Norwegian Cruise Line is offering personalized Web sites to agents, enabling them to deliver up-to-the-minute information to their clients about Norwegian Epic leading up to the ship's debut in summer 2010.
The sites went live on Thursday, May 21 in tandem with the on sale date for Norwegian Epic. Travel partners can now head to http://epictoolkit.ncl.com to upload their logos and create their agency's customized Norwegian Epic Web site which also will include the agency's contact information and a “book now” feature that links to the agency’s own Web site. Each custom Web site has a unique URL, therefore driving sales to the agency's own Web site, online booking engine or call center.
In addition, NCL has provided a robust set of marketing and travel partner educational tools via the line's NCL U program and the Epic Tool Kit.
"We wanted to empower our travel partners with the tools they need to build the buzz around Norwegian Epic's inaugural sailings and ultimately assist them in generating 2010 business now," said Andy Stuart, executive vice president of global sales and passenger services. "As we have promised from the beginning, Norwegian Epic is the travel partner ship and we hope the launch of these unique Web sites in conjunction with the other Epic educational tools we have initiated proves we are dedicated to making travel partners number one with NCL."
When she debuts, the Epic will feature Blue Man Group, performing in the 685-seat Epic Theater. Blue Man Group is best known for their New York and Las Vegas theatrical shows and concerts which combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics.
"Norwegian Cruise Line has spent 42 years breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising and redefining what it means to be innovative. Now, with Norwegian Epic, we are re-inventing cruise ship entertainment by offering multiple entertainment options for every taste and age," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line's chief executive officer. "Having a world-class creative organization like Blue Man Group headline the entertainment on Norwegian Epic will provide our guests with a sensory experience unlike any other at sea."
Specially designed entertainment venues on board will include the Spiegel Tent, the only "big top" at sea. In this intimate 265-seat theater-in-the-round, famed producer/director Neil Goldberg will present Cirque Dreams and Dinner. This interactive two-hour theatrical dining experience will be performed in the air, while juggling dinner courses, with music, mayhem and acrobatic imagination.
The 280-seat Headliners Comedy Club will feature the improvisational comedy of The Second City, as NCL continues its exclusive partnership with the famed troupe. For nearly 50 years, The Second City has honed the skills of comedic legends such as Bill Murray, Chris Farley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Gilda Radner and John Belushi. The ensemble will perform a special customized comedy revue of satirical skits, songs and inventive improvisation in a show lounge format with a small raised stage, concrete floors and brick walls with a full bar.
Fat Cats is a 200-seat jazz club featuring nightly live blues and jazz performances by world-class talent. It will feature a full bar, as well as comfortable leather sofas and chairs.
The 4,200-passenger Norwegian Epic will offer several new types of accommodations, including the curved New Wave staterooms; the largest ship-within-a-ship suite complex at sea, comprising 60 suites and villas on two private decks at the top of the ship; a new category of inside staterooms for the value-conscious traveler, The Studios and Living Room; and spa and family-friendly accommodations.
A special online video presentation of all Norwegian Epic's entertainment offerings is available for viewing on demand at http://epic.ncl.com/the-latest/webcasts and features renderings and video clips.
Norwegian Epic's 2010 inaugural sailings start at $699 per person, with alternating eastern and Western Caribbean cruises starting July 17, 2010. The ship's alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries are available through April 2011, with eastern ports of call including Philipsburg, St. Marten; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and Nassau, the Bahamas. The Western Caribbean itinerary includes calls in Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico.
www.epic.ncl.com
