Norwegian Cruise Line operates 17 ships and they have six new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2022 and 2027. They are operated under their parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH). Norwegian Cruise Line hires an international crew with recruitment partners in many parts of the world.
Facts About Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line appeals to mainly North American passengers and families. Their main marketing slogan is “Freestyle Cruising”. They offer youth programming with three separate categories, Guppies (6 months to under 3 years old), Splash Academy (3 to 12 years old), and Entourage (13 to 17 years old).
Their itineraries include Alaska, Asia, Bermuda, Caribbean, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, and South America. Their Pride of America cruise ship is their only US-flagged vessel, sailing exclusively in Hawaii.
In June 2017, parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, announced it would build a new generation of ships for its Norwegian Cruise Line brand. Ships would be delivered in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027. This new class of ship is 140,000 tons and carries 3,300 passengers.
Norwegian Cruise Line History
Norwegian commenced operations in 1966 with one ship (MS Sunward) under the name, Norwegian Caribbean Line. It was joint venture between Knut Kloster and Ted Arison, offering low cost Caribbean cruises. In 1972, Ted Arison left to form Carnival Cruise Line and Kloster continued to grow Norwegian.
Norwegian neared bankruptcy in the mid-1990s, avoided being taken over by Carnival, and ended up being fully acquired by Star Cruises (Genting Hong Kong) in 2000. In 2008, Genting sold 50% of Norwegian to the Apollo Group. Also, during that period, Apollo had acquired Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and created Prestige Cruise Holdings to hold its cruise investments.
In 2011, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) was formed and in 2013 the company went public and went through a restructuring. In 2014, NCLH acquired Prestige Cruise Holdings from Apollo Global Management. This meant that NCLH was now the parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, too.
During 2014, Norwegian Cruise Line opened a 45,000-square foot rehearsal facility, Norwegian Creative Studios, in Tampa, Florida. Norwegian Creative Studios produces the production shows for Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. They also hold auditions for singers and dancers as well as recruit technical crew. 2014 was also the year that Norwegian Cruise Line extended their agreement with Steiner Leisure to be the exclusive provider of its shipboard spas, salons and fitness services through 2022.
In 2016, the ownership percentages of NCLH’s ordinary shares were Apollo Holders 15.9% and Genting Hong Kong 11.2%. But in November 2018, Apollo and Genting HK sold back its remaining shares to NCLH.
In January 2016, Norwegian announced that it would spend $400 million over the next two years upgrading many of its ships in a program called Norwegian Edge. In November 2016, Norwegian opened their new 75-acre cruise destination in Belize, called Harvest Caye. Additionally, Norwegian has owned a private island (Great Stirrup Cay) in the Bahamas since 1977. It emerged from a multi-million-dollar renovation in the Summer 2017.
In July 2020, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group created the Healthy Sail Panel task force to try to find comprehensive solutions to keep ship passengers and crew safe from the coronavirus. In September 2020, they submitted a report to the CDC that contains 74 recommendations to prevent the introduction and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on cruise ships, including testing, face coverings and temperature checks.
In August 2021, Norwegian Cruise Line announce it will expand its partnership to offer Starbucks Coffee across its fleet as well as its private island destinations by the end of 2022.
How to Apply for Cruise Ship Jobs
To apply for jobs with Norwegian Cruise Line, visit their employment pages and view current shipboard positions available. On the “Shipboard Employment” page, create an account and you’ll be able to stay on top of the latest job opportunities with Norwegian Cruise Line.
Additionally, Norwegian Cruise Line has recruiting agents throughout the world. If you are from one of the countries that they list on their website, submit your resume directly to the NCL International Hiring Partner in your country of residence.
For entertainment jobs in the production shows, including dancers, singers, and technical positions, visit their Norwegian Creative Studios website.
Cruise Line Website: Norwegian Cruise Line Employment Pages: Shipboard Employment How to Apply: Hiring Partners Cruise Jobs (Entertainment): Creative Studios Cruise Jobs (Spa): Steiner Leisure
Updated: November 11, 2021