The ship with the world’s longest race track at sea, the Norwegian Encore departed the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany earlier this week.

Crew members on board are already preparing to welcome her first guests this November.

The 3,998 guest ship will be delivered to Norwegian Cruise Line on October 30, 2019. Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson will then christen the ship on November 21 in Miami before commencing seven-day voyages to the Caribbean three days later.

“Today we celebrate a huge milestone for our history-making ship,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “Now is when the anticipation truly begins to build.  Our partners at Meyer Werft have collaborated with us to bring the industry-leading experiences from the successful Breakaway Plus class ships to Norwegian Encore, making her truly the best in class.”

Norwegian Encore will be the line’s first ship to be plastic bottle free and provide cruisers with water in a plant-based reusable carton in partnership with JUST Goods, Inc.

The ship will also take the brand’s exclusive attractions to the next level with the world’s longest race track at sea at 335 metres with four high-speed curves extending up to 3.9 metres over the side of the ship; the largest outdoor laser tag arena at nearly 930 square metres with the addition of augmented reality elements; and new immersive escape room and interactive theatre experiences in the 930-square-metre Galaxy Pavilion.

Norwegian Encore will debut a new Italian dining experience, Onda by Scarpetta, in collaboration with LDV Hospitality. The Tony Award®-winning musical, “Kinky Boots” will headline the world-class entertainment on board, with returning guest favourites “The Choir of Man,” “Happy Hour Prohibition: The Musical” and the rocking Beatles cover band of The Cavern Club.

Launching this spring, Norwegian Encore will offer seven-day voyages to the Eastern Caribbean from Miami beginning 24 Nov, 2019; Bermuda, and Canada and New England itineraries from New York City beginning 22 Apr, 2020; and voyages to the Western Caribbean from Miami beginning 12 Dec, 2020.  In the autumn of 2021, she will make her USA West Coast debut and sail to Alaska from Seattle.