By
Michele Witthaus |
The first ship in the Breakaway class made its UK debut on 29 April after leaving Meyer Werft yard in Germany via Rotterdam.
Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan told cruise industry guests at the event: “I am a New York City kid and this is a New York ship. I said: Let’s do something fun, not just for the kids but for all of us.” He expressed his pride at the ship’s new design concept, which provides every one of the dining areas on board with outdoor seating, adding: “I had a call from Micky Arison of Carnival Corporation. He said: ‘Kevin, that was a pretty smart thing to do’. That’s quite a cool thing to hear from a competitor.”
Sheehan said the company would shortly be announcing 19 consecutive quarters of improved earnings on a year over year basis.
Breakaway brings the Norwegian fleet to 12 ships, comprising 30,470 berths. The 4,000-passenger vessel is served by 1,700 crew members. The ship boasts several other ‘firsts’ at sea: the largest aqua park, the first ropes course, and a novel ‘walk the plank’ experience. It is the largest ship ever to homeport year-round in New York.
Sheehan also previewed some features of Norwegian Getaway, which will be delivered in January 2014 and will have many of the same features as Breakaway.