CONTENTS:
Cruise Reviews
Reader Reviews
Message Boards
Photo Galleries
Cruise Articles
Cruise News
|
|
|
|
With the laying of the keel yesterday (April 24, 2008) for the first of what will be an entirely new generation (class) of NCL ships, NCL has now officialy launched F3, what they call the "New Wave Standard" for cruising. With the recent $1 billion investment by private equity group Apollo Management last year, NCL announced plans to take Freestyle Cruising to the next level with the introduction of Freestyle 2.0 which further improved the guest experience on its existing ships, including an increased investment in food of $50 million and an upgrading of stateroom bedding and amenities across the fleet. Now comes the introduction of the two new "F3" concept ships (for "Freestyle version 3"). Since the new partner, Apollo, cut the new build F3 project from three to two new ships indications are that there will be no sacrifice in the quality in these new ships. Known as the "third" cruise line behind Carnival and Royal Caribbean, NCL tries harder and has been known to come up with many of the industry's most notable innovations. The new F3 ships, at 150,000+ tons for 4,200 passengers, will be jam-packed with activity. Undoubtedly they will be unique and exciting. These F3 ships are truly unique, and will contain an entirely new style of cruise cabin. Mockups of these new cabins were on display at the shipyard for the crowd there to celebrate the laying of the F3 keel. As the pictures below portray, the New Wave balcony and New Wave deluxe staterooms represent a leap forward in cruise ship accommodations with a completely fresh take on bathroom design, contemporary curved architecture and open living space. Below are the mockups for the F3 cabins:
Colin Veitch, NCL's president and CEO proclaims that NCL has "thrown away the rule book with the design of F3. Gone are the regimented typical designs and in place are sleek staterooms that are totally outside the box, designed for the needs of tomorrow's guests." The most distinctive design element of the new staterooms is the curved walls and lines creating a modern, inviting look. As with the most recently introduced NCL ships, such as NCL Pearl and Gem, the bathrooms features a separate shower stall, separate water closet and a modern vanity top sink. The color scheme involves a sophisticated earth-tone palette accented with a splash of color and rich, dark wood. Concealed contour LED lighting and back-lit domed ceilings set off the decor. As with NCL's Freestyle 2.0 enhancements; the F3 staterooms include upgraded bedding, linens and towels, Euro pillows, Elemis bathroom products and MP3 connectivity upon request. Balcony and deluxe staterooms have bathrobes, a customized fruit menu, a fresh-baked cookie at turn down on the last night of cruise, an escort to the stateroom on embarkation day, priority restaurant reservation and reception hotlines and special color keycard for ship-wide recognition. Veitch says "These ships will further deconstruct the traditional cruise ship experience with innovations in design, accommodations, luxury and entertainment to create a cutting-edge resort vacation experience unlike any other at sea." Further design details of the New Wave staterooms include: New Wave Deluxe: A bathroom that's "outside the box," including:
Unique curved walls A bathroom that's "outside the box," including:
Concealed contour LED lighting Back-lit domed ceiling Comfortable seating area Flat-screen TV Mini-Bar Balcony New Wave Standard: A bathroom that's "outside the box," including:
Concealed contour LED lighting NCL is building two new third generation Freestyle Cruising ships for delivery in 2010. The two new 150,000-ton F3 ships on schedule will each contain 4,200 passenger berths, the largest ships in NCL's fleet yet. This design will offer 60% more guest space than NCL's current largest ships. Guests will enjoy an even wider range of on-board activities, amenities and stateroom options. The ships' cabin mix will be the greatest of any NCL ship with 100 percent of outside staterooms featuring private balconies. In total, each ship will have 1,415 balcony staterooms. More details about the F3 ships including other innovative accommodations, public spaces, dining, entertainment/nightlife, cutting-edge technology and casino will be announced leading up to the launch of the first F3 ship in 2010.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
