Norwegian Spirit

Overview

In a curious East-goes-West journey, Norwegian Spirit was originally built for the Freestyle cruising concept and launched as SuperStar Leo for Norwegian Cruise Line's Asian parent, Genting Hong Kong Limited (formerly Star Cruises). In winter 2004, NCL's fledgling Hawaiian venture nearly sank when a freakish storm filled its flagship with water while it was nearing completion in Germany. With a month's worth of bookings and no new ship, arrangements were made to deploy a substitute in Hawaii and transfer SuperStar Leo to fill the gap it left in its wake.

Rechristened in spring 2004 and updated to better suit American tastes, Norwegian Spirit still retains fine examples of Asian artwork as well as a few elements that may seem a bit out of place. In addition to the usual array of shipboard bars and lounges, passengers may be puzzled to find a mah-jongg room. As is customary in Asia, the casino is huge, and facilities for children and teens are particularly extensive, only rivaled by the Disney Cruise Line ships and NCL's own newer vessels.