In December Norwegian Cruise Line will celebrate 50 years of operation. It was in 1966 that Knut Kloster and Ted Arison founded Norwegian Cruise Line with the launch of the M/S Sunward sailing from Miami to the Caribbean. At that time the ship had the capacity to carry cars, as did the second ship The Starward in 1966. Both were eventually reconfigured to replace vehicle space with cabin and public spaces.

In 1972 Arison left NCL to form Carnival Cruise Line and Kloster increased the fleet for Norwegian, with 14 ships now calling on 300 destinations.
The cruise line is looking for passengers to participate in the memories of five decades of cruising.
Cruisers are invited to post photos and memories to their social media feeds; (#norwegiansfirst50), and on NorwegiansFirst50.com. The company will use the feedback to develop an online timeline reflecting the fifty years of cruising.
NCL is also offering a "sail-abration," including five, eight- and ten day anniversary cruises in December, with $100 onboard credits, which can be combined with the Free At Sea promotion.
The cruises are:
December 18
• Norwegian Breakaway from New York to Florida & The Bahamas
• Norwegian Getaway from Miami to the Western Caribbean
• Norwegian Jade from Tampa to the Western Caribbean
December 19
• Norwegian Gem from New York to the Eastern Caribbean (10-days)
• Norwegian Pearl from Miami through the Panama Canal (10 days)