New York, New York - Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Escape Meet in New York Bay (2019)

Norwegian Encore is a Breakaway Plus-class cruise ship operating for Norwegian Cruise Line. As a part of the Breakaway Plus-class, she is the sister ship to the Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Joy. In February 2017, it was announced that the ship would be designed for the Chinese market, much like her sister ship, the Norwegian Joy. However, in January 2018, it was later announced that the ship will instead be designed for the Western market like her other sister ship, the Norwegian Bliss. Construction started with the ship's steel cutting on 31 January 2018, the day she was also named Norwegian Encore. Her keel-laying ceremony was performed on 28 November 2018, accompanied by a performance from Kinky Boots. Norwegian Encore's float-out was on 17 August 2019 and the ship was towed from the building dock to receive her funnel cladding and further outfitting. The ship began its scheduled conveyance along the Ems towards the Eemshaven for her sea trials on 30 September 2019 and completed it on 1 October. Norwegian Encore was delivered to Norwegian on 30 October 2019 at a ceremony in Bremerhaven. On 10 September 2019, Andy Stuart, president and CEO of Norwegian, announced on The Kelly Clarkson Show that Kelly Clarkson will be the godmother to the Norwegian Encore. Clarkson will perform at the christening ceremony and officially name the vessel on 21 November 2019 in Miami before it debuts in the Caribbean on 24 November. Norwegian Encore has an overall length of 333.5 m (1,094 ft), moulded beam 41.50 m (136.2 ft) and maximum draft 9.00 m (29.53 ft). The ship has gross tonnage of 169,116 GT and deadweight of 11,700 DWT. Norwegian Encore has 20 decks, 2,038 staterooms and capacity for 3,998 passengers at double occupancy. Norwegian Encore has five main engines with total output power of 102,900 hp (76.7 MW). The vessel has two MAN B&W 14V48/60CR, each with power of 22,520 hp (16.79 MW) and three MAN B&W 12V48/60CR, each with power of 19,300 hp (14.4 MW). The propulsion system is two ABB Azipod XO units with total power of 40 MW, which allows service speed of 22.5 kts, while the maximum speed during trials exceeds 25.0 kts. The engines are equipped with scrubbers and a heat recovery system for improved energy efficiency. Norwegian Escape is a cruise ship for Norwegian Cruise Line, in service since October 2015. She was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, in just 17 months. Norwegian Escape is a Breakaway Plus-class cruise ship, which also includes Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Bliss, and Norwegian Encore, built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg for Norwegian Cruise Line. The vessel entered service in October 2015. The name of the ship was selected in a contest on USA Today. In 2014, Guy Harvey was chosen to paint the hull art. The first section was launched on 5 December 2014. A second section was launched 21 February 2015. Norwegian Escape was floated out of Meyer Werft's building hall on 15 August 2015, with sea trials beginning on 16 September. She was officially delivered to Norwegian Cruise Line on 22 October. Upon completion, the ship undertook a series of short preview sailings from Hamburg and Southampton. Escape departed Southampton on 29 October 2015 for her inaugural transatlantic crossing to her slated homeport of Miami, where the ship regularly cruised to the Caribbean. In the summer of 2019, the Escape repositioned to the New York Passenger Ship Terminal in Manhattan, and has been sailing seven-day voyages to Bermuda and will cruise along the New England coast, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick in the fall. She will return to Miami for the winter of 2019 and resume cruising to the Caribbean. Escape will then spend the summer of 2020 in Copenhagen and then homeport at Port Canaveral for the winter of 2020.