Norwegian Cruise Line has inked a deal with PortMiami to base Norwegian Escape as its another new ship in Miami on a year-round basis, the Miami Herald reports.
"According to a resolution approved Tuesday by Miami-Dade County Commissioners, the port will pay the Miami-based cruise line $3 million for marketing costs before the 4,200-passenger vessel arrives in the fall of 2015. Half of the money will be paid by the end of 2013, with the other half due by Nov. 15, 2014," the paper said on its website.
Norwegian Cruise Line is keeping mum on its plans, saying only "We don’t comment on future deployment," but the agreement says the company will hold the ship's naming ceremony at the port and will base the vessel there for at least three years. Norwegian Escape is scheduled to be delivered in fall of 2015," the report said.
Norwegian Escape is the first of two Breakaway Plus vessels Norwegian has on order at the Meyer Werft in Germany. The 163,000 gross ton ship was ordered in October 2012 and is due for delivery in October 2015. However, the line will base its 146,000 gross ton Norwegian Getaway, the second unit of the Breakaway class from the same German builder, to Miami on a year round basis from February.
The Caribbean is starting to attract more ships on a year round basis as MSC Cruises, the Geneva based company, recently introduced the 139,400 gross ton MSC Divina and Princess Cruises, which is part of Carnival Corp & plc group, will bring the aptly named Caribbean Princess of 115,000 gross tons to be based in Florida year round.
You can read more about these developments by clicking www.cruisebusiness.com and scrolling down to article "Summer Caribbean Heats Up" in the Cruise Business 3/2013 section.
