Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) will return to southern African waters in November to begin a new cruise season, this time offering itineraries on two vessels: Norwegian Dawn and, on its South African maiden voyage, Norwegian Sky.
“NCL has numerous itineraries spanning 11-21 days to set sail between November 2024 and May 2025, with departures in either Cape Town or Port Louis, Mauritius,” said Kevin Bubolz, VP and MD, Continental Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
This opens up opportunities for the ultimate holiday for South Africans.
Bubolz said travellers could explore more of southern Africa, combined with a beach holiday in Mauritius (which remains South Africans’ top international travel destination) once their cruise ends.
“Alternatively, travellers can fly to Mauritius first and return home via one of our cruises, visiting Réunion, Madagascar, Mozambique, and other beautiful ports along the SA coast before disembarking in Cape Town.”
NCL’s expanded offerings are well timed, coinciding with Cape Town’s increased focus on attracting and accommodating more cruise ships. According to Travis Stedman, Business Development Manager of Cruise Cape Town, the city has experienced significant growth in cruise tourism since 2022.
“The 2022-2023 cruise season saw 70 ships docking at the Cape Town Cruise Terminal, bringing in approximately 145 000 passengers and 42 000 crew members. The 2023-2024 economic impact study results will be released in the upcoming months,” said Stedman.
Cruise Cape Town has set ambitious goals to increase the number of cruise ship calls and passenger arrivals. They include growing the number of cruise visits, boosting the tourism economy, creating jobs, and increasing cruise tourism’s overall GDP contribution.
