On the morning of 27th October Norwegian Cruise Line’s 14th newbuild made her UK debut at the port of Southampton upon arrival from Hamburg where the ship had conducted her European inaugurals. Delivery to NCL had been completed in Bremerhaven on 23rd October. The 165,157gt Norwegian Escape is the first of a quartet of Breakaway Plus class of cruise ship with capacity for 4,248 passengers. The vessel’s name was selected in a contest on USA Today.

The ship began life as Yard No. S693 and her keel was laid at Meyer Werft’s cruise ship building emporium at Papenburg in Germany on 20th March 2014 when block 35/41, the first of 86 blocks that comprise the vessel, was lowered into the covered building dock. NCL’s preferred shipbuilder was founded in 1795, and has been owned by the Meyer family for six generations. The yard has achieved an excellent worldwide reputation in recent decades for constructing and building cruise ships. in 1975 the Meyer Werft shipyard moved its premises from the town centre to the periphery of Papenburg, where first of all a covered building dock was built, which was extended between 1987 and 1990. To meet the strong demand for newbuildings, Building Dock ii was built in 2002 and further extended by 120 metres in 2008.

The arrival of the Norwegian Escape concluded a trio of cruise ship events at Southampton for 2015, the others being the Fincantieri built 143,730gt Britannia in March and the Meyer Werft built 168,666gt anthem of the Seas in April. ironically the latter’s final turnaround call of the 2015 season (and her last visit for the time being) at City Cruise Terminal on the day that the ’Escape arrived had a negative impact on the new girl. The Norwegian Escape could not do as her Breakaway Class sisterships had done in 2013 (‘Breakaway) and 2014 (‘getaway) and occupy City Cruise Terminal in full view of spectators. instead she was berthed port side to at ocean Terminal so the bow artwork was hidden from view and those wishing to get a look at the ship could only see the stern. Coupled with the shorter daylight hours and the unhelpful weather, this did not make a good combination. although not ideal from an operator’s point of view, or indeed an accountant’s, it is such a shame that the ‘Escape’s debut could not have included a “lap of honour” to the western swinging grounds at Southampton and back to give the public a good view of NCL’s latest flagship from the vantage points of Town Quay and Mayflower Park.

Escaping Tradition

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is the innovator in cruise travel with a 49-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising which revolutionised the industry by giving guests more freedom and flexibility. The company was founded as Norwegian Caribbean Line in 1966 by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison and initially employed one 830-ton vessel offering low-cost Caribbean cruises. Ted Arison later founded Carnival Cruise Lines, while Kloster acquired additional ships for Caribbean service. NCL has pioneered many firsts in the cruise industry and, in 1979, acquired the famous liner SS France and rebuilt her as the cruise ship SS Norway. Each of NCL’s present day ships has been built specifically for Freestyle Cruising so a multitude of restaurants replace the traditional main dining room format. Freestyle was born at a time when cruising etiquette was somewhat more rigid than it is nowadays. However, a minimal dress code is maintained and, although there are no formal nights with Freestyle, any night can be a formal night if the individual so wishes.

interestingly, other cruise companies have phased in their own relaxation to the traditions such as “any time” and “freedom” dining options. in 2015 NCL was declared “Europe’s Leading Cruise Line” for the eighth consecutive year, as well as “the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Line” for the third time and “World’s Leading Large Ship Cruise Line” for the second year by the World Travel awards. Freestyle Cruising was born on 28th May 2000 when Freestyle Cruising (F1.0) was unveiled that favoured open seating, flexible dining and the banishing of a dress code. The fleet of the day was adapted accordingly and the first ship to be ready-built for F1.0 was the Norwegian Sun in 2001. Following the 2007 announcement aboard the then new Norwegian gem, NCL began offering the enhanced Freestyle 2.0 (F2.0), in 2008 on its Jewel Class ships.

These sisterships offered all-new dining venues with a variety of cuisines including Cagneyʼs Steakhouse and Le Bistro. (Cover charges apply). The F2.0 era also featured innovative entertainment options to surpass the standard choices. on 14th July 2015 NCL revealed plans to roll out à la carte speciality dining in the line’s signature speciality restaurants, providing guests the freedom to savour an array of tastes and dishes with the flexibility to choose how many courses they wish to enjoy during their meal. The first ship to offer this all new Freestyle dining option is the Norwegian Escape where passengers can choose to dine at any of 11 complimentary dining options or experience new dishes at the speciality restaurants La Cucina (Deck 8/port side), Le Bistro (Deck 6/starboard side), Cagney’s Steakhouse (Deck 8/port side aft) and the new Bayamo by Jose Garces (Deck 8/starboard side), on an à la carte basis. For example, at Cagney’s Steakhouse, starters on the new à la carte menu range from $4.99 to $7.95 and main courses from $17.99 to $29.99. as from 3rd October the gravitation towards à la carte options also became available in ocean Blue on the Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian getaway with the entire fleet offering this from 1st January 2016. Moderno Churrascaria (Deck 8/starboard side) and Teppanyaki (Deck 6/starboard) remain at a cover charge of $19.95 and $29.95 respectively, as will entertainment dining in the sumptuous Supper Club venue. (Deck 6/forward). guests who purchase a Norwegian Speciality Dining Package have the freedom to indulge as they wish, as Speciality Dining Packages will allow guests to enjoy La Cucina, Le Bistro and Cagney’s Steakhouse at no additional charge. guests with a Speciality Dining Package can dine in Bayamo by Jose Garces for an additional fee of $15.

The ‘Escape boasts a total of 18 places to dine (and 28 dining options overall) ranging from the exclusive Haven restaurant on Deck 18 to the atrium Café on Deck 6. New dining venues exclusive to the Norwegian Escape (thus far) are the aforementioned Supper Club (a 360 degree dinner & cabaret concept), the Pincho Tapas Bar & the Cuban-influenced Bayamo restaurant, both on Deck 8 and by celebrity chef Jose Garces, plus Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Sea on Deck 17. Both the Bayamo and Margaritaville venues are making their debut at sea along with the Food republic (where guests place orders via ipads) and The Chef’s Table (at The Haven restaurant). The eating venues can be found on Decks 6/7/8/16/17 & 18 with the largest being Savor and Taste (Deck 6), the Manhattan room on Deck 7 (with dance floor) and the self-service garden Café on Deck 16. The Taste restaurant also has a 100-seater private venue beneath it on Deck 5 for a more intimate dining experience. Complementing the culinary offerings are 14 bars spread around the ship ranging from the exclusive bar in The Haven on Deck 18 to the Mixx Bar on Deck 6 for cocktails etc. other bar/lounges include The District Brew House (24 draught beers on tap and more than 50 different bottled beers), The Cellars (a Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar), Tobacco road (Miami’s oldest and most legendary bar), all on Deck 8, plus the 5 o’clock Somewhere Bar (Deck 6), Sugarcane Mojito Bar (Deck 8) and the open air vibe Beach Club on Deck 19.

The promenade decks that flank the facilities on Deck 8 are known as 678 Ocean Place with a waterfront area offered for Cagney’s, Cellar’s Wine Bar, La Cucina, 5’o Clock Somewhere Bar, Bayamo and Moderno. other ships frequently overlook the waterside option but 678 Ocean Place allows guests to connect with the sea around them whilst enjoying one of the aforementioned facilities. Whilst on the subject of the ship’s interior, the Norwegian Escape has 7 full decks of staterooms Decks 9-15 plus more forward on Decks 5 and 8, Spa suites adjacent to the glass walled Mandara Spa on Deck 16 plus the sumptuous Haven suites on Decks 17/18. The Norwegian Epic/Breakaway & getaway had an ice Bar installed but the ‘Escape features an innovative Snow room in the Mandara Spa, an ice-cold arctic environment that stimulates blood circulation throughout the body. it features real snow that can fall to several inches deep! The Breakaway Plus class of ship has an extra deck of staterooms compared to the Breakaway duo plus an extra level has been added to The Haven to make this facility the most lavish ever. The latter is a luxurious “ship within a ship” world that sits on two decks above the Spa. Here guests can enjoy a small luxury ship environment and dip in and out of the big ship that waits beneath them. The 95 suites (incl. Deluxe owner’s Suite, owner’s Suite, Two- Bedroom Family villas, Courtyard Penthouse and Deluxe Spa Suites) encompass the large Haven Courtyard (two-storey with retractable roof) and pool. The Haven also has its own restaurant, bar and lounge. above on Deck 19 is a public sun deck, hot tubs, the vibe Bar (adults only) plus the Haven exclusive sun deck and hot tubs (starboard side). in total there are 2,175 guest staterooms including 33 Suites/villas, 48 Penthouses, 288 Mini-Suites, 1130 Balconies, 114 ocean view, 408 inside and 82 Studio for solo travellers. The Studio staterooms on Deck 11 also have their own lounge. Considering the additional accommodation on this Breakaway Plus ship, there is still the same two banks of elevators, one forward and one aft. a 33% increase in these would be of huge benefit at busy times such as turnaround days. Wall mounted deckplans (standard or digital) are also a little scarce.

Cruising Plus

The 19-deck Norwegian Escape is one of a growing number of floating resort ships and this is immediately identifiable by NCL’s largest aqua Park at sea and the four multi-storey and multi-coloured water slides that are draped around the superstructure on Decks 16/17 either side and ahead of the funnel. These are the aqua racer (blue, tandem slide for racing), Family open Flume Slide (yellow) and two Free-Fall Slides (blue/green, falling through two decks). This quartet of sildes can entertain 1,000 guests per hour. The ship also boasts an enhanced Kid’s aqua Park with an enclosed tube slide and a two storey climbing structure to explore. This watery wonderland offers an array of new features including a multitude of interactive wet elements such as water cannons and elevated buckets that deliver a surprise drenching and spray features, along with a multi-storey tower, a rope bridge and lookout platform. There are two swimming pools on Deck 16 with a total of 8 hot tubs available on Decks 16 & 19. The Norwegian Escape’s sports complex is aft of the funnel on Deck 19 and includes a full-size basketball court and a new bocce ball court, a first for the line. around the stern on Decks 18/19 is the largest ropes course at sea (one level higher than the Breakaway Class), a three-storey multiplex of 99 different elements complete with two “walk the planks,” and five Sky rails (zip tracks) that allow guests to soar through the air and even out over the ship’s side. The Planks are six-inch wide beams that extend eight feet from the side of the ship. Beneath the ropes course on the starboard side on Deck 18 is a 9 hole mini-golf course. other teenage, child and toddler facilities are located within the ship including Entourage, Splash academy and guppies Nursery. it cannot be denied that the upper deck facilities detract from the ship’s profile, but that’s what the clientele wants, to have fun.

Parts of the upper decks superstructure are also surprisingly featureless and square looking, but guests should be enjoying themselves rather than studying this! The company’s largest Casino is also housed aboard the ‘Escape on Deck 7 whilst the Tradewinds shopping complex is on Deck 8. The average age of an NCL guest is 51 and Europe remains the centre of NCL’s international operations, 70% of the market. The leading nationality among the European countries is the U.K but, apparently, “we” prefer flycruise holidays hence no sign of an NCL ship returning to serve a U.K port, despite NCL’s UK offices now overlooking ocean Terminal in Southampton. overall, the company will have expanded its capacity by 40% between 2015 and 2019. Besides some of those already mentioned, other notable venues aboard include the adults only Spice H2o, aft on Deck 17. This open air feature is inspired by the renowned summer beach parties on the island of Ibiza. This is a sun deck by day, complete with hot tubs and a soothing waterfall grotto set among imitation rocks. By night guests can dance beneath the stars to party tunes as vibrant images display on the video screen. Deck 7, aft, is home to the Manhattan room, a complimentary restaurant reminiscent of a private New York City supper club. This two storey high restaurant features a dance floor as its focal point and floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows overlooking the stern. The other sizable complimentary restaurants are Savor and Taste on Deck 6. Forward of these is a three deck atrium overlooked by a stunning designer cascading LED chandelier. The “al fresco” terrace area of Le Bistro French restaurant can also be found here with Decks 7/8 above linked by floating glass stairways. an outside shopping area, The Market Place, is on Deck 16 and the 770 seat Escape Theatre is situated in the bow on Decks 6-7.

Getaway To Sea

The Norwegian Escape was constructed in just 17 months by Meyer Werft with the first steel being cut on 20th March 2014 (for Block 46) and the float out of the completed ship took place on 17th august 2015. Hull sections, including the bulbous bow were built by Stoczina Wisla, Gdansk, Poland, and shipped to Meyer Werft. indeed, the first section of the ship was launched on 5th December 2014 followed by a second on 21st February 2015. The 24-hour (approx.) conveyance of the river Ems from the shipyard to Eemshaven began on 18th September with the ship being towed stern first, as is routine, to optimise manoeuvrability. Sea trials and then completion at Bremerhaven followed. The ship has an overall length of 334.6m, a beam of 41.50m, a draught of 8.50m and a hull depth of 11.50 metres. The ‘Escape is powered by MAN/B&W marine diesel engines with a combined output of 76,800kW. There are two 14 v 48/60 Cr Tier iii, 16800kw/514 rpm and three 12 v 48/60 Cr, 14400kw/514 rpm engines with a common-rail injection system that increases performance by reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Five GTM-r exhaust scrubbers for ECA 0.1% sulphur areas are also installed. a total of 19 transformers, comprising four propulsion transformers with a capacity of 11,250kva each and four distribution transformers with an output of 2,500kva, are installed (supplied by ABB). The remaining 11 550kva and 2,500kva transformers are fitted elsewhere in the ship with ABB also supplying the three bow thrusters, azipods, converters, switchgears and propulsion motors. The propulsion is provided by two ABB Xo azipod propeller units that are smaller and more streamlined compared to previous models. Together with an azipod Dynamic optimizing system, these enhance steering and turning angles, leading to a saving in fuel and reduction in emissions. The azipods are also equipped with a feature called an “x-tail,” which reduces fuel consumption even further. The 22.5 knot shipʼs propulsive power output is 40,000kW. Through advanced Computional Fluid Dynamics (ACFD) simulations, the underwater hull has been optimised to provide the least resistance for the average speed of the ship’s planned itineraries, improving the ship’s speed/power ratio by 20%. Efficiency is increased still further through the use of the latest generation of silicon-based antifouling hull paint.

The latest key card control system for the staterooms is also incorporated allowing power, air conditioning and lighting to be switched off when guests are not in their staterooms. The majority of lighting in the public spaces is LED, in order to further increase the ship’s energy efficiency with other notable features including the latest mustering tracking system for both guest and crew mustering via Personal Digital assistants (PDAs) and a state-of-the-art water ballast treatment system supplied by Alfa Laval. as with the Norwegian Epic/Breakaway/getaway, the lifeboats and tenders are stowed in an outboard position to maximise space on board. The Norwegian Bliss (name subject to change) and Star Cruises’s refined near sistership Genting World will receive a ducktail sponson to keep the vessel trimmed down at the bow to further improve fuel efficiency. one of the most striking external features of each NCL ship is the hull artwork, unique to each vessel. The Norwegian Escape’s signature hull art has been designed by famed marine wildlife artist guy Harvey. it brings to life his perspective of the spectacular Caribbean marine life on the expansive canvas of the ‘Escape’s hull. Spanning more than 1,000 feet in length from bow to stern, the custom-designed artwork features a scene of marine wildlife which blends two underwater seas seamlessly together. Featuring guy Harvey’s signature sailfish, the design also showcases key Caribbean Sea life including sting rays, sea turtles, whale sharks and a variety of tropical fish. The image was applied by first being projected on to the hull by a laser. a team then outlined the art onto the hull, pencilling in the lines and then taping the edges in preparation for applying the paint by hand.

Following a similar exercise in Hamburg, the Norwegian Escape welcomed 500 travel partners and 2500 potential customers on board as part of NCL’s “Try Before you Buy” initiative plus more than 150 media partners and more than 100 service providers to the celebration event in Southampton. The new NCL flagship set sail from Southampton on 29th October on a 10-night repositioning voyage bound for Port Miami where she will homeport year-round for Eastern Caribbean itineraries. The christening ceremony was undertaken on 9th November by international music artist Pitbull, who was named as her godfather on 8th October. Armando Christian Perez, aka Pitbull will also be the headline performer at the ceremony in Port Miami. Pitbull had previously performed for NCL in February 2014 during the christening ceremony for the Norwegian getaway, which also featured the introduction of his signature Voli vodka brand to cruise goers. From 14th November 2015 the Norwegian Escape began offering seven-night itineraries cruising to Tortola, British virgin islands; St. Thomas, U.S. virgin islands; and Nassau, Bahamas allowing the Norwegian Epic to transfer to the Mediterranean year-round and the Norwegian getaway to switch to the Western Caribbean. Norwegian Cruise Lines, part of Norwegian Cruise Holdings that also has the premium and luxury cruise brands of Oceania Cruises and regent Seven Seas Cruises, will continue to innovate and evolve the onboard experience with the next Breakaway Plus, customised for the Chinese market, to be delivered in 2017. a further two sisters will follow whilst the existing “legacy fleet,” all eleven of them, are all being face lifted to renew that new ship ambience between 2015 and 2018 with the Norwegian Jewel being the last in the programme. Such is the scale of what this Breakaway Plus ship has to offer that many of the facilities and accommodation can only be mentioned here in brief due to limitations of space.

Special Thanks must go to Archie Pottinger and Sarah Callaghan of Flagship Consulting for all of their help with information etc. and also to Andy Stuart (NCL President and Chief Operating Officer), all those involved at NCL and my invaluable assistant, Donna Cooke. Note: Both the shipyard and owner were unable to provide a GA Diagram or similar for this article along with some technical details.

Technical Specifications