Norwegian Breakaway, the largest ship ever constructed in Germany, was floated out of Meyer Werft’s covered building dock II this morning in Papenburg, Germany where the 146,600-ton ship has been under construction since September 2011. Beginning at approximately 7 am (Germany time), the massive 4,000 passenger ship with her signature hull artwork designed by pop icon Peter Max, departed building dock II as the first ship to depart bow first.

Norwegian Breakaway has an overall length of 324 meters, and is 39.70 meters wide. The ship’s float out represents a major milestone in the vessel’s construction as it denotes that the ship has now moved into the final phase of construction with delivery taking place in just 58 days.

“Norwegian Breakaway represents a significant achievement both for MEYER WERFT and Norwegian Cruise Line in terms of innovation and design,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Chief Executive Officer. “Celebrating her float out today brings us closer to her much-anticipated delivery on April 25 when she will make her debut in Europe before arriving in her homeport of New York City on May 7. We can’t wait.”

“This new vessel is a further milestone for us. Its construction complies with the latest safety standards, and the ship meets all valid environmental regulations. Beyond that Norwegian Breakaway includes a lot of unique design elements and technical innovations,” said Bernard Meyer, Managing Partner of MEYER WERFT.

Following the float out, tests were carried out in the harbor and the ship was berthed alongside the yard’s outfitting pier. On March 4, the first crew members will move into their staterooms on board, and begin to familiarize themselves with the ship, readying her for guests. Norwegian Breakaway’s conveyance down the river Ems towards the North Sea, where she will prove her seaworthiness, is scheduled for March 10 (weather permitting).

Reported by © www.expertcruiser.com - Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that Master Baker Buddy Valastro, star of the popular TLC television series “Cake Boss” and “Next Great Baker,” will open an extension of his family business, Carlo’s Bake Shop, on the new Norwegian Breakaway, coming to New York City in May 2013.

Featuring all of the delicious treats and confections that the original bakery is known for, Carlo’s Bake Shop on Norwegian Breakaway will also give guests the opportunity to pre-order custom specialty cakes for celebrations such as birthdays and anniversaries. For a challenging and fun experience, Carlo’s will offer cupcake decorating classes, where guests can learn some of Valastro’s tricks of the trade.

“The New York area is known for its outstanding bakeries,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “As with all features of this new incredible ship, we wanted to bring not just a taste of the region to our guests, but the very best out there. Buddy is known as the ultimate baker, so we knew he was the best choice for our new bakery on Norwegian Breakaway. We are thrilled to welcome Buddy to the Norwegian family.”

“Spending time with family is one of the most important things. A cruise is a wonderful opportunity for a family to relax and have fun together and that is one of the reasons why I wanted to bring Carlo’s aboard this fantastic cruise ship,” said Buddy Valastro. “I am thrilled to begin this partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line and open Carlo’s Bake Shop on Norwegian Breakaway, the ultimate ship for families.”

Carlo’s Bake Shop will be located on Deck 8 in the former Cakestand location.

Featured menu items will include freshly baked cookies, cakes and pies, such as Buddy’s famous Oreo, Dark Chocolate Mousse and Purple Groovy Fondant cakes; Italian butter cookies; biscottis; and an assortment of cupcakes. Luscious chocolate and vanilla cannolis, cream-filled lobster tails, and individual treats such as strawberry cheesecake, chocolate truffle and tiramisu round out the menu. The delectable goodies will be available for purchase à la carte.

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Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that it will order a new ship for delivery in October 2015 that, at 163,000 gross tons and about 4,200 passengers, will be the line’s largest to date.

The ship will be built by Germany’s Meyer Werft  and is expected to cost around 700 million euros or $920 million U.S., Norwegian said. The line also has an option for a second ship, for delivery in spring 2017. The new vessel will be larger than the 4,000-passenger Norwegian’s Breakaway-class ships currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Its biggest ship, the Norwegian Epic, is 155,873 gross tons and accommodates 4,100 passengers.

Norwegian is calling the project “Breakaway Plus,” and it said the new ship will incorporate many of the design elements and innovations of the Breakaway and Getaway.  Norwegian Breakaway will enter service in April 2013 and Norwegian Getaway will enter service in February 2014.

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Erin and Sean Spital last saw their luggage after checking in at New York’s JFK airport, shortly before they boarded their flight to Barcelona on Iberia Airlines. The couple waited until the last bags made their rounds on the luggage carousel, their bags never arrived. Left with only the clothes on their backs, and with their 7-day Norwegian Cruise Line cruise about to depart, the Spitals did the only thing they could do: They filed a claim with Iberia and went out to buy new clothes.

Naked truth

Lost airline luggage — it’s a problem all cruise lines are dealing with more often these days, especially on European cruises. I’ve been on a number of Mediterranean cruises where dozens of passenger’s bags never made it to the ships for embarkation. Most bags turn up during various ports of call, but not all of them make it. Like the Spitals, their owners just had to make do.

“Many people don’t realize it, but most cruise ships have a small supply of clothing on board that guests can borrow, and there is even formal attire for men and women to rent,” says John Heald, Carnival Cruise Lines senior cruise director. These reserves can usually tide people over, but sometimes passengers become desperate because their bags are truly lost and they can’t find replacement clothes in the ship’s supply or even in port. On those occasions, Heald puts in a “shout out” request for clothes during his live “Morning Show” on the shipboard TV. He once put out a call for a pair of extra-large women’s underwear, and got back seven pairs from sympathetic passengers. “Cruising can really bring the best out in people,” Heald says.

The Spitals received help from their cruise line, too. As Heald duly noted sometimes the best in people does come out. For Sean Spital, who is well over six feet tall, finding clothes was difficult. Thankfully a sympathetic Norwegian crew member of the same height was kind enough to loan some pants during the sailing. The cruise line also helped Erin Spital with clothing and arranged for the couple to keep in constant contact with Iberia. Despite all the help, the Spitals racked up a substantial credit card bill at various ports buying new clothes.

Sadly, the Spitals bags never showed up during their week-long cruise. “We paid more than 400 euros for basics like underwear, shoes, tops, and since it was December some sweaters,” Erin says. The Spitals kept their receipts and filed a claim with Iberia for the cost of their replacement clothing, which came to almost $1,500.

After returning from their cruise, Sean Spital kept calling Iberia daily to find out where their luggage was. Unfortunately, communication was difficult due to language barriers and changing stories. “They didn’t have updated information on the bags or their system was down. Sometimes I just couldn’t understand them and they couldn’t understand me.”

They were told due to the heavy snow storms in Europe and the U.S. in December many bags became displaced. Three weeks after they returned home the Spitals received one bag, which had been pilfered of many items including an expensive shaver, Gucci loafers, and cashmere sweaters. The airline has yet to find the other bag.

Bags of shame

Unfortunately for the Spitals Iberia is ranked the worst airline in Europe for lost luggage. A report in the London Telegraph stated the Spanish carrier lost 19.2 bags for every 1,000 people who boarded its planes during the winter months. Additionally, the carrier was ranked the worst performer in a survey carried out by the Association of European Airlines.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, your luggage has a fairly good chance of taking a different trip than you do. The department’s latest Air Travel Consumer Report shows 155,224 reports of “mishandled” bags in February this year, up from 136,066 in February 2009. While the numbers are still high the airlines have improved their baggage handling within the past two years as the number of mishandled baggage claims has declined.

Airlines do their best to find your luggage before declaring it lost. On average, it takes more than a week; in difficult cases, it can take as long as a month. According to the Air Travel Consumer Report, about 2 percent of all missing bags remain lost. So, what do you do when an airline loses your luggage on your cruise vacation? Here are some tips.

• If your luggage is lost, report it to the airline immediately. The Department of Transportation strongly suggests you fill out a form with the airline the day your baggage turns up missing. If you flew on more than one carrier, the airline you last flew is usually the one responsible for processing your claim — even if the other carrier lost the bag.
• If your baggage is declared lost, make an itemized list of everything in your suitcase. Assign a value to each item, including the suitcase itself, using the price you paid, but understand that airlines won’t pay full replacement value; they will pay a depreciated value. The maximum claim the airlines are required to pay is $2,800 for baggage lost on a domestic flight and approximately $1,500 for baggage lost on an international flight. The maximum award for international flights changes daily based on that day’s value of “Special Drawing Rights” (SDR) per passenger. The daily value of SDR can be found at the International Monetary Fund’s exchange rate Web site. Additional information on SDR can be found in every airline’s contract of carriage.
• A similar claims process is involved when luggage is damaged. Open your suitcase right away to check for damaged contents or stolen items. Any damage or lost or stolen items should be reported immediately to the airlines. The same limits apply for damaged luggage as to lost luggage.
• Tell the cruise line staff that your airline lost your luggage. They can help you keep in touch with the airline regarding the status of your luggage and they can help you get clothing and personal care items.

The Department of Transportation estimates that it takes an airline anywhere from six weeks to three months to pay you for your lost luggage. As for the Spitals, after three months they finally received a check from Iberia for $900, far from their original claim. They are glad it’s over and have vowed to never fly Iberia again.

Reported by Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)
Please note this article first appeared on June 2, 2009.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that their newest ship, the Norwegian Breakaway, will be sailing year-round from New York City.

Starting in 2013 the Norwegian Breakaway’s inaugural season will make 22 seven-day voyages from New York City to Bermuda through October 6, 2013. The ship will depart on Sundays and spend three full days in Bermuda as well as three full days at sea.  Breakaway is currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard Germany and has a carrying capacity of up to 4,000 passengers.

By Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)
© www.expertcruiser.com – Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

By Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)

Norwegian Cruise Line and CBS jointly announced today that Norwegian’s CEO Kevin Sheehan will appear on an upcoming episode of the Emmy-nominated hit reality series “Undercover Boss” on the CBS Television Network.

“With 11 Freestyle Cruising ships in our fleet and more than 16,000 employees both shipboard and shoreside, it’s challenging to keep in tune with our crew who are the face of the company and interacting with guests on a daily basis,” said Sheehan. “When I joined the company, one of my goals was to ensure consistency across our fleet and make sure that we are delivering exceptional cruise vacations for our guests. Participating in ‘Undercover Boss’ helped me to see that we have phenomenal crew members who are working extremely hard to deliver on that promise, but it also shed some light on areas that could be improved.”

Each week, “Undercover Boss” follows a different executive as he or she leaves the comfort of the corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their companies. While working alongside their employees, they see the effects that their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organizations and get an up-close look at both the good and the bad while discovering the unsung heroes who make their companies run.

During the episode, Sheehan went undercover on two of the company’s Freestyle Cruising ships: Norwegian Epic, the company’s newest, largest and most innovative vessel; and Pride of America, the only US-flagged passenger cruise ship sailing inter-island cruises in Hawaii. While on board, Sheehan worked alongside crew members in various departments.

“It definitely was an eye-opening experience,” added Sheehan. “I’ve always had the utmost admiration for our crew, but after this experience, I can proudly say we have truly remarkable crew members throughout our fleet.”

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