NORWEGIAN SPIRIT
May 8, 2023 | Day 15 — Ketchikan, Alaska
Norwegian Spirit was in Ketchikan, Alaska, on May 8, 2023, during Day 15 of our 16-night Fire and Ice cruise from Honolulu to Vancouver. The call at Ward Cove followed Juneau and marked our final Alaska port before a day at sea and the conclusion of the cruise in Vancouver on May 10.
Norwegian Spirit was photographed in Ketchikan, Alaska, on May 8, 2023, during Day 15 of our 16-night Fire and Ice cruise from Honolulu to Vancouver. After beginning in Hawaii and crossing the Pacific, our cruise had continued through Southeast Alaska with Icy Strait Point, Glacier Bay, Skagway and Juneau. Ketchikan was our final Alaska port, bringing the destination portion of the cruise toward its conclusion before a day at sea and our arrival in Vancouver on May 10.
The published itinerary identified the Ketchikan call as Ward Cove, a cruise terminal north of downtown. This location has a history quite different from the traditional downtown cruise berths. Once home to the Ketchikan Pulp Mill, the property was redeveloped to serve cruise passengers, connecting a former industrial site with a newer chapter in Southeast Alaska’s visitor economy. The setting added another layer of local maritime and industrial history to our Alaska cruise.
By May 2023, Norwegian Spirit had been sailing for nearly 25 years. Built by Meyer Werft in Germany as SuperStar Leo, she began her career with Star Cruises before joining Norwegian Cruise Line in 2004. A major transformation in 2020 had refreshed her accommodation, dining venues and public spaces. Our Fire and Ice cruise brought that long-serving ship between two very different Pacific regions, ending with the wooded coast and island communities of Alaska after the opening days in Hawaii.
Information List
Ship: Norwegian Spirit
Original Name: SuperStar Leo
Operator: Norwegian Cruise Line
Original Operator: Star Cruises
Class: Leo class
Builder: Meyer Werft, Germany
Delivered: September 1998
Joined Norwegian Cruise Line: 2004
Gross Tonnage: 75,904 GT
Length Overall: 880 feet / 268 meters
Passenger Capacity: 2,032 at double occupancy
Major Modernization: More than US$100 million, completed in February 2020
Cruise: Our 16-night Fire and Ice cruise from Honolulu to Vancouver
Cruise Day: Day 15
Date Photographed: May 8, 2023
Location: Ketchikan, Alaska
Itinerary Berth Location: Ward Cove
Next Scheduled Day: At sea on May 9
Cruise Conclusion: Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 10, 2023
History and Features
Construction as SuperStar Leo:
Meyer Werft delivered the ship to Star Cruises in September 1998 under the name SuperStar Leo.
She was the first vessel in the Leo class, followed by sister ship SuperStar Virgo.
The design was developed for the Asian cruise market, giving the ship a different starting point from vessels originally built for Norwegian Cruise Line.
Her later career as Norwegian Spirit carried that original design into a much wider range of international cruise destinations.
Design and Shipboard Spaces:
The Leo-class design placed a large atrium at the center of the ship’s public spaces.
Extending through seven decks, the atrium connected areas used for dining, shopping and gathering.
A substantial theater was another important part of the original arrangement.
At 880 feet long, Norwegian Spirit offered the facilities of an oceangoing cruise ship on a smaller scale than the much larger vessels introduced in subsequent decades.
Service with Norwegian Cruise Line:
The ship began sailing as Norwegian Spirit in 2004, starting a new chapter after her years with Star Cruises.
Her transfer brought a vessel with an established Asian cruising background into Norwegian’s fleet.
By the time of our May 2023 cruise, she had spent nineteen years under the Norwegian name.
Her earlier identity remained an important part of her history, even as refurbishment and changing itineraries adapted the ship to new markets.
The 2020 Transformation:
Norwegian Cruise Line invested more than US$100 million in a major modernization completed in February 2020.
The work took place during a 43-day dry dock in Marseille, France.
Changes included fourteen new venues, additional and updated staterooms, refreshed public areas and new hull artwork.
The project substantially changed the passenger experience aboard a ship that had already been operating for more than twenty years.
From Hawaii to Alaska:
Our Fire and Ice cruise began in Honolulu on April 24, 2023, combining Hawaii and Alaska in a single 16-night itinerary.
Following the Hawaiian calls, five consecutive sea days carried us across the Pacific toward Alaska.
The Alaska portion began at Icy Strait Point on May 4 and included Glacier Bay, Skagway and Juneau.
Ketchikan on May 8 was the final Alaska port before the cruise continued toward Vancouver.
Ketchikan and the Inside Passage:
Ketchikan occupies a narrow strip of shoreline on Revillagigedo Island in Southeast Alaska.
Its position near the southern end of Alaska’s Inside Passage makes it an important gateway for ships traveling along the coast.
Fishing, maritime transport and tourism all form part of the community’s identity.
For our southbound journey, Ketchikan served as the last Alaska port rather than the first introduction to the state that it provides on many northbound cruises.
Ward Cove’s Industrial Background:
Ward Cove lies about seven miles north of downtown Ketchikan, separate from the city-center cruise berths.
The site was home to the Ketchikan Pulp Mill, which operated from 1954 until 1997.
Redevelopment gave the former mill property a new use as a cruise destination and passenger-handling facility.
The first cruise ships arrived at the new terminal in August 2021, less than two years before our call aboard Norwegian Spirit.
May 8, 2023 — Day 15 in Ketchikan:
These photographs form part of our own cruise aboard Norwegian Spirit.
The archived schedule listed the Ward Cove call from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A sea day followed on May 9, with Vancouver scheduled for the morning of May 10.
Ketchikan brought together the final Alaska chapter of our cruise and a port setting shaped by the region’s changing industries.
OLP Social: Ketchikan was the final Alaska port on our Fire and Ice cruise, following five days crossing the Pacific from Hawaii and calls farther north along the coast.
OLP Social 2: Built by Meyer Werft in Germany as SuperStar Leo in 1998, she joined Norwegian Cruise Line in 2004, beginning a new chapter beyond her original Asian routes.
OLP Social 3: At 880 feet long and 75,904 gross tons, this ship carries just over 2,000 guests at double occupancy, offering a smaller scale than many modern cruise ships.
OLP Social 4: Ward Cove gave our Ketchikan call a setting shaped by Alaska’s timber industry, with a former pulp mill site finding a new role as a cruise terminal.
