EMC and Norwegian Cruise Line Break Record for "Social Media Usage at Sea" During Inaugural Voyage of Norwegian Escape

MIRAMAR, Fla., Dec. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Norwegian Escape, the newest and largest of Norwegian Cruise Line's 14-vessel fleet, experienced a record-breaking social media milestone during its inaugural celebrations from October 22-November 11, 2015.  Cruisers logged 576,896 Facebook posts, 14,150 tweets and 11,367 Instagram posts for a total of 159 million impressions, surpassing the cruise line's "social media usage at sea" record set during the 2013 inaugural events for Norwegian Breakaway, exceeded in 2014 with the Norwegian Getaway.

The EMC advanced hybrid communications network of satellite-terrestrial-cellular connectivity allowed guests and crew to connect their smartphones and other devices to post pictures and updates, call friends and family, and stay connected for important business communications as they experienced the cruise industry's newest megaship, the fifth largest in the world. The engagement was ongoing during Norwegian Escape's inaugural voyages.  With seamless and complimentary access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, thousands of guests and media were able to participate in a variety of inaugural social media events, from a sail-along Instagram scavenger hunt to a secret menu that could only be unlocked with a tweet. 

"We're proud to set a new record for social media usage at sea during Norwegian Escape's inaugural events, in partnership with EMC," said Ross Henderson, vice president, onboard revenue, at Norwegian Cruise Line.  "Our number one ambition is to exceed guest expectations and based on the hundreds of thousands of social media posts, it was clear we delivered on an outstanding experience, including connectivity."

Brent Horwitz, president of cruise and ferry services, EMC, said, "Our goal is to make sure our cruise partners' guests and crew have the same connectivity experience on board as they have at home.  On top of that, Norwegian challenged us with a robust schedule of ongoing social media activities that significantly increased engagement and we were happy to exceed their expectations.  Our team is unsurpassed in the cruise communications industry when it comes to delivering on this level of service, and our patented technology approach and unmatched network make the at-sea experience feel more like that on land."

As the leading provider of broadband communications and content at sea, EMC has tracked the majority of Internet traffic on cruise ships around the world since the advent of social media. Recognizing the importance of guests staying connected, Norwegian and EMC have partnered to offer the best possible connectivity experience on board a cruise ship both at-sea and in-port.

The combined 159 million social media impressions garnered from Norwegian Escape's inaugural events showed a 330 percent increase, compared to the impressions tracked from previous inaugural events.

About EMC

EMC specializes in mission-critical communications and content for organizations and people on the move in the most remote locations.  At sea, on land and in the air, the company provides seamless, reliable connectivity and access.  EMC leverages its wholly-owned and operated satellite-terrestrial-cellular broadband network with fully meshed Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) interconnected teleports.  The company delivers mission-critical communications, Internet, live TV, on-demand video, voice, cellular and 3G/LTE services worldwide.  EMC operates in 140 countries and runs 52 global field support centers. The established EMC team, in business for 35 years with unprecedented infrastructure and 20+ patented technologies, delivers industry firsts time and again.  EMC hires and trains its own field engineers to flexibly deploy support quickly around the world.  The company tailors its services for the most demanding users of mission-critical applications for the following sectors — energy, cruise & ferries, yachts, commercial shipping, mobile network operators, government, The United Nations (UN) & non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and global enterprises.  For more information, visit www.EMCConnected.com.

About Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a 49-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising which revolutionized the industry by giving guests more freedom and flexibility. Today, Norwegian invites guests to explore the world on one of 13 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed, resort style cruise vacation on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea.  Recently, the line was named "Europe's Leading Cruise Line" for the eighth consecutive year, as well as "Caribbean's Leading Cruise Line" for the third time and "World's Leading Large Ship Cruise Line" for the second year by the World Travel Awards.  For further information on Norwegian Cruise Line visit www.ncl.com; contact us in the U.S. and Canada at 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784); or follow us on the following social channels for the latest company news & exclusive content: Facebook & YouTube @NorwegianCruiseLine, Twitter/Periscope @CruiseNorwegian, Instagram @norwegiancruiseline, & Snapchat @cruisenorwegian!  High resolution, downloadable images are available at www.ncl.com/pressroom.

Media Contact:
Liz DeCastro
Liz.DeCastro@EMCConnected.com 
+1-954-672-4539

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SOURCE EMC