By: Virginia López Valiente – General Director of CruisesNews Media Group.
We spoke with Kevin Bubolz on the occasion of the presentation of the Norwegian Prima, the first of the 6 ships that will be built at the Fincantieri shipyards, belonging to the Prima class.
The new ship, Norwegian Prima, has been unveiled. It's exciting to see us nearing normalcy, presenting ships to the public and looking to the future. Incidentally, the ship lends its name to the class, which was previously announced as Leonardo. Why the change?
“Project Leonardo” was the project's name from the beginning. But most of the time, changes occur as the project develops. Leonardo really came about when we went to Italy and arrived at the Italian shipyard. It was probably thought that a reference to Leonardo da Vinci would fit well.
But in the end, other suggestions were considered, and we felt that Prima was a truly great name for the first boat in this new class, and therefore also the name of the class for a series of boats built at the Italian shipyard under this new company design. It's a completely different approach now, compared to our other boat classes. And to really emphasize this new step forward, Prima is the name of the first one.
This ship is 295 meters long and has a capacity for 3,215 passengers. Given the market trend towards building increasingly larger ships, this represents a shift. More space per passenger and an increased service ratio. What are the main differences compared to other Norwegian ships?
Yes, we're now pursuing a strategy based on a flexible fleet. That's why we want to have both smaller and larger ships. We used to have ships for two thousand and four thousand passengers, and right now, we didn't want to go to six thousand, but rather to three thousand, because it means we have a good, flexible fleet, both for destinations where people want a large ship as part of the experience, like Miami and the Caribbean, and for areas where we want a smaller ship to call at smaller ports.
In this way, this ship completes our fleet of 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 passenger ships. On the other hand, the other trend is exactly as you mentioned: more space per person. This was already seen in development when the Bliss and Encore entered service, both incorporating a bit more space per person. With this ship, we've really taken it to the next level. It's only slightly smaller than the Escape, about 10% smaller, but it accommodates 800 fewer guests. So there's significantly more space per guest overall, and it's designed with the premise of including more open spaces throughout the ship. For example, The Haven goes from being in the middle of the ship with an open central area to having an open deck concept located at the rear of the ship, the stern.
Comparing passenger capacity, gross tonnage, and passenger space, and comparing it to other ships of the same class currently under construction, we believe this ship is at the top of its segment. This reflects our vision for the brand's evolution: increased investment, improved materials, and superior quality standards. That is our positioning.
The ship is completely different, in fact even the hull and the stern.
Yes, it's different, isn't it? It's going to take some getting used to. The hull has been designed with energy efficiency in mind. Our goal is to continually reduce fuel consumption, and this shape offers the least resistance while sailing.
After a successful relationship with the Meyer Werft shipyard, Norwegian has signed an agreement with the Fincantieri shipyard for the construction of this ship and the entire series. Why was this decision made? It has obviously meant a change in interior and exterior design, incorporating Italian design even in the hull paint, which is noticeably different as well.
Most of our boats have been built at Meyer Werft, and we're very proud of that. We have wonderful boats that we adore, that are highly valued, and that came from that shipyard, but when you're planning a new class, a different series, you approach all the available shipyards.
Our other brands within the holding company, such as Regent and Oceania, had already built boats in Italy, so we already had business relationships with this shipyard. We had to analyze everything, talk to all the shipyards about design ideas, new concepts, costs, and so on. Each shipyard offered something new. Another variable was the construction timeline. We wanted this new class to start sailing in 2022 and then one new boat per year. In the end, Fincantieri prevailed, offering the project that best fit our plans at that time.
So, focusing on the market and the passengers, what are the highlights? What can be considered new in the market?
The novelty lies in the open spaces. Something you see on many ships is that they're like a shopping mall—very interior-oriented, with almost no opportunity to see the outside. We had already begun to change that with the "Waterfront" or promenade, which we introduced on the Breakaway class and which others have since adopted. We've also observed other designs that have begun to offer a much greater connection with the ocean.
And this is what definitely marks the evolution of this ship. So that's a big highlight for me and what I'm getting internally from the team members. We've also received very positive feedback since we started showing the ship for the first time last week.
Another example is the infinity pools on deck 8, which truly make you feel like you're swimming in the ocean. I think this connection with the ocean, which should definitely be one of the highlights of a cruise, is what we're achieving. A cruise shouldn't just be about ports and destinations.
Another highlight is the food hall located at the end of Ocean Boulevard, with indoor and outdoor seating areas and a choice of culinary options from 11 different vendors. I think it will be very pleasant to be there and have a light bite while watching the ship's wake.
So I think that's the main takeaway from this first announcement. Later on, we'll find out more about entertainment, food, and so on.
Regarding itineraries, this ship will be in Europe in 2022. Northern Europe is always a good option for the Spanish market, isn't it? New embarkation ports, such as Barbados, have also been announced.
Yes, I think Barbados and also Galveston (Texas), both ports are new to us.
The first commercial voyage will be from Amsterdam to Reykjavik on August 17th. Then it will sail from Amsterdam to Copenhagen and on to Southampton. Afterwards, the ship will head to the United States.
Then he'll return to Europe the following summer for the full season in Northern Europe. And I think what's definitely exciting is the way we're expanding our program in Reykjavik, Greenland, and all those destinations.
Spaciousness has been important, even in the design of the cabins and the more spacious bathrooms and the increasingly larger showers.
Yes, cabins were typically designed to fit together, saving space and allowing for more cabins. On this ship, we've opted for completely square cabins, and while you do lose a couple of cabins on each deck, they offer extra space. Space is quality, and that spaciousness should extend to your sleeping area. We're talking about cabins and balconies up to 20% larger.
The outside cabins are actually up to 40 percent larger, because before they were designed almost like an inside cabin with a window and now they are designed like a balcony cabin but without the balcony and that makes them bigger; in fact, it is these types of cabins that have the biggest increase in size.
The bathrooms are also larger, as is the area before the bathroom, which allows two people to get dressed at the same time; in fact, there is enough space for one person to be in front of the mirror and another sitting on the sofa without bumping into each other all the time.
All these details are part of our commitment to quality. And we believe guests are willing to pay a little more if they receive better quality. We're already seeing this reflected in our bookings.
