Norwegian Cruise Line Honored With First-Ever Smitty Award For Best Use Of Social Media By A Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line has been awarded the first-ever Social Media in Travel and Tourism Award (SMITTY) by Travel + Leisure for best use of a Social Media Platform by a Cruise Line. The awards will appear in the July issue (on newsstands June 22, 2012) of Travel + Leisure and in all digital editions.

Travel +Leisure Magazine created the SMITTY Awards to spotlight companies in the travel industry that executed engaging social campaigns and achieved success through Social Media in 2011. The magazine received hundreds of submissions, from various companies who used social media in creative ways over the past year, across all award categories. Norwegian was selected as the award recipient for innovative use of Facebook during the launch of the company's "Cruise Like a Norwegian" brand campaign in October, 2011, which increased Norwegian's Facebook fan following by 159% during the campaign period. The full list of winners can be seen at: http://www.travelandleisure.com/smittys.

"It's an honor to be among the first to be recognized by Travel + Leisure for our innovative use of Social Media," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line's chief executive officer. "Early on, we recognized the power of Social Media and how it helps us to engage our guests and welcome them into our community of Norwegians."

Last week, Norwegian Cruise Line was honored with two additional awards; "Favorite Cruise Line" in Budget Travel Magazine's 3rd annual Reader's Choice Awards and the prestigious "2012 South Florida Good to Great Award®" in the category of 1,000+ employees by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

Norwegian encourages all fans and guests to join the social "Community of Norwegians by "liking" the company's Facebook page at www.ncl.com/facebook, following @cruisenorwegian on Twitter and repining Norwegian's pins on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/norwegiancruise.

To book a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line, contact a travel professional, call Norwegian at 866-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784), or visit www.ncl.com.

À propos de Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a 45-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising which has revolutionized the industry by allowing guests more freedom and flexibility. Today, Norwegian invites consumers to "Cruise Like a Norwegian" on one of its 11 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed cruise vacation on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea. The Company has two 4,000-passenger vessels, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, on order for delivery in April 2013 and April 2014.Norwegian's largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship, Norwegian Epic, debuted in June 2010 and has been named "Best Overall Cruise Ship" by the readers of Travel Weekly. Norwegian Cruise Line is the official cruise line of Blue Man Group, appearing for the first time at sea on Norwegian Epic, as well as the official cruise line of Legends in Concert, Second City® Comedy Troupe, Howl at the Moon Dueling Pianos, and Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids. Cirque Dreams™ & Dinner is also featured on board Norwegian Epic as the first show of its kind at sea under a big top.

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For further information on Norwegian Cruise Line, visit www.ncl.com, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, watch us on YouTube, pin us on Pinterest or contact us in the U.S. and Canada at 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784).