Norwegian Cruise Line commemorated the debut of its all-new Norwegian Prima, and the brand’s first-ever voyage from Galveston, Texas, with an exclusive concert by GRAMMY Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson.
The ship also served as the special venue for this year’s Norwegian’s Giving Joy awards ceremony, during which the Cruise Line and Clarkson recognized 100 teachers with a free cruise, and nearly $170,000 for the top three Grand Prize winners and their schools.
Norwegian’s Giving Joy is a month-long campaign which launched during National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2 – 6, 2022) to recognize deserving educators for their unwavering commitment to bringing joy to the classroom. To celebrate these incredible individuals, and their often-times undervalued profession, as well as to kick-off Norwegian Prima’s first voyage from the Lone Star State, Norwegian Cruise Line hosted a showstopping award celebration. Special guests included NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer; Norwegian Bliss Godfather Elvis Duran, American radio personality and host of “Elvis Duran and the Morning Show;” and superstar and godmother to Norwegian Encore, Kelly Clarkson, who delivered a stellar performance of her chart-topping hits including “Miss Independent,” “Stronger,” and “Since You’ve Been Gone.”
“It was such an honor to celebrate the 100 deserving winners of Norwegian’s Giving Joy program at Norwegian Prima’s inaugural sailing, which embarked from my home state of Texas! Teachers are our true everyday unsung heroes, and they play an integral role in our society, not only shaping the future of their students, but the future of their communities as well. I couldn’t miss the opportunity to participate in this program and give a special performance before they set sail on the trip of a lifetime!” said, Kelly Clarkson, GRAMMY Award-Winning Artist.
To conclude the Norwegian’s Giving Joy Award Ceremony, Sommer, unveiled the top three Grand Prize winners who received the most votes, awarding them with donations for their schools.
The Grand Prize winners are:
- Patricia Hosmer from Bayonne High School in Bayonne, N.J. ($25,000)
- Theresa Schrager from Falcon Cove Middle School, Fla. ($15,000)
- Anthony Stirpe from New Rochelle High School in New Rochelle, N.Y. ($10,000)
In addition to the expected donations to their schools, each of the Grand Prize winners received a big surprise – nearly $40,000 each in prize money thanks to Norwegian Cruise Line partners, who were moved by the ethos of Norwegian’s Giving Joy annual teacher recognition program, which shines a light on these inspiring individuals who play an integral role in shaping the lives of their students and our future.
Participating partners include:
- De Wave Group
- Independent Maritime Advisors
- Apollo Export Warehouse
- Clifford Paper
- Matermoll/Global Resources Registry
- Sangiorgio Export
- Viking Life Saving Equipment
- Lasvit
- Scanship
- SubSea Global Solutions
- Chantier Naval de Marseille
- Dometic
- Fire Aid International
- Gerolamo Scorza
- RGB
- San Bernardo Ice Cream
- Ocean Beauty Seafoods LLC
- Alfa Laval Inc.
- AtmosAir
- Bourne
- Gerolamo Scorza
- SGDP
- SRC
- Interglobo International Freight Forward
- Sysco South Florida
- Freedom Fresh
- Armstrong Produce
- Freshpoint Connecticut, LLC
- Sazerac
- Michael J. Devine & Associates, Inc.
- Moet & Hennessy
“Norwegian Prima’s debut in Galveston was extra special, We really did it big…and what better place to do it big than in Texas. We introduced our new, magnificent ship to a market new to NCL, we welcomed 100 unbelievably deserving teachers to experience her, awarded the Grand Prize winners with nearly $40,000 in surprise prize money in addition to a donation for their school – and we put on an unforgettable celebration with two of our NCL godparents, Elvis Duran and Kelly Clarkson. Norwegian’s Giving Joy campaign is very special to us as we see an undeniable connection between travel and education. Both broaden our perspectives, make us more understanding and aware of other points of view, and brings people together. Teachers bring the world to their students and in a smaller way, we bring the world to our guests.” said, Harry Sommer, President and Chief Executive Officer Norwegian Cruise Line.
In addition to winning a balcony stateroom during Norwegian Prima’s exclusive five-day roundtrip voyage from Galveston, Texas from Oct. 27 – 31, 2022, calling to Merida, Mexico, each winner walked away with an AMEX gift card sponsored by American Express, and one randomly selected winner was awarded with a trip to San Francisco with two VIP Adrenaline Lounge Passes to any one of the SailGP Season3 events taking place May 6-7, 2023, donated by Survitec Group.
This year, Norwegian’s Giving Joy drew support for teachers all across North America, with winners from Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas in the U.S., as well as British Columbia and Ontario, Canada. To learn more about the 100 winners and their heart-warming stories, and to support those in your communities, click here.
The annual program is designed to highlight the connection between travel and education and to recognize teachers for their unwavering dedication to inspiring students every day. To date the program has awarded 230 teachers across the U.S. and Canada with free cruises and donated over $350,000 to schools and educators since 2019.
Following Norwegian Prima’s inaugural voyage from Galveston, Texas she will sail an 11-day itinerary to the Caribbean with calls to Cozumel, Mexico; Oranjestad, Aruba; Kralendijk, Bonaire; Willemstad Curacao; Norwegian’s private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay, before arriving to Miami for her debut in the “Cruise Capital of the World.” She will return to Galveston for a season of Caribbean voyages in the winter of 2023/2024.
For more information about the Company’s award-winning 18-ship fleet and worldwide itineraries, or to book a cruise, please contact a travel professional, call 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784) or visit www.ncl.com.
