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Meyer delivers Norwegian Joy, 'best of the East and best of the West'

(Photo: Anne Kalosh)
At the delivery, from left, David Herrera, Capt. Carl Gunnar Hammorin, Andy Stuart and Bernard Meyer
Meyer Werft handed over Norwegian Cruise Line's first ship for the China market during festivities in Bremerhaven. President and ceo Andy Stuart called Norwegian Joy 'a ship that is historic for us' and 'an exciting milestone.'

It is 'a symbol of the remarkable growth of our company' and combines the best of the East and the best of the West, added David Herrera, China president, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. He praised the 'beautiful finishes, decadent suites and outstanding design.'

The 167,725gt Norwegian Joy is the line's 15th ship and the second in the Breakaway-Plus class.

It sports 20 decks, the first racetrack at sea, a futuristic virtual reality area with all kinds of family activities, 28 dining options, a huge upscale shopping district and four casinos—including one for VIPs and one for VVIPs.

Stuart thanked Meyer Werft for 'another wonderful ship,' citing the quality of the work and the quality of the finishes.

Norwegian Joy was a particularly challenging ship to build, Meyer Werft managing partner Bernard Meyer said, because NCLH had contracted the newbuild in 2012 but only decided on the China deployment in 2016. That meant special solutions had to be found to customize it for the market.

Those include new family accommodations, the Galaxy Pavilion of virtual reality experiences and the top deck race track—the idea, Meyer said, of NCLH chairman and ceo Frank Del Rio's grandson.

Meyer thanked the shipowner 'who has the confidence in us that we could make this challenging project.' He also acknowledged classification society DNV GL for helping make Norwegian Joy 'one of the safest ships designed in the highest safety class,' as well as KfW IPEX-Bank and Euler Hermes, Germany's export credit agency.

Norwegian Joy is due to be named in Shanghai by Chinese pop star Wang Leeholm in June.

One month from now, Meyer Werft will be laying the keel for 2018's Norwegian Bliss and, by the end of the year, will cut steel for another Breakaway-Plus ship.