Carnival Horizon Christened in New York

The Carnival Horizon was named by godmother Queen Latifah in a ceremony in New York on Wednesday evening that also showcased the talented young artists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital whose artwork adorns the Dreamscape, a stunning three-deck-high LED sculpture in the ship’s atrium.

“Carnival Horizon’s naming ceremony was one of our best yet, with Queen Latifah carrying out her duties as godmother then battling it out with Super Bowl champion Jake Elliott of my hometown Philadelphia Eagles in an entertaining Lip Sync Battle,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We were also delighted to showcase the wonderfully talented children from St. Jude whose artwork on the Dreamscape will be forever associated with this spectacular ship."

Added Latifah, “My time aboard Carnival Horizon was nothing short of incredible. In addition to having the honour of serving as the ship’s godmother, meeting the amazing kids from St. Jude and their families and squaring off against Jake in an all-out Lip Sync Battle is certainly something I will always cherish.”

Following the ceremony, Latifah squared off against Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl champion Jake Elliott in Lip Sync Battle: Horizon modelled after the hit Paramount Network TV series and rolling out across the Carnival fleet.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital received a $100,000 donation from Carnival representing monies raised from various fundraisers, both onboard and ashore. The funds continue the line’s ongoing support of St. Jude with more than $16 million raised in the fight against childhood cancer since the partnership began in 2010.

“This is an absolute thrill for our patients and their families to have their artwork featured as a permanent display on this magnificent ship,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. “The ongoing support of Carnival team members and their customers around the globe for our lifesaving mission plays a critical role in advancing research and treatment for pediatric cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”

Norwegian Getaway christened in 'muy caliente' Miami style

Norwegian Getaway christened in 'muy caliente' Miami style

The godmothers - Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders

In the kind of party that only Miami can throw—women in red polka-dot swimsuits swinging from hoops, sizzling Latin dancers in black boots, Tito Puente Jr. firing up the crowd and eye-candy godmothers the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders—Norwegian Getaway was christened Friday in the late afternoon sunshine.

Latin Grammy artist and Miami native son Pitbull got naming ceremony guests on the upper deck dancing, their arms pumping in the air, in a finale of smoke, fireworks and confetti that stole the show.

'She's Miami's ultimate ship,' Norwegian Cruise Line ceo Kevin Sheehan told the crowd, even tossing in a few Spanish words— 'Muy caliente!' (Hot!)—to describe a special Burn the Floor show that's part of the entertainment customized for Norwegian Getaway's Miami deployment.

Norwegian Cruise Line, which started modern weekly Caribbean cruising from Miami with the Sunward in 1966, is glad to be back with a year-round seven-day ship after a decade of seasonal seven-day sailings, Sheehan said.

Norwegian Getaway's hull is splashed out with a bright mermaid by Miami artist David 'LEBO' Le Batard, mojitos are the signature drink and a number of the 28 dining spots and bars have outdoor seating on the open-air Waterfront, perfect for Caribbean cruising.

Le Batard was present, along with celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian who has three seafood restaurants on board, and 'Cake Boss' Buddy Valastro, whose 'Carlo's Bakery' is featured in the atrium cafe.

Norwegian Getaway arrived in Miami after inaugural festivities in Europe and a Super Bowl showcase as the Bud Light Hotel in New York.

'The ship is finally home,' said Capt. Rune Myre, who praised its construction by 'the German geniuses' at Meyer Werft.

'We feel the soul of the ship,' the captain said, adding that he and the 1,600 crew 'hope passengers coming on board will feel what we feel and be part of the Norwegian family ... This is the ship everyone talks about and everyone wants to work on.'

Waiters circulated with bottles to spritz the crowd in the balmy Miami afternoon. Brooke Burke-Charvet, co-host of 'Dancing with the Stars' (and the godmother of Norwegian Sun in 2001) served as the master of ceremonies.

The audience included Bernard Meyer and Thomas Wiegand of Meyer Werft; Norwegian Cruise Holdings board members Adam Aron, Walter Revell and new director Robert Salerno (Avis Budget Group); PortMiami director designee Juan Kuryla and Miami-Dade commissioner Rebecca Sosa, who delivered an official proclamation of Feb. 7, 2014, as 'Norwegian Getaway Day in Miami-Dade County.'

Also on hand were the leaders of many top retail groups, among them, Cruise Planners' Michelle Fee, Avoya Travel's Van Anderson and WMPH Vacations' Uf Tukel.

Norwegian Cruise Line has no plans for brand expansion

By Tom Stieghorst

FORT LAUDERDALE — Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings will stick with its core competencies and not acquire or start brands other than its flagship Norwegian brand, CEO Kevin Sheehan said at the CruiseWorld event on Friday.

Sheehan said he looked at several acquisitions after he came to Norwegian in 2008 but decided against them.

“I don’t want to create distractions for our team,” Sheehan said. “We have so many opportunities with our brand.”

In addition, Sheehan told travel agents that Norwegian is a variety of brands under one name. The Haven ship-within-a-ship luxury areas on Norwegian ships function as a luxury line, he said.
He also cited a focus on solo cabins, family programs with Nickelodeon and the Pride of America ship in Hawaii as other brand-like experiences within Norwegian Cruise Line.

Sheehan said he is working hard to keep Norwegian focused on its own long-term future and goals, now that the company has become publicly traded. He said he would have preferred to go public later, but the private-equity owners needed some “affirmation” for their investors.

“I have always said to our investors, I know you are watching the next quarter, but I’m watching the next five years,” Sheehan said.

The next big event on Norwegian’s horizon is the arrival of Norwegian Getaway, which will sail from Miami year-round. Norwegian last had a ship sail seven-day cruises year-round from Miami 10 years ago.

Sheehan said he has tried to keep Norwegian’s ships consistently positioned to provide stability for travel agents, and that a limited number of ships left Miami as a seasonal market, until now.

Getaway is in the final stages of construction and is expected to arrive in New York in early February for a week’s duty as the Bud Light Hotel at the Super Bowl before coming to Miami for its maiden voyage.

Sheehan pointed out that Norwegian started the modern cruise industry in Miami 45 years ago.

“It’s just getting back to where we should have been all along,” he said.

Sheehan was the third cruise CEO to address CruiseWorld attendees, following talks by Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. CEO Richard Fain.

Norwegian Getaway to be Bud Light Hotel at Super Bowl

By Tom Stieghorst

The entity that has chartered the Norwegian Getaway during Super Bowl XLVI in February is Anheuser-Busch InBev, the beer giant, which will convert it into the Bud Light Hotel during the week leading up to the game.

"We are honored and proud that one of our world-class ships will be the center of Bud Light's Super Bowl event," said Norwegian spokeswoman AnneMarie Mathews.

Norwegian pushed back the inaugural sailing of the Getaway from Miami to accommodate the charter. The Super Bowl is being played in the New York area for the first time on Feb. 2.

Anheuser-Busch has created a Bud Light Hotel at four previous Super Bowls by buying a hotel's entire inventory for the week. It redecorates the hotel with Bud Light logos, colors and souvenir items and creates temporary installations. Big-name entertainers such as Flo Rida and Stevie Wonder gave performances at the hotel during the most recent Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Guests will be VIPs invited by Budweiser. It is the first time a cruise ship has been designated as the Bud Light Hotel. 

Cruise Ships Hired as Hotels- Could this past event be the reason for the Getaway Charter?

Cruise Ships Hired as Hotels

Norwegian Getaway chartered, inaugural cruise canceled

The Jacksonville Host Committee chose Landry & Kling to source cruise ship charters for Super Bowl 2005 because the city’s inventory of nearby hotel rooms fell short of NFL requirements. (6,000 people)

Ship selection was a complex process due to environmental and technical requirements, physical impediments for ships approaching the berthing points, unbundling of meal pricing and other modifications of ship service. Most challenging: however—how would Jacksonville accommodate 5 ships with only 1 passenger terminal?

“Using Five Cruise Ships as Super Bowl Hotels”

By Brendan M. Lynch, Meetings and Conventions Magazine

EVENT: The National Football League’s Super Bowl XXXIX, the New England Patriots vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, Feb. 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.

PLANNER: Joyce Landry, president and CEO of Landry & Kling, Meetings at Sea, a Miami-based company specializing in planning business events on cruise ships. Landry has worked as a planner since co-founding the company in 1982.

CHALLENGE: Because Jacksonville was the smallest municipality ever to bid for the Super Bowl, the pitch for the mega-event hinged upon the idea of using cruise ships on the city’s St. Johns River to supplement the local hotel room inventory. “The host committee wanted to have the ships operate like floating hotels, so corporate sponsors could move ship to ship and have freedom and flexibility,” says Landry. “Also, they wanted to allow the general public and sponsors from other hotels to come on board and use the ships as a venue.

Once Jacksonville won the chance to host the big game, it was up to Landry & Kling to attend to all the details of arranging for the ships.

SOLUTION: First, Landry had to determine what size cruise ships could be accommodated on the river. “We had so many bridges and overhead electric wires, we had to limit the height of the boats. Then we had to make sure they fit the depth and length of the docking facility,” she says.

It took a full year to identify and contract five appropriate vessels: Three ships came from Holland America Line, and one each from Carnival and Radisson Seven Seas. Together, the ships offered 3,667 deluxe and luxury rooms, 35 bars, 25 entertainment venues, 15 restaurants and five spas. More than 50 corporate sponsors of the game held 60-plus events, all coordinated through Landry & Kling.

“You can imagine that, in this new world, there was a multilevel approach to security,” says Landry. “We had to satisfy federal and state agencies, plus the Coast Guard and the Jacksonville sheriff’s office.”

Another challenge: to make sure the cruise ships would have no negative environmental impact. The vessels were hooked up to city utilities for water and electricity, so there were zero emissions.

In the end, the creative plan worked well. “People see the teamwork that takes place on the field and often miss the teamwork that is off the field,” Landry says. “It’s invisible. That’s what we’re proudest of — the ability to pull it off seamlessly.”

Norwegian Getaway chartered, inaugural cruise canceled

By Tom Stieghorst

The unfinished Norwegian Getaway has been chartered by a private company during the week leading up to the 2014 Super Bowl, and will make a transatlantic voyage in January to New York City instead of Miami, Norwegian Cruise Line said.

As a result, a previously scheduled inaugural cruise on Feb. 1 from Miami has been canceled.

The Getaway is being completed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. It is scheduled to sail year-round from Miami after it is delivered in January.

Norwegian confirmed that its initial 16-day transatlantic cruise from Rotterdam to Miami, beginning Jan. 16, is now a 10-day cruise from Southampton, England, to New York.

The first Eastern Caribbean sailing has been pushed back to Feb. 8.

On Feb. 2, the National Football League is scheduled to play its Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., the first such game to be played outdoors in a cold-weather destination.

Norwegian said the charter extends from Jan. 29 to Feb. 5.

In confirming the new itineraries for the Getaway, Norwegian did not link the private charter to the Super Bowl.