Norwegian’s Premium All Inclusive Relaxed cruising with award-winning included extras -EU-UK-IE-

With Premium All Inclusive, Norwegian Cruise Line offers a flexible and innovative cruise experience with comprehensive services included in the cruise fare - from varied dining experiences and award-winning entertainment to a wide choice of premium drinks and gratuities on included services. To underline the value of its Premium All Inclusive, the cruise line has partnered with premium brands and now reveals the line-up for the brand's Meet the Winemaker Cruises, a selection of cruises aboard Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Dawn during which guests will have the opportunity to dine and wine with leaders and legends of the winemaking industry. Furthermore, the cruise line's outstanding beverage programme on board is recognized through several awards and accolades received in the first half of 2017. 

Norwegian’s Winemaker Dinner series is hosted at the line’s popular wine venue The Cellars, a Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar, and is in celebration of Norwegian’s successful ongoing partnership with the family and other valued beverage partners, including Moët Hennessy.  

“Given the incredible reception of Michael Mondavi’s past visits aboard our ships, we are excited to expand upon this concept to provide our guests the opportunity to get up close and personal with renowned experts within the winemaking industry,” said Mark Kansley, senior vice president of Hotel Operations for Norwegian Cruise Line. “As we strive to continually enhance our beverage program and on-board offerings, these partnerships represent our ongoing goal to serve as innovators in the cruising industry.”

Guests aboard select sailings will have the chance to dive into the seasoned minds of the visiting experts with a complimentary open-forum question and answer session, following the chance to purchase featured wines selected by the wine makers. For a more intimate experience, guests can indulge in an interactive wine tasting and educational seminar hosted by the vintner. Pricing for the tastings will be $19.95 per person. Guests seeking a gourmet experience can attend an exclusive five course wine dinner, hosted by the vintner or industry expert. The cost of the dinner with wine pairings is $59.95 per person. 

The full line-up of the 2017/18 Meet The Winemaker series includes:

•22 September 2017 - Norwegian Dawn: Michael Mondavi, founder of the Michael Mondavi Family Estate, co-founder of Folio Fine Wine Partners and co-founder of The Cellars - A Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar. Mondavi represents the third generation representative of the prestigious family of wineries in Napa Valley.

•28 October 2017, Norwegian Escape: Salvatore Ferragamo, heir of famed Italian fashion house and owner at Il Borro Winery in Tuscany, Italy. Salvatore, whose father Ferruccio, bought the beautiful Il Borro Estate in 1993, has replanted the family's vineyard and has been releasing delicious Tuscan wines since 1999.

•4 November 2017 - Norwegian Escape: Bill Whiting, Director of Wine Education at Banfi Vintners. As the grandson of John F. Mariani Sr., founder of Banfi Vintners, Whiting carries on the tradition of the award-winning Castello Banfi estate, founded in 1919 in the Brunello region of Tuscany.

•2 December 2017 - Norwegian Escape: Aarón Sánchez. Famed TV Chef and James Beard award winner, Aarón Sánchez is the official ambassador and spokesperson for Terrazas de los Andes wines and is considered one of the world's leading contemporary Latin chefs.

•17 February 2018 - Norwegian Escape: Gerard Bertrand, renowned vintner of Languedoc-Roussillon. Bertrand, a legendary expert in the winemaking industry, boasts 20 years of experience and a breadth of awards and accolades.

But not only the wine selection at Norwegian Cruise Line lives up to a premium level. Following Norwegian Escape's Head Mixologist Marc McArthur's win at the Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year semi-finals competition, Norwegian Cruise Line is once again in the spotlight for its outstanding on-board beverage program and celebrates the recognition stemming from several awards and accolades received in the first half of 2017. 

"We are incredibly proud of Norwegian Cruise Line's beverage team, both shore side and aboard our ships, for their spectacular performance this year," said Karl Muhlberger, Vice President of Food and Beverage for Norwegian Cruise Line. "Norwegian is dedicated to providing its guests with unforgettable vacation experiences and our beverage program plays a crucial role in the guest experience. We are thrilled to be recognized for the program's craftsmanship, creativity and innovation." 

On June 20, Marc McArthur took home the gold in the semi-finalist round of the WORLD CLASS Bartender of the Year competition and was awarded the title of Diageo Global Travel's Best Bartender in the cruise industry division. He will now continue on to represent Norwegian at the WORLD CLASS global finals event in Mexico City on 20 August. He will compete against 56 top bartenders from around the world for the coveted title of WORLD CLASS Bartender of the Year 2017. 

Earlier this year, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Wade Cleophas bested competition from more than 2,500 entries across 13 different cruise lines to win the title of 2017 BACARDÍ® Legacy Cruise Competition Bartender of the Year. The finals took place in Miami on 13 February in a live competition judged by a panel of experts from the beverage industry, held at award-winning restaurant Alter in Miami’s hip Wynwood neighbourhood.

Rounding out Norwegian Cruise Line's beverage superlatives for the first half of 2017, the line was recognized as having the Best Beer Program and the Best Wine Program out of all hotels, cruise lines and casinos at the 2017 Vista Awards, held on Tuesday, 28 February during the VIBE Conference, the premiere on-premise beverage conference for beverage executives. Norwegian was the only cruise line honoured at the awards.  

To book a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line, call 0333 241 2319 or visit www.ncl.co.uk

About Michael Modavi Family

In 2015, the Michael Mondavi Family partnered with Norwegian to introduce the line's first branded wine bar aboard Norwegian Escape - The Cellars, A Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar - boasting a curated wine list and service provided by a Court of Master Sommeliers certified Sommelier. The venue invites guests to participate in a variety of interactive, fun and educational wine activities including seminars, tastings, pairings and workshops. This partnership was further expanded upon when The Cellars opened aboard Norwegian Dawn in 2016 after ship wide enhancements. Mondavi is recognized as one of the global emissaries of California wine and is widely credited with helping to establish and build the Napa Valley wine industry as we know it. 

About Norwegian Cruise Line 

Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a 50-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising. Most notably, Norwegian revolutionised the cruise industry by offering guests the freedom and flexibility to design their ideal cruise holiday on their schedule. Today, Norwegian invites guests to "Feel Free" to explore the world on one of 14 purpose-built ships, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed, resort style cruise holiday on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea. Norwegian Cruise Line has also introduced Premium All Inclusive in the UK. This offers guests unparalleled flexibility at sea by bringing more elements into the upfront fare, including a selection of premium alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, service charges and gratuities.

Recently, the line was named “Europe’s Leading Cruise Line” for the ninth consecutive year, as well as “Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Line” for the third time and “World’s Leading Large Ship Cruise Line” for the fourth straight year by the World Travel Awards as well as World’s Leading Cruise Line for the first time. 

The Company took delivery of its most innovative ship to date, the 4.200-passenger Norwegian Escape in October 2015 and has three further 4.200-passenger vessels on order at Meyer Werft with delivery in the spring of 2017, 2018 and autumn of 2019. In addition, the cruise line reached an agreement with Fincantieri S.p.A. for the delivery of four ships of a new generation with delivery in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 and hold the option for two additional ones.