Norwegian is following Royal Caribbean's giant cruise ship playbook

Core Viewpoint - Norwegian Cruise Line is focusing on building larger ships to compete with Royal Caribbean's successful mega ships, planning to debut four new vessels from 2030 to 2036, each weighing approximately 226,000 gross tons and accommodating over 8,300 passengers [1][7]. Group 1: Competitive Strategy - Norwegian Cruise Line is adopting a "build bigger" strategy similar to Royal Caribbean, which has successfully launched larger ships like the Icon of the Seas, weighing 248,663 gross tons [2][3][7]. - The upcoming Norwegian ships will surpass the current largest ship in its fleet, Norwegian Encore, which measures 169,116 gross tons and accommodates over 5,690 passengers [2][7]. Group 2: Shipbuilding Partnerships - Norwegian has partnered with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of its new largest ships, continuing a trend established with the recent Prima-class ships [4][5]. - The order for eight ships, including those for Norwegian's other brands Oceania and Regent Seven Seas, represents the largest in the company's history, aimed at capturing a larger share of the cruise market [6].