Norwegian Cruise Line plans to invest $400 million over two years to improve nine of its ships.
The investment will refurbish ships, restaurants and private islands in an attempt to give travelers a comparable experience whether sailing on a newer or older ship, cruise line officials said Wednesday.
The cruise line has dubbed the new standard "The Norwegian Edge."
"We will take every ship, aside from new ships we've just delivered, through this new Norwegian Edge experience in a drydock by the end of 2017 except for one ship," said Andy Stuart, Norwegian's president and chief operating officer.
"This is meaningful change to ships that will result in a much more elegant experience for our guests across our entire fleet," he said. "We do believe we can have a very consistent experience across our brand in spite of the difference in scale between some of the ships."
Norwegian expects the enhancements to boost repeat business.
"The goal is to have guests walk on the ship, feel like they're walking on a brand new ship whether they walk on Norwegian Dawn or Norwegian Getaway, Stuart said. "We want them to walk on board and say 'Oh my God … I know it wasn't built yesterday, but it feels like a new ship.'"
Norwegian also revealed elements of its new multimillion-dollar marketing campaign "Feel Free," which includes its first national television advertisements in several years.
In previous marketing campaigns, Norwegian had run TV ads only in select markets, said Meg Lee, senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
The new campaign "works better globally" and is more "culturally relevant" than its previous "Cruise Like a Norwegian" campaign, which ran for the last four years, Lee said.
The soundtrack of the "Feel Free" TV ads feature the newest song from international recording artist Armando Christian Perez, aka Pitbull, called "Freedom," which was released Jan. 8.
Next year, the Miami-born entertainer also will headline "The Pitbull After Dark Party," a cruise aboard Norwegian Pearl sailing from Miami to the Bahamas March 10 to13.
Two ships have already received the Norwegian Edge upgrades — Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Epic.
In November, Gem debuted a makeover of its Bliss Lounge, upgrades to restaurants, new pool deck furniture, and interactive digital signs to help people find their way.
A month earlier, Epic had completed its upgrades, which included a new venue called The Cavern Club and design and décor makeovers in its La Cucina, Cagney's, Le Bistro, Moderno Churrascaria, The Manhattan Room and Garden Café eateries.
Next up for refurbishments will be Pride of America and Norwegian Sun in spring 2016; Norwegian Dawn in summer 2016; Norwegian Spirit, Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Pearl in winter 2017; and Norwegian Jade in spring 2017. Norwegian Jewel will receive them in 2018, Stuart said.
Food and beverage improvements will include new menus as well as additional training and certification of its culinary and dining staff through a partnership with the American Culinary Federation.
Improvements also are on tap for private island destinations, Norwegian said.
Great Stirrup Cay, its private Bahamian island retreat, will receive upgrades between 2016 and 2017, including luxury cabanas for rent, new dining outlets, bars and lounges and an exclusive experience for guests booked in luxury accommodations.
New experiences are yet to be revealed for travelers visiting Norwegian's newest private island, Harvest Caye in Belize, set to open in November.
"We're putting a lot more into it than originally conceived," Stuart said.
For now, the island retreat is expected to feature a large pool, exclusive beach, lagoon area for water sports such as kayaking and paddle boarding and private luxury cabanas for rent. More details will be announced this spring.
"We really believe this destination is going to be a massive win in the Western Caribbean," Stuart said.
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