In a first for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel, guests visiting the NSW Sapphire Coast port of Eden on 23 December 2022 aboard Norwegian Spirit during the ship’s inaugural Australian season took part in a complimentary beach clean-up shore excursion.
Travellers were invited to take meaningful action in support of NCL’s partner organisation Take 3 for the Sea and its ambitious aim to remove 50 million pieces of plastic from the Australian environment and waterways by 2025.
Guests from Australia, USA, UK and Canada, together with Norwegian Spirit’s dedicated Environment Officer and Environment Operator, signed up for the special excursion. Under the guidance of an expert from Take 3 for the Sea, they collectively removed five kilograms of rubbish from the beachfront, while learning about the hidden impact of plastic pollution on Australia’s oceans and wildlife.
Eden was selected as the perfect location to launch this special shore excursion and allow guests an opportunity to contribute to the town’s ongoing rejuvenation as a tourism and cruise destination following the impact of the bushfires and travel restrictions. The excursion further strengthens NCL’s connection with the regional town after sister ship Norwegian Jewel was the first cruise vessel to visit Eden following the devastating bushfires of the summer of 2019/20. This historic occasion saw Norwegian Jewel and her guests celebrated by the local Eden community and emergency services volunteers.
“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Take for the Sea and bring this shore excursion to life in an inspiring first for NCL,” said Ben Angell, VP and Managing Director, NCL APAC. “We are committed to driving a positive impact in society and the environment, and we’re grateful for the incredible support we’ve received from the community in Eden, and the dedication of our partners at Take 3 for the Sea. This has been a milestone moment for our brand, and something we look forward to expanding in the
future.”
Jacquie Riddell, CEO of Take 3 for the Sea, said “We were delighted to welcome guests of Norwegian Spirit in Eden to join our movement and take simple steps towards significant change. NCL has already demonstrated its commitment to ocean conservation through its Sail & Sustain program and beach clean-up activities with its team and travel partners, and it’s wonderful to see them take their dedication to the next level by inviting guests to get involved.”
In this expansion of the partnership, NCL builds on recent joint activities such as Take 3 for the Sea’s CEO Beach Clean Up in Manly, a NCL Australia team beach clean-up in Rose Bay, and a week-long Take 3 for the Sea challenge as part of the cruise line’s award-winning annual Walk for Wellness travel industry initiative.
Reducing plastic pollution is central to NCL’s comprehensive Sail & Sustain program, and the company, recently voted Best Contemporary Cruise Line in the 2022 Cruise Passenger Readers’ Choice Awards, is proud to have been the first major cruise company to eradicate single-use plastic water bottles from its ships in 2020, and to have kept more than 14 million water bottles and 50 million plastic straws from harming the environment, together with its two sister NCLH brands.
For more information or to book a cruise with NCL, please contact a travel professional; call NCL in Australia on 1300 255 200 or in New Zealand on 0800 969 283; or visit www.ncl.com.
