Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (the “Company”) (NYSE: NCLH), a
leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise
Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, today
announced Norwegian Jade set sail from Athens as the first ship in
the Company’s fleet to relaunch since cruises halted in March 2020.
This voyage set sail with a fully vaccinated population onboard in
addition to multiple layers of preventative protocols, including
universal COVID-19 testing immediately prior to boarding, as part
of the Company’s robust, science-backed SailSAFE™ health and
safety program. To resume cruising in the safest way possible in
the current public health environment, the Company has a consistent
100% vaccination policy* for all voyages across its three brands to
protect its guests, crew and communities visited.
“Our long-awaited Great Cruise Comeback has
officially commenced with the return of Norwegian Jade, the first
ship in our fleet to resume cruising,” said Frank Del Rio,
president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line
Holdings Ltd. “With resumption plans now announced for all 28 of
our ships through April 2022, we are excited to once again give our
guests the opportunity to travel and explore the world with the
comfort of knowing that all of our ships will initially operate
under our robust science-backed SailSAFE health and safety program
including 100% vaccination of guests and crew. We continue to see
incredible pent-up demand for future cruise vacations and I look
forward to welcoming our loyal guests back onboard.”
The Company has announced its phased relaunch
plans for all 28 ships across its three brands which began with
Norwegian Jade in July and continues through April 2022. The first
cruise to commence in the United States is scheduled on August 7,
2021 aboard Norwegian Encore sailing to Alaska from Seattle. All
initial voyages will operate with the Company’s comprehensive
SailSAFE™ health and safety protocols which were developed
with leading public health and scientific experts including the
Healthy Sail Panel and the SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness
Council. The Company’s SailSAFE protocols will be continuously
evaluated and modified with the latest science and technology.
*Limited exceptions may be made pursuant to
valid medical or religious exemptions.
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 28 ships with approximately 60,000 berths,
these brands offer itineraries to more than 490 destinations
worldwide. The Company has nine additional ships scheduled for
delivery through 2027, comprising approximately 24,000 berths.
About SailSAFE
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. established
its SailSAFE health and safety program in response to the unique
challenges of the COVID-19 global pandemic to protect guests, crew
and communities visited. SailSAFE is a robust and comprehensive
health and safety strategy with new and enhanced protocols to
create multiple layers of protection against COVID-19. This
science-backed plan for a safe and healthy return to cruising was
developed in conjunction with a diverse group of globally
recognized experts and will be continuously improved, modified and
refined using the best available science and technology. For more
information on the SailSAFE health and safety program please visit
http://www.nclhltd.com/Health-and-Safety.
About the SailSAFE Global Health and
Wellness Council
The SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council
(“Council”) was established by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
to provide expert advice on the implementation, compliance with and
continuous improvement of the Company’s SailSAFE health and safety
program. The Council will complement the work of the Healthy Sail
Panel and continuously evaluate and identify ways to improve health
and safety standards, utilizing the best technologies and
information available. The Council is cross-functional, diverse and
extensively experienced, comprised of six experts at the forefront
of their fields and led by Chairman of the Council, Dr. Scott
Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
About the Healthy Sail
Panel
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. in
collaboration with Royal Caribbean Group established the Healthy
Sail Panel (“HSP”), a group of 11 leading experts to help inform
the cruise industry in the development of new and enhanced cruise
health and safety standards in response to the global COVID-19
pandemic. The HSP, co-chaired by Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former
commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Governor
Mike Leavitt, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, consists of globally recognized experts from
various disciplines, including public health, infectious disease,
biosecurity, hospitality and maritime operations. The panel’s work,
including detailed recommendations across five key areas of focus,
is informing the Company’s health and safety protocols and has been
widely shared with the cruise industry and open to any other
industry that could benefit from the HSP’s scientific and medical
insights.
Cautionary Statement Concerning
Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements, estimates or projections
contained in this release are “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, actions taken or strategies being considered with
respect to our liquidity position, valuation and appraisals of our
assets and objectives of management for future operations
(including those regarding expected fleet additions, our voluntary
suspension, our ability to weather the impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic and the length of time we can withstand a suspension of
the majority of our fleet’s voyages, our expectations regarding the
resumption of cruise voyages and the timing for such resumption of
cruise voyages, the implementation of and effectiveness of our
health and safety protocols, operational position, demand for
voyages, financing opportunities and extensions, and future cost
mitigation and cash conservation efforts and efforts to reduce
operating expenses and capital expenditures) 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: the spread of epidemics, pandemics and viral outbreaks
and specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic, including its effect on
the ability or desire of people to travel (including on cruises),
which are expected to continue to adversely impact our results,
operations, outlook, plans, goals, growth, reputation, cash flows,
liquidity, demand for voyages and share price; our ability to
comply with the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order and
any additional or future regulatory restrictions on our operations
and to otherwise develop enhanced health and safety protocols to
adapt to the pandemic’s unique challenges once operations resume
and to otherwise safely resume our operations when conditions
allow; legislation prohibiting companies from verifying vaccination
status; coordination and cooperation with the CDC, the federal
government and global public health authorities to take precautions
to protect the health, safety and security of guests, crew and the
communities visited and the implementation of any such precautions;
our ability to work with lenders and others or otherwise pursue
options to defer, renegotiate or refinance our existing debt
profile, near-term debt amortization, newbuild related payments and
other obligations and to work with credit card processors to
satisfy current or potential future demands for collateral on cash
advanced from customers relating to future cruises; our need for
additional financing, which may not be available on favorable
terms, or at all, and may be dilutive to existing shareholders; our
indebtedness and restrictions in the agreements governing our
indebtedness that require us to maintain minimum levels of
liquidity and otherwise limit our flexibility in operating our
business, including the significant portion of assets that are
collateral under these agreements; the accuracy of any appraisals
of our assets as a result of the impact of COVID-19 or otherwise;
our success in reducing operating expenses and capital expenditures
and the impact of any such reductions; our guests’ election to take
cash refunds in lieu of future cruise credits or the continuation
of any trends relating to such election; trends in, or changes to,
future bookings and our ability to take future reservations and
receive deposits related thereto; the unavailability of ports of
call; future increases in the price of, or major changes or
reduction in, commercial airline services; 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; any further impairment of our
trademarks, trade names or goodwill; breaches in data security or
other disturbances to our information technology and other networks
or our actual or perceived failure to comply with requirements
regarding data privacy and protection; changes in fuel prices and
the type of fuel we are permitted to use and/or other cruise
operating costs; mechanical malfunctions and repairs, delays in our
shipbuilding program, maintenance and refurbishments and the
consolidation of qualified shipyard facilities; the risks and
increased costs associated with operating internationally;
fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; overcapacity in
key markets or globally; our expansion into and investments in new
markets; our inability to obtain adequate insurance coverage;
pending or threatened litigation, investigations and enforcement
actions; 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 or employee relations issues; our reliance on third
parties to provide hotel management services for certain ships and
certain other services; our inability to keep pace with
developments in technology; 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, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and
subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Additionally, many of these risks and uncertainties are currently
amplified by and will continue to be amplified by, or in the future
may be amplified by, the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not possible to
predict or identify all such risks. There may be additional risks
that we consider immaterial or which are unknown. 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.
Investor Relations & Media Contact
Andrea DeMarco(305) 468-2339InvestorRelations@nclcorp.com
Jessica John(786) 913-2902
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