Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri will construct the four largest ships that NCL has ever sailed -- even larger than the company originally intended.
NCLH estimates that the 5,100-berth ships will be 226,000 gross tons. When NCLH announced a plan to order these ships last April, it estimated the ships would be 200,000 gross tons.
In comparison, the largest NCL ship is the Norwegian Encore at 169,116 gross tons and capacity for 3,998 passengers at double occupancy. That ship debuted in late 2019.
The new ships will be smaller than Royal Caribbean's Icon class (the Icon of the Seas is about 250,000 gross tons and can accommodate 5,610 passengers at double occupancy) but larger than the 180,000-gross-ton ships in Carnival's Excel class.
The Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone is slated to deliver NCL's first 5,100-passenger ship in 2030, with the next ones scheduled to follow in 2032, 2034 and 2036.
The shipbuilder has already constructed NCL's Prima-class vessels, the Norwegian Prima and Viva, and will deliver the Prima Plus-class Norwegian Aqua this April. That ship will be christened in Miami on April 13.