Ålesund, Norway - Lady Waves the Norwegian Flag for the Norwegian Star Departure (2022)

To view the complete tour of the Norwegian Star visit... https://youtu.be/K_NnO_RI5fQ Ålesund sometimes spelt in English as Aalesund, is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centre of the Ålesund Region. The town of Ålesund is the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality, as well as the principal shipping town of the Sunnmøre district. The town is a sea port and is noted for its concentration of Art Nouveau architecture. Although sometimes internationally spelled by its older name Aalesund, this spelling is obsolete in Norwegian. However, the local football club Aalesunds FK still carries that spelling, having been founded before the official change. The 99-square-kilometre (38 sq mi) municipality is the 184th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ålesund is the 13th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 66,258. The municipality's population density is 109.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (283/sq mi) and its population has increased by 12.1% over the previous 10-year period. Norwegian Star is a Dawn-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). Ordered by and intended for Star Cruises, it was originally named SuperStar Libra before being transferred to NCL. Norwegian Star is a Panamax cruise ship; its 294-meter-length (965 ft) and 32.2-meter-beam (105.6 ft) nears the limit for ships transiting the Panama Canal. Norwegian Star was built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Construction began on Norwegian Star in 2000 and was completed in mid-2001, with the ship put into service later that year. Originally circumnavigating the Hawaiian Islands since its introduction, Norwegian Star was moved to the Pacific Coast of North America in 2004. Norwegian Star's gross tonnage (GT) is 91,740. She is 294 meters (965 ft) long, with a beam of 32.2 meters (105.6 ft) and a draft of 8.2 meters (27 ft). Norwegian Star is a Panamax ship and was designed at the maximum size that can be accommodated by the locks of the Panama Canal. Four 14,700-kilowatt (19,700 hp) MAN B&W diesel generating sets power the ship, which can run on either diesel fuel or heavy fuel oil. Propulsion is provided by two 19,500-kilowatt (26,100 hp) Azipods built by the ABB Group, and a set of three 2,390-kilowatt (3,210 hp) bow thrusters. Norwegian Star is equipped with a pair of stabilizers with an area of 8 square meters (86 sq ft) each. Norwegian Star has a maximum capacity—assuming double occupancy—of 2,348 passengers. Of Norwegian Star's 1,176 cabins, 70 percent had views of the ocean. Unusual, for a cruise ship, are its twin 220-square-meter (2,370 sq ft), three-bedroom, suites situated atop the ship complete with private garden and sundeck. When built, Norwegian Star was also one of the few cruise ships built without a casino, something that was prohibited by Hawaiian law; a 900-square-meter (10,000 sq ft) casino was added in 2005 when she was repositioned. Because the ship was ordered by Star Cruises and to be based out of Singapore, the decor and layout of Norwegian Star was meant to appeal to Asian and Australian passenger rather than Americans where she was ultimately based. The Norwegian Star has ten different dining areas.