Sail through the sea wonder
For more than 57 years, Norwegian Cruise Line has been the industry’s leading innovator, giving the opportunity to cruise over 450 amazing destinations around the world. TravelJingles in a conversation with Manoj Singh, Country Head, India, Norwegian Cruise Line.
Norwegian Cruise Line has expanded to various destinations around the globe. Tell us about the expansion plans.
In the upcoming 2024-25 season and 2026, we are deploying four ships record in the Asia region: Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Spirit, Sun, and Sky. The itineraries offer a vast array of options for Indian travellers to explore both popular and off-beat destinations. Norwegian Cruise Line is launching seven-day, round-trip cruises, to the Western Caribbean from New Orleans starting October 2024, and to the Eastern Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Florida starting October 30.
NCL’s cruises provide guests with island hopping and crystal-clear waters across the Caribbean, including private destinations like Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas and Harvest Caye in Belize. Norwegian Aqua, the third in the Prima class, will offer five and seven-day Caribbean voyages in 2025, departing from New York City. In October, it will offer five and seven-day Eastern Caribbean itineraries from Miami, and seven-day Caribbean cruises from Orlando.
The Global sustainability programme ‘Sail and Sustain’ is centred to drive the positive impact to the environment and society. What are the key aspects towards sustainability by Norwegian Cruise Line?
We’re aiming for net zero emissions by 2050 across our operations, value chain, and transitioning towards a low-carbon economy. Our climate action strategy primarily focuses on three key areas — reducing carbon intensity; investing in technology, exploring alternative fuels, and implementing a voluntary carbon offset programme.
We’re looking at the use of methanol as an alternative fuel source that can be used alongside. We are modifying our upcoming Prima Class ships for methanol-ready operation and are evaluating the feasibility of retrofitting existing engines. We’ve established a target for 70% of the NCLH fleet to be equipped with shore power capabilities by 2025, which will allow our ships to connect to onshore electrical power grids. We will continue to monitor and invest in opportunities to reduce carbon emissions and are working closely with partners to identify best practices to accelerate our de-carbonization efforts.
Which is your favourite travel destination in the world and why?
Iceland! For its dramatic landscapes, volcanic terrain, hot springs, an unfiltered view of the magical Aurora Borealis and a chance to experience the midnight sun! Norwegian Prima sails to Reykjavik, Iceland from Amsterdam through Belgium and Norway. Definitely a life-altering experience worth trying that will leave you amazed!