Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that Norwegian Bliss has completed its float out from dock to port this past weekend, moving the ship into its final stage of construction.
"Our partners at Meyer Werft have done an excellent job realizing our vision for a ship designed to experience Alaska and the Caribbean like never before," said Andy Stuart, Norwegian Cruise Line president and chief executive officer in a statement provided to TravelPulse.
"We are counting down the days," Stuart continued, "until her official debut in Seattle this summer, where guests will be able to race around the world's largest two-level race track at sea against the backdrop of Alaska's wild frontier, and enjoy other first-at-sea experiences."
The third of Norwegian's Breakaway Plus-class ships, Bliss follows Escape and Joy and was custom built according to Norwegian for the "ultimate Alaska cruise experience." Its hull design is named "Cruising with the Whales," and is a nod to Alaskan wildlife, and the ship features an 180-degree observation deck as well as the aforementioned custom racetrack, laser tag experience, expansive spa and thermal suite.
Back in August, TravelPulse's Jason Leppert wrote that the Norwegian Bliss would "hybridize Escape and Joy" which was both a play on the name of NCL's previous Breakaway Plus class ships but also an indicator of what this ship is all about-fun for the whole family both on ship and in port.
Bliss will also be the first NCL ship to debut in Seattle, with cruises beginning May 2018. The ship will offer weekly seven-day cruises with ports-of-call including Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, Alaska, as well as Victoria, British Columbia. Later, the ship will also explore the Caribbean.
The construction of the ship began in October 2016 at the Meyer Werft shipyard. It measures 1,082 feet in length, 136 feet wide with a gross tonnage of 167,800 and will host approximately 4,000 guests.
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