Cruise ships may be on pause, but cruise lines are not.
Norwegian Cruise Line's "Embark" docuseries, debuting tomorrow, takes viewers behind the scenes as one of the world's largest cruises lines prepares to return to service after being on a pandemic-induced shutdown for more than a year.
Debuting April 15 at 8 p.m. ET, the first episode in the series, the "Great Cruise Comeback" shows that getting 17 ships and thousands of crew members up to full steam, especially in an industry as global as cruise, will be no small feat, especially during a global pandemic. It is the first of five episodes that will chronicle the company's return to service.
"Our goal is simple," Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' CEO Frank Del Rio says early in the first episode, at a meeting of cruise line executives and other industry stakeholders at PortMiami. "We will never have a confirmed case of Covid onboard any of our ships. ... That's pitching a perfect game."
Robert Hertenstein, left, the senior director of entertainment production for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, and Alan Mingo, a star of "Kinky Boots," an NCL ship production.
The half-hour show delves into the company's focus on health and safety measures, advancements in embarkation technology, what the food and beverage experiences will be like. The episode also focuses on what life has been like for crew members over the past year, including Norwegian's shipboard entertainers, and how the pause has impacted small businesses that partner with Norwegian, such as the Miami-based brewery Wynwood Brewing Co.
The episode does not shy away from how difficult the shutdown has been, on the cruise line and the greater cruise industry ecosystem, but the players are optimistic and focused on the future.
"Lamenting won't get us anywhere," Del Rio says. "We have to start talking about the great cruise comeback. ... It's begun."
The episode streams live at www.ncl.com/embark and on Facebook, with a live pre-show conversation and Q&A session featuring Sommer and other Norwegian Cruise Line executives and team members at 7:30 p.m. ET.
It is the latest in Norwegian's "Embark" episodes, launched to engage Norwegian's extended family of passengers, travel advisors and team members during the pandemic. The first installment, the "Embark NCL Spotlight" series, aired two productions of popular shows and songs from Norwegian ships. The first was a performance of the line's popular "The Choir of Man" show and the second, "Live From Broadway," included unplugged performances from the Broadway and West End-style productions in residence across the fleet.