Norwegian Cruise Line Sets Sail for Exclusive Partnership with Margaritaville

Norwegian Escape to prominently feature Jimmy Buffett’s celebrated eatery, the first location at sea, along with 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar and waterfront music venue

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cruisers should get their Fins Up and shakers of salt ready, as the first-ever floating Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville^® restaurant and 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar will soon set sail onboard the all-new Norwegian Escape. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: NCLH) Chief Executive Officer Kevin Sheehan announced the news at a company-wide event, with the help of a very special guest – the legendary Jimmy Buffett who performed for the crowd. Norwegian’s exclusive partnership with Margaritaville Holdings LLC extends to Norwegian’s island destinations including the new Harvest Caye in Belize and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, as well as other ships in the fleet.

Norwegian Cruise Line and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville announce partnership to bring first location to sea on the all-new Norwegian Escape, coming Fall 2015. Jimmy Buffet surprises Norwegian employees at company event with announcement of new partnership and an impromptu performance on December 4. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Jimmy Buffett is an icon who embodies the island lifestyle and his Margaritaville lifestyle brand which includes restaurants and bars in its portfolio is a perfect fit for Norwegian Cruise Line and the incredible new Norwegian Escape, that will sail the Caribbean and offer our guests the first and only Margaritaville experience at sea,” said Sheehan. “We are more than thrilled to form this exclusive partnership with Jimmy and his talented team and we know our guests are going to love the new tropical experiences.”

Margaritaville’s iconic name brings to mind the desire in everyone to kick back and escape the everyday, if only for a few hours or days. Norwegian Escape’s Margaritaville restaurant and bar will embody that essence of escapism with a laid back atmosphere inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett. Nostalgic island moments will come to life with a menu that invites guests to take a bite out of paradise with signature items like the Cheeseburger in Paradise and Who's to Blame Margarita. This venue will be one of Norwegian Escape’s many complimentary dining outlets. In addition to the restaurant, Norwegian Escape will feature the 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar, a music venue and outdoor bar on The Waterfront. The 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar will feature live nightly performances so guests can enjoy the sounds of the tropics while sipping a signature margarita or “boat drink” and gazing out to the beautiful Caribbean Sea.

“This partnership is a perfect match between two brands that celebrate escapism, relaxing and having fun,” said John Cohlan, chief executive officer of Margaritaville. “Opening our first Margaritaville at Sea on Norwegian Escape will be a huge milestone for our company. We can’t wait to bring the Margaritaville experience to Norwegian guests and let the floating ‘fin’ begin!”

Along with the venues on Norwegian Escape, the partnership also includes Margaritaville branded food and beverage locations on Norwegian’s new island destination in Harvest Caye, Belize, set to open in fall 2015 and a 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar on Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, planned to also debut in 2015. In the future, the partnership will extend to other ships in the fleet.

Norwegian Escape will begin weekly seven-day cruises from her year-round homeport of Miami to the Eastern Caribbean beginning on November 14, 2015. The ship will be the largest to home port year-round in Miami, carrying 4,200 guests to tropical Caribbean destinations including St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Tortola, British Virgin Islands and Nassau, Bahamas.

For more information on Norwegian Escape, visit www.escape.ncl.com. To book a cruise on Norwegian Escape, contact a travel professional, call Norwegian at 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784), or visit www.ncl.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: For images and broll from today’s announcement, click here

About MARGARITAVILLE®:

The Margaritaville brand is inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett, whose evocative songs inspire a cross-generational yearning for an island adventure. Comprised of restaurants, casinos, hotels and resorts, vacation ownership, cruise ship experiences, consumer products and Radio Margaritaville on Sirius/XM, Margaritaville delivers a tropical experience where guests can enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of their favorite destination regardless of their current latitude.

Since launching its first restaurant location in Key West, Florida, Margaritaville has expanded to some of the most popular US destinations including Orlando, Las Vegas; Atlantic City, Chicago, Nashville and New Orleans. The first Margaritaville Casino opened in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Resort in 2011 with additional gaming properties including Bossier City, La., Atlantic City, N.J. and a Tulsa, Okla. location coming in 2015. International locations are located in the Caribbean, Mexico, the Republic of Panama, Canada and Australia.

Margaritaville Resorts are located in Pensacola Beach, Florida, Bossier City, Louisiana , Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; and a flagship resort slated to open in Hollywood Beach, Florida next year.

About Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a 48-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising which revolutionized the industry by giving guests more freedom and flexibility. Today, Norwegian invites guests to “Cruise Like a Norwegian” on one of 13 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed, resort style cruise vacation on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea. Recently, the line was named “Europe’s Leading Cruise Line” for the seventh consecutive year, as well as “Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Line” for the second time and “World’s Leading Large Ship Cruise Line” by the World Travel Awards.

The Company recently took delivery of its most innovative ship to date, the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Getaway in the first quarter of 2014. The largest ship to homeport year-round in Miami, Norwegian Getaway boasts 28 dining options, including seafood restaurant Ocean Blue by famed New York Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian and a branch of Carlo’s Bake Shop by Buddy Valastro, star of the TLC series “Cake Boss.” The entertainment lineup includes Broadway shows Legally Blonde and Burn the Floor and a unique magical theatrical experience, the Illusionarium. Norwegian Getaway’s sister ship, Norwegian Breakaway, was named “Best New Ship of 2013” by the editors of Cruise Critic and “Best Rookie Cruise Ship” by the readers of Travel Weekly. Known as New York’s ship, Norwegian Breakaway is the largest vessel to homeport year-round in the city. The Company currently has four vessels on order at Meyer Werft for delivery in fall 2015, spring 2017, spring 2018 and fall 2019.

Norwegian Cruise Line is the official cruise line of the Miami Dolphins/Sun Life Stadium, The New York Knicks and Legends in Concert; and the official cruise line partner of The GRAMMY Awards and is an official partner of the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall.

High resolution, downloadable images are available at www.ncl.com/pressroom. For further information on Norwegian Cruise Line, visit www.ncl.com, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @Norwegiancruiseline, Pin us on Pinterest, watch us on YouTube, or contact us in the U.S. and Canada at 888-NCL-CRUISE(625-2784).

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20141204006601/en/

For Norwegian Cruise Line
Vanessa Picariello, 305-436-4144
AnneMarie Mathews, 305-436-4799
PublicRelations@ncl.com
or
For Margaritaville
Meghan Callahan, 404-260-3510
meghan.callahan@cohnwolfe.com

Source: Norwegian Cruise Line

Released December 4, 2014