Norwegian Cruise Line’s latest newbuilding, the Norwegian Bliss, was floated out on Saturday, February 17 from the covered building dock at the Papenburg-based MeyerWerft yard in Germany.
The mega cruise ship has been berthed at the shipyard’s outfitting pier to be fitted with its funnel.
The the 167,800 gross ton ship will remain in the shipyard port until its passage through the river Ems up to the North Sea, which is scheduled for the second weekend in March.
In the meantime, further outfitting work will continue together with testing and acceptance procedures by the ship owners.
At the same time, the approx. 1,600 members of the crew will start their training on board, as the cruise ship will be welcoming its first guests mid-April 2018 straight after delivery.
Norwegian Bliss is the third ship in the line’s Breakaway-Plus class and it will have the capacity to accommodate 4,000 guests.
The ship features a two-level go-cart racing track spanning around 1000 feet, making it the largest race track at sea. Among other amenities of the ship are a laser-tag course, a high-end barbecue venue, a water slide that sends riders out over the ocean.
During its inaugural summer 2018 season, Norwegian Bliss will sail weekly seven-day Alaska cruises each Saturday from the recently expanded Pier 66 Cruise Terminal in Seattle. The ship’s itinerary will feature calls in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, British Columbia, along with scenic glacier cruising.
However, the very floating out procedure required several maneuvers to be carried out at the crowded yard.
Namely, in order for Norwegian Bliss to be able to berth at the out-fitting pier, the first floating section of the AIDAnova that was moored there was moved to another berth in the shipyard port.
The second floating part of the ship that was also in the building dock II in front of the Norwegian Bliss had to leave the dock already on February 16 to berth in the shipyard port.
After Norwegian Bliss has vacated the building dock II, the two floating parts of the AIDAnova will be maneuvered back into the dock for work to continue.
Image & Video Courtesy: Inseelvideo