PORT ST. MAARTEN – Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) vessel Bliss was welcomed on Wednesday to the destination during its inaugural call. Port St. Maarten Management and other representatives lead by Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs (Ministry TEATT) Hon. Rene Violenus, were on hand to offer and exchange the traditional welcome plaques and pleasantries with the Captain of the Norwegian Bliss.
Norwegian Bliss returned to the U.S. East Coast in November 2019 for a winter season of Caribbean cruising from New York City through early 2020. This is the third inaugural cruise call to the destination so far for the 2019-2020 cruise season.
Bliss is the third ship in the Breakaway Plus-class built by Meyer Werft in Germany for NCL. Sister ships are Joy and Escape. Construction of Norwegian Bliss commenced in October 2016 and the vessel was floated out in February 2018 and started its maiden voyage in April 2018.
Port St. Maarten Management said on Thursday: “We are once again happy to welcome another cruise vessel to our port and destination. All stakeholders continue to work diligently to ensure that we offer a unique and authentic cruise destination experience. We look forward to more inaugural calls during the 2019-2020 cruise season.”
The welcoming delegation included representatives from the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, a representative of the Anguilla Tourism Board, and representatives from the Cabinet of the Minister TEATT.
Norwegian Bliss carries over 4,000 guests and 1,700 crew; it has an overall length of 324.6 meters (1,094 feet), a width of 41.4 meters, and a gross tonnage of 167,800 tons.
Norwegian Bliss prior to its inaugural call to Port St. Maarten commenced in April 2019 with offering U.S. West Coast cruises for a summer of the Mexican Riviera and Alaska. The vessel operated out of Los Angeles throughout April before joining its sister ship, Norwegian Joy, in Seattle for a summer of Alaska cruising. Both ships according to NCL are the largest to homeport on the U.S. West Coast.
NCL is considered one of the innovators in global cruise travel, breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising for over 52 years. Today, its fleet of 16 contemporary ships sail to nearly 300 of some of the world’s most desirable destinations, including Great Stirrup Cay, the company’s private island in the Bahamas and its resort destination Harvest Caye in Belize.
NCL is a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands. With a combined fleet of 27 ships with approximately 58,400 berths, these brands offer itineraries to more than 450 destinations worldwide. The Company will introduce ten additional ships through 2027.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Onboard the Norwegian Bliss, Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Hon. Rene Violenus (standing 6th from left) along with the Captain of the vessel and representatives from Port St. Maarten, the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, a representative of the Anguilla Tourism Board, and representatives from the Cabinet of the Minister TEATT.
