Although the NCL publicity material implies the order that has been placed for a second enlarged version of Norwegian Breakaway was linked to the positive passenger response to that ship, the reality is that the decision to contract for the new vessel with Meyer Werft at Papenburg had probably already been made before the first ship entered service.
The new ship, designated the second ‘Breakaway Plus’, will be the 11th ship built by Meyer for NCL when she enters service in 2017, although two of these came to the fleet via the company’s then owner, Star Cruises. At 163,000gt, the ‘Breakaway Plus’ ships will be a little larger than the 145,655gt of Norwegian Breakaway, and will become the company’s largest ever ships. The price for the 4,200-passenger duo is $1.4 billion.