MIAMI — Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is celebrating the conclusion of its first-ever season sailing from Cape Town, South Africa.

The season kicked off on Dec. 21, 2022 with Norwegian Jade becoming the first vessel in the line’s 18-ship fleet to homeport from the South African port, offering international and local guests 12-day Extraordinary Journeys along the coast of South Africa and Namibia. The itinerary also includes visits to Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) and Richard’s bay, South Africa, as well as Luderitz and Walvis Bay, Namibia.

Building on its successful inaugural season, NCL recently announced the deployment of Norwegian Dawn to the region in winter 2024. Homeporting from Cape Town, South Africa and Port Louis, Mauritius, the ship will offer a series of Extraordinary Journey voyages between January and March 2024.

Harry Sommer, Brand President and CEO at NCL, said: “As part of our ‘Guest First’ philosophy we are focused on enhancing our destination offerings, providing our guests with more immersive itineraries that are designed to create memories of a lifetime. Our new Africa voyages are a testament to that, combining bucket-list locations such as Cape Town and Mauritius with hidden gems like Pomene and Maputo in Mozambique or Fort Dauphin in Madagascar.”

Sommer added that guests are given an average of 12 hours in each port, “allowing more time to fully experience these unforgettable destinations,” and that the new voyages are already among the company’s fastest-selling cruises for 2024, “attracting guests from almost 60 countries worldwide.”

NORWEGIAN DAWN IN 2024

On Jan. 3, 2024, Norwegian Dawn will embark on its 17-day repositioning cruise to the region, sailing for the first time in NCL’s 56-year history from Doha, Qatar to Mauritius. The itinerary includes a combination of calls to the United Arab emirates, Oman, Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar.

On Jan. 20, 2024, Norwegian Dawn will then cruise a 12-day itinerary from Port Louis, Mauritius, calling to Pointe des Galets, Réunion; Fort Dauphin (Toalagnaro), Madagascar; Pomene and Maputo, Mozambique; Richard’s Bay, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), Mossel Bay, and Capt Town, South Africa.

On Feb. 1 and March 8, 2024, the ship will complete 12-day roundtrip voyages through South Africa and Namibia with calls to Mossel Bay and Durban in South Africa, and Luderitz and Walvis Bay in Namibia, before embarking on its most extensive itinerary on March 20, sailing from Cape Town, South Africa to Barcelona, Spain. The 21-day voyage along Africa’s west coast will visit ports in Namibia, Angola, Sao Tome and Principe, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Senegal, Cape Verde, Canary Islands and Morocco.

For more information go to www.ncl.com.