Spirit will enter dry dock in Marseille on 2 January 2020 ahead of a 40-day renovation, during which it will gain 14 new venues as well as additional staterooms and an expanded Mandara Spa.
Built in 1998, Spirit will emerge in February and journey to 10 new ports of call, including Norwegian’s first visit to Balia, Jakarta and Surabaya in Indonesia.
Other new destinations across a range of eight to 24-day itineraries throughout Asia, Africa and Europe include Beppu, Kumamoto, Nagoya and Tokyo in Japan; Taipei; and Yangon in Myanmar.
Following two 20-day expeditions exploring Greece, Israel, Egypt and Abu Dhabi from Rome; and Seychelles, Madagascar and South Africa from Dubai; Spirit will head to south-east Asia.
Spirit’s revamp comes as part of Norwegian’s Edge renovation programme, which it said would “draw inspiration from the brand’s most recent and highly successful new builds” to “take the guest experience to the next level”.
The line added the works on Spirit would represent its most extensive ship renovation to date. It will also debut new contemporary hull art, said Norwegian.
New complimentary dining venues include an additional main dining room called Taste; the 24-hour Local Bar and Grill; all-day dining Garden Cafe; as well as the Great Outdoors Bar and Waves Pool Bar. New York Italian restaurant Onda by Scarpetta will also feature onboard.
Norwegian will introduce its Bliss Ultra Lounge and Spinnaker Lounge, featuring the Humidor Cigar Lounge, onboard Spirit, while children’s waterpark Splash Academy will be replace with the adults-only Spice H20, a day-time lounge feature two new hot tubs and a dedicated bar, which will double as an after hours entertainment venue.
The ship’s Mandara Spa will double in size to nearly 7,000sqft including a relaxation area with heated loungers, a new hot tub room, a sauna, steam room and water therapy experience.
“As we continue to introduce new innovative ships to our fleet, with Norwegian Encore making her debut next month, we are committed to ensuring the experiences our guests have come to enjoy are available on even our most storied ships,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive of Norwegian Cruise Line.
“We are excited to reinvigorate Norwegian Spirit so she continues to provide lasting memories for guests as they sail to some of the most exotic destinations around the world.”
