Miami, April 20, 2004 – Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Norwegian Star star-studded debut in December 2001 garnered shining reviews from both travel agents and media. Purpose built for Freestyle Cruising, she features the industry’s first 10 restaurant-ship and, along with Norwegian Dawn, the largest suites at sea. In May, she will shine even brighter as she emerges from a San Francisco dry dock where she will undergo a multi-million dollar refurbishment.

The refurbishment encompasses changes on both the inside and outside of the 91,000-ton vessel including the addition of a steakhouse, a 10,000-square foot casino and dramatic hull artwork, a signature trademark for the company.

“Our hull artwork on Norwegian Dawn and the designs for Pride of Aloha and Pride of America have been extremely well received,” said Colin Veitch, president and CEO of NCL. "As our purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships enter dry dock and as we bring in new ships we will treat the hulls as blank canvases and incorporate dynamic designs that reflect the personality of the ships.”

Norwegian Star’s new decorative artwork will be splashed along both sides of the hull with a burst of colorful stars and streamers running from the bow of the ship almost to the middle of the ship. The green, red, yellow, purple and aqua blue design is a whimsical interpretation of the long-time cruise tradition of passengers throwing streamers from the bow of the ship as the vessel pulls away from the dock at the beginning of a sailing.

On the inside, one of the most dramatic changes during the renovation will be the expansion and conversion of the restaurant space on deck 13 now occupied as Las Ramblas into Cagney’s Steakhouse, a very popular restaurant concept on Norwegian Dawn. Cagney’s Steakhouse is a 1930s-style American steak house decorated in a Western theme.

Norwegian Star’s Endless Summer restaurant, which is located on Deck 8 overlooking the Atrium, will become a Tex Mex and Tapas style restaurant. Offerings will include sangria, tamales, black bean soup with chorizo, enchiladas, quesadillas and Mexican chocolate mascarpone cheesecake.

Currently there are three private rooms in the high-end SoHo Restaurant on Deck 6; two of those rooms will be removed to expand the overall restaurant space. One room will continue to offer a private dining experience for a group of 6-10 people.

Another dramatic change for the ship is the addition of a state-of-the-art casino, which will be installed where Dazzles Nightclub currently exists on Deck 6. The Star Club Casino will feature passenger’s favorite tables like Blackjack, Mini Baccarat, Roulette, 3 Card Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker and Craps tables with lines that offer favorable odds that pay our 3, 4 and 5 times the amount of money bet. The ship will also feature games other lines don’t offer, including Pai-Gow Poker, Pai-Gow Tiles and even a Big Baccarat table, which are available only by special request prior to sailing.

Also available in the Casino beginning inAugust, will be a new electronic player tracking system that logs passenger’s play and rewards them for it. The card records players earning and offers various rewards, including onboard amenities, credit applied to their onboard account, reduced rates for future cruises and even a complimentary cruise if the level of play is high enough.

The Teen Club on Deck 7 will be transformed into the sleek, hip Pearl Martini Lounge and the adjoining Karaoke Circus will become the Carousel Bar and Night Club where the existing private Karaoke rooms will be removed to create an expanded space for the night club.

The Teen Club, along with the Video Arcade, will be moved to Deck 12 aft in the Market Café. The space that used to accommodate the Video Arcade will now become an expanded gym area for the Barong Fitness Center.

Norwegian Star’s Alaska season begins on May 30, 2004 from Seattle, calling in Juneau, and Skagway before cruising spectacular Glacier Bay, then visiting Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia. She will continue to sail this seven-day itinerary from Seattle through September 12, 2004.

After her Alaska season, Norwegian Star will reposition to Los Angeles to begin a series of 8-day Mexican Riviera voyages calling in Acapulco, Zihuantanejo, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas Mexico. The season runs from September 26, 2004 through April 30, 2005.