Norwegian Escape Christened by Pitbull in Miami

Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, Norwegian Escape, has been officially named by her godfather, US rapper Pitbull, as part of an official naming ceremony in Miami, Florida.

The latest NCL vessel, which reached her new homeport of Miami on November 9, was christened by the ‘Give Me Everything’ rapper at a special naming ceremony at Miami’s world-famous cruise terminal in front of thousands of spectators.

NCL’s CEO Frank Del Rio, who gave a short speech outlining some of the key features of the new vessel, kicked off the event in front of a packed pier of expectant NCL fans. Del Rio’s welcome was followed by a gravity-defying opening act, which saw Parkour performers dazzling the crowd with a series of acrobatic stunts.

The reins were then handed to US radio personality, Froggy from the Elvis Duran Morning Show, who oversaw the remainder of the festivities and introduced VIP guests to the stage including Miami-Dade Country Mayor Carlos Gimenez — who discussed the positive impact Norwegian Escape is likely to have on the local community and residents of Miami.

Pier-side guests were then treated to a sneak peak of some of the entertainment available aboard Escape, by way of the cast of Tony Award-winning Broadway shows ‘After Midnight’ and ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ taking to the stage to perform a selection of songs from Escape’s evening entertainment roster.

This set piece was followed by the main event — a performance from Pitbull himself, who performed several of his most famous hits, including ‘Don’t Stop the Party’, ‘Fireball’ and the chart-topping ‘Give Me Everything’. To complement the rapper’s performance, roving photographers projected photographs of spectators on to the stage — adding an exciting interactive element to the proceedings.

As the largest ship to ever enter the NCL fleet, Escape looks set to become the line’s most popular vessel — offering guests an extra level of comfort, luxury and entertainment than previous NCL ships.

Images sourced via Norwegian Cruise Line Press Centre and Flickr Creative Commons. Credit: Eva Rinaldi