms. You'll soon be able to find a solo cabin onboard every NCL vessel, as they plan on adding about 1,000 solo rooms to their fleet.
Read: What is it really like to cruise solo with Norwegian Cruise Line?
In addition to adding new Studio Staterooms onboard every ship, the cruise line will also be making updates to its pricing for solo travelers. It will now be more affordable for solo cruisers to book a standard interior stateroom, and they will not be forced to pay any double occupancy fees. These updates are set to be in place by April 2024.
I greatly enjoyed my experience onboard Norwegian Encore in the Studio Stateroom, and I am excited to see how Norwegian Cruise Line expands on their solo traveler experience in 2024!
Read: In-depth look at the Studio Stateroom onboard the Norwegian Encore
If you've never sailed with Norwegian, there's no better time than the present!
Norwegian Cruise Line is sure to make even more headlines in the new year with the progress and debut of a new ship along with a new ship class, and we are looking forward to seeing what innovation this brings to the cruise line industry.
Read: 60 Best Norwegian Cruise Line Tips, Tricks & Hacks (2024)
Hayley Phillips
Hayley Phillips is a military spouse currently living in Florida and loves all things travel and travel planning.
