NCL to Return to Grand Bahama with 32 Sailings by 2009

Norwegian Cruise Line said it will make its first call to Grand Bahama Island in at least five years when the Norwegian Jewel docks there on November 15 during a three-day Bahamas Getaway voyage from Miami. The line also said it plans to add 32 more cruises to the Bahamas by 2009.

Andy Stuart, NCL’s executive vice president of marketing, sales and passenger services, said in a release that the deployment reaffirms the line’s commitment to its 40-year relationship with the Bahamas, and added that NCL “is pleased to be a part of establishing Grand Bahama Island as a major cruise destination.”

NCL estimated that the new calls will contribute $9 million a year to the economy of the Bahamas, with $4 million going directly to Grand Bahama Island. Twenty-eight of the 32 additional cruises will be onboard NCL’s new, 2,400-passenger Norwegian Gem, which launched on October 1.

The ship will sail seven-day Bahamas and Florida itineraries roundtrip from New York –the first one this December and again in February, March, April and December 2008- with stops in Grand Bahama Island; Nassau; NCL’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay; and Port Canaveral, Fla. In 2009, the Gem will sail the same itinerary from January through April.

In addition, the Norwegian Jade has three scheduled sailings in December 2008 from Florida to the Bahamas that include Grand Bahama Island.