There’s no business like show business—especially when the stage is at sea.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) recently drew back the curtain on the place it develops its onboard entertainment—the 68,000-square-foot NCLH Creative Studios, outside Tampa, Florida. The facility is equal parts rehearsal hall, costume atelier, production warehouse and logistics hub.
And it was buzzing with excitement on a recent Wednesday in January when the line gave a sneak peek of three shows being developed for Norwegian Luna, debuting in March: “ELTON: A Celebration of Elton John”; “HIKO: Innovation Meets Wonder”; and “Syd Norman’s Presents: A Tribute to the Eagles.”
The cast of another new show on Norwegian Luna, “Syd Norman’s Presents: A Tribute to the Eagles. (Photo Credit: Sara Perez Webber)
Where Performers Get Stage-Ready
NCLH Creative Studios supports 134 active shows on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises—or 100 hours of entertainment. It’s even home to 81 apartments—fully furnished units where cast members live for weeks at a time as they rehearse, are fitted for costumes, learn how to do their makeup and get ready for their contracts at sea. “When our cast members come here, they’re not just rehearsing for the shows they’re going to do on board; they are preparing for ship life,” said Bryan White, vice president, entertainment production for NCLH.
The shows demonstrate a key selling point for Norwegian’s ships. For clients who may not be sold on cruising, pointing to the Broadway-caliber productions on board may help seal the deal. “Being able to see the quality level of the entertainment that we have shows the real all-around experience that you get with Norwegian,” said Derek Lloyd, NCL’s vice president of strategic and national accounts. “It’s not just a cruise. It’s so much more.”
Crowd-Pleasing Entertainment
To ensure crowd-pleasing shows, the team at NCLH Creative Studios takes guest feedback into account. Guests say they want “experiences that have an easy-to-follow narrative, recognizable music and big visual spectacle,” noted White. And the artist’s name that kept coming up as a fan favorite? The Rocket Man himself, Sir Elton John.
So Norwegian partnered with Sir Elton’s team to develop “ELTON: A Celebration of Elton John,” which features the performer’s most recognizable hits as well as stunning visuals and high-octane dancing, overseen by choreographer and creative director Katy Tate.
“We’re bringing in a lot of archival footage because we don’t want it to feel like an impersonation show,” White said. “We want it to feel like we’ve summoned his past performances and become part of them.”
And it wouldn’t be an Elton John tribute without show-stopping costumes. The production uses more than 1,000 yards of fabric. If laid end to end, the fringe alone would stretch nearly half a mile.
It all adds up to “a performance deserving of a standing ovation,” said Cassandra Clark, manager of Expedia Cruises in Longwood, Florida. “NCL has really pulled out all the stops for this Vegas-style experience, and I cannot wait to see it all come together onboard Luna.”
Clark added that getting a backstage tour and preview of the performances will help her better sell the entertainment angle to clients booking Norwegian cruises: “It creates excitement for us agents, which will carry over to when we speak about it to customers.”
Old Favorites and Original Scores
When a show strikes a chord, NCL looks for ways to give guests an encore. Luna’s brand-new “Syd Norman’s Presents: A Tribute to the Eagles” celebrates the iconic hits of the legendary band, following in the footsteps of a Fleetwood Mac tribute that has proven popular across several Norwegian ships.
Yet the line also produces completely original shows, such as “HIKO: Innovation Meets Wonder.”
“With HIKO, I wanted to create something new we hadn’t done before,” said Kai Carrier, NCLH director of entertainment creative. The show blends martial arts, theater, dance and digital technology into a cinematic experience enhanced by holographic-style 3D projections and an original 45-minute score, which was recorded by a 16-person orchestra.
“You’re going to have this big, bold, cinematic sound supplemented by all the live musicians in the theater that’s really going to give guests an experience that is truly one of a kind,” said White.
Entertainment for All Ages
Onboard Luna, the lead character from HIKO will be available for meet-and-greets with children, which underscores another of Norwegian’s goals: entertaining guests of all ages.
The team at NCLH Creative Studios considers who is filling the seats when it’s designing every aspect of a show. For example, for another new production debuting on Luna—“Sea of Discovery! An Under-the-Sea Festival”—costumes feature low-to-the-ground details such as colorful ruffles that children will notice. Supervisor Jack Maisenbach demonstrated how the studio utilizes technology such as 3D printers to create custom fabrics with depth and texture that will draw children’s attention.
Costumes for “Sea of Discovery! An Under-the-Sea Festival” were designed to capture children’s attention. (Photo Credit: Sara Perez Webber)
Grown-Up Glamour
On the other end of the age spectrum, the 21-and-older “LunaTique”—another new show debuting on Norwegian Luna—will feature elaborate costumes sporting feathers, sequins and jewels that can take more than 80 hours to assemble at the studios, according to Jessi Winter, a supervisor in the costume department.
Kai Carrier, NCLH director of entertainment creative (left), and Jessi Winter, a costume supervisor, discussed the elaborate costumes for “LunaTique.” (Photo Credit: Sara Perez Webber)
“Every year, we see about 10,000 individual garments that make their way through the life cycle of a costume, starting with fittings, then they come to my room for alterations, and then they go on board,” said Winter. “Everything that we build here is engineered, not just designed. We’re making sure things have snaps and zippers and easy ins-and-outs, because sometimes there is a 30-second quick change.”
Once costumes are built, they enter a carefully managed life cycle. The in-house laundry team washes between 60 and 80 costumes daily, not including spot cleaning or handwashing, which are then dried in a giant drying room. (All Free Clear is the detergent of choice, thanks to its fragrance-free, dye-free ingredients.) And Norwegian is one of the few cruise lines that has a wardrobe supervisor traveling with the cast, cleaning and mending costumes onboard as needed.
The Details That Make the Magic
The studios’ cosmetology department is responsible for the hair and makeup for every person in every show across all three brands. One wig can take up to 80 hours to create, according to supervisor Tanner Pippert, whose team trains each performer to do his or her own hair and makeup on board.
“We want to make sure that when the performer hits the deck, they look exactly the same, every single time,” said Pippert.
Logistics are equally complex. In 2025 alone, nearly 300 shipments were sent to vessels, ensuring casts are always performance-ready—even when replacements are needed mid-contract.
A panel discussion at the studios included (left to right) Julie Valeriote, NCL’s vice president of cruise programs and entertainment operations; Kiran Smith, NCL’s chief marketing officer; Mark Kansley, NCL’s senior vice president of hotel operations; and Bryan White, vice president entertainment production, NCLH. (Photo Credit: Sara Perez Webber)
Tapping Into a Large Talent Pool
Nearly 70 employees make the magic happen at NCLH Creative Studios—and White says the facility’s Tampa location makes it easily accessible to Central Florida’s deep talent pool of performers, designers and technical specialists.
That in-house creative team gives Norwegian a critical advantage: the ability to develop original, proprietary entertainment entirely under one roof.
“We create bespoke productions from the ground up,” said White. “These are one-of-a-kind productions that you cannot find anywhere else in the world, particularly not on any other cruise ship in the world.”
And while Luna’s lineup is taking center stage now, the creative wheels are already turning toward what’s next. “We’ve embarked on this really ambitious program of celebrating iconic artists, and we’re going to continue doing that,” said White. “We are in conversations with some pretty incredible people for future vessels, for Norwegian Aura [first announced at the NCLH Creative Studios tour] and beyond.”
Another opening, another show. And another chance to recommend Norwegian to clients looking for something truly distinctive at sea.
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