The world's leading cruise company, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) will next year be deploying one of its vessels back in Malta, following an absence of eight years. Embellishing the historic Valletta harbour, NCL's newly refurbished Norwegian Spirit shall be starting and ending cruises from the Island. This was announced today during a press conference on its sister ship the NCL Norwegian Star berthed at the Valletta Waterfront.
The Norwegian Spirit would be offering four different itineraries ranging from 9 to 12-night cruises as from 15 June with the last departure from Malta being on the 9th of October. Clients would be spoiled for choice since the various fascinating ports to be visited range from the Western Mediterranean, East Mediterranean and Greece, and the Adriatic including Croatia and Slovenia. A new concept being introduced next year by NCL is the all-Inclusive beverage package which during these last years has become highly successful and popular with the Maltese holidaymaker.
The Norwegian Spirit with a displacement of 76,000 tons can carry over 2000 passengers in the luxurious cabins. The dining options are unique for the cruise industry - besides the two main dining rooms, The Garden Room and the Windows, one can be pampered at some other speciality restaurants such as: NCL's American style steakhouse -the famous Cagney's, the fine French cuisine at Le Bistro, the Asian Shogun & Sushi Bar, La Trattoria Pizzeria and the fascinating Japanese style Teppanyaki, plus the 24-hour Blue Lagoon Food Court which offers a wide variety of snacks.
The Minister for Tourism Dr Edward Zammit Lewis welcomed the return of Norwegian Cruise Line to Malta as from 2017 with an itinerary of regular calls throughout the season. He thanked all the stakeholders involved in making this return a reality, particularly NCL Vice President Mr Francis Riley for his determination to make this happen.
Dr Zammit Lewis reaffirmed Government's commitment towards boosting all efforts to continue making Malta's cruise industry a success. He said that he looked forward to 2017 when an absolute record of 700,000 cruise line passengers are expected.
Orange Travel Group Ltd is Malta's largest travel business and has offices in Turkey, Tunisia, Jordan and Cyprus. More information about NCL's Malta-to-Malta cruises can be obtained from Orange's preferred partner - SMSMondial, located in Valletta, B'Kara, Hamrun, Paola, Sliema and Gozo, or from leading travel agencies.