Norwegian Epic arrived in Port Canaveral, Florida on Saturday to begin a new deployment sailing Caribbean cruises.
The large 185,870 gross ton vessel departed Barcelona, Spain on October 30 and sailed a 14-day transatlantic cruise. The ship had spent a year sailing Mediterranean itineraries out of Barcelona and has become of the NCL’s main ships in the region. While Norwegian Epic was in Europe it also received a multi-million dollar refurbishment which is part of the cruise lines “Norwegian Next” program.
Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line, said:
“We saw great success in Port Canaveral when we returned to the port last year with Norwegian Spirit, so we felt it made sense to take our commitment to the next level by bringing Norwegian Epic, one of our largest and most awarded ships, to sail from the greater Orlando area.”
“Norwegian Epic revolutionized the cruise industry when she debuted in 2010 and she arrives today in Port Canaveral a nearly new ship, having undergone extensive renovations through the Norwegian Edge program, and will offer a variety of itineraries varying in length and ports of call. We think this will be a recipe for success and we look forward to having her in Port Canaveral in 2017 and 2018.”
Norwegian Epic is the largest NCL ship to ever home port in Port Canaveral and will offer guests 3-day, 4-day, 5-day and 6-day itineraries to the Caribbean. The ships 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise will include calls in Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. A weekly Western Caribbean cruise will call at Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.
Norwegian Epic will offer guests who may not have the time to get away for a week-long vacation the perfect opportunity for a quick escape in January and March 2017 with three- and four-day Bahamas itineraries with stops in Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay.
John Murray, chief executive officer of Port Canaveral, said:
“Port Canaveral is the proud new homeport for Norwegian Epic and our goal is to provide excellent customer service for our cruise guests, which is what Norwegian Cruise Line has come to expect of us.”
Norwegian Epic Is offering two special festive cruises with a Christmas cruise departing its home port on December 23 and a New years cruise departing December 30, 2016. Guests can also enjoy the cruise lines new Broadway shows called Burn the Floor and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
The vessel can carry over 4,200 passengers at double occupancy and is the only ships of its class.
