Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is an American cruise line founded in Norway[4] in 1966, headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and incorporated in the Bahamas.[5] It is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling about 8.6% of the total worldwide share of the cruise market by passengers as of 2021.[6] It is wholly owned by parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
History
The cruise line was founded in 1966 by Norwegian Knut Kloster and Israeli Ted Arison, with the 8,666-ton, 140 m long cruise ship/car ferry, MS Sunward (1966),[7] which in 1966 operated as a car ferry between Southampton UK and Gibraltar, for that one short season only. The Sunward was first managed under the Arison Shipping Company, and marketed as Ensign Cruises. Arison soon left to form Carnival Cruise Lines, while Kloster acquired additional ships for Caribbean service, with the line renamed and marketed as Norwegian Caribbean Lines.
Norwegian Caribbean Lines
Norwegian pioneered many firsts in the cruise industry, such as the first exclusive private island, Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas; the first combined air-sea program (marketed as "Cloud 9 Cruises"), which combined low-cost air fares with the cruise; Freestyle Cruising, which is a form of relaxed and informal cruising; and first shipline to develop new ports in the Caribbean, such as Ocho Rios in Jamaica.
First new builds
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)'s second and third ship, MS Starward and Skyward, were the first newly built ships designed for the cruise line.[8] Like the original Sunward of 1966, they had the capability to carry automobiles through a well-concealed stern door. Later, this area was turned into cabins and a two-deck movie theater, later to be used as a casino. NCL was responsible for many of the cruise innovations that have now become standard throughout the industry.
NCL would order two additional ships, that would be their first true cruise ships without any car carrying capacity. This would be the Southward in 1971, and an intended identical sister, Seaward, that would never be delivered to the line, and would be completed for P&O Cruises instead.[8]
Private islands
Norwegian owns two private islands in the Caribbean: Harvest Caye in Belize and Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.[66]
Subsidiary Cruise Lines
Norwegian Cruise Line subsidiary lines over the years:
- Royal Viking Line (1984–1994)[67]
- Royal Cruise Line (1989–1996)[14]
- Norwegian Capricorn Line (1997–2001)[13]
- Orient Lines (1998–2008)[68]
- NCL America (2004–2008)
- Oceania Cruises
Fleet
As of March 2026, Norwegian Cruise Line operates 21 cruise ships, with seven on order. It has also previously owned or operated 19 other ships. All its ships are flagged to the Bahamas, except for Pride of America, which operates cruises within the United States and is flagged and registered in the US, as well as being owned by a US-registered subsidiary, NCL America.
Current fleet
Future fleet
Former fleet
Ships which never entered service for NCL
Ships which NCL had options on using but never took up for various reasons.
External links
References
- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Appoints John W. Chidsey as President and Chief Executive Officer Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH), 2026, retrieved February 16, 2026^
- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Appoints Marc Kazlauskas As President Of Norwegian Cruise Line NCL Newsroom, retrieved 16 February 2026^
- Norwegian Cruise Line revenue