Norwegian Cruise Line announced the order of two new 4,000-berth ships to debut in the spring of 2013 and 2014. Slightly smaller than the recent 4,100-passenger Norwegian Epic, the ships will represent a new class for the line. The solo studios have been a great success and will be carried over, but it seems unlikely that the company will continue the controversial New Wave stateroom design, and the ship rendering indicated a different profile from Epic’s abrupt cutoff at the stern. The newbuilds are expected to increase the attraction of NCL when it makes a public offer sometime in the near future.
A good sign for other potential orders: UBS analyst Robin Farley noted that, in the current climate of diminished newbuild orders, NCL was able to negotiate a 12 percent lower cost per berth from Epic’s cost with Meyer Werft, which had partnered with the company for a series of pre-Epic vessels.
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