Norwegian Cruise Line Partners With DeCurtis Corporation To Develop - Cruise Freedom™ - A State-of-the-Art Technology Platform

Norwegian to Embark on New Technological Integration to Enhance the Complete Guest Experience

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May 04, 2018, 08:17 ET

MIAMI, May 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Norwegian Cruise Line, a pioneer in creating custom and industry-leading experiences onboard, announced their partnership with award-winning technology-solutions leader DeCurtis Corporation for a new technology platform project - Cruise Freedom™. This strategic decision is a major next step in making Norwegian's vision a reality, and leveraging technology that meaningfully enhances the guest experience from the moment of booking throughout their Norwegian cruise. On the heels of introducing the launch of the new fully integrated Cruise Norwegian app in December, and the U.S debut of Norwegian Bliss today, Norwegian's partnership with DeCurtis is the second-stage in its ongoing objective to elevate the guest experience and push the limits of innovation via technology on its young and modern fleet. Phased implementation will begin later this year, with preliminary elements launching on Norwegian Bliss in late 2018, followed by Norwegian Encore in the fall of 2019.

"Innovation has always been at the core of Norwegian's philosophy and with technology ever-advancing, we too are tasked with reaching the forefront of technological advancements," said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. "This partnership with DeCurtis is an advantageous opportunity to rapidly advance our own efficiency and allow both tech-proficient and less tech-savvy guests to navigate their experience seamlessly onboard and throughout any point in their voyage with us – from dreaming to cruising."

"Freedom and flexibility while cruising is Norwegian Cruise Line's mission, and advancing our technology allows us to continue to support our core values and deliver the experience our guests expect from us," said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. "Norwegian's investment in this technology has the potential to position us as the leader in our industry, and further pioneer new cruising experiences that result in increased guest satisfaction. We look forward to this partnership with DeCurtis Corporation, and are excited to enter the first phase of development."

The signed agreement between Norwegian and DeCurtis marks the first step in the next phase of the new Cruise Freedom™ platform roll-out, and an affirmation of Norwegian's mission of enabling freedom and flexibility on board and on shore.

"Creating elegantly simple solutions to solve complex problems has been our main focus for the last 20 years," said David DeCurtis, founder of DeCurtis Corporation. "With our entry to the cruise and hospitality market over a decade ago, DeCurtis has continued to revolutionize and streamline operations and truly transform guest and crew experience in what is both a unique and rewarding space. As we explore ways to utilize technology across several platforms, we are looking forward to working with Norwegian Cruise Line with a clear focus on making the cruise experience more immersive and memorable. We embrace the exciting future that is represented by Cruise Freedom™ that will push the limits of personalization of the guest experience in a seamless way throughout every phase of their vacation with Norwegian – from planning to cruising."

DeCurtis Corporation was awarded "Onboard Supplier of the Year" at the annual Seatrade Insider Awards in 2012 for its Mobile Assembly Suite technology (MAS), which remains the leading solution on the market for empowering crew during the muster process. Furthermore, DeCurtis Corporation is positioned amongst the top tier of Microsoft Partners. A focus on applying technical knowledge and resources to maximize operational efficiencies that lead to direct financial impact is at the center of Norwegian's alliance with DeCurtis Corporation.

"This relationship with DeCurtis is one of the integral parts of our digital strategy and is invaluable for the launch of our next ship, set for completion in fall of 2019, as well as a new class of ships we'll be introducing in 2022," says Keyvan Bohlooli, senior vice president and chief information officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. "We are working closely with the design, engineering, and management teams as well as our onboard crew to ensure all new technology will easily be integrated for rapid adoption and expedited use on not only our recently-launched and future ships, but ultimately the rest of the Norwegian fleet as well."

About Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH) is a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands.

With a combined fleet of 26 ships with approximately 54,400 berths, these brands offer itineraries to more than 450 destinations worldwide. The Company will introduce six additional ships through 2025, and has an option to introduce two additional ships for delivery in 2026 and 2027.

Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a 51-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising. Most notably, Norwegian revolutionized the cruise industry by offering guests the freedom and flexibility to design their ideal cruise vacation on their schedule with no set dining times, a variety of entertainment options and no formal dress codes. Today, Norwegian invites guests to enjoy a relaxed, resort- style cruise vacation on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea with a wide variety of accommodations options, including The Haven by Norwegian®, a luxury enclave with suites, private pool and dining, concierge service and personal butlers. Norwegian Cruise Line sails around the globe, offering guests the freedom and flexibility to explore the world on their own time and experience up to 27 dining options, award-winning entertainment, superior guest service and more across all of the brand's 16 ships.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2018, Oceania Cruises is the world's leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line. The line's six intimate and luxurious ships which carry only 684 or 1,250 guests offer an unrivaled vacation experience featuring the finest cuisine at sea and destination-rich itineraries that span the globe. Expertly crafted voyages aboard designer-inspired, intimate ships call on more than 450 ports across Europe, Alaska, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, New England-Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Tahiti and the South Pacific and epic Around The World Voyages that range from 180 to 200 days.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers the industry's most inclusive luxury experience aboard its all-suite fleet. Seven Seas Mariner's 2018 dry-dock refurbishment will conclude the line's $125 million refurbishment program to elevate the elegance of the whole fleet to the standard set by Seven Seas Explorer. In early 2020, Regent will perfect luxury with the launch of Seven Seas Splendor. A voyage with Regent Seven Seas Cruises includes all-suite accommodations, round-trip air, highly personalized service, exquisite cuisine, fine wines and spirits, unlimited internet access, sightseeing excursions in every port, gratuities, ground transfers and a pre-cruise hotel package for guests staying in concierge-level suites and higher.

About DeCurtis Corporation
DeCurtis Corporation is a U.S. based software development company dedicated to developing custom applications using Microsoft Technologies that help improve operational costs. The company was established in 1988 by David DeCurtis who has over 25 years of experience in the software industry. DeCurtis lends its partnership capabilities to companies large and small and prides itself on offering a clear communication model, transparency in project management and a dedication to customer service.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this release, including, without limitation, those regarding our business strategy, financial position, results of operations, plans, prospects and objectives of management for future operations (including expected fleet additions, development plans, objectives relating to our activities and expected performance in new markets), are forward-looking statements. Many, but not all, of these statements can be found by looking for words like "expect," "anticipate," "goal," "project," "plan," "believe," "seek," "will," "may," "forecast," "estimate," "intend," "future," and similar words. Forward-looking statements do not guarantee future performance and may involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in those forward-looking statements. Examples of these risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to the impact of: adverse events impacting the security of travel, such as terrorist acts, armed conflict and threats thereof, acts of piracy, and other international events; adverse incidents involving cruise ships; adverse general economic and related factors, such as fluctuating or increasing levels of unemployment, underemployment and the volatility of fuel prices, declines in the securities and real estate markets, and perceptions of these conditions that decrease the level of disposable income of consumers or consumer confidence; the spread of epidemics and viral outbreaks; our expansion into and investments in new markets; the risks and increased costs associated with operating internationally; breaches in data security or other disturbances to our information technology and other networks; changes in fuel prices and/or other cruise operating costs; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; overcapacity in key markets or globally; the unavailability of attractive port destinations; our indebtedness and restrictions in the agreements governing our indebtedness that limit our flexibility in operating our business; the significant portion of our assets pledged as collateral under our existing debt agreements and the ability of our creditors to accelerate the repayment of our indebtedness; volatility and disruptions in the global credit and financial markets, which may adversely affect our ability to borrow and could increase our counterparty credit risks, including those under our credit facilities, derivatives, contingent obligations, insurance contracts and new ship progress payment guarantees; our inability to recruit or retain qualified personnel or the loss of key personnel; delays in our shipbuilding program and ship repairs, maintenance and refurbishments; our reliance on third parties to provide hotel management services to certain ships and certain other services; future increases in the price of, or major changes or reduction in, commercial airline services; amendments to our collective bargaining agreements for crew members and other employee relation issues; our inability to obtain adequate insurance coverage; future changes relating to how external distribution channels sell and market our cruises; pending or threatened litigation, investigations and enforcement actions; our ability to keep pace with developments in technology; seasonal variations in passenger fare rates and occupancy levels at different times of the year; changes involving the tax and environmental regulatory regimes in which we operate; and other factors set forth under "Risk Factors" in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The above examples are not exhaustive and new risks emerge from time to time. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections regarding our present and future business strategies and the environment in which we expect to operate in the future. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change of events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement was based, except as required by law.

SOURCE Norwegian Cruise Line