Norwegian Moon
Norwegian Sunset
Norwegian Sunrise

If you remember, a few months back, it was planned that NCL would be taking the SuperStar Leo (this was right before Star changed their mind and transfered the SuperStar Libra, Now Norwegian Star, to NCL) and re-naming her NORWEGIAN LEO.

Do you think NCL will no go with the way Star is going with their ship names?

Also, what other names do you think NCL could have?

Norwegian America
Norwegian American Project
Norwegian American Tourist
Norwegian American Failure
Norwegian American SellOut

Sorry about the nasty names, but still hurts that we lost are ships !!!

The name i would like to see is "Norwegian Moon", or ( and again this will not get happy reply's) but maybe "Norway II"

[ 06-24-2002: Message edited by: Budgie ]

Instead of a casino, an Octopus's Garden

The ship will sail 8 days a week

At night on deck will be Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Instead of tenders, we use a yellow submarine.

After a hard days night, is the midnight buffet

The corridors on the cabin decks will be a long and winding road

I may take it when I am 64

No world cruise, we go across the universe

Hmmm... Of course they could copy Carnival or RCCL names (Norwegian Pride, Norwegian Monarch, etc.) but also perhaps Norwegian Island or Islander? Norwegian Vista? Norwegian Breeze? Norwegian Wave?

OK I know some are lousy names but I am trying not to suggest copycat ones (like Norwegian Pride or Monarch or other Carnival or RCCL names) .

quote:

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OK I know some are lousy names but I am trying not to suggest copycat ones

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quote:

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Originally posted by Britanis:
Not any lousier than some they already have. "Norwegian Dream", "Norwegian Wind", etc. I liked their old --ward names better.

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True. Honestly I don't even see the point of all the Norwegian this, Norwegian that - they are about as Norwegian as I am, that is, not at all!

The 'Norwegian' names were part of NCL's 'The Norwegian Way' ad campaign that emphasised - I don't know, what did it emphasise? I guess a solid, traditional, boring product, run by Norwegians ?

Certainly 'Norwegian' has very little to do with Freestyle Cruising, the center of the NCL product and image today. I don't even see the value, to be frank, in keeping the NCL name - Star Cruises is in fact a better name than NCL, at least it is not false advertising!

Personally I think that a unified, worldwide Star Cruises brand would better serve Star than anything else. NCL has little or no brand identity, and the stigma of some of their recent problems offsets any brand recognition they already have. Lets face it, NCL is dead, let bygones be bygones, and move on from all this Norwegian c**p, as it has no meaning, they are not Norwegian!

"* Freestyle: The Concept Other Lines Will Have to Beat
CND takes a look at NCL's Freestyle cruising concept. What works, what doesn't, how it really works, and why we think other lines are going to have to come up with something to compete with it."

I'm not sure if a unified line would be such a good idea. I can agree with the fact that Star Cruises is a strong line, but they do have a problem...They can never leave a ship where it is. They are always repositioning them, or trading itineraries.

I have come to the conclusion that everything concerning Star/NCL is entirely speculative and that even the most reliable source will probably find that the plan has changed. They have no clear direction, no clear mission. Their fleet is a motley bunch of several new megaliners, one great classic, and a myriad of inconsistent, ageing, second-rate vessels, most with convoluted histories.

Star Cruises is an enigma - modern yet ancient, new yet behind the times, the company of the future and of the past. Freestyle Cruising is the wave of the future but IMHO they are not in the position to dominate the market for this type of cruising. The product will be refined and become successful under another name.

The Caribbean cruise as we know it was introduced by NCL, yet it was finally perfected by other companies. For over a decade, NCL has been in constant question. Their history is a veritable roller coaster. They have posessed so many different identities that I can hardly remember all of them.

Clearly it is time to wipe out this convoluted heritage and introduce a cohesive branding strategy throughout the Star Cruises group. Star has no distinct direction. They seem to be dabbling in every market segment, doing everything but doing nothing well.

They have at least a half dozen ships in need of imminent replacement. The NCL fleet is so widely varied that there is no typical NCL ship. The product varies vessel by vessel so there is no real meaning to exactly what an NCL ship or cruise is like.

In the next few years, the industry will become more competitive than ever. Star seem to have the blind faith that if they do come up with a genius idea, nobody else will challenge it. They are sitting around indecisively resting on their laurels and rather than trying to stay ahead, they are doing nothing. If they wait for someone else to make a move, they will be dead.

Star, it is time to get serious. You will be turning ten soon, and it is time to act like a mature company with a purpose. That grass-roots, amateurish attitude isn't going to cut it anymore.

I think Star realized this when they moved both of their newbuilds (Superstar Libra and Scorpio) to the NCL brand (Norwegian Star and Dawn). However, more work needs to be done. Right now Star has NO new ships on order.

IMHO Star needs to but significant effort behind the NCL brand in North America in the form of new ships, a consistant cruise product, and clear marketing approach- if it has any hope of competing with Carnvial, RCI, or Princess.

I believe Star should take the older NCL ships and either sell them or move them into emerging Asian markets like China- and devote new ships to the NCL fleet (in the same way that P&O Princess and Carnival are moving older ships to their european brands and placing new, large, ships in North America. If such a policy where undertaken NCL could be revitalized within 6 years.