Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) 10-K 27 Feb 19 2018 FY Annual report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Feb. 15, 2019	Jun. 29, 2018
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
Entity Central Index Key	1,513,761
Trading Symbol	nclh
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Well Known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Common Stock Shares Outstanding		217,727,855
Entity Public Float			$ 9.7
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2018
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false

Consolidated Statements of Oper

Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Revenue
Total revenue	$ 6,055,126	$ 5,396,175	$ 4,874,340
Cruise operating expense
Commissions, transportation and other	998,948	894,406	813,559
Payroll and related	881,606	803,632	746,142
Fuel	392,685	361,032	335,174
Total cruise operating expense	3,377,076	3,063,644	2,850,225
Other operating expense
Marketing, general and administrative	897,929	773,755	666,156
Depreciation and amortization	561,060	509,957	432,495
Total other operating expense	1,458,989	1,283,712	1,098,651
Operating income	1,219,061	1,048,819	925,464
Non-operating income (expense)
Interest expense, net	(270,404)	(267,804)	(276,859)
Other income (expense), net	20,653	(10,401)	(8,302)
Total non-operating income (expense)	(249,751)	(278,205)	(285,161)
Net income before income taxes	969,310	770,614	640,303
Income tax expense	(14,467)	(10,742)	(7,218)
Net income	$ 954,843	$ 759,872	$ 633,085
Weighted-average shares outstanding
Basic (in shares)	223,001,739	228,040,825	227,121,875
Diluted (in shares)	224,419,205	229,418,326	227,850,286
Earnings per share
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 4.28	$ 3.33	$ 2.79
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 4.25	$ 3.31	$ 2.78
Passenger ticket
Revenue
Total revenue	$ 4,259,815	$ 3,750,030	$ 3,388,954
Onboard and other
Revenue
Total revenue	1,795,311	1,646,145	1,485,386
Cruise operating expense
Total cruise operating expense	348,656	319,293	298,886
Food
Cruise operating expense
Total cruise operating expense	216,031	198,357	200,071
Other
Cruise operating expense
Total cruise operating expense	$ 539,150	$ 486,924	$ 456,393

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 954,843	$ 759,872	$ 633,085
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Shipboard Retirement Plan	2,697	(40)	497
Cash flow hedges:
Net unrealized gain (loss) related to cash flow hedges	(161,214)	304,684	1,711
Amount realized and reclassified into earnings	(30,096)	36,795	95,969
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	(188,613)	341,439	98,177
Total comprehensive income	$ 766,230	$ 1,101,311	$ 731,262

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 163,851	$ 176,190
Accounts receivable, net	55,249	43,961
Inventories	90,202	82,121
Prepaid expenses and other assets	241,011	216,065
Total current assets	550,313	518,337
Property and equipment, net	12,119,253	11,040,488
Goodwill	1,388,931	1,388,931
Tradenames	817,525	817,525
Other long-term assets	329,948	329,588
Total assets	15,205,970	14,094,869
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	681,218	619,373
Accounts payable	159,564	53,433
Accrued expenses and other liabilities	716,499	513,717
Advance ticket sales	1,593,219	1,303,498
Total current liabilities	3,150,500	2,490,021
Long-term debt	5,810,873	5,688,392
Other long-term liabilities	281,596	166,690
Total liabilities	9,242,969	8,345,103
Commitments and contingencies (Note 12)
Shareholders' equity:
Ordinary shares, $.001 par value; 490,000,000 shares authorized; 235,484,613 shares issued and 217,650,644 shares outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 233,840,523 shares issued and 228,528,562 shares outstanding at December 31, 2017	235	233
Additional paid-in capital	4,129,639	3,998,694
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(161,647)	26,966
Retained earnings	2,898,840	1,963,128
Treasury shares (17,833,969 ordinary shares at December 31, 2018 and 5,311,961 ordinary shares at December 31, 2017 at cost)	(904,066)	(239,255)
Total shareholders' equity	5,963,001	5,749,766
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 15,205,970	$ 14,094,869

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parentheticals) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Ordinary shares, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Ordinary shares, authorized	490,000,000	490,000,000
Ordinary shares, issued	235,484,613	233,840,523
Ordinary shares, outstanding	217,650,644	228,528,562
Ordinary shares, treasury stock	17,833,969	5,311,961

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income	$ 954,843	$ 759,872	$ 633,085
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	566,972	521,484	445,635
(Gain) loss on derivatives		(103)	79
Deferred income taxes, net	1,508	9,153	(2,448)
Loss on extinguishment of debt	6,346	22,211	38,180
Provision for bad debts and inventory	5,570	2,431	3,866
Share-based compensation expense	115,983	87,039	66,414
Net foreign currency adjustments	(5,537)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable, net	(15,886)	15,050	(20,983)
Inventories	(9,052)	(17,129)	(9,184)
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(29,519)	(22,714)	(13,363)
Accounts payable	106,387	14,047	(5,755)
Accrued expenses and other liabilities	114,953	55,894	(6,410)
Advance ticket sales	262,603	154,012	134,971
Net cash provided by operating activities	2,075,171	1,601,247	1,264,087
Cash flows from investing activities
Additions to property and equipment, net	(1,566,796)	(1,372,214)	(1,092,091)
Net proceeds from sale of Hawaii land-based operations		499
Promissory note receipts	1,011	165
Cash received on settlement of derivatives	64,796	2,346	131
Cash paid on settlement of derivatives	(1,719)	(35,694)	(36,954)
Net cash used in investing activities	(1,502,708)	(1,404,898)	(1,128,914)
Cash flows from financing activities
Repayments of long-term debt	(1,716,244)	(1,916,885)	(3,744,029)
Repayments to Affiliate			(18,522)
Proceeds from long-term debt	1,904,865	1,816,390	3,753,928
Proceeds from employee related plans	28,819	30,032	9,169
Net share settlement of restricted share units	(13,855)	(6,342)
Purchases of treasury shares	(664,811)		(49,999)
Early redemption premium	(5,154)	(15,506)	(19,250)
Deferred financing fees and other	(118,422)	(56,195)	(54,060)
Net cash used in financing activities	(584,802)	(148,506)	(122,763)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(12,339)	47,843	12,410
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year	176,190	128,347	115,937
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year	$ 163,851	$ 176,190	$ 128,347

Consolidated Statements of Chan

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Ordinary Shares	Additional Paid-in Capital	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Retained Earnings	Treasury Shares	Total
Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	$ 232	$ 3,814,536	$ (412,650)	$ 568,018	$ (189,256)	$ 3,780,880
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Share-based compensation		66,414				66,414
Issuance of shares under employee related plans		9,169				9,169
Treasury shares					(49,999)	(49,999)
Other comprehensive income, net			98,177			98,177
Net income				633,085		633,085
Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	232	3,890,119	(314,473)	1,201,103	(239,255)	4,537,726
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Share-based compensation		87,039				87,039
Issuance of shares under employee related plans	1	30,031				30,032
Net share settlement of restricted share units		(6,342)				(6,342)
Other comprehensive income, net			341,439			341,439
Net income				759,872		759,872
Balance at Dec. 31, 2017	233	3,998,694	26,966	1,963,128	(239,255)	5,749,766
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Cumulative change in accounting policy		(2,153)		2,153
Share-based compensation		115,983				115,983
Issuance of shares under employee related plans	2	28,817				28,819
Net share settlement of restricted share units		(13,855)				(13,855)
Treasury shares					(664,811)	(664,811)
Other comprehensive income, net			(188,601)			(188,601)
Net income				954,843		954,843
Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 235	$ 4,129,639	(161,647)	2,898,840	$ (904,066)	5,963,001
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Cumulative change in accounting policy			$ (12)	$ (19,131)		$ (19,143)

Description of Business and Org

Description of Business and Organization	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business and Organization	1. Description of Business and Organization We are a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands. As of December 31, 2018, we had 26 ships with approximately 54,400 Berths and had orders for eight additional ships to be delivered through 2027, subject to certain conditions. These eight orders consist of Norwegian Encore, a Breakaway Plus Class Ship, for delivery in the fall of 2019; Seven Seas Splendor, an Explorer Class Ship, for delivery in the winter of 2020; and Project Leonardo, which will introduce an additional six ships with expected delivery dates through 2027. We also plan to introduce three additional ships (we refer you to Note 17— “Subsequent Events”). The addition of these 11 ships to our fleet will increase our total Berths to approximately 82,000. Norwegian commenced operations from Miami in 1966. In February 2011, NCLH, a Bermuda limited company, was formed with the issuance to the Sponsors of, in aggregate, 10,000 ordinary shares, with a par value of $.001 per share. In January 2013, NCLH completed its IPO and the ordinary shares of NCLC, all of which were owned by the Sponsors, were exchanged for the ordinary shares of NCLH, and NCLH became the owner of 100% of the ordinary shares and parent company of NCLC (the “Corporate Reorganization”). At the same time, NCLH contributed $460.0 million to NCLC and the historical financial statements of NCLC became those of NCLH. The Corporate Reorganization was affected solely for the purpose of reorganizing our corporate structure. In November 2014, we completed the Acquisition of Prestige. We believe that the combination of Norwegian and Prestige creates a cruise operating company with a rich product portfolio and strong market presence. The Sponsors have completed numerous Secondary Equity Offerings of NCLH’s ordinary shares. As of December 2018, the Sponsors no longer own any NCLH ordinary shares.

Summary of Significant Accounti

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and contain all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the periods presented. Estimates are required for the preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and actual results could differ from these estimates. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Reclassifications Certain amounts in prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, The effects of the change on our consolidated statements of cash flows were as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2017 2016 As Previously Effect of As Reported Previously Effect of Cash flows from operating activities Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Loss on extinguishment of debt (previously write-off of financing fees) $ 22,211 $ 6,705 $ 15,506 $ 38,180 $ 18,930 $ 19,250 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Prepaid expenses and other assets $ (22,714 ) $ (22,714 ) $ — $ (13,363 ) $ (18,534 ) $ 5,171 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 1,601,247 $ 1,585,741 $ 15,506 $ 1,264,087 $ 1,239,666 $ 24,421 Cash flows from financing activities Early redemption premium $ (15,506 ) $ — $ (15,506 ) $ (19,250 ) $ — $ (19,250 ) Deferred financing fees and other $ (56,195 ) $ (56,195 ) $ — $ (54,060 ) $ (48,889 ) $ (5,171 ) Net cash used in financing activities $ (148,506 ) $ (133,000 ) $ (15,506 ) $ (122,763 ) $ (98,342 ) $ (24,421 ) Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents are stated at cost and include cash and investments with original maturities of three months or less at acquisition and also include amounts due from credit card processors. Accounts Receivable, Net Accounts receivable are shown net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $9.6 million and $5.9 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Inventories Inventories mainly consist of provisions, supplies and fuel and are carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value using the first-in, first-out method of accounting. Advertising Costs Advertising costs are expensed as incurred except for those that result in tangible assets, including brochures, which are treated as prepaid expenses and charged to expense as consumed. Advertising costs of $0.8 million and $2.4 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, are included in prepaid expenses and other assets. Expenses related to advertising costs totaled $327.3 million, $289.1 million and $270.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Earnings Per Share Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income by the basic weighted-average number of shares outstanding during each period. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing net income by diluted weighted-average shares outstanding. A reconciliation between basic and diluted earnings per share was as follows (in thousands, except share and per share data): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Net income $ 954,843 $ 759,872 $ 633,085 Basic weighted-average shares outstanding 223,001,739 228,040,825 227,121,875 Dilutive effect of share awards 1,417,466 1,377,501 728,411 Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding 224,419,205 229,418,326 227,850,286 Basic earnings per share $ 4.28 $ 3.33 $ 2.79 Diluted earnings per share $ 4.25 $ 3.31 $ 2.78 For the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, a total of 4.7 million, 5.6 million and 7.1 million shares, respectively, have been excluded from diluted weighted-average shares outstanding because the effect of including them would have been anti-dilutive. Property and Equipment, Net Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Major renewals and improvements that we believe add value to our ships are capitalized as a cost of the ship while costs of repairs and maintenance, including Dry-dock costs, are charged to expense as incurred. During ship construction, certain interest is capitalized as a cost of the ship. Gains or losses on the sale of property and equipment are recorded as a component of operating income (expense) in our consolidated statements of operations. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, after a 15% reduction for the estimated residual values of ships as follows: Useful Life Ships 30 years Computer hardware and software 3-10 years Other property and equipment 3-40 years Leasehold improvements Shorter of lease term or asset life Ship improvements Shorter of asset life or life of the ship Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment, based on estimated future undiscounted cash flows, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Assets are grouped and evaluated at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows that are largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets. We consider historical performance and future estimated results in our evaluation of potential impairment and then compare the carrying amount of the asset to the estimated future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset. If the carrying amount of the asset exceeds estimated expected undiscounted future cash flows, we measure the amount of the impairment by comparing the carrying amount of the asset to its fair value. We estimate fair value based on the best information available utilizing estimates, judgments and projections as necessary. Our estimate of fair value is generally measured by discounting expected future cash flows at discount rates commensurate with the associated risk. Goodwill and Tradenames Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair value of net assets acquired. Goodwill and other indefinite-lived assets, principally tradenames, are reviewed for impairment on an annual basis or earlier if there is an event or change in circumstances that would indicate that the carrying value of these assets may not be fully recoverable. We use the Step 0 Test which allows us to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not (i.e., more than 50%) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. For tradenames we also provide a qualitative assessment to determine if there is any indication of impairment. In order to make this evaluation, we consider the following circumstances as well as others: · Changes in general macroeconomic conditions such as a deterioration in general economic conditions; limitations on accessing capital; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; or other developments in equity and credit markets; · Changes in industry and market conditions such as a deterioration in the environment in which an entity operates; an increased competitive environment; a decline in market-dependent multiples or metrics (in both absolute terms and relative to peers); a change in the market for an entity’s products or services; or a regulatory or political development; · Changes in cost factors that have a negative effect on earnings and cash flows; · Decline in overall financial performance (for both actual and expected performance); · Entity and reporting unit specific events such as changes in management, key personnel, strategy, or customers; litigation; or a change in the composition or carrying amount of net assets; and · Decline in share price (in both absolute terms and relative to peers). We have concluded that our business has three reporting units. Each brand, Norwegian, Regent and Oceania Cruises, constitutes a business for which discrete financial information is available and management regularly reviews the operating results and, therefore, each brand is considered an operating segment. For our annual impairment evaluation, we performed a Step 0 Test for the Norwegian, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania Cruises reporting units. As of December 31, 2018, there was $523.0 million, $462.1 million and $403.8 million of goodwill for the Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas and Norwegian reporting units, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, our annual review consisting of the Step 0 Test supports the carrying value of these assets. Revenue and Expense Recognition Deposits on advance ticket sales are deferred when received and are subsequently recognized as revenue ratably during the voyage sailing days as services are rendered over time on the ship. Cancellation fees are recognized in passenger ticket revenue in the month of the cancellation. Goods and services associated with onboard revenue are generally provided at a point in time and revenue is recognized when the performance obligation is satisfied. A receivable is recognized for onboard goods and services rendered when the voyage is not completed before the end of the period. All associated direct costs of a voyage are recognized as incurred in cruise operating expenses. Disaggregation of Revenue Revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors in various geographical regions. Revenues by destination consisted of the following (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 North America $ 3,543,282 $ 3,285,903 $ 3,132,208 Europe 1,462,698 1,347,381 1,148,403 Asia-Pacific 721,404 394,631 196,978 Other 327,742 368,260 396,751 Total Revenues $ 6,055,126 $ 5,396,175 $ 4,874,340 Segment Reporting We have concluded that our business has a single reportable segment. Each brand, Norwegian, Oceania Cruises and Regent, constitutes a business for which discrete financial information is available and management regularly reviews the brand level operating results and, therefore, each brand is considered an operating segment. Our operating segments have similar economic and qualitative characteristics, including similar long-term margins and similar products and services; therefore, we aggregate all of the operating segments into one reportable segment. Although we sell cruises on an international basis, our passenger ticket revenue is primarily attributed to U.S.-sourced guests who make reservations in the U.S. Revenue attributable to U.S.-sourced guests was 77%, 77% and 81% for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. No other individual country’s revenues exceeded 10% in any of our last three years. Substantially all of our long-lived assets are located outside of the U.S. and consist primarily of our ships. We had 18 ships with Bahamas registry with a carrying value of $9.1 billion as of December 31, 2018 and 17 ships with Bahamas registry with a carrying value of $8.0 billion as of December 31, 2017. We had seven ships with Marshall Island registry with a carrying value of $1.9 billion as of December 31, 2018 and 2017. We also had one ship with U.S. registry with a carrying value of $0.3 billion as of December 31, 2018 and 2017. Debt Issuance Costs Debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability are presented in the consolidated balance sheets as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. For line of credit arrangements and for those debt facilities not fully drawn we defer and present debt issuance costs as an asset. These deferred issuance costs are amortized over the life of the loan agreement. The amortization of deferred financing fees is included in depreciation and amortization expense in the consolidated statements of cash flows; however, for purposes of the consolidated statements of operations it is included in interest expense, net. Foreign Currency The majority of our transactions are settled in U.S. dollars. Gains or losses resulting from transactions denominated in other currencies are recognized in income at each balance sheet date. We recognized (gains) losses of $(19.8) million, $14.2 million and $(4.5) million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activity We enter into derivative contracts to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and fuel prices. The criteria used to determine whether a transaction qualifies for hedge accounting treatment includes the correlation between fluctuations in the fair value of the hedged item and the fair value of the related derivative instrument and its effectiveness as a hedge. As the derivative is marked to fair value, we elected an accounting policy to net the fair value of our derivatives when a master netting arrangement exists with our counterparties. A derivative instrument that hedges a forecasted transaction or the variability of cash flows related to a recognized asset or liability may be designated as a cash flow hedge. Changes in fair value of derivative instruments that are designated as cash flow hedges are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) until the underlying hedged transactions are recognized in earnings. To the extent that an instrument is not effective as a hedge, gains and losses are recognized in other income (expense), net in our consolidated statements of operations. Realized gains and losses related to our effective fuel hedges are recognized in fuel expense. For presentation in our consolidated statements of cash flows, we have elected to classify the cash flows from our cash flow hedges in the same category as the cash flows from the items being hedged. Concentrations of Credit Risk We monitor concentrations of credit risk associated with financial and other institutions with which we conduct significant business. Credit risk, including but not limited to counterparty non-performance under derivative instruments, our Revolving Loan Facility and new ship progress payment guarantees, is not considered significant, as we primarily conduct business with large, well-established financial institutions and insurance companies that we have well-established relationships with and that have credit risks acceptable to us or the credit risk is spread out among a large number of creditors. We do not anticipate non-performance by any of our significant counterparties. Insurance We use a combination of insurance and self-insurance for a number of risks including claims related to crew and guests, hull and machinery, war risk, workers’ compensation, property damage, employee healthcare and general liability. Liabilities associated with certain of these risks, including crew and passenger claims, are estimated actuarially based upon known facts, historical trends and a reasonable estimate of future expenses. While we believe these accruals are adequate, the ultimate losses incurred may differ from those recorded. Income Taxes Deferred tax assets and liabilities are calculated in accordance with the liability method. Deferred taxes are recorded using the currently enacted tax rates that apply in the periods that the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred taxes are not discounted. We provide a valuation allowance on deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that such assets will not be realized. With respect to acquired deferred tax assets, changes within the measurement period that result from new information about facts and circumstances that existed at the acquisition date shall be recognized through a corresponding adjustment to goodwill. Subsequent to the measurement period, all other changes shall be reported as a reduction or increase to income tax expense in our consolidated statements of operations. Share-Based Compensation We recognize expense for our share-based compensation awards using a fair-value-based method. Share-based compensation expense is recognized over the requisite service period for awards that are based on a service period and not contingent upon any future performance. We refer you to Note 10— “Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation.” Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Guidance In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles —Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract (a consensus of the FAS Emerging Issues Task Force), On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) — Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740) — Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory, In December 2017, the Act was enacted, and among other provisions, reduced the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. Also in December 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 118, which addresses the recognition of provisional amounts when a company does not have the necessary information available, prepared or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete its accounting for the effect of the changes by the Act. The measurement period ends when a company has obtained, prepared and analyzed the information necessary to finalize its accounting, but cannot extend beyond one year. The Company completed the accounting for the tax effects of enactment of the Act. There was no material change to the $7.4 million reduction of the value of net deferred tax liabilities (which represent future tax expenses) recorded in 2017 as a discrete tax benefit resulting from the lower U.S. federal corporate income tax rate under the Act. Other aspects of the Act were either not applicable or did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) — Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)

Revenue and Expense from Contra

Revenue and Expense from Contracts with Customers	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue and Expense from Contracts with Customers	3. Revenue and Expense from Contracts with Customers On January 1, 2018, we adopted Topic 606, which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Accounting Standards Codification 605—Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) Nature of Goods and Services We offer our guests a multitude of cruise fare options when booking a cruise. Our cruise ticket prices generally include cruise fare and a wide variety of onboard activities and amenities, as well as meals and entertainment. In some instances, cruise ticket prices include round-trip airfare to and from the port of embarkation, complimentary beverages, unlimited shore excursions, free internet, pre-cruise hotel packages, and on some of the exotic itineraries, pre- or post-land packages. Prices vary depending on the particular cruise itinerary, stateroom category selected and the time of year that the voyage takes place. Passenger ticket revenue also includes full ship charters as well as port fees and taxes. During the voyage, we generate onboard and other revenue for additional products and services which are not included in the cruise fare, including casino operations, certain food and beverage, gift shop purchases, spa services, photo services and other similar items. Food and beverage, casino operations and shore excursions are generally managed directly by us while retail shops, spa services, art auctions and internet services may be managed through contracts with third-party concessionaires. These contracts generally entitle us to a fixed percentage of the gross sales derived from these concessions, which is recognized on a net basis. While some onboard goods and services may be prepaid prior to the voyage, we utilize point-of-sale systems for discrete purchases made onboard. Certain of our product offerings are bundled and we allocate the value of the bundled goods and services between passenger ticket revenue and onboard and other revenue based upon the relative standalone selling prices of those goods and services. Timing of Satisfaction of Performance Obligations and Significant Payment Terms The payment terms and cancellation policies vary by brand, stateroom category, length of voyage, and country of purchase. A deposit for a future booking is required at or soon after the time of booking. Final payment is generally due between 120 days and 180 days before the voyage. Deposits on advance ticket sales are deferred when received, and include amounts that are refundable. Deferred amounts are subsequently recognized as revenue ratably during the voyage sailing days as services are rendered over time on the ship. Deposits are generally cancellable and refundable prior to sailing, but may be subject to penalties, depending on the timing of cancellation. The inception of substantive cancellation penalties generally coincides with the dates that final payment is due, and penalties generally increase as the voyage sail date approaches. Cancellation fees are recognized in passenger ticket revenue in the month of the cancellation. Goods and services associated with onboard revenue are generally provided at a point in time and revenue is recognized when the performance obligation is satisfied. Onboard goods and services rendered may be paid at disembarkation. A receivable is recognized for onboard goods and services rendered when the voyage is not completed before the end of the period. Cruises that are reserved under full ship charter agreements are subject to the payment terms of the specific agreement and may be either cancelable or non-cancelable. Deposits received on charter voyages are deferred when received and included in advance ticket sales. Deferred amounts are subsequently recognized as revenue ratably over the voyage sailing dates. Contract Balances Receivables from customers are included within accounts receivables, net. As of December 31, 2018 and January 1, 2018, our receivables from customers were $17.3 million and $13.8 million, respectively. Contract liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to transfer goods and services to a customer. A customer deposit held for a future cruise is generally considered a contract liability only when final payment is both due and paid by the customer and is usually recognized in earnings within 180 days of becoming a contract. Other deposits held and included within advance ticket sales or other long-term liabilities are not considered contract liabilities as they are largely cancelable and refundable. Our contract liabilities are included within advance ticket sales. As of December 31, 2018 and January 1, 2018, our contract liabilities were $1.2 billion and $1.0 billion, respectively. Of the amounts included within contract liabilities, approximately 50% were refundable in accordance with our cancellation policies. Approximately $1.0 billion of the January 1, 2018 contract liability balance has been recognized in revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018. Our revenue is seasonal and based on the demand for cruises. Historically, the seasonality of the North American cruise industry generally results in the greatest demand for cruises during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months. This predictable seasonality in demand has resulted in fluctuations by quarter in our revenue and results of operations. The seasonality of our results is increased due to ships being taken out of service for regularly scheduled Dry-docks, which we typically schedule during non-peak demand periods. This seasonality will result in higher contract liability balances as a result of an increased number of reservations preceding these peak demand periods. The addition of new ships also increases the contract liability balances prior to a new ship’s delivery, as staterooms are usually made available for reservation prior to the inaugural cruise. Norwegian Bliss, with approximately 4,000 Berths, was delivered on April 19, 2018 and added 8% capacity to our fleet. Practical Expedients and Exemptions We do not disclose information about remaining performance obligations that have original expected durations of one year or less. We recognize revenue in an amount that corresponds directly with the value to the customer of our performance completed to date. Variable consideration, which will be determined based on a future rate and passenger count, is excluded from the disclosure and these amounts are not material. These variable non-disclosed contractual amounts relate to our non-cancelable charter agreements and a leasing arrangement with a certain port, both of which are long-term in nature. Amounts that are fixed in nature due to the application of minimum guarantees are also not material and are not disclosed. Contract Costs Management expects that incremental commissions and credit card fees paid as a result of obtaining ticket contracts are recoverable; therefore, we recognize these amounts as assets when they are paid prior to the voyage. Costs of air tickets and port taxes and fees that fulfill future performance obligations are also considered recoverable and are recorded as assets. As of December 31, 2018, $116.3 million of costs incurred to obtain customers and $32.5 million of costs to fulfill contracts with customers are recognized as assets within prepaid expenses and other assets. Incremental commissions, credit card fees, air ticket costs, and port taxes and fees are recognized ratably over the voyage sailing dates, concurrent with associated revenue, and are primarily in commissions, transportation and other expense. Financial Statement Presentation As of January 1, 2018, in connection with the adoption of Topic 606, we reclassified $51.6 million of deferred costs associated with obtaining customer contracts to prepaid expenses and other assets from advance ticket sales. Impacts on Financial Statements The adoption of Topic 606 does not change the timing, classification or amount of revenue recognized from customers in our consolidated financial statements nor does it change the timing, classification or amount of incremental costs to obtain and fulfill those contracts with customers. Therefore, the adoption had no impact on our consolidated statement of operations or consolidated statement of comprehensive income. The following table summarizes the impact of the adoption of Topic 606 on our consolidated balance sheet, which has been adjusted for deferred contract costs that would have been included, net, in advance ticket sales, as of December 31, 2018 (in thousands): As Reported Adjustments Balances Without Prepaid expenses and other assets $ 241,011 $ (63,628 ) $ 177,383 Total assets $ 15,205,970 $ (63,628 ) $ 15,142,342 Advance ticket sales $ 1,593,219 $ (63,628 ) $ 1,529,591 Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 15,205,970 $ (63,628 ) $ 15,142,342 The following table summarizes the impact of the adoption of Topic 606 on our consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2018 (in thousands): As Reported Adjustments Balances Without Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Prepaid expenses and other assets $ (29,519 ) $ 12,029 $ (17,490 ) Advance ticket sales $ 262,603 $ (12,029 ) $ 250,574 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 2,075,171 $ — $ 2,075,171

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and Intangible Assets	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Intangible Assets	4. Goodwill and Intangible Assets Goodwill and tradenames are not subject to amortization. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the carrying values were $1.4 billion for goodwill and $0.8 billion for tradenames. The gross carrying amounts of intangible assets included within other long-term assets, the related accumulated amortization, the net carrying amounts and the weighted-average amortization periods of the Company’s intangible assets are listed in the following tables (in thousands, except amortization period): December 31, 2018 Gross Carrying Accumulated Net Carrying Weighted- Customer relationship $ 120,000 $ (91,756 ) $ 28,244 6.0 Licenses 3,368 (2,874 ) 494 5.6 Total intangible assets subject to amortization $ 123,368 $ (94,630 ) $ 28,738 December 31, 2017 Gross Carrying Accumulated Net Carrying Weighted- Customer relationship $ 120,000 $ (66,866 ) $ 53,134 6.0 Licenses 3,368 (1,601 ) 1,767 5.6 Non-compete agreements 660 (660 ) — 1.0 Total intangible assets subject to amortization $ 124,028 $ (69,127 ) $ 54,901 The aggregate amortization expense is as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Amortization expense $ 26,163 $ 31,232 $ 22,160 The following table sets forth the Company’s estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five years below (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, Amortization 2019 $ 18,489 2020 $ 9,906 2021 $ 75 2022 $ 75 2023 $ 75

Accumulated Other Comprehensive

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	5. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) was as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 Accumulated Change Change Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at beginning of period $ 26,966 $ 33,861 $ (6,895 ) Current period other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications (158,943 ) (161,214 ) 2,271 Amounts reclassified into earnings (29,670 ) (30,096 )(1) 426 (2) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at end of period $ (161,647 ) $ (157,449 )(3) $ (4,198 ) Year Ended December 31, 2017 Accumulated Change Change Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at beginning of period $ (314,473 ) $ (307,618 ) $ (6,855 ) Current period other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 304,226 304,684 (458 ) Amounts reclassified into earnings 37,213 36,795 (1) 418 (4) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at end of period $ 26,966 $ 33,861 $ (6,895 ) Year Ended December 31, 2016 Accumulated Change Change Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at beginning of period $ (412,650 ) $ (405,298 ) $ (7,352 ) Current period other comprehensive income before reclassifications 1,776 1,711 65 Amounts reclassified into earnings 96,401 95,969 (1) 432 (4) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at end of period $ (314,473 ) $ (307,618 ) $ (6,855 ) (1) We refer you to Note 9— “Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives” in these notes to consolidated financial statements for the affected line items in the consolidated statements of operations. (2) Amortization of prior-service cost and actuarial loss reclassified to other income (expense), net. (3) Includes $21.1 million of loss expected to be reclassified into earnings in the next 12 months. (4) Amortization of prior-service cost and actuarial loss reclassified to payroll and related expense.

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and Equipment, Net	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Property and Equipment, Net	6. Property and Equipment, Net Property and equipment, net consisted of the following (in thousands): December 31, 2018 2017 Ships $ 13,032,555 $ 11,814,409 Ships improvements 1,407,989 1,060,049 Ships under construction 491,632 521,597 Land and land improvements 34,936 37,535 Other 558,052 487,921 15,525,164 13,921,511 Less: accumulated depreciation (3,405,911 ) (2,881,023 ) Property and equipment, net $ 12,119,253 $ 11,040,488 The increase in ships was primarily due to the addition of Norwegian Bliss. Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $534.9 million, $478.7 million and $411.4 million, respectively. Repairs and maintenance expenses including Dry-dock expenses were $199.5 million, $157.2 million and $155.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and were recorded within other cruise operating expense. Ships under construction include progress payments to the shipyard, planning and design fees and other associated costs. Capitalized interest costs which were primarily associated with the construction or revitalization of ships amounted to $30.4 million, $29.0 million and $33.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Long-Term Debt

Long-Term Debt	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Long-term Debt, Unclassified [Abstract]
Long-Term Debt	7. Long-Term Debt Long-term debt consisted of the following: Interest Rate Maturities Balance 2018 2017 Through 2018 2017 (in thousands) $875.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility 3.96 % 3.27 % 2021 $ 130,000 $ 78,000 Term Loan A 4.01 % 3.32 % 2021 1,256,167 1,385,196 $375.0 million Term Loan B (1) 4.26 % 3.18 % 2021 368,982 371,914 $700.0 million 4.750% senior unsecured notes 4.75 % 4.75 % 2021 561,021 693,413 €662.9 million Norwegian Epic term loan (2) 4.58 % 3.44 % 2022 259,394 328,646 €308.1 million Pride of Hawai’i loan (2) — 2.31 % 2018 — 18,438 €529.8 million Breakaway one loan (2) 4.09 % 2.97 % 2025 360,680 415,039 €529.8 million Breakaway two loan (2) 4.50 % 4.50 % 2026 426,503 482,133 €590.5 million Breakaway three loan (2) 2.98 % 2.98 % 2027 537,223 595,494 €729.9 million Breakaway four loan (2) 2.98 % 2.98 % 2029 694,536 758,595 €666 million Seahawk 1 term loan (2) 3.92 % 3.92 % 2030 756,061 184,837 €666 million Seahawk 2 term loan (2) 3.92 % 3.92 % 2031 187,612 90,351 Leonardo newbuild one loan 2.68 % — 2034 48,009 — Leonardo newbuild two loan 2.77 % — 2035 48,009 — Leonardo newbuild three loan 1.22 % — 2036 43,667 — Leonardo newbuild four loan 1.31 % — 2037 43,667 — Sirena loan 2.75 % 2.75 % 2019 13,856 27,344 Explorer newbuild loan 3.43 % 3.43 % 2028 268,970 295,093 Marina newbuild loan (3) 3.07 % 2.00 % 2023 201,007 245,706 Riviera newbuild loan (4) 3.32 % 2.11 % 2024 247,203 292,183 Capital lease and license obligations Various Various 2028 39,524 45,383 Total debt 6,492,091 6,307,765 Less: current portion of long-term debt (681,218 ) (619,373 ) Total long-term debt $ 5,810,873 $ 5,688,392 (1) Includes original issue discount of $0.7 million and $0.9 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. (2) Currently U.S. dollar-denominated. (3) Includes premium of $0.1 million and $0.2 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. (4) Includes premium of $0.2 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017. On April 19, 2018, we took delivery of Norwegian Bliss. To finance the payment due upon delivery, we had export financing in place for 80% of the contract price. The associated $850.0 million term loan bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.92% with a maturity date of April 19, 2030. Principal and interest payments are payable semiannually. On April 4, 2018, we redeemed $135.0 million principal amount of the $700.0 million aggregate principal amount of outstanding 4.75% Senior Notes due 2021 (the “Notes”) at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes being redeemed and paid the premium of $5.1 million and accrued interest of $1.9 million. The redemption also resulted in a write off of $1.2 million of certain fees. Following the partial redemption, $565.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes remained outstanding. Interest expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $270.4 million which included $31.4 million of amortization of deferred financing fees and a $6.3 million loss on extinguishment of debt. Interest expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $267.8 million which included $32.5 million of amortization of deferred financing fees and a $23.9 million loss on extinguishment of debt. Interest expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2016 was $276.9 million which included $34.7 million of amortization of deferred financing fees and a $27.7 million loss on extinguishment of debt. Certain of our debt agreements contain covenants that, among other things, require us to maintain a minimum level of liquidity, as well as limit our net funded debt-to-capital ratio, and maintain certain other ratios and restrict our ability to pay dividends. Substantially all of our ships and other property and equipment are pledged as collateral for certain of our debt. We believe we were in compliance with our covenants as of December 31, 2018. The following are scheduled principal repayments on long-term debt including capital lease obligations as of December 31, 2018 for each of the next five years (in thousands): Year Amount 2019 $ 681,218 2020 682,556 2021 2,549,621 2022 494,186 2023 434,902 Thereafter 1,767,383 Total $ 6,609,866 We had an accrued interest liability of $37.2 million and $31.9 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Related Party Disclosures

Related Party Disclosures	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Disclosures	8. Related Party Disclosures Transactions with Genting HK and Apollo In December 2018, as part of a public equity offering of NCLH’s ordinary shares owned by Apollo and Genting HK, NCLH repurchased 1,683,168 of its ordinary shares sold in the offering for approximately $85.0 million pursuant to its new Repurchase Program. In March 2018, as part of a public equity offering of NCLH’s ordinary shares owned by Apollo and Genting HK, NCLH repurchased 4,722,312 of its ordinary shares sold in the offering for approximately $263.5 million pursuant to its then existing share repurchase program. In June 2012, we exercised our option with Genting HK to purchase Norwegian Sky. We paid the total amount of $259.3 million to Genting HK in connection with the Norwegian Sky Purchase Agreement as of December 31, 2016 and no further payments are due.

Fair Value Measurements and Der

Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives	9. Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives Fair value is defined as the price at which an orderly transaction to sell an asset or to transfer a liability would take place between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions (that is, an exit price at the measurement date from the perspective of a market participant that holds the asset or owes the liability). Fair Value Hierarchy The following hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value should maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available: Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that are accessible at the measurement dates. Level 2 — Significant other observable inputs that are used by market participants in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from independent sources. Level 3 — Significant unobservable inputs we believe market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available. Derivatives We are exposed to market risk attributable to changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and fuel prices. We attempt to minimize these risks through a combination of our normal operating and financing activities and through the use of derivatives. We assess whether derivatives used in hedging transactions are “highly effective” in offsetting changes in the cash flow of our hedged forecasted transactions. We use regression analysis for this hedge relationship and high effectiveness is achieved when a statistically valid relationship reflects a high degree of offset and correlation between the fair values of the derivative and the hedged forecasted transaction. Cash flows from the derivatives are classified in the same category as the cash flows from the underlying hedged transaction. If it is determined that the hedged forecasted transaction is no longer probable of occurring, then the amount recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) is released to earnings. There are no amounts excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness and there are no credit-risk-related contingent features in our derivative agreements. We monitor concentrations of credit risk associated with financial and other institutions with which we conduct significant business. Credit risk, including but not limited to counterparty non-performance under derivatives, is not considered significant, as we primarily conduct business with large, well-established financial institutions with which we have established relationships, and which have credit risks acceptable to us, or the credit risk is spread out among many creditors. We do not anticipate non-performance by any of our significant counterparties. As of December 31, 2018, we had fuel swaps, which are used to mitigate the financial impact of volatility of fuel prices pertaining to approximately 1.3 million metric tons of our projected fuel purchases, maturing through December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2018, we had foreign currency forward contracts, matured foreign currency options and matured foreign currency collars which are used to mitigate the financial impact of volatility in foreign currency exchange rates related to our ship construction contracts denominated in euros. The notional amount of our foreign currency forward contracts was €2.1 billion, or $2.4 billion based on the euro/U.S. dollar exchange rate as of December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, we had interest rate swap agreements which are used to hedge our exposure to interest rate movements and manage our interest expense. The notional amount of our outstanding debt associated with the interest rate swap agreements was $1.0 billion as of December 31, 2018. The derivatives measured at fair value and the respective location in the consolidated balance sheets includes the following (in thousands): Assets Liabilities Derivative Contracts Designated as December 31, December 31, Hedging Instruments Balance Sheet Location 2018 2017 2018 2017 Fuel contracts Prepaid expenses and other assets $ 2,583 $ 19,220 $ 1 $ 2,406 Other long-term assets 197 19,854 29 3,469 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 1,173 — 19,547 3,348 Other long-term liabilities 933 576 51,184 2,148 Foreign currency contracts Prepaid expenses and other assets 5,285 52,300 1,497 730 Other long-term assets 3,514 85,081 — — Accrued expenses and other liabilities 112 — 5,145 — Other long-term liabilities 2,874 — 40,476 — Interest rate contracts Prepaid expenses and other assets 519 — — — Other long-term assets 27 — — — Accrued expenses and other liabilities — — — 1,020 Total derivative contracts designated as hedging instruments $ 17,217 $ 177,031 $ 117,879 $ 13,121 The fair values of swap and forward contracts are determined based on inputs that are readily available in public markets or can be derived from information available in publicly quoted markets. The Company determines the value of options and collars utilizing an option pricing model based on inputs that are either readily available in public markets or can be derived from information available in publicly quoted markets. The option pricing model used by the Company is an industry standard model for valuing options and is used by the broker/dealer community. The inputs to this option pricing model are the option strike price, underlying price, risk-free rate of interest, time to expiration, and volatility. The fair value of option contracts considers both the intrinsic value and any remaining time value associated with those derivatives that have not yet settled. The Company also considers counterparty credit risk and its own credit risk in its determination of all estimated fair values. Our derivatives and financial instruments were categorized as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy, and we had no derivatives or financial instruments categorized as Level 1 or Level 3. Our derivative contracts include rights of offset with our counterparties. We have elected to net certain assets and liabilities within counterparties when the rights of offset exist. We are not required to post cash collateral related to our derivative instruments. The gross and net amounts recognized within assets and liabilities include the following (in thousands): December 31, 2018 Gross Amounts Gross Total Net Gross Not Offset Net Amounts Assets $ 12,125 $ (1,527 ) $ 10,598 $ (6,872 ) $ 3,726 Liabilities $ 116,352 $ (5,092 ) $ 111,260 $ (35,718 ) $ 75,542 December 31, 2017 Gross Amounts Gross Total Net Gross Not Offset Net Amounts Assets $ 176,455 $ (6,605 ) $ 169,850 $ (127,924 ) $ 41,926 Liabilities $ 6,516 $ (576 ) $ 5,940 $ (1,020 ) $ 4,920 The effects of cash flow hedge accounting on accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) include the following (in thousands): Derivatives Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income Location of Gain Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income Year Ended December 31, Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 2018 2017 2016 Fuel contracts $ (52,949 ) $ 50,263 $ 127,470 Fuel $ 34,410 $ (29,721 ) $ (88,442 ) Foreign currency contracts (108,911 ) 254,070 (124,058 ) Depreciation and amortization (3,463 ) (4,077 ) (3,581 ) Interest rate contracts 646 351 (1,701 ) Interest expense, net (851 ) (2,997 ) (3,946 ) Total gain (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income $ (161,214 ) $ 304,684 $ 1,711 $ 30,096 $ (36,795 ) $ (95,969 ) The effects of cash flow hedge accounting on the consolidated statements of operations include the following (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 Year Ended December 31, 2017 Fuel Depreciation Interest Fuel Depreciation Interest Total amounts of income and expense line items presented in the consolidated statements of operations in which the effects of cash flow hedges are recorded $ 392,685 $ 561,060 $ 270,404 $ 361,032 $ 509,957 $ 267,804 Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into income Fuel contracts $ 34,410 $ — $ — $ (29,721 ) $ — $ — Foreign currency contracts $ — $ (3,463 ) $ — $ — $ (4,077 ) $ — Interest rate contracts $ — $ — $ (851 ) $ — $ — $ (2,997 ) The effects of cash flow hedge accounting on the consolidated statements of operations include the following (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2016 Fuel Depreciation Interest Other Total amounts of income and expense line items presented in the consolidated statements of operations in which the effects of cash flow hedges are recorded $ 335,174 $ 432,495 $ 276,859 $ 8,302 Amount of loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into income Fuel contracts $ (85,448 ) $ — $ — $ — Foreign currency contracts $ — $ (3,581 ) $ — $ — Interest rate contracts $ — $ — $ (3,946 ) $ — Amount of loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into income as a result that a forecasted transaction is no longer probable of occurring Fuel contracts $ — $ — $ — $ (2,994 ) The effects on the consolidated financial statements of the foreign currency contracts which were not designated as hedging instruments were as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Gain recognized in other income (expense), net $ — $ — $ 4,179 Other The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets of all other financial assets and liabilities approximate fair value. Long-Term Debt As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the fair value of our long-term debt, including the current portion, was $6,601.9 million and $6,448.6 million, respectively, which was $8.4 million higher and $23.5 million higher, respectively, than the carrying values. The difference between the fair value and carrying value of our long-term debt is due to our fixed and variable rate debt obligations carrying interest rates that are above or below market rates at the measurement dates. Market risk associated with our long-term variable rate debt is the potential increase in interest expense from an increase in interest rates. The fair value of our long-term debt was calculated based on estimated rates for the same or similar instruments with similar terms and remaining maturities, which represent Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy. Non-Recurring Measurements of Non-Financial Assets Goodwill and other indefinite-lived assets, principally tradenames, are reviewed for impairment on an annual basis or earlier if there is an event or change in circumstances that would indicate that the carrying value of these assets may not be fully recoverable. We believe our estimates and judgments with respect to our long-lived assets, principally ships, and goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are reasonable. Nonetheless, if there was a material change in assumptions used in the determination of such fair values or if there is a material change in the conditions or circumstances that influence such assets, we could be required to record an impairment charge. We estimate fair value based on the best information available utilizing estimates, judgments and projections as necessary. As of December 31, 2018, our annual review supports the carrying value of these assets.

Employee Benefits and Share-Bas

Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation	10. Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation Share-Based Compensation As a result of NCLH’s adoption of ASU No. 2016-09, beginning in the first quarter of 2017, NCLH began accounting for forfeitures as they occur, rather than estimating expected forfeitures. Pursuant to the modified-retrospective application, the net cumulative effect of this change was recognized as a $2.2 million increase to retained earnings as of January 1, 2017. We refer you to our consolidated statements of changes in shareholders’ equity. Amended and Restated 2013 Performance Incentive Plan In January 2013, NCLH adopted the 2013 Performance Incentive Plan, which provided for the issuance of up to 15,035,106 of NCLH’s ordinary shares pursuant to awards granted under the plan, with no more than 5,000,000 shares being granted to one individual in any calendar year. In May 2016, the plan was amended and restated (“Restated 2013 Plan”) pursuant to approval from the Board of Directors and NCLH’s shareholders. Among other things, under the Restated 2013 Plan, the number of NCLH’s ordinary shares that may be delivered pursuant to all awards granted under the plan was increased by an additional 12,430,000 shares to a new maximum aggregate limit of 27,465,106 shares. Additionally, the expiration date of the Restated 2013 Plan was extended to March 30, 2026. Share options under the plan are granted with an exercise price equal to the closing market price of NCLH shares at the date of grant. The vesting period for time-based options is typically set at three, four or five years with a contractual life ranging from seven to 10 years. The vesting period for time-based and performance-based restricted share units is generally three years. Forfeited awards will be available for subsequent awards under the Restated 2013 Plan. Share Option Awards No time-based share option awards were granted for the years ended December 31, 2018 or 2017. The fair value of each time-based option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The estimated fair value of the share options is amortized over the vesting period using the straight-line method. The assumptions used within the option-pricing model for the time-based awards are as follows: 2016 Dividend yield —% Expected share price volatility 30.36%-33.01 Risk-free interest rate 1.20%-1.48 Expected term 6.00 years Expected volatility was determined based on the historical share prices in our industry. The risk-free rate was based on U.S. Treasury zero coupon issues with a remaining term equal to the expected option term at grant date. The expected term was calculated under the simplified method. The performance-based options awarded to our President and Chief Executive Officer in August 2015 are subject to performance conditions such that the number of awards that ultimately vest depends on the adjusted earnings per share (“Adjusted EPS”) and adjusted return on invested capital (“Adjusted ROIC”) achieved by the Company during the performance period compared to targets established at the award date. Although the terms of the performance-based awards provide the compensation committee with the discretion to make certain adjustments to the performance calculation, it was determined that a mutual understanding of the key terms and conditions of the awards has been ascertained. In 2018, the grant date was therefore established for performance-based awards granted in prior years. The fair value of each performance-based option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The estimated fair value of the share options is amortized over the requisite service period using the straight-line method. The assumptions used within the option-pricing model for the performance-based awards are as follows: 2018 2017 2016 Dividend yield —% —% —% Expected share price volatility 31.50%-32.20% 25.97% 25.97%-30.21% Risk-free interest rate 2.48-2.58 1.81% 1.01%-1.93 Expected term 3.72-4.22 years 4.20 years 4.38-5.13 years Expected volatility was determined based on the historical share prices in our industry. The risk-free rate was based on U.S. Treasury zero coupon issues with a remaining term equal to the expected option term at grant date. The expected term was calculated under the simplified method. The following table sets forth a summary of option activity under NCLH’s Restated 2013 Plan, including 208,335 previously awarded performance-based share option awards, for which a grant date was established in 2018, for the period presented: Number of Share Option Awards Weighted-Average Exercise Price Weighted- Average Contractual Term Aggregate Time- Performance- Market- Time- Performance- Market- (in years) (in thousands) Outstanding as of January 1, 2018 6,580,898 373,969 208,333 $ 49.18 $ 31.39 $ 59.43 6.99 $ 50,021 Granted — 208,335 — $ — $ 59.43 $ — Exercised (674,272 ) (115,785 ) — $ 35.00 $ 19.00 $ — Forfeited and cancelled (219,833 ) (56,020 ) — $ 54.76 $ 56.59 $ — Outstanding as of December 31, 2018 5,686,793 410,499 208,333 $ 50.65 $ 45.67 $ 59.43 6.22 $ 13,946 Vested and Expected to vest of December 31, 2018 5,686,793 254,249 — $ 50.65 $ 37.22 $ — 6.19 13,946 Exercisable as of December 31, 2018 5,022,818 254,249 — $ 50.18 $ 37.22 $ — 6.11 13,928 The weighted-average grant-date fair value of time-based options granted during 2016 was $17.11. The weighted-average grant-date fair value of performance-based options granted (or where a grant date had not been previously established, the fair value recognized) during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $15.20, $8.55 and $8.67, respectively. The total intrinsic value of share options exercised during 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $16.7 million, $18.9 million and $5.2 million and total cash received by the Company from exercises was $25.8 million, $27.4 million and $7.6 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, there was approximately $2.9 million, $0 and $0 of total unrecognized compensation cost, related to time-based, performance-based and market-based options, respectively, granted under our share-based incentive plans which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 0.4 years, 0 years and 0 years, respectively. Restricted Ordinary Share Awards The following is a summary of NCLH’s restricted ordinary share activity for the period presented: Number of Weighted- Average Grant Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 858 $ 58.33 Vested (429 ) $ 58.25 Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 429 $ 58.41 The restricted shares vest in substantially equal installments over four years and are expected to vest on January 1, 2019. The total fair value of shares vested during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 was $0.1 million and $1.1 million, respectively. Restricted Share Unit (“RSU”) Awards On March 1, 2018, NCLH granted to certain employees 1.6 million time-based RSU awards which vest equally over three years. Also on March 1, 2018, NCLH granted to certain members of our management team 0.5 million performance-based RSU awards, which vest upon the achievement of certain pre-established performance targets and which amount assumes the maximum level of achievement. The fair value of the time-based and performance-based RSUs is equal to the closing market price of NCLH shares at the date of grant. The performance-based RSUs awarded to certain members of our management team are subject to performance conditions such that the number of shares that ultimately vest depends on the Adjusted EPS and Adjusted ROIC achieved by the Company during the performance period compared to targets established at the award date. Although the terms of the performance-based RSU awards provide the compensation committee with the discretion to make certain adjustments to the performance calculation, it was determined that a mutual understanding of the key terms and conditions of the awards has been ascertained. In 2018, the grant date was therefore established for performance-based RSU awards granted in prior years. The Company remeasures the probability and the cumulative share-based compensation expense of the awards each reporting period until vesting or forfeiture occurs. The following table sets forth a summary of RSU activity and includes 0.3 million previously awarded performance-based RSU awards for which the grant date was established in 2018 (the number of RSUs reported assumes the maximum level of achievement), for the period presented: Number of Weighted- Number of Weighted- Number of Weighted- Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 2,555,477 $ 50.86 — $ — 50,000 $ 59.43 Granted 1,613,077 $ 56.73 843,998 $ 56.58 — $ — Vested (1,032,927 ) $ 50.66 — $ — — $ — Forfeited or expired (162,595 ) $ 53.40 (18,384 ) $ 56.43 — $ — Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 2,973,032 $ 53.98 825,614 $ 56.58 50,000 $ 59.43 Non-vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2018 2,973,032 $ 53.98 788,114 $ 56.59 — $ — As of December 31, 2018, there was total unrecognized compensation costs related to non-vested time-based, non-vested performance-based and market-based RSUs of $97.7 million, $25.8 million and $0, respectively. The costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.8 years, 1.9 years and 0 years, respectively, for the time-based, performance-based and market-based RSUs. Taxes paid pursuant to net share settlements in 2018 and 2017 were $13.9 million and $6.3 million, respectively. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) In April 2014, NCLH’s shareholders approved the ESPP. The purpose of the ESPP is to provide eligible employees with an opportunity to purchase NCLH’s ordinary shares at a favorable price and upon favorable terms in consideration of the participating employees’ continued services. A maximum of 2,000,000 of NCLH’s ordinary shares may be purchased under the ESPP. To be eligible to participate in an offering period, on the grant date of that period, an individual must be customarily employed by the Company or a participating subsidiary for more than twenty hours per week and for more than five months per calendar year. Participation in the ESPP is also subject to certain limitations. The ESPP is considered to be compensatory based on: a) the 15% purchase price discount and b) the look-back purchase price feature. Since the plan is compensatory, compensation expense must be recorded in the consolidated statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the six-month withholding period. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, we had a liability for payroll withholdings received of $1.9 million and $1.5 million, respectively. The compensation expense recognized for share-based compensation for the periods presented include the following (in thousands): Share-Based Compensation Expense Classification of expense 2018 2017 2016 Payroll and related (1) $ 15,629 $ 9,455 $ 7,793 Marketing, general and administrative (2) 100,354 77,584 58,621 Total share-based compensation expense $ 115,983 $ 87,039 $ 66,414 (1) (2) Amounts relate to equity granted to certain of our shipboard officers. Amounts relate to equity granted to certain of our corporate employees. Employee Benefit Plans We offer annual incentive bonuses pursuant to our Restated 2013 Plan for our executive officers and other key employees. Bonuses under the plan become earned and payable based on the Company’s performance during the applicable performance period and the individual’s continued employment. Company performance criteria include the attainment of certain financial targets and other strategic objectives. Certain employees are employed pursuant to agreements that provide for severance payments. Severance is generally only payable upon an involuntary termination of the employment by us without cause or a termination by the employee for good reason. Severance generally includes a series of cash payments based on the employee’s base salary (and in some cases, bonus), and our payment of the employee’s continued medical benefits for the applicable severance period. We maintain a 401(k) Plan for our shoreside employees, including our executive officers. Participants may contribute up to 100% of eligible compensation each pay period, subject to certain limitations. We make matching contributions equal to 100% of the first 3% and 50% of amounts greater than 3% to and including 10% of each participant’s contributions subject to certain limitations. In addition, we may make discretionary supplemental contributions to the 401(k) Plan, which shall be allocated pro rata to each eligible participant based on the compensation of the participant relative to the total compensation of all participants. Our matching contributions are vested according to a five-year schedule. The 401(k) Plan is subject to the provisions of ERISA and is intended to be qualified under section 401(a) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). Our matching contributions are reduced by amounts forfeited by those employees who leave the 401(k) Plan prior to vesting fully in the matching contributions. Forfeited contributions of $0.3 million, $0.3 million and $0.1 million were utilized in the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. We maintained a Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“SERP”), which is a legacy unfunded defined contribution plan for certain executives who were employed by the Company in an executive capacity prior to 2008. The SERP was frozen to future participation following that date. The SERP provided for Company contributions on behalf of the participants to compensate them for the benefits that are limited under the 401(k) Plan. We credited participants under the SERP for amounts that would have been contributed by us to the Company’s previous Defined Contribution Retirement Plan and the former 401(k) Plan without regard to any limitations imposed by the Code. Participants did not make any elective contributions under this plan. We discontinued this plan following the 2015 contributions and paid the previously deferred contributions to participants in early 2017 following the expiration of the required 12 month waiting period. We recorded combined total expenses related to the above 401(k) Plan and SERP of $9.3 million, $7.3 million and $6.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Effective January 2009, we implemented the Shipboard Retirement Plan which computes benefits based on years of service, subject to eligibility requirements. The Shipboard Retirement Plan is unfunded with no plan assets. The current portion of the projected benefit obligation of $1.0 million and $1.1 million was included in accrued expenses and other liabilities as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $23.3 million and $23.5 million was included in other long-term liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The amounts related to the Shipboard Retirement Plan were as follows (in thousands): As of or for the Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Pension expense: Service cost $ 2,167 $ 1,987 $ 1,863 Interest cost 857 887 874 Amortization of prior service cost 378 378 378 Amortization of actuarial loss 51 40 54 Total pension expense $ 3,453 $ 3,292 $ 3,169 Change in projected benefit obligation: Projected benefit obligation at beginning of year $ 24,587 $ 22,605 $ 21,078 Service cost 2,167 1,987 1,863 Interest cost 857 887 874 Actuarial gain (loss) (2,271 ) 458 (65 ) Direct benefit payments (1,022 ) (1,350 ) (1,145 ) Projected benefit obligation at end of year $ 24,318 $ 24,587 $ 22,605 Amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets: Projected benefit obligation $ 24,318 $ 24,587 $ 22,605 For the Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss): Prior service cost $ (4,159 ) $ (4,537 ) $ (4,915 ) Accumulated actuarial loss (1,105 ) (3,426 ) (3,008 ) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) $ (5,264 ) $ (7,963 ) $ (7,923 ) The discount rates used in the net periodic benefit cost calculation for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 were 3.6%, 4.0% and 4.3%, respectively, and the actuarial loss is amortized over 18.93 years. The discount rate is used to measure and recognize obligations, including adjustments to other comprehensive income (loss), and to determine expense during the periods. It is determined by using bond indices which reflect yields on a broad maturity and industry universe of high-quality corporate bonds. On January 1, 2018, NCLH adopted ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715) The pension benefits expected to be paid in each of the next five years and in aggregate for the five years thereafter are as follows (in thousands): Year Amount 2019 $ 986 2020 $ 971 2021 $ 1,076 2022 $ 1,179 2023 $ 1,333 Next five years $ 9,810

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	11. Income Taxes We are incorporated in Bermuda. Under current Bermuda law, we are not subject to tax on income and capital gains. We have received from the Minister of Finance under The Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act 1966, as amended, an assurance that, in the event that Bermuda enacts legislation imposing tax computed on profits, income, any capital asset, gain or appreciation, or any tax in the nature of estate duty or inheritance, then the imposition of any such tax shall not be applicable to us or to any of our operations or shares, debentures or other obligations, until March 31, 2035. The components of net income before income taxes consist of the following (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Bermuda $ — $ — $ — Foreign - Other 969,310 770,614 640,303 Net income before income taxes $ 969,310 $ 770,614 $ 640,303 The components of the provision for income taxes consisted of the following (expense) benefit (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Current: Bermuda $ — $ — $ — United States (7,409 ) 1,828 (8,736 ) Foreign - Other (5,371 ) (4,617 ) (2,166 ) Total current: (12,780 ) (2,789 ) (10,902 ) Deferred: Bermuda — — — United States (1,912 ) (8,439 ) 3,684 Foreign - Other 225 486 — Total deferred: (1,687 ) (7,953 ) 3,684 Income tax expense $ (14,467 ) $ (10,742 ) $ (7,218 ) Our reconciliation of income tax expense computed by applying our Bermuda statutory rate and reported income tax expense was as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Tax at Bermuda statutory rate $ — $ — $ — Foreign income taxes at different rates (17,540 ) (28,188 ) (10,721 ) Tax contingencies (5 ) 11,184 (533 ) Return to provision adjustments 2,961 (1,397 ) 418 Benefit from change in tax rate 117 7,659 24 Valuation allowance — — 3,594 Income tax expense $ (14,467 ) $ (10,742 ) $ (7,218 ) Deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in thousands): As of December 31, 2018 2017 Deferred tax assets: Loss carryforwards $ 63,201 $ 58,789 Other 2,535 2,106 Valuation allowance (41,924 ) (42,154 ) Total net deferred assets 23,812 18,741 Deferred tax liabilities: Property and equipment (37,448 ) (30,869 ) Total deferred tax liabilities (37,448 ) (30,869 ) Net deferred tax liability $ (13,636 ) $ (12,128 ) We have U.S. net operating loss carryforwards of $278.3 million and $254.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, which begin to expire in 2023. We have state net operating loss carryforwards of $4.8 million and $8.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, which expire between 2025 through 2035. Included above are deferred tax assets associated with our operations in Norway for which we have provided a full valuation allowance. We have Norway net operating loss carryforwards of $13.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, which can be carried forward indefinitely. Included above are deferred tax assets associated with our branch operations in the U.K. for which we have provided a full valuation allowance. We have U.K. net operating loss carryforwards of $7.5 million and $8.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, which can be carried forward indefinitely. Included above are deferred tax assets associated with Prestige for which we have provided a full valuation allowance. We have U.S. net operating loss carryforwards of $177.5 million and $177.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, which begin to expire in 2023. Utilization of the Prestige net operating loss carryforwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation due to ownership change limitations that have occurred previously and/or that could occur in the future, as provided by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (“Section 382”). Ownership changes may limit the amount of net operating loss carryforwards that can be utilized to offset future taxable income and tax, respectively. In general, an ownership change, as defined by Section 382, results from transactions increasing the ownership of certain shareholders or public groups in the stock of a corporation by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period. If we have experienced an ownership change, utilization of Prestige’s net operating loss carryforwards would be subject to an annual limitation under Section 382. Any limitation may result in expiration of a portion of the net operating loss carryforwards before utilization. Subsequent ownership changes could further impact the limitation in future years. During 2018, we implemented certain tax restructuring that created the potential to utilize the net operating loss carryforwards referred to above. We are currently undergoing a Section 382 study to determine the amount of the Prestige net operating loss carryforwards that can be utilized against future taxable income, the result of which could potentially result in the reversal of all or a portion of the valuation allowance. We expect the study to be complete in the first half of 2019. In December 2017, the Act was enacted, and among other provisions, reduced the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. Also in December 2017, the SEC staff issued SAB No. 118, which addresses the recognition of provisional amounts when a company does not have the necessary information available, prepared or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete its accounting for the effect of the changes in the Act. The measurement period ends when a company has obtained, prepared and analyzed the information necessary to finalize its accounting, but cannot extend beyond one year. The Company completed the accounting for the tax effects of enactment of the Act. There is no material change to the $7.4 million reduction of the value of net deferred tax liabilities (which represents future tax expenses) recorded in 2017 as a discrete tax benefit resulting from the federal corporate income tax rate reduction. Other aspects of the Act were either not applicable or did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The following is a tabular reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits (in thousands): As of December 31, 2018 2017 Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of the year $ 532 $ 11,144 Gross increases in tax positions from prior periods — 300 Settlement of tax positions — (250 ) Lapse of statute of limitations — (10,662 ) Unrecognized tax benefits, end of year $ 532 $ 532 In 2017, $10.7 million of unrecognized tax benefits were reversed due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. If the $0.5 million of unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2018 were recognized, our effective tax rate would be minimally affected. We believe that there will not be a significant increase or decrease to the tax positions within 12 months of the reporting date. We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. We file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various U.S. state jurisdictions and foreign jurisdictions. We are generally no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by authorities for years prior to 2015, except for years in which NOLs generated prior to 2015 are utilized. Due to our international structure as well as the existence of international tax treaties that exempt taxation on certain activities, the repatriation of earnings from our subsidiaries would have no tax impact. We derive our income from the international operation of ships. We are engaged in a trade or business in the U.S. and receive income from sources within the U.S. Under Section 883, certain foreign corporations are exempt from U. S. federal income or branch profits tax on U.S.-source income derived from or incidental to the international operation of ships. Applicable U.S. treasury regulations provide that a foreign corporation will qualify for the benefits of Section 883 if, in relevant part: (i) the foreign country in which the corporation is organized grants an equivalent exemption for income from the international operation of ships to corporations organized in the U.S., and (ii) the foreign corporation has one or more classes of stock that are “primarily and regularly traded on an established securities market” in the U.S. or another qualifying country. We believe that we qualify for the benefits of Section 883 because we are incorporated in qualifying countries and our ordinary shares are primarily and regularly traded on an established securities market in the U.S.

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	12. Commitments and Contingencies Operating Leases Total expense under non-cancelable operating lease commitments, primarily for offices, motor vehicles and office equipment was $16.9 million, $17.0 million and $15.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, minimum annual rentals for non-cancelable leases with initial or remaining terms in excess of one year were as follows (in thousands): Year Amount 2019 $ 16,651 2020 16,105 2021 15,315 2022 14,391 2023 13,462 Thereafter 52,626 Total minimum annual rentals $ 128,550 Rental payments applicable to such operating leases are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Ship Construction Contracts Project Leonardo will introduce an additional six ships, each approximately 140,000 Gross Tons with approximately 3,300 Berths, with expected delivery dates from 2022 through 2027, subject to certain conditions. The effectiveness of the contracts to construct two of the ships, expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027, is contingent upon certain Italian government approvals. We have a Breakaway Plus Class Ship, Norwegian Encore, with approximately 168,000 Gross Tons with 4,000 Berths, on order for delivery in the fall of 2019, and an Explorer Class Ship, Seven Seas Splendor, with approximately 55,000 Gross Tons and 750 Berth, on order for delivery in the winter of 2020. We also plan to introduce three additional ships, one for Regent and two for Oceania Cruises (we refer you to Note 17— “Subsequent Events”). The combined contract prices of the eight ships on order for delivery was approximately €6.3 billion, or $7.2 billion based on the euro/U.S. dollar exchange rate as of December 31, 2018. We have obtained export credit financing for the ships on order which is expected to fund approximately 80% of each contract price, subject to certain conditions. We refer you to Note 17— “Subsequent Events” for details regarding the financing for certain ships. We do not anticipate any contractual breaches or cancellation to occur. However, if any such events were to occur, it could result in, among other things, the forfeiture of prior deposits or payments made by us and potential claims and impairment losses which may materially impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. As of December 31, 2018, minimum annual payments for non-cancelable ship construction contracts with initial or remaining terms in excess of one year were as follows (in thousands): Year Amount 2019 $ 912,858 2020 474,869 2021 187,818 2022 1,029,328 2023 946,895 Thereafter 1,589,673 Total minimum annual payments $ 5,141,441 Port Facility Commitments As of December 31, 2018, future commitments to pay for usage of certain port facilities were as follows (in thousands): Year Amount 2019 $ 62,388 2020 73,853 2021 77,829 2022 77,546 2023 79,784 Thereafter 1,366,636 Total port facility future commitments $ 1,738,036 Other Commitments The FMC requires evidence of financial responsibility for those offering transportation on passenger ships operating out of U.S. ports to indemnify passengers in the event of non-performance of the transportation. Accordingly, each of our three brands are required to maintain a $30.0 million third-party performance guarantee in respect of liabilities for non-performance of transportation and other obligations to passengers. The guarantee requirements are subject to additional consumer price index-based adjustments. Also, each of our brands have a legal requirement to maintain a security guarantee based on cruise business originated from the U.K. As of December 31, 2018, approximately British Pound Sterling 30.5 million was in place to support our security guarantees. We also are required by other jurisdictions to establish financial responsibility to meet liability in the event of non-performance of our obligations to passengers from those jurisdictions. From time to time, various other regulatory and legislative changes have been or may in the future be proposed that may have an effect on our operations in the U.S. and the cruise industry in general. Litigation In the normal course of our business, various claims and lawsuits have been filed or are pending against us. Most of these claims and lawsuits are covered by insurance and, accordingly, the maximum amount of our liability is typically limited to our deductible amount. Nonetheless, the ultimate outcome of these claims and lawsuits that are not covered by insurance cannot be determined at this time. We have evaluated our overall exposure with respect to all of our threatened and pending litigation and, to the extent required, we have accrued amounts for all estimable probable losses associated with our deemed exposure. We are currently unable to estimate any other potential contingent losses beyond those accrued, as discovery is not complete nor is adequate information available to estimate such range of loss or potential recovery. However, based on our current knowledge, we do not believe that the aggregate amount or range of reasonably possible losses with respect to these matters will be material to our consolidated results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. We intend to vigorously defend our legal position on all claims and, to the extent necessary, seek recovery.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other Income (Expense), Net	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Other Income (Expense), Net	13. Other Income (Expense), Net Other income (expense), net was a gain of $20.7 million, loss of $10.4 million, and loss of $8.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. In 2018, the income was primarily due to foreign currency exchange gains. In 2017, the expense was primarily due to foreign currency exchange losses. In 2016, the expense was primarily related to $16.1 million of unrealized and realized losses on fuel swap derivative hedge contracts partially offset by $4.5 million of gains on foreign currency exchange and $3.9 million of gains on foreign currency exchange derivative hedge contracts.

Concentration Risk

Concentration Risk	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]
Concentration Risk	14. Concentration Risk We contract with a single vendor to provide many of our hotel and restaurant services including both food and labor costs. We incurred expenses of $153.7 million, $152.3 million and $137.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, which are recorded in payroll and related in our consolidated statements of operations.

Supplemental Cash Flow Informat

Supplemental Cash Flow Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]
Supplemental Cash Flow Information	15. Supplemental Cash Flow Information For the year ended December 31, 2018, we had non-cash investing activities related to property and equipment of $39.7 million and net foreign currency adjustments of $5.5 million related to euro-denominated debt related to the financing of two of our Project Leonardo ships. For the year ended December 31, 2018, we paid income taxes of $10.0 million and interest and related fees, net of capitalized interest, of $350.4 million. For the year ended December 31, 2017, we had non-cash investing activities related to property and equipment of $20.0 million and non-cash investing activities related to capital leases of $13.3 million. For the year ended December 31, 2017, we paid income taxes of $11.7 million and interest and related fees, net of capitalized interest, of $284.9 million. For the year ended December 31, 2016, we had non-cash investing activities in connection with property and equipment of $26.7 million. For the year ended December 31, 2016, we paid income taxes of $8.8 million and interest and related fees, net of capitalized interest, of $269.5 million.

Quarterly Selected Financial Da

Quarterly Selected Financial Data (Unaudited) (in thousands, except per share data)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Quarterly Selected Financial Data (Unaudited) (in thousands, except per share data)	16. Quarterly Selected Financial Data (Unaudited) (in thousands, except per share data) First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 Total revenue $ 1,293,403 $ 1,150,781 $ 1,522,174 $ 1,344,103 $ 1,858,356 $ 1,651,738 $ 1,381,193 $ 1,249,553 Operating income $ 167,053 $ 119,734 $ 292,152 $ 275,071 $ 550,276 $ 476,820 $ 209,580 $ 177,194 Net income $ 103,155 $ 61,910 $ 226,676 $ 198,473 $ 470,378 $ 400,692 $ 154,634 $ 98,797 Earnings per share: Basic $ 0.45 $ 0.27 $ 1.02 $ 0.87 $ 2.12 $ 1.76 $ 0.70 $ 0.43 Diluted $ 0.45 $ 0.27 $ 1.01 $ 0.87 $ 2.11 $ 1.74 $ 0.70 $ 0.43 The seasonality of the North American cruise industry generally results in the greatest demand for cruises during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months. This predictable seasonality in demand has resulted in fluctuations in our revenue and results of operations. The seasonality of our results is increased due to ships being taken out of service for regularly scheduled Dry-docks, which we typically scheduled during non-peak demand periods.

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	17. Subsequent Events In January 2019, we (a) reduced the pricing of our existing $875.0 million Revolving Loan Facility, (b) reduced the pricing and increased the approximately $1.3 billion principal amount outstanding under the term loan A facility to $1.6 billion, and (c) extended the maturity dates for our Revolving Loan Facility and our term loan A facility to 2024, subject to certain conditions. The applicable margin under the Revolving Loan Facility and term loan A facility and was reduced by 25 basis points from the prior facility. We used the proceeds from the increase in our term loan A facility to prepay all of the then outstanding amounts under the term loan B facility. In January 2019, we obtained financing for five additional ships with expected delivery dates through 2027, subject to certain Italian government approvals. Two of such ships are Project Leonardo ships which were ordered for delivery in 2026 and 2027 and each have a contract price which is approximately €800.0 million, or $917.4 million based on the exchange rate as of December 31, 2018. We have ordered an additional Explorer Class Ship to be delivered in 2023. The contract price for this ship is approximately €473.5 million, or $543.0 million based on the exchange rate as of December 31, 2018. We also have ordered two Allura Class Ships to be delivered in 2022 and 2025. The contract price for each of these ships is approximately €578.7 million, or $663.6 million based on the exchange rate as of December 31, 2018. We have obtained export credit financing which is expected to fund approximately 80% of the contract price of each ship expected to be delivered through 2027, subject to certain conditions.

Schedule II Valuation and Quali

Schedule II Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
SEC Schedule, 12-09, Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]
Schedule II Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Schedule II Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (in thousands) Additions Description Balance Charged to Charged to Deductions (a) Balance Valuation allowance on deferred tax assets $ 61,437 $ — $ 9,382 $ (6,246 ) $ 64,573 Description Balance Charged to Charged to Deductions (a) Balance Valuation allowance on deferred tax assets $ 64,573 $ — $ — $ (22,419 ) $ 42,154 Description Balance Charged to Charged to Deductions (a) Balance Valuation allowance on deferred tax assets $ 42,154 $ — $ 276 $ (506 ) $ 41,924 (a) Amount relates to (i) utilization of deferred tax assets, (ii) revaluation of deferred tax assets from their functional currency to U.S. dollars and (iii) reversal of valuation allowances.

Summary of Significant Accoun_2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and contain all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the periods presented. Estimates are required for the preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and actual results could differ from these estimates. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain amounts in prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, The effects of the change on our consolidated statements of cash flows were as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2017 2016 As Previously Effect of As Reported Previously Effect of Cash flows from operating activities Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Loss on extinguishment of debt (previously write-off of financing fees) $ 22,211 $ 6,705 $ 15,506 $ 38,180 $ 18,930 $ 19,250 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Prepaid expenses and other assets $ (22,714 ) $ (22,714 ) $ — $ (13,363 ) $ (18,534 ) $ 5,171 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 1,601,247 $ 1,585,741 $ 15,506 $ 1,264,087 $ 1,239,666 $ 24,421 Cash flows from financing activities Early redemption premium $ (15,506 ) $ — $ (15,506 ) $ (19,250 ) $ — $ (19,250 ) Deferred financing fees and other $ (56,195 ) $ (56,195 ) $ — $ (54,060 ) $ (48,889 ) $ (5,171 ) Net cash used in financing activities $ (148,506 ) $ (133,000 ) $ (15,506 ) $ (122,763 ) $ (98,342 ) $ (24,421 )
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents are stated at cost and include cash and investments with original maturities of three months or less at acquisition and also include amounts due from credit card processors.
Accounts Receivable, Net	Accounts Receivable, Net Accounts receivable are shown net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $9.6 million and $5.9 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Inventories	Inventories Inventories mainly consist of provisions, supplies and fuel and are carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value using the first-in, first-out method of accounting.
Advertising Costs	Advertising Costs Advertising costs are expensed as incurred except for those that result in tangible assets, including brochures, which are treated as prepaid expenses and charged to expense as consumed. Advertising costs of $0.8 million and $2.4 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, are included in prepaid expenses and other assets. Expenses related to advertising costs totaled $327.3 million, $289.1 million and $270.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
Earnings Per Share	Earnings Per Share Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income by the basic weighted-average number of shares outstanding during each period. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing net income by diluted weighted-average shares outstanding. A reconciliation between basic and diluted earnings per share was as follows (in thousands, except share and per share data): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Net income $ 954,843 $ 759,872 $ 633,085 Basic weighted-average shares outstanding 223,001,739 228,040,825 227,121,875 Dilutive effect of share awards 1,417,466 1,377,501 728,411 Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding 224,419,205 229,418,326 227,850,286 Basic earnings per share $ 4.28 $ 3.33 $ 2.79 Diluted earnings per share $ 4.25 $ 3.31 $ 2.78 For the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, a total of 4.7 million, 5.6 million and 7.1 million shares, respectively, have been excluded from diluted weighted-average shares outstanding because the effect of including them would have been anti-dilutive.
Property and Equipment, Net	Property and Equipment, Net Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Major renewals and improvements that we believe add value to our ships are capitalized as a cost of the ship while costs of repairs and maintenance, including Dry-dock costs, are charged to expense as incurred. During ship construction, certain interest is capitalized as a cost of the ship. Gains or losses on the sale of property and equipment are recorded as a component of operating income (expense) in our consolidated statements of operations. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, after a 15% reduction for the estimated residual values of ships as follows: Useful Life Ships 30 years Computer hardware and software 3-10 years Other property and equipment 3-40 years Leasehold improvements Shorter of lease term or asset life Ship improvements Shorter of asset life or life of the ship Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment, based on estimated future undiscounted cash flows, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Assets are grouped and evaluated at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows that are largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets. We consider historical performance and future estimated results in our evaluation of potential impairment and then compare the carrying amount of the asset to the estimated future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset. If the carrying amount of the asset exceeds estimated expected undiscounted future cash flows, we measure the amount of the impairment by comparing the carrying amount of the asset to its fair value. We estimate fair value based on the best information available utilizing estimates, judgments and projections as necessary. Our estimate of fair value is generally measured by discounting expected future cash flows at discount rates commensurate with the associated risk.
Goodwill and Tradenames	Goodwill and Tradenames Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair value of net assets acquired. Goodwill and other indefinite-lived assets, principally tradenames, are reviewed for impairment on an annual basis or earlier if there is an event or change in circumstances that would indicate that the carrying value of these assets may not be fully recoverable. We use the Step 0 Test which allows us to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not (i.e., more than 50%) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. For tradenames we also provide a qualitative assessment to determine if there is any indication of impairment. In order to make this evaluation, we consider the following circumstances as well as others: · Changes in general macroeconomic conditions such as a deterioration in general economic conditions; limitations on accessing capital; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; or other developments in equity and credit markets; · Changes in industry and market conditions such as a deterioration in the environment in which an entity operates; an increased competitive environment; a decline in market-dependent multiples or metrics (in both absolute terms and relative to peers); a change in the market for an entity’s products or services; or a regulatory or political development; · Changes in cost factors that have a negative effect on earnings and cash flows; · Decline in overall financial performance (for both actual and expected performance); · Entity and reporting unit specific events such as changes in management, key personnel, strategy, or customers; litigation; or a change in the composition or carrying amount of net assets; and · Decline in share price (in both absolute terms and relative to peers). We have concluded that our business has three reporting units. Each brand, Norwegian, Regent and Oceania Cruises, constitutes a business for which discrete financial information is available and management regularly reviews the operating results and, therefore, each brand is considered an operating segment. For our annual impairment evaluation, we performed a Step 0 Test for the Norwegian, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania Cruises reporting units. As of December 31, 2018, there was $523.0 million, $462.1 million and $403.8 million of goodwill for the Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas and Norwegian reporting units, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, our annual review consisting of the Step 0 Test supports the carrying value of these assets.
Revenue and Expense Recognition	Revenue and Expense Recognition Deposits on advance ticket sales are deferred when received and are subsequently recognized as revenue ratably during the voyage sailing days as services are rendered over time on the ship. Cancellation fees are recognized in passenger ticket revenue in the month of the cancellation. Goods and services associated with onboard revenue are generally provided at a point in time and revenue is recognized when the performance obligation is satisfied. A receivable is recognized for onboard goods and services rendered when the voyage is not completed before the end of the period. All associated direct costs of a voyage are recognized as incurred in cruise operating expenses.
Disaggregation of Revenue	Disaggregation of Revenue Revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors in various geographical regions. Revenues by destination consisted of the following (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 North America $ 3,543,282 $ 3,285,903 $ 3,132,208 Europe 1,462,698 1,347,381 1,148,403 Asia-Pacific 721,404 394,631 196,978 Other 327,742 368,260 396,751 Total Revenues $ 6,055,126 $ 5,396,175 $ 4,874,340
Segment Reporting	Segment Reporting We have concluded that our business has a single reportable segment. Each brand, Norwegian, Oceania Cruises and Regent, constitutes a business for which discrete financial information is available and management regularly reviews the brand level operating results and, therefore, each brand is considered an operating segment. Our operating segments have similar economic and qualitative characteristics, including similar long-term margins and similar products and services; therefore, we aggregate all of the operating segments into one reportable segment. Although we sell cruises on an international basis, our passenger ticket revenue is primarily attributed to U.S.-sourced guests who make reservations in the U.S. Revenue attributable to U.S.-sourced guests was 77%, 77% and 81% for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. No other individual country’s revenues exceeded 10% in any of our last three years. Substantially all of our long-lived assets are located outside of the U.S. and consist primarily of our ships. We had 18 ships with Bahamas registry with a carrying value of $9.1 billion as of December 31, 2018 and 17 ships with Bahamas registry with a carrying value of $8.0 billion as of December 31, 2017. We had seven ships with Marshall Island registry with a carrying value of $1.9 billion as of December 31, 2018 and 2017. We also had one ship with U.S. registry with a carrying value of $0.3 billion as of December 31, 2018 and 2017.
Debt Issuance Costs	Debt Issuance Costs Debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability are presented in the consolidated balance sheets as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. For line of credit arrangements and for those debt facilities not fully drawn we defer and present debt issuance costs as an asset. These deferred issuance costs are amortized over the life of the loan agreement. The amortization of deferred financing fees is included in depreciation and amortization expense in the consolidated statements of cash flows; however, for purposes of the consolidated statements of operations it is included in interest expense, net.
Foreign Currency	Foreign Currency The majority of our transactions are settled in U.S. dollars. Gains or losses resulting from transactions denominated in other currencies are recognized in income at each balance sheet date. We recognized (gains) losses of $(19.8) million, $14.2 million and $(4.5) million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activity	Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activity We enter into derivative contracts to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and fuel prices. The criteria used to determine whether a transaction qualifies for hedge accounting treatment includes the correlation between fluctuations in the fair value of the hedged item and the fair value of the related derivative instrument and its effectiveness as a hedge. As the derivative is marked to fair value, we elected an accounting policy to net the fair value of our derivatives when a master netting arrangement exists with our counterparties. A derivative instrument that hedges a forecasted transaction or the variability of cash flows related to a recognized asset or liability may be designated as a cash flow hedge. Changes in fair value of derivative instruments that are designated as cash flow hedges are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) until the underlying hedged transactions are recognized in earnings. To the extent that an instrument is not effective as a hedge, gains and losses are recognized in other income (expense), net in our consolidated statements of operations. Realized gains and losses related to our effective fuel hedges are recognized in fuel expense. For presentation in our consolidated statements of cash flows, we have elected to classify the cash flows from our cash flow hedges in the same category as the cash flows from the items being hedged.
Concentrations of Credit Risk	Concentrations of Credit Risk We monitor concentrations of credit risk associated with financial and other institutions with which we conduct significant business. Credit risk, including but not limited to counterparty non-performance under derivative instruments, our Revolving Loan Facility and new ship progress payment guarantees, is not considered significant, as we primarily conduct business with large, well-established financial institutions and insurance companies that we have well-established relationships with and that have credit risks acceptable to us or the credit risk is spread out among a large number of creditors. We do not anticipate non-performance by any of our significant counterparties.
Insurance	Insurance We use a combination of insurance and self-insurance for a number of risks including claims related to crew and guests, hull and machinery, war risk, workers’ compensation, property damage, employee healthcare and general liability. Liabilities associated with certain of these risks, including crew and passenger claims, are estimated actuarially based upon known facts, historical trends and a reasonable estimate of future expenses. While we believe these accruals are adequate, the ultimate losses incurred may differ from those recorded.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Deferred tax assets and liabilities are calculated in accordance with the liability method. Deferred taxes are recorded using the currently enacted tax rates that apply in the periods that the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred taxes are not discounted. We provide a valuation allowance on deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that such assets will not be realized. With respect to acquired deferred tax assets, changes within the measurement period that result from new information about facts and circumstances that existed at the acquisition date shall be recognized through a corresponding adjustment to goodwill. Subsequent to the measurement period, all other changes shall be reported as a reduction or increase to income tax expense in our consolidated statements of operations.
Share-Based Compensation	Share-Based Compensation We recognize expense for our share-based compensation awards using a fair-value-based method. Share-based compensation expense is recognized over the requisite service period for awards that are based on a service period and not contingent upon any future performance. We refer you to Note 10— “Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation.”
Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Guidance	Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Guidance In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles —Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract (a consensus of the FAS Emerging Issues Task Force), On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) — Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740) — Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory, In December 2017, the Act was enacted, and among other provisions, reduced the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. Also in December 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 118, which addresses the recognition of provisional amounts when a company does not have the necessary information available, prepared or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete its accounting for the effect of the changes by the Act. The measurement period ends when a company has obtained, prepared and analyzed the information necessary to finalize its accounting, but cannot extend beyond one year. The Company completed the accounting for the tax effects of enactment of the Act. There was no material change to the $7.4 million reduction of the value of net deferred tax liabilities (which represent future tax expenses) recorded in 2017 as a discrete tax benefit resulting from the lower U.S. federal corporate income tax rate under the Act. Other aspects of the Act were either not applicable or did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) — Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)

Summary of Significant Accoun_3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Schedule of effects of the change on consolidated statements of cash flows	Year Ended December 31, 2017 2016 As Previously Effect of As Reported Previously Effect of Cash flows from operating activities Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Loss on extinguishment of debt (previously write-off of financing fees) $ 22,211 $ 6,705 $ 15,506 $ 38,180 $ 18,930 $ 19,250 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Prepaid expenses and other assets $ (22,714 ) $ (22,714 ) $ — $ (13,363 ) $ (18,534 ) $ 5,171 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 1,601,247 $ 1,585,741 $ 15,506 $ 1,264,087 $ 1,239,666 $ 24,421 Cash flows from financing activities Early redemption premium $ (15,506 ) $ — $ (15,506 ) $ (19,250 ) $ — $ (19,250 ) Deferred financing fees and other $ (56,195 ) $ (56,195 ) $ — $ (54,060 ) $ (48,889 ) $ (5,171 ) Net cash used in financing activities $ (148,506 ) $ (133,000 ) $ (15,506 ) $ (122,763 ) $ (98,342 ) $ (24,421 )
Schedule of reconciliation between basic and diluted EPS	Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Net income $ 954,843 $ 759,872 $ 633,085 Basic weighted-average shares outstanding 223,001,739 228,040,825 227,121,875 Dilutive effect of share awards 1,417,466 1,377,501 728,411 Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding 224,419,205 229,418,326 227,850,286 Basic earnings per share $ 4.28 $ 3.33 $ 2.79 Diluted earnings per share $ 4.25 $ 3.31 $ 2.78
Schedule of estimated residual values of ships	Useful Life Ships 30 years Computer hardware and software 3-10 years Other property and equipment 3-40 years Leasehold improvements Shorter of lease term or asset life Ship improvements Shorter of asset life or life of the ship
Schedule of revenues by destination	Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 North America $ 3,543,282 $ 3,285,903 $ 3,132,208 Europe 1,462,698 1,347,381 1,148,403 Asia-Pacific 721,404 394,631 196,978 Other 327,742 368,260 396,751 Total Revenues $ 6,055,126 $ 5,396,175 $ 4,874,340

Revenue and Expense from Cont_2

Revenue and Expense from Contracts with Customers (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Schedule of impacts of Topic 606 adoption on consolidated balance sheet	As Reported Adjustments Balances Without Prepaid expenses and other assets $ 241,011 $ (63,628 ) $ 177,383 Total assets $ 15,205,970 $ (63,628 ) $ 15,142,342 Advance ticket sales $ 1,593,219 $ (63,628 ) $ 1,529,591 Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 15,205,970 $ (63,628 ) $ 15,142,342
Schedule of impacts of adoption of Topic 606 on consolidated statement of cash flows	As Reported Adjustments Balances Without Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Prepaid expenses and other assets $ (29,519 ) $ 12,029 $ (17,490 ) Advance ticket sales $ 262,603 $ (12,029 ) $ 250,574 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 2,075,171 $ — $ 2,075,171

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of gross carrying amounts included within goodwill and intangible assets, related accumulated amortization and the weighted average amortization periods of intangible assets	December 31, 2018 Gross Carrying Accumulated Net Carrying Weighted- Customer relationship $ 120,000 $ (91,756 ) $ 28,244 6.0 Licenses 3,368 (2,874 ) 494 5.6 Total intangible assets subject to amortization $ 123,368 $ (94,630 ) $ 28,738 December 31, 2017 Gross Carrying Accumulated Net Carrying Weighted- Customer relationship $ 120,000 $ (66,866 ) $ 53,134 6.0 Licenses 3,368 (1,601 ) 1,767 5.6 Non-compete agreements 660 (660 ) — 1.0 Total intangible assets subject to amortization $ 124,028 $ (69,127 ) $ 54,901
Schedule of aggregate amortization expense	Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Amortization expense $ 26,163 $ 31,232 $ 22,160
Schedule of estimated aggregate amortization expense	Year Ended December 31, Amortization 2019 $ 18,489 2020 $ 9,906 2021 $ 75 2022 $ 75 2023 $ 75

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_2

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	Year Ended December 31, 2018 Accumulated Change Change Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at beginning of period $ 26,966 $ 33,861 $ (6,895 ) Current period other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications (158,943 ) (161,214 ) 2,271 Amounts reclassified into earnings (29,670 ) (30,096 )(1) 426 (2) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at end of period $ (161,647 ) $ (157,449 )(3) $ (4,198 ) Year Ended December 31, 2017 Accumulated Change Change Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at beginning of period $ (314,473 ) $ (307,618 ) $ (6,855 ) Current period other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 304,226 304,684 (458 ) Amounts reclassified into earnings 37,213 36,795 (1) 418 (4) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at end of period $ 26,966 $ 33,861 $ (6,895 ) Year Ended December 31, 2016 Accumulated Change Change Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at beginning of period $ (412,650 ) $ (405,298 ) $ (7,352 ) Current period other comprehensive income before reclassifications 1,776 1,711 65 Amounts reclassified into earnings 96,401 95,969 (1) 432 (4) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at end of period $ (314,473 ) $ (307,618 ) $ (6,855 ) (1) We refer you to Note 9— “Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives” in these notes to consolidated financial statements for the affected line items in the consolidated statements of operations. (2) Amortization of prior-service cost and actuarial loss reclassified to other income (expense), net. (3) Includes $21.1 million of loss expected to be reclassified into earnings in the next 12 months. (4) Amortization of prior-service cost and actuarial loss reclassified to payroll and related expense.

Property and Equipment, Net (Ta

Property and Equipment, Net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Schedule of property and equipment, net	December 31, 2018 2017 Ships $ 13,032,555 $ 11,814,409 Ships improvements 1,407,989 1,060,049 Ships under construction 491,632 521,597 Land and land improvements 34,936 37,535 Other 558,052 487,921 15,525,164 13,921,511 Less: accumulated depreciation (3,405,911 ) (2,881,023 ) Property and equipment, net $ 12,119,253 $ 11,040,488

Long-Term Debt (Tables)

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of long-term debt	Interest Rate Maturities Balance 2018 2017 Through 2018 2017 (in thousands) $875.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility 3.96 % 3.27 % 2021 $ 130,000 $ 78,000 Term Loan A 4.01 % 3.32 % 2021 1,256,167 1,385,196 $375.0 million Term Loan B (1) 4.26 % 3.18 % 2021 368,982 371,914 $700.0 million 4.750% senior unsecured notes 4.75 % 4.75 % 2021 561,021 693,413 €662.9 million Norwegian Epic term loan (2) 4.58 % 3.44 % 2022 259,394 328,646 €308.1 million Pride of Hawai’i loan (2) — 2.31 % 2018 — 18,438 €529.8 million Breakaway one loan (2) 4.09 % 2.97 % 2025 360,680 415,039 €529.8 million Breakaway two loan (2) 4.50 % 4.50 % 2026 426,503 482,133 €590.5 million Breakaway three loan (2) 2.98 % 2.98 % 2027 537,223 595,494 €729.9 million Breakaway four loan (2) 2.98 % 2.98 % 2029 694,536 758,595 €666 million Seahawk 1 term loan (2) 3.92 % 3.92 % 2030 756,061 184,837 €666 million Seahawk 2 term loan (2) 3.92 % 3.92 % 2031 187,612 90,351 Leonardo newbuild one loan 2.68 % — 2034 48,009 — Leonardo newbuild two loan 2.77 % — 2035 48,009 — Leonardo newbuild three loan 1.22 % — 2036 43,667 — Leonardo newbuild four loan 1.31 % — 2037 43,667 — Sirena loan 2.75 % 2.75 % 2019 13,856 27,344 Explorer newbuild loan 3.43 % 3.43 % 2028 268,970 295,093 Marina newbuild loan (3) 3.07 % 2.00 % 2023 201,007 245,706 Riviera newbuild loan (4) 3.32 % 2.11 % 2024 247,203 292,183 Capital lease and license obligations Various Various 2028 39,524 45,383 Total debt 6,492,091 6,307,765 Less: current portion of long-term debt (681,218 ) (619,373 ) Total long-term debt $ 5,810,873 $ 5,688,392 (1) Includes original issue discount of $0.7 million and $0.9 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. (2) Currently U.S. dollar-denominated. (3) Includes premium of $0.1 million and $0.2 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. (4) Includes premium of $0.2 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017.
Schedule of principal repayments on long-term debt including capital lease obligations	Year Amount 2019 $ 681,218 2020 682,556 2021 2,549,621 2022 494,186 2023 434,902 Thereafter 1,767,383 Total $ 6,609,866

Fair Value Measurements and D_2

Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Schedule of derivatives measured at fair value and disclosed by balance sheet location	Assets Liabilities Derivative Contracts Designated as December 31, December 31, Hedging Instruments Balance Sheet Location 2018 2017 2018 2017 Fuel contracts Prepaid expenses and other assets $ 2,583 $ 19,220 $ 1 $ 2,406 Other long-term assets 197 19,854 29 3,469 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 1,173 — 19,547 3,348 Other long-term liabilities 933 576 51,184 2,148 Foreign currency contracts Prepaid expenses and other assets 5,285 52,300 1,497 730 Other long-term assets 3,514 85,081 — — Accrued expenses and other liabilities 112 — 5,145 — Other long-term liabilities 2,874 — 40,476 — Interest rate contracts Prepaid expenses and other assets 519 — — — Other long-term assets 27 — — — Accrued expenses and other liabilities — — — 1,020 Total derivative contracts designated as hedging instruments $ 17,217 $ 177,031 $ 117,879 $ 13,121
Schedule of gross and net amounts recognized within assets and liabilities	December 31, 2018 Gross Amounts Gross Total Net Gross Not Offset Net Amounts Assets $ 12,125 $ (1,527 ) $ 10,598 $ (6,872 ) $ 3,726 Liabilities $ 116,352 $ (5,092 ) $ 111,260 $ (35,718 ) $ 75,542 December 31, 2017 Gross Amounts Gross Total Net Gross Not Offset Net Amounts Assets $ 176,455 $ (6,605 ) $ 169,850 $ (127,924 ) $ 41,926 Liabilities $ 6,516 $ (576 ) $ 5,940 $ (1,020 ) $ 4,920
Schedule of effects of derivatives designated as cash flow hedges	The effects of cash flow hedge accounting on accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) include the following (in thousands): Derivatives Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income Location of Gain Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income Year Ended December 31, Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 2018 2017 2016 Fuel contracts $ (52,949 ) $ 50,263 $ 127,470 Fuel $ 34,410 $ (29,721 ) $ (88,442 ) Foreign currency contracts (108,911 ) 254,070 (124,058 ) Depreciation and amortization (3,463 ) (4,077 ) (3,581 ) Interest rate contracts 646 351 (1,701 ) Interest expense, net (851 ) (2,997 ) (3,946 ) Total gain (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income $ (161,214 ) $ 304,684 $ 1,711 $ 30,096 $ (36,795 ) $ (95,969 ) The effects of cash flow hedge accounting on the consolidated statements of operations include the following (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 Year Ended December 31, 2017 Fuel Depreciation Interest Fuel Depreciation Interest Total amounts of income and expense line items presented in the consolidated statements of operations in which the effects of cash flow hedges are recorded $ 392,685 $ 561,060 $ 270,404 $ 361,032 $ 509,957 $ 267,804 Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into income Fuel contracts $ 34,410 $ — $ — $ (29,721 ) $ — $ — Foreign currency contracts $ — $ (3,463 ) $ — $ — $ (4,077 ) $ — Interest rate contracts $ — $ — $ (851 ) $ — $ — $ (2,997 ) The effects of cash flow hedge accounting on the consolidated statements of operations include the following (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2016 Fuel Depreciation Interest Other Total amounts of income and expense line items presented in the consolidated statements of operations in which the effects of cash flow hedges are recorded $ 335,174 $ 432,495 $ 276,859 $ 8,302 Amount of loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into income Fuel contracts $ (85,448 ) $ — $ — $ — Foreign currency contracts $ — $ (3,581 ) $ — $ — Interest rate contracts $ — $ — $ (3,946 ) $ — Amount of loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into income as a result that a forecasted transaction is no longer probable of occurring Fuel contracts $ — $ — $ — $ (2,994 )
Schedule of effects of foreign currency contracts not designated as hedging instruments	Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Gain recognized in other income (expense), net $ — $ — $ 4,179

Employee Benefits and Share-B_2

Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Schedule of summary of option activity	Number of Share Option Awards Weighted-Average Exercise Price Weighted- Average Contractual Term Aggregate Time- Performance- Market- Time- Performance- Market- (in years) (in thousands) Outstanding as of January 1, 2018 6,580,898 373,969 208,333 $ 49.18 $ 31.39 $ 59.43 6.99 $ 50,021 Granted — 208,335 — $ — $ 59.43 $ — Exercised (674,272 ) (115,785 ) — $ 35.00 $ 19.00 $ — Forfeited and cancelled (219,833 ) (56,020 ) — $ 54.76 $ 56.59 $ — Outstanding as of December 31, 2018 5,686,793 410,499 208,333 $ 50.65 $ 45.67 $ 59.43 6.22 $ 13,946 Vested and Expected to vest of December 31, 2018 5,686,793 254,249 — $ 50.65 $ 37.22 $ — 6.19 13,946 Exercisable as of December 31, 2018 5,022,818 254,249 — $ 50.18 $ 37.22 $ — 6.11 13,928
Schedule of restricted share activity of NCLH shares	Number of Weighted- Average Grant Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 858 $ 58.33 Vested (429 ) $ 58.25 Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 429 $ 58.41
Schedule of restricted stock units activity	Number of Weighted- Number of Weighted- Number of Weighted- Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 2,555,477 $ 50.86 — $ — 50,000 $ 59.43 Granted 1,613,077 $ 56.73 843,998 $ 56.58 — $ — Vested (1,032,927 ) $ 50.66 — $ — — $ — Forfeited or expired (162,595 ) $ 53.40 (18,384 ) $ 56.43 — $ — Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 2,973,032 $ 53.98 825,614 $ 56.58 50,000 $ 59.43 Non-vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2018 2,973,032 $ 53.98 788,114 $ 56.59 — $ —
Schedule of compensation expense recognized for share-based compensation	Share-Based Compensation Expense Classification of expense 2018 2017 2016 Payroll and related (1) $ 15,629 $ 9,455 $ 7,793 Marketing, general and administrative (2) 100,354 77,584 58,621 Total share-based compensation expense $ 115,983 $ 87,039 $ 66,414 (1) (2) Amounts relate to equity granted to certain of our shipboard officers. Amounts relate to equity granted to certain of our corporate employees.
Schedule of amounts related to the Shipboard Retirement Plan	As of or for the Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Pension expense: Service cost $ 2,167 $ 1,987 $ 1,863 Interest cost 857 887 874 Amortization of prior service cost 378 378 378 Amortization of actuarial loss 51 40 54 Total pension expense $ 3,453 $ 3,292 $ 3,169 Change in projected benefit obligation: Projected benefit obligation at beginning of year $ 24,587 $ 22,605 $ 21,078 Service cost 2,167 1,987 1,863 Interest cost 857 887 874 Actuarial gain (loss) (2,271 ) 458 (65 ) Direct benefit payments (1,022 ) (1,350 ) (1,145 ) Projected benefit obligation at end of year $ 24,318 $ 24,587 $ 22,605 Amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets: Projected benefit obligation $ 24,318 $ 24,587 $ 22,605 For the Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss): Prior service cost $ (4,159 ) $ (4,537 ) $ (4,915 ) Accumulated actuarial loss (1,105 ) (3,426 ) (3,008 ) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) $ (5,264 ) $ (7,963 ) $ (7,923 )
Schedule of pension benefits expected to be paid in each of the next five years and in aggregate for the five years thereafter	Year Amount 2019 $ 986 2020 $ 971 2021 $ 1,076 2022 $ 1,179 2023 $ 1,333 Next five years $ 9,810
Time Based Options
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Schedule of assumptions used within the option-pricing model	2016 Dividend yield —% Expected share price volatility 30.36%-33.01 Risk-free interest rate 1.20%-1.48 Expected term 6.00 years
Performance Based Options
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Schedule of assumptions used within the option-pricing model	2018 2017 2016 Dividend yield —% —% —% Expected share price volatility 31.50%-32.20% 25.97% 25.97%-30.21% Risk-free interest rate 2.48-2.58 1.81% 1.01%-1.93 Expected term 3.72-4.22 years 4.20 years 4.38-5.13 years

Income Taxes (Tables)

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of components of net income before income taxes	Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Bermuda $ — $ — $ — Foreign - Other 969,310 770,614 640,303 Net income before income taxes $ 969,310 $ 770,614 $ 640,303
Schedule of components of the provision for income taxes	Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Current: Bermuda $ — $ — $ — United States (7,409 ) 1,828 (8,736 ) Foreign - Other (5,371 ) (4,617 ) (2,166 ) Total current: (12,780 ) (2,789 ) (10,902 ) Deferred: Bermuda — — — United States (1,912 ) (8,439 ) 3,684 Foreign - Other 225 486 — Total deferred: (1,687 ) (7,953 ) 3,684 Income tax expense $ (14,467 ) $ (10,742 ) $ (7,218 )
Schedule of reconciliation of income tax expense	Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Tax at Bermuda statutory rate $ — $ — $ — Foreign income taxes at different rates (17,540 ) (28,188 ) (10,721 ) Tax contingencies (5 ) 11,184 (533 ) Return to provision adjustments 2,961 (1,397 ) 418 Benefit from change in tax rate 117 7,659 24 Valuation allowance — — 3,594 Income tax expense $ (14,467 ) $ (10,742 ) $ (7,218 )
Schedule of deferred tax assets and liabilities	As of December 31, 2018 2017 Deferred tax assets: Loss carryforwards $ 63,201 $ 58,789 Other 2,535 2,106 Valuation allowance (41,924 ) (42,154 ) Total net deferred assets 23,812 18,741 Deferred tax liabilities: Property and equipment (37,448 ) (30,869 ) Total deferred tax liabilities (37,448 ) (30,869 ) Net deferred tax liability $ (13,636 ) $ (12,128 )
Schedule of reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits	As of December 31, 2018 2017 Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of the year $ 532 $ 11,144 Gross increases in tax positions from prior periods — 300 Settlement of tax positions — (250 ) Lapse of statute of limitations — (10,662 ) Unrecognized tax benefits, end of year $ 532 $ 532

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Schedule of minimum annual rentals for non-cancelable contracts	Year Amount 2019 $ 16,651 2020 16,105 2021 15,315 2022 14,391 2023 13,462 Thereafter 52,626 Total minimum annual rentals $ 128,550
Ship Construction Contracts
Schedule of minimum annual rentals for non-cancelable contracts	Year Amount 2019 $ 912,858 2020 474,869 2021 187,818 2022 1,029,328 2023 946,895 Thereafter 1,589,673 Total minimum annual payments $ 5,141,441
Port Facility Commitments
Schedule of minimum annual rentals for non-cancelable contracts	Year Amount 2019 $ 62,388 2020 73,853 2021 77,829 2022 77,546 2023 79,784 Thereafter 1,366,636 Total port facility future commitments $ 1,738,036

Quarterly Selected Financial _2

Quarterly Selected Financial Data (Unaudited) (in thousands, except per share data) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of quarterly financial information	First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 Total revenue $ 1,293,403 $ 1,150,781 $ 1,522,174 $ 1,344,103 $ 1,858,356 $ 1,651,738 $ 1,381,193 $ 1,249,553 Operating income $ 167,053 $ 119,734 $ 292,152 $ 275,071 $ 550,276 $ 476,820 $ 209,580 $ 177,194 Net income $ 103,155 $ 61,910 $ 226,676 $ 198,473 $ 470,378 $ 400,692 $ 154,634 $ 98,797 Earnings per share: Basic $ 0.45 $ 0.27 $ 1.02 $ 0.87 $ 2.12 $ 1.76 $ 0.70 $ 0.43 Diluted $ 0.45 $ 0.27 $ 1.01 $ 0.87 $ 2.11 $ 1.74 $ 0.70 $ 0.43

Description of Business and O_2

Description of Business and Organization (Detail Textuals)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018CruiseShipBerth
Description Of Business And Organization [Line Items]
Number of cruises ships	26
Capacity of ship, berths | Berth	54,400
Number of additional ships	3
Project Leonardo Ships
Description Of Business And Organization [Line Items]
Number of additional ships	11
Increased number of berths | Berth	82,000
Ships launching period through 2027
Description Of Business And Organization [Line Items]
Number of additional ships	8
Ships launching period through 2027 | Project Leonardo Ships
Description Of Business And Organization [Line Items]
Number of additional ships	6

Description of Business and O_3

Description of Business and Organization (Detail Textuals 1) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Feb. 28, 2011	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Line Items]
Ordinary shares, par value (in dollars per shares)			$ 0.001	$ 0.001
NCLH
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Line Items]
Number of ordinary shares issued		10,000
Ordinary shares, par value (in dollars per shares)		$ 0.001
NCLH | IPO
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Line Items]
Ownership percentage	100.00%
Contribution to NCLC	$ 460

Summary of Significant Accoun_4

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Loss on extinguishment of debt (previously write-off of financing fees)	$ 6,346	$ 22,211	$ 38,180
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(29,519)	(22,714)	(13,363)
Net cash provided by operating activities	2,075,171	1,601,247	1,264,087
Cash flows from financing activities
Early redemption premium	(5,154)	(15,506)	(19,250)
Deferred financing fees and other	(118,422)	(56,195)	(54,060)
Net cash used in financing activities	$ (584,802)	(148,506)	(122,763)
Previously Reported
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Loss on extinguishment of debt (previously write-off of financing fees)		6,705	18,930
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other assets		(22,714)	(18,534)
Net cash provided by operating activities		1,585,741	1,239,666
Cash flows from financing activities
Early redemption premium		0	0
Deferred financing fees and other		(56,195)	(48,889)
Net cash used in financing activities		(133,000)	(98,342)
Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-15 | Effect of Change
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Loss on extinguishment of debt (previously write-off of financing fees)		15,506	19,250
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other assets		0	5,171
Net cash provided by operating activities		15,506	24,421
Cash flows from financing activities
Early redemption premium		(15,506)	(19,250)
Deferred financing fees and other		0	(5,171)
Net cash used in financing activities		$ (15,506)	$ (24,421)

Summary of Significant Accoun_5

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Reconciliation between Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Details 1) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income	$ 154,634	$ 470,378	$ 226,676	$ 103,155	$ 98,797	$ 400,692	$ 198,473	$ 61,910	$ 954,843	$ 759,872	$ 633,085
Basic weighted-average shares outstanding									223,001,739	228,040,825	227,121,875
Dilutive effect of share awards									1,417,466	1,377,501	728,411
Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding									224,419,205	229,418,326	227,850,286
Basic earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.7	$ 2.12	$ 1.02	$ 0.45	$ 0.43	$ 1.76	$ 0.87	$ 0.27	$ 4.28	$ 3.33	$ 2.79
Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.7	$ 2.11	$ 1.01	$ 0.45	$ 0.43	$ 1.74	$ 0.87	$ 0.27	$ 4.25	$ 3.31	$ 2.78

Summary of Significant Accoun_6

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Estimated Useful Lives of Assets (Details 1)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Ships
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	30 years
Computer hardware and software
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	3-10 years
Other property and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	3-40 years
Leasehold improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	Shorter of lease term or asset life
Ship improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	Shorter of asset life or life of the ship

Summary of Significant Accoun_7

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Revenues by destination (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Revenues by destination	$ 1,381,193	$ 1,858,356	$ 1,522,174	$ 1,293,403	$ 1,249,553	$ 1,651,738	$ 1,344,103	$ 1,150,781	$ 6,055,126	$ 5,396,175	$ 4,874,340
North America
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Revenues by destination									3,543,282	3,285,903	3,132,208
Europe
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Revenues by destination									1,462,698	1,347,381	1,148,403
Asia-Pacific
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Revenues by destination									721,404	394,631	196,978
Other
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Revenues by destination									$ 327,742	$ 368,260	$ 396,751

Summary of Significant Accoun_8

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Detail Textuals) $ in Thousands, shares in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)CruiseShipshares	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)CruiseShipshares	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)shares
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 9,600	$ 5,900
Advertising costs included in prepaid expenses and other assets	800	2,400
Expenses related to advertising costs	$ 327,300	$ 289,100	$ 270,500
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share | shares	4.7	5.6	7.1
Reduction in estimated residual values, percentage	15.00%
Goodwill	$ 1,388,931	$ 1,388,931
Number of cruises ships | CruiseShip	26
Ship, carrying value	$ 12,119,253	11,040,488
Foreign currency transaction (gains) losses	$ (19,800)	14,200	$ (4,500)
Income tax expense due to reduction of deferred tax liabilities		$ 7,400
Tax Year 2017
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
US corporate income tax rate	35.00%
Tax Year 2018
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
US corporate income tax rate	21.00%
ASU No. 2016-16
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings	$ 19,100
Oceania Cruises
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Goodwill	523,000
Regent Seven Seas
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Goodwill	462,100
Norwegian Reporting Units
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 403,800
Revenue
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue attributable to U.S.- sourced passengers	77.00%	77.00%	81.00%
Concentration risk, benchmark	No other individual country's revenues exceeded 10% in any of our last three years.	No other individual country's revenues exceeded 10% in any of our last three years.	No other individual country's revenues exceeded 10% in any of our last three years.
Bahamas Registry
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of cruises ships | CruiseShip	18	17
Ship, carrying value	$ 9,100,000	$ 8,000,000
Marshall Island Registry
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of cruises ships | CruiseShip	7	7
Ship, carrying value	$ 1,900,000	$ 1,900,000
U.S. Registry
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of cruises ships | CruiseShip	1	1
Ship, carrying value	$ 300,000	$ 300,000

Revenue and Expense from Cont_3

Revenue and Expense from Contracts with Customers (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Prepaid expenses and other assets	$ 241,011	$ 216,065
Total assets	15,205,970	14,094,869
Advance ticket sales	1,593,219	1,303,498
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	15,205,970	$ 14,094,869
Adjustments | FASB ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ("Topic 606")
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(63,628)
Total assets	(63,628)
Advance ticket sales	(63,628)
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	(63,628)
Balances Without Adoption of Topic 606
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Prepaid expenses and other assets	177,383
Total assets	15,142,342
Advance ticket sales	1,529,591
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 15,142,342

Revenue and Expense from Cont_4

Revenue and Expense from Contracts with Customers (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other assets	$ (29,519)	$ (22,714)	$ (13,363)
Advance ticket sales	262,603	154,012	134,971
Net cash provided by operating activities	2,075,171	$ 1,601,247	$ 1,264,087
Adjustments | FASB ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ("Topic 606")
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other assets	12,029
Advance ticket sales	(12,029)
Net cash provided by operating activities	0
Balances Without Adoption of Topic 606
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(17,490)
Advance ticket sales	250,574
Net cash provided by operating activities	$ 2,075,171

Revenue and Expense from Cont_5

Revenue and Expense from Contracts with Customers (Detail Textuals) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Apr. 19, 2018Berth	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)Berth	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Receivables from customers included in accounts receivables, net		$ 17.3	$ 13.8
Contract liabilities included within advance ticket sales		$ 1,200	1,000
Percentage of refundable amounts included within contract liabilities		50.00%
Contract liability balance recognized in revenue		$ 1,000
Capacity of ship, berths | Berth		54,400
Contract costs incurred to obtain customers		$ 116.3
Contract costs to fulfill contracts with customers		$ 32.5
Norwegian Bliss
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Capacity of ship, berths | Berth	4,000
Percentage of capacity to fleet	8.00%
FASB ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ("Topic 606")
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Reclassified deferred costs associated with obtaining customer contracts to prepaid expenses and other assets from advance ticket sales			$ 51.6

Goodwill and Intangible Asset_2

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Schedule Of Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 123,368	$ 124,028
Accumulated Amortization	(94,630)	(69,127)
Net Carrying Amount	28,738	54,901
Customer relationship
Schedule Of Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	120,000	120,000
Accumulated Amortization	(91,756)	(66,866)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 28,244	$ 53,134
Weighted- Average Amortization Period (Years)	6 years	6 years
Licenses
Schedule Of Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 3,368	$ 3,368
Accumulated Amortization	(2,874)	(1,601)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 494	$ 1,767
Weighted- Average Amortization Period (Years)	5 years 7 months 6 days	5 years 7 months 6 days
Non-compete agreements
Schedule Of Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount		$ 660
Accumulated Amortization		(660)
Net Carrying Amount		$ 0
Weighted- Average Amortization Period (Years)		1 year

Goodwill and Intangible Asset_3

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Amortization expense	$ 26,163	$ 31,232	$ 22,160

Goodwill and Intangible Asset_4

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details 2) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Amortization Expense
2,019	$ 18,489
2,020	9,906
2,021	75
2,022	75
2,023	$ 75

Goodwill and Intangible Asset_5

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Detail Textuals) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Schedule Of Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 1,388,931	$ 1,388,931
Tradenames
Schedule Of Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets	$ 800,000	$ 800,000

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_3

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2018		Dec. 31, 2017		Dec. 31, 2016
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at beginning of period		$ 26,966		$ (314,473)		$ (412,650)
Current period other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		(158,943)		304,226		1,776
Amounts reclassified into earnings		(29,670)		37,213		96,401
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at end of period		(161,647)		26,966		(314,473)
Change Related to Cash Flow Hedges
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at beginning of period		33,861		(307,618)		(405,298)
Current period other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		(161,214)		304,684		1,711
Amounts reclassified into earnings	[1]	(30,096)		36,795		95,969
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at end of period		(157,449)	[2]	33,861		(307,618)
Change Related to Shipboard Retirement Plan
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at beginning of period		(6,895)		(6,855)		(7,352)
Current period other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		2,271		(458)		65
Amounts reclassified into earnings		426	[3]	418	[4]	432	[4]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at end of period		$ (4,198)		$ (6,895)		$ (6,855)
[1]	We refer you to Note 9 "Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives" in these notes to consolidated financial statements for the affected line items in the consolidated statements of operations.
[2]	Amount relates to (i) utilization of deferred tax assets, (ii) revaluation of deferred tax assets from their functional currency to U.S. dollars and (iii) reversal of valuation allowances.
[3]	Amortization of prior-service cost and actuarial loss reclassified to other income (expense), net.
[4]	Amortization of prior-service cost and actuarial loss reclassified to payroll and related expense.

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_4

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Parentheticals) (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Change Related to Cash Flow Hedges
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) expected to be reclassified into earnings in next 12 months	$ (21.1)

Property and Equipment, Net (De

Property and Equipment, Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$ 15,525,164	$ 13,921,511
Less: accumulated depreciation	(3,405,911)	(2,881,023)
Property and equipment, net	12,119,253	11,040,488
Ships
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	13,032,555	11,814,409
Ships improvements
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	1,407,989	1,060,049
Ships under construction
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	491,632	521,597
Land and land improvements
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	34,936	37,535
Other
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$ 558,052	$ 487,921

Property and Equipment, Net (_2

Property and Equipment, Net (Detail Textuals) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Depreciation expense	$ 534.9	$ 478.7	$ 411.4
Repairs and maintenance expenses including Dry-dock expenses	199.5	157.2	155.4
Interest costs capitalized	$ 30.4	$ 29	$ 33.7

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Lon

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Long-term debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt		$ 6,492,091	$ 6,307,765
Less: current portion of long-term debt		(681,218)	(619,373)
Total long-term debt		$ 5,810,873	$ 5,688,392
$875.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate		3.96%	3.27%
Extended maturity year		2,021
Total debt		$ 130,000	$ 78,000
Term Loan A
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate		4.01%	3.32%
Extended maturity year		2,021
Total debt		$ 1,256,167	$ 1,385,196
$375.0 million Term Loan B
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[1]	4.26%	3.18%
Extended maturity year	[1]	2,021
Total debt		$ 368,982	$ 371,914
$700.0 million 4.750% senior unsecured notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate		4.75%	4.75%
Extended maturity year		2,021
Total debt		$ 561,021	$ 693,413
662.9 million Norwegian Epic term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[2]	4.58%	3.44%
Extended maturity year	[2]	2,022
Total debt		$ 259,394	$ 328,646
308.1 million Pride of Hawaii loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[2]	0.00%	2.31%
Extended maturity year	[2]	2,022
Total debt		$ 0	$ 18,438
529.8 million Breakaway one loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[2]	4.09%	2.97%
Extended maturity year	[2]	2,025
Total debt		$ 360,680	$ 415,039
529.8 million Breakaway two loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[2]	4.50%	4.50%
Extended maturity year	[2]	2,026
Total debt		$ 426,503	$ 482,133
590.5 million Breakaway three loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[2]	2.98%	2.98%
Extended maturity year	[2]	2,027
Total debt		$ 537,223	$ 595,494
729.9 million Breakaway four loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[2]	2.98%	2.98%
Extended maturity year	[2]	2,029
Total debt		$ 694,536	$ 758,595
666 million Seahawk 1 term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[2]	3.92%	3.92%
Extended maturity year	[2]	2,030
Total debt		$ 756,061	$ 184,837
666 million Seahawk 2 term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[2]	3.92%	3.92%
Extended maturity year	[2]	2,031
Total debt		$ 187,612	$ 90,351
Leonardo newbuild one loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate		2.68%	0.00%
Extended maturity year		2,034
Total debt		$ 48,009	$ 0
Leonardo newbuild two loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate		2.77%	0.00%
Extended maturity year		2,035
Total debt		$ 48,009	$ 0
Leonardo newbuild three loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate		1.22%	0.00%
Extended maturity year		2,036
Total debt		$ 43,667	$ 0
Leonardo newbuild four loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate		1.31%	0.00%
Extended maturity year		2,037
Total debt		$ 43,667	$ 0
Sirena loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate		2.75%	2.75%
Extended maturity year		2,019
Total debt		$ 13,856	$ 27,344
Explorer newbuild loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate		3.43%	3.43%
Extended maturity year		2,028
Total debt		$ 268,970	$ 295,093
Marina newbuild loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[3]	3.07%	2.00%
Extended maturity year	[3]	2,023
Total debt		$ 201,007	$ 245,706
Riviera newbuild loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate	[4]	3.32%	2.11%
Extended maturity year	[4]	2,024
Total debt		$ 247,203	$ 292,183
Capital lease and license obligations
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Extended maturity year		2,028
Total debt		$ 39,524	$ 45,383
[1]	Includes original issue discount of $0.7 million and $0.9 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
[2]	Currently U.S. dollar-denominated.
[3]	Includes premium of $0.1 million and $0.2 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
[4]	Includes premium of $0.2 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017.

Long-Term Debt - Summary of L_2

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Long-term debt (Parentheticals) (Details) € in Millions, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2017EUR (€)
$875.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount | $	$ 875	$ 875
$375.0 million Term Loan B
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount | $	375	375
Original issue discount | $	0.7	0.9
$700.0 million 4.750% senior unsecured notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount | $	$ 700	$ 700
Interest rate	4.75%	4.75%
662.9 million Norwegian Epic term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount			€ 662.9	€ 662.9
308.1 million Pride of Hawaii loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount			308.1	308.1
529.8 million Breakaway one loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount			529.8	529.8
529.8 million Breakaway two loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount			529.8	529.8
590.5 million Breakaway three loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount			590.5	590.5
729.9 million Breakaway four loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount			729.9	729.9
666 million Seahawk 1 term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount			666	666
666 million Seahawk 2 term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount			€ 666	€ 666
Marina newbuild loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Net unamortized premium | $	$ 0.1	$ 0.2
Riviera newbuild loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Net unamortized premium | $	$ 0.2	$ 0.2

Long-Term Debt - Summary of sch

Long-Term Debt - Summary of scheduled principal repayments on long-term debt including capital lease obligations (Details 1) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
2,019	$ 681,218
2,020	682,556
2,021	2,549,621
2,022	494,186
2,023	434,902
Thereafter	1,767,383
Total	$ 6,609,866

Long-Term Debt (Detail Textuals

Long-Term Debt (Detail Textuals) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Apr. 04, 2018	Apr. 19, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest expense, net			$ 270,400	$ 267,800	$ 276,900
Amortization of deferred financing costs			31,400	32,500	34,700
Loss on extinguishment of debt			(6,346)	(22,211)	(38,180)
Accrued interest liability			37,200	31,900
Payment for Debt Extinguishment or Debt Prepayment Cost			$ 5,154	$ 15,506	$ 19,250
Senior Notes due 2021 (the "Notes")
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount	$ 700,000
Interest rate	4.75%
Redemption amount	$ 135,000
Percentage of principal amount of redeemed	100.00%
Payment for Debt Extinguishment or Debt Prepayment Cost	$ 5,100
Debt accrued interest	1,900
Write-off of financing fees	1,200
Aggregate principal amount of notes	$ 565,000
Norwegian Bliss
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Contract price percentage		80.00%
Debt, principal amount		$ 850,000
Interest rate		3.92%
Maturity date		Apr. 19, 2030

Related Party Disclosures (Deta

Related Party Disclosures (Detail Textuals) - Genting HK - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2016
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Purchase price of acquisition			$ 259.3
Repurchase Program
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Stock repurchase, shares	4,722,312	1,683,168
Stock repurchase, value	$ 263.5	$ 85

Fair Value Measurements and D_3

Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives - Derivatives measured at fair value and disclosed by balance sheet location (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	$ 12,125	$ 176,455
Derivative liabilities, fair value	116,352	6,516
Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	17,217	177,031
Derivative liabilities, fair value	117,879	13,121
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Fuel contracts | Prepaid expenses and other assets
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	2,583	19,220
Derivative liabilities, fair value	1	2,406
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Fuel contracts | Other long-term assets
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	197	19,854
Derivative liabilities, fair value	29	3,469
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Fuel contracts | Accrued expenses and other liabilities
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	1,173	0
Derivative liabilities, fair value	19,547	3,348
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Fuel contracts | Other long-term liabilities
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	933	576
Derivative liabilities, fair value	51,184	2,148
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest rate contracts | Prepaid expenses and other assets
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	519	0
Derivative liabilities, fair value	0	0
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest rate contracts | Other long-term assets
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	27	0
Derivative liabilities, fair value	0	0
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest rate contracts | Accrued expenses and other liabilities
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	0	0
Derivative liabilities, fair value	0	1,020
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign currency contracts | Prepaid expenses and other assets
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	5,285	52,300
Derivative liabilities, fair value	1,497	730
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign currency contracts | Other long-term assets
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	3,514	85,081
Derivative liabilities, fair value	0	0
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign currency contracts | Accrued expenses and other liabilities
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	112	0
Derivative liabilities, fair value	5,145	0
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign currency contracts | Other long-term liabilities
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets, fair value	2,874	0
Derivative liabilities, fair value	$ 40,476	$ 0

Fair Value Measurements and D_4

Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives - Amounts recognized within assets and liabilities based on right of offset (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Gross Amounts, Assets	$ 12,125	$ 176,455
Gross Amounts Offset, Assets	(1,527)	(6,605)
Total Net Amounts, Assets	10,598	169,850
Gross Amounts Not Offset, Assets	(6,872)	(127,924)
Total Net Amounts, Assets	3,726	41,926
Gross Amounts, Liabilities	116,352	6,516
Gross Amounts Offset, Liabilities	(5,092)	(576)
Total Net Amounts, Liabilities	111,260	5,940
Gross Amounts Not Offset, Liabilities	(35,718)	(1,020)
Total Net Amounts, Liabilities	$ 75,542	$ 4,920

Fair Value Measurements and D_5

Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives - Effects of Derivatives Designated as Cash flow Hedges (Details 2) - Cash Flow Hedging - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income	$ (161,214)	$ 304,684	$ 1,711
Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income	30,096	(36,795)	(95,969)
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Fuel contracts | Fuel
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income	(52,949)	50,263	127,470
Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income	34,410	(29,721)	(88,442)
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign currency contracts | Depreciation and amortization
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income	(108,911)	254,070	(124,058)
Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income	(3,463)	(4,077)	(3,581)
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest rate contracts | Interest expense, net
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income	646	351	(1,701)
Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income	$ (851)	$ (2,997)	$ (3,946)

Fair Value Measurements and D_6

Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives - Effects of cash flow hedge accounting on consolidated statements of operations (Details 3) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Fuel	$ 392,685	$ 361,032	$ 335,174
Depreciation and amortization	561,060	509,957	432,495
Interest expense, net	(270,404)	(267,804)	(276,859)
Cash Flow Hedging
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Fuel	392,685	361,032	335,174
Depreciation and amortization	561,060	509,957	432,495
Interest expense, net	270,404	267,804	276,859
Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income	30,096	(36,795)	(95,969)
Cash Flow Hedging | Fuel contracts | Fuel | Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income	34,410	(29,721)	(88,442)
Cash Flow Hedging | Fuel contracts | Other (Income) Expense, net | Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Amount of loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into income as a result that a forecasted transaction is no longer probable of occurring			(2,994)
Cash Flow Hedging | Foreign currency contracts | Depreciation and amortization | Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income	(3,463)	(4,077)	(3,581)
Cash Flow Hedging | Interest rate contracts | Interest expense, net | Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income	$ (851)	$ (2,997)	$ (3,946)

Fair Value Measurements and D_7

Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives - Effects on consolidated financial statements of foreign currency contracts which were not designated as hedging instruments (Details 4) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign currency contracts
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Gain recognized in other income (expense), net	$ 0	$ 0	$ 4,179

Fair Value Measurements and D_8

Fair Value Measurements and Derivatives (Detail Textuals) Metric_Ton in Millions, $ in Millions, € in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)Metric_Ton	Dec. 31, 2018EUR (€)Metric_Ton	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term debt	$ 6,601.9		$ 6,448.6
Fair value of long-term debt in excess of carrying value	$ 8.4		$ 23.5
Fuel contracts
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Projected fuel purchases | Metric_Ton	1.3	1.3
Derivative maturing date	Dec. 31, 2021
Foreign currency forward contracts
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivatives	$ 2,400	€ 2.1
Interest rate contracts
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivatives	$ 1,000

Employee Benefits and Share-B_3

Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation - Fair value assumptions of Share Option Awards (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Time Based Options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Dividend yield			0.00%
Expected share price volatility, minimum			30.36%
Expected share price volatility, maximum			33.01%
Risk-free interest rate, minimum			1.20%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum			1.48%
Expected term			6 years
Performance Based Options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Expected share price volatility		25.97%
Expected share price volatility, minimum	31.50%		25.97%
Expected share price volatility, maximum	32.20%		30.21%
Risk-free interest rate, minimum	2.48%		1.01%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum	2.58%		1.93%
Risk-free interest rate		1.81%
Expected term		4 years 2 months 12 days
Performance Based Options | Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected term	3 years 8 months 19 days		4 years 4 months 17 days
Performance Based Options | Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected term	4 years 2 months 19 days		5 years 1 month 17 days

Employee Benefits and Share-B_4

Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation - Summary of Share Option Awards (Details 1) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Weighted- Average Contractual Term (years)
Outstanding	6 years 2 months 19 days	6 years 11 months 27 days
Vested and expected to vest	6 years 2 months 9 days
Exercisable	6 years 1 month 10 days
Aggregate intrinsic Value
Outstanding	$ 13,946	$ 50,021
Vested and expected to vest	13,946
Exercisable	$ 13,928
Time Based Options
Number of Share Option Awards
Outstanding as of beginning of period	6,580,898
Granted	0
Exercised	(674,272)
Forfeited and cancelled	(219,833)
Outstanding as of end of period	5,686,793	6,580,898
Vested and expected to vest as of end of period	5,686,793
Exercisable as of end of period	5,022,818
Weighted-Average Exercise Price
Outstanding as of beginning of period	$ 49.18
Granted	0
Exercised	35
Forfeited and cancelled	54.76
Outstanding as of end of period	50.65	$ 49.18
Vested and expected to vest as of end of period	50.65
Exercisable as of end of period	$ 50.18
Performance Based Options
Number of Share Option Awards
Outstanding as of beginning of period	373,969
Granted	208,335
Exercised	(115,785)
Forfeited and cancelled	(56,020)
Outstanding as of end of period	410,499	373,969
Vested and expected to vest as of end of period	254,249
Exercisable as of end of period	254,249
Weighted-Average Exercise Price
Outstanding as of beginning of period	$ 31.39
Granted	59.43
Exercised	19
Forfeited and cancelled	56.59
Outstanding as of end of period	45.67	$ 31.39
Vested and expected to vest as of end of period	37.22
Exercisable as of end of period	$ 37.22
Market Based Share Option Awards
Number of Share Option Awards
Outstanding as of beginning of period	208,333
Granted	0
Exercised	0
Forfeited and cancelled	0
Outstanding as of end of period	208,333	208,333
Vested and expected to vest as of end of period	0
Exercisable as of end of period	0
Weighted-Average Exercise Price
Outstanding as of beginning of period	$ 59.43
Granted	0
Exercised	0
Forfeited and cancelled	0
Outstanding as of end of period	59.43	$ 59.43
Vested and expected to vest as of end of period	0
Exercisable as of end of period	$ 0

Employee Benefits and Share-B_5

Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation - Summary of Restricted Share Activity (Details 2) - Time-Based Restricted Stock Awards	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018$ / sharesshares
Number of Restricted Share Awards
Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 | shares	858
Vested | shares	(429)
Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 | shares	429
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 | $ / shares	$ 58.33
Vested | $ / shares	58.25
Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 | $ / shares	$ 58.41

Employee Benefits and Share-B_6

Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation - Summary of RSUs activity (Details 3)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018$ / sharesshares
Time-based RSUs
Number of Restricted Share Awards
Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 | shares	2,555,477
Granted | shares	1,613,077
Vested | shares	(1,032,927)
Forfeited or expired | shares	(162,595)
Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 | shares	2,973,032
Non-vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2018 | shares	2,973,032
Weighted- Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 | $ / shares	$ 50.86
Granted | $ / shares	56.73
Vested | $ / shares	50.66
Forfeited or expired | $ / shares	53.40
Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 | $ / shares	53.98
Non-vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2018 | $ / shares	$ 53.98
Performance Based Options
Number of Restricted Share Awards
Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 | shares	0
Granted | shares	843,998
Vested | shares	0
Forfeited or expired | shares	(18,384)
Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 | shares	825,614
Non-vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2018 | shares	788,114
Weighted- Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 | $ / shares	$ 0
Granted | $ / shares	56.58
Vested | $ / shares	0
Forfeited or expired | $ / shares	56.43
Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 | $ / shares	56.58
Non-vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2018 | $ / shares	$ 56.59
Market-based RSUs
Number of Restricted Share Awards
Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 | shares	50,000
Granted | shares	0
Vested | shares	0
Forfeited or expired | shares	0
Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 | shares	50,000
Non-vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2018 | shares	0
Weighted- Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Non-vested as of January 1, 2018 | $ / shares	$ 59.43
Granted | $ / shares	0
Vested | $ / shares	0
Forfeited or expired | $ / shares	0
Non-vested as of December 31, 2018 | $ / shares	59.43
Non-vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2018 | $ / shares	$ 0

Employee Benefits and Share-B_7

Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation - Summary of compensation expense recognized for share-based compensation (Details 4) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total share-based compensation expense		$ 115,983	$ 87,039	$ 66,414
Payroll and related
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total share-based compensation expense	[1]	15,629	9,455	7,793
Marketing, general and administrative
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total share-based compensation expense	[2]	$ 100,354	$ 77,584	$ 58,621
[1]	Amounts relate to equity granted to certain of our shipboard officers.
[2]	Amounts relate to equity granted to certain of our corporate employees.

Employee Benefits and Share-B_8

Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation - Amounts Related to Shipboard Retirement Plan (Details 5) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Pension expense:
Service cost	$ 2,167	$ 1,987	$ 1,863
Interest cost	857	887	874
Amortization of prior service cost	378	378	378
Amortization of actuarial loss	51	40	54
Total pension expense	3,453	3,292	3,169
Change in projected benefit obligation:
Projected benefit obligation at beginning of year	24,587	22,605	21,078
Service cost	2,167	1,987	1,863
Interest cost	857	887	874
Actuarial gain (loss)	(2,271)	458	(65)
Direct benefit payments	(1,022)	(1,350)	(1,145)
Projected benefit obligation at end of year	24,318	24,587	22,605
Amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets:
Projected benefit obligation	24,318	24,587	22,605
Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):
Prior service cost	(4,159)	(4,537)	(4,915)
Accumulated actuarial loss	(1,105)	(3,426)	(3,008)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	$ (5,264)	$ (7,963)	$ (7,923)

Employee Benefits and Share-B_9

Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation - Pension Benefits Expected to be Paid (Details 6) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
2,019	$ 986
2,020	971
2,021	1,076
2,022	1,179
2,023	1,333
Next five years	$ 9,810

Employee Benefits and Share-_10

Employee Benefits and Share-Based Compensation - (Detail Textuals) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2016	Jan. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Apr. 30, 2014
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Maximum percentage of employee eligible compensation that may be contributed towards 401(k)			100.00%
Matching contributions vesting period			5 years
Forfeited contributions utilized			$ 300,000	$ 300,000	$ 100,000
Recorded expenses related to 401k plan and SERP			$ 9,300,000	$ 7,300,000	$ 6,400,000
Discount rate used in the net periodic benefit cost calculation			3.60%	4.00%	4.30%
Amortization period of losses			18 years 11 months 5 days
Total taxes paid pursuant to net share settlements			$ 13,855,000	$ 6,342,000
Retained Earnings
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Net cumulative effect of change in accounting policy (forfeitures)				2,200,000
First 3% of each participant's contributions
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Defined contribution plan, percentage of employee contribution			3.00%
Employer matching contribution percent			100.00%
Amounts greater than 3% of each participant's contributions
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employer matching contribution percent			50.00%
Amounts greater than 3% of each participant's contributions | Minimum
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Defined contribution plan, percentage of employee contribution			3.00%
Employer matching contribution percent			10.00%
Restated 2013 Performance Incentive Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of additional shares authorized	12,430,000
Ordinary shares authorized		15,035,106
Maximum number of shares that can be granted	27,465,106
Maximum number of shares that can be granted to one individual		5,000,000
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized to repurchase						2,000,000
Percentage of purchase price discount			15.00%
Accrued payroll liability			$ 1,900,000	1,500,000
Shipboard Retirement Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation included in accrued expenses and other liabilities			1,000,000	1,100,000
Projected benefit obligation included in other long term liabilities			23,300,000	23,500,000
Options
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total intrinsic value of stock options exercised			16,700,000	18,900,000	$ 5,200,000
Proceeds from the exercise of share options			$ 25,800,000	$ 27,400,000	$ 7,600,000
Time Based Options
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share based award, vesting period	3 years
Number of share option awards granted			0
Exercise price of share options granted			$ 0
Weighted average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation expense			4 months 24 days
Weighted-average grant-date fair value of options granted					$ 17.11
Total unrecognized compensation cost related to share options granted			$ 2,900,000
Time Based Options | Restated 2013 Performance Incentive Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Description of share-based awards vesting period	The vesting period for time-based options is typically set at three, four or five years with a contractual life ranging from seven to 10 years.
Time Based Options | Restated 2013 Performance Incentive Plan | Minimum
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share based award, contractual life	7 years
Time Based Options | Restated 2013 Performance Incentive Plan | Maximum
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share based award, contractual life	10 years
Performance Based Options
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share based award, vesting period	3 years
Number of share option awards granted			208,335
Exercise price of share options granted			$ 59.43
Weighted average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation expense			0 years
Weighted-average grant-date fair value of options granted			$ 15.20	$ 8.55	$ 8.67
Total unrecognized compensation cost related to share options granted			$ 0
Performance Based Options | Amendment to employment agreement
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of share option awards granted			208,335
Market Based Share Option Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of share option awards granted			0
Exercise price of share options granted			$ 0
Weighted average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation expense			0 years
Total unrecognized compensation cost related to share options granted			$ 0
Restricted Stock
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total fair value of shares vested				$ 100,000	$ 1,100,000
Description of share-based awards vesting period			equal installments over four years and are expected to vest on January 1, 2019
"Time-Based Units" ("TBUs")
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted share unit awards			$ 97,700,000
Weighted average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation expense			1 year 9 months 18 days
"Time-Based Units" ("TBUs") | Employee | Awarded on March 1, 2018
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share based award, vesting period			3 years
Restricted share unit awards granted			1,600,000
"Performance-Based Units" ("PBUs")
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted share unit awards			$ 25,800,000
Weighted average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation expense			1 year 10 months 24 days
Total taxes paid pursuant to net share settlements			$ 300,000
"Performance-Based Units" ("PBUs") | Management | Awarded on March 1, 2018
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Restricted share unit awards granted			500,000
Market-based RSUs
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted share unit awards			$ 0
Weighted average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation expense			0 years

Income Taxes - Components of ne

Income Taxes - Components of net income before income taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Components Of Net Income Before Income Taxes [Line Items]
Net income before income taxes	$ 969,310	$ 770,614	$ 640,303
Bermuda
Components Of Net Income Before Income Taxes [Line Items]
Net income before income taxes	0	0	0
Foreign - Other
Components Of Net Income Before Income Taxes [Line Items]
Net income before income taxes	$ 969,310	$ 770,614	$ 640,303

Income Taxes - Components of pr

Income Taxes - Components of provision for income taxes (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current:
United States	$ (7,409)	$ 1,828	$ (8,736)
Total current	(12,780)	(2,789)	(10,902)
Deferred:
United States	(1,912)	(8,439)	3,684
Total deferred:	(1,687)	(7,953)	3,684
Income tax expense	(14,467)	(10,742)	(7,218)
BERMUDA
Current:
Foreign	0	0	0
Deferred:
Foreign	0	0	0
Foreign - Other
Current:
Foreign	(5,371)	(4,617)	(2,166)
Deferred:
Foreign	$ 225	$ 486	$ 0

Income Taxes - Reconciliation o

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of income tax expense computed by applying our Bermuda statutory rate and reported income tax expense (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Tax at Bermuda statutory rate	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Foreign income taxes at different rates	(17,540)	(28,188)	(10,721)
Tax contingencies	(5)	11,184	(533)
Return to provision adjustments	2,961	(1,397)	418
Benefit from change in tax rate	117	7,659	24
Valuation allowance	0	0	3,594
Income tax expense	$ (14,467)	$ (10,742)	$ (7,218)

Income Taxes - Deferred tax ass

Income Taxes - Deferred tax assets and liabilities (Details 3) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Deferred tax assets:
Loss carryforwards	$ 63,201	$ 58,789
Other	2,535	2,106
Valuation allowance	(41,924)	(42,154)
Total net deferred assets	23,812	18,741
Deferred tax liabilities:
Property and equipment	(37,448)	(30,869)
Total deferred tax liabilities	(37,448)	(30,869)
Net deferred tax liability	$ (13,636)	$ (12,128)

Income Taxes - Reconciliation_2

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits (Details 4) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of the year	$ 532	$ 11,144
Gross increases in tax positions from prior periods	0	300
Settlement of tax positions	0	(250)
Lapse of statute of limitations	0	(10,662)
Unrecognized tax benefits, end of year	$ 532	$ 532

Income Taxes (Detail Textuals)

Income Taxes (Detail Textuals) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Schedule Of Income Taxes [Line Items]
Unrecognized tax benefits	$ 532	$ 532	$ 11,144
Income tax expense due to reduction of deferred tax liabilities		7,400
Unrecognized tax benefits, reversed	$ 0	10,662
Tax Year 2017
Schedule Of Income Taxes [Line Items]
US corporate income tax rate	35.00%
Tax Year 2018
Schedule Of Income Taxes [Line Items]
US corporate income tax rate	21.00%
Prestige Cruises International Inc
Schedule Of Income Taxes [Line Items]
Net operating loss carryforwards	$ 177,500	177,800
U.S. net operating loss carryforwards, expiration year	2,023
U.S.
Schedule Of Income Taxes [Line Items]
Net operating loss carryforwards	$ 278,300	254,800
U.S. net operating loss carryforwards, expiration year	2,023
NORWAY
Schedule Of Income Taxes [Line Items]
Net operating loss carryforwards	$ 13,900	13,900
State and Local Jurisdiction
Schedule Of Income Taxes [Line Items]
Net operating loss carryforwards	$ 4,800	8,900
U.S. net operating loss carryforwards, expiration year	2025 through 2035
U.K
Schedule Of Income Taxes [Line Items]
Net operating loss carryforwards	$ 7,500	$ 8,300

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Minimum Annual Rentals for Non-Cancelable Operating Leases (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
2,019	$ 16,651
2,020	16,105
2,021	15,315
2,022	14,391
2,023	13,462
Thereafter	52,626
Total minimum annual rentals	$ 128,550

Commitments and Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies - Minimum Annual Payments for Non-Cancelable Ship Construction Contracts (Details 1) - Ship Construction Contracts $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Other Commitments [Line Items]
2,019	$ 912,858
2,020	474,869
2,021	187,818
2,022	1,029,328
2,023	946,895
Thereafter	1,589,673
Total minimum annual payments	$ 5,141,441

Commitments and Contingencies_3

Commitments and Contingencies - Future Commitments to Pay for Usage of Port Facilities (Details 2) - Port Facility Commitments $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Other Commitments [Line Items]
2,019	$ 62,388
2,020	73,853
2,021	77,829
2,022	77,546
2,023	79,784
Thereafter	1,366,636
Total minimum annual payments	$ 1,738,036

Commitments and Contingencies_4

Commitments and Contingencies (Detail Textuals) $ in Millions, € in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)CruiseShipBerthGross_Ton	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018EUR (€)CruiseShipBerthGross_Ton
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Total expense under non-cancelable operating lease commitments | $	$ 16.9	$ 17	$ 15
Number of cruises ships	26			26
Capacity of ship, berths | Berth	54,400			54,400
Number of additional ships	3
Oceania Cruises
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of additional ships	1
Regent Seven Seas
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of additional ships	2
Project Leonardo Ships
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of additional ships	11
Ship Construction Contracts
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of cruises ships	8			8
Aggregate contract price of new ships	$ 7,200			€ 6.3
Export credit facility financing as percentage of contract price	80.00%			80.00%
Ship Construction Contracts | Ships launching period in 2022 through 2027
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of cruises ships	6			6
Capacity of ship, tons | Gross_Ton	140,000			140,000
Capacity of ship, berths | Berth	3,300			3,300
Ship Construction Contracts | Ships launching period in 2026 and 2027
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of cruises ships	2			2
Capacity of ship, tons	168,000			168,000
Capacity of ship, berths | Berth	4,000			4,000
Ship Construction Contracts | Ship Order Delivery In Winter 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Capacity of ship, tons | Gross_Ton	55,000			55,000
Capacity of ship, berths | Berth	750			750

Commitments and Contingencies_5

Commitments and Contingencies (Detail Textuals 1) - 12 months ended Dec. 31, 2018 - Other Commitments £ in Millions, $ in Millions	GBP (£)	USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Performance guarantee required to be maintained | $		$ 30
Security Guarantee | £	£ 30.5

Other Income (Expense), Net (De

Other Income (Expense), Net (Detail Textuals) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Other income (expense), net	$ 20,653	$ (10,401)	$ (8,302)
Unrealized and realized losses on fuel swap derivative hedge contracts			16,100
Gains on foreign currency exchange			4,500
Gains on foreign currency exchange derivative hedge contracts			$ 3,900

Concentration Risk (Detail Text

Concentration Risk (Detail Textuals) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Supplier Concentration Risk
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Expenses incurred on hotel and restaurant services	$ 153.7	$ 152.3	$ 137.2

Supplemental Cash Flow Inform_2

Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Detail Textuals) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]
Non-cash investing activity in connection with property and equipment	$ 39,700	$ 20,000	$ 26,700
Net foreign currency adjustments	5,537
Non-cash investing activities in connection with capital leases		13,300
Income tax paid	10,000	11,700	8,800
Interest and related fees, net of capitalized interest	$ 350,400	$ 284,900	$ 269,500

Quarterly Selected Financial _3

Quarterly Selected Financial Data (Unaudited) (in thousands, except per share data) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Total revenue	$ 1,381,193	$ 1,858,356	$ 1,522,174	$ 1,293,403	$ 1,249,553	$ 1,651,738	$ 1,344,103	$ 1,150,781	$ 6,055,126	$ 5,396,175	$ 4,874,340
Operating income	209,580	550,276	292,152	167,053	177,194	476,820	275,071	119,734	1,219,061	1,048,819	925,464
Net income	$ 154,634	$ 470,378	$ 226,676	$ 103,155	$ 98,797	$ 400,692	$ 198,473	$ 61,910	$ 954,843	$ 759,872	$ 633,085
Earnings per share
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.7	$ 2.12	$ 1.02	$ 0.45	$ 0.43	$ 1.76	$ 0.87	$ 0.27	$ 4.28	$ 3.33	$ 2.79
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.7	$ 2.11	$ 1.01	$ 0.45	$ 0.43	$ 1.74	$ 0.87	$ 0.27	$ 4.25	$ 3.31	$ 2.78

Subsequent Events (Detail Textu

Subsequent Events (Detail Textuals) $ in Thousands, € in Millions	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2019USD ($)Additionlships	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)CruiseShip	Jan. 31, 2019EUR (€)	Jan. 30, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Principal amount outstanding		$ 6,492,091			$ 6,307,765
Number of additional ships | CruiseShip		3
Ships launching period through 2027
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Number of additional ships | CruiseShip		8
Project Leonardo Ships
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Number of additional ships | CruiseShip		11
Project Leonardo Ships | Ships launching period through 2027
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Number of additional ships | CruiseShip		6
Revolving Loan Facility
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount		$ 875,000			875,000
Principal amount outstanding		130,000			78,000
Term Loan A
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Principal amount outstanding		$ 1,256,167			$ 1,385,196
Subsequent Event | Ships launching period through 2027
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Number of additional ships | Additionlships	5
Export credit facility financing as percentage of contract price	80.00%		80.00%
Subsequent Event | Project Leonardo Ships | Ships launching period in 2026 and 2027
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Number of additional ships | Additionlships	2
Aggregate contract price of new ships	$ 917,400		€ 800
Subsequent Event | Explorer Class Ship | Ship to be delivered in 2023
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Aggregate contract price of new ships	$ 543,000		473.5
Subsequent Event | Allura Class Ships | Ships to be delivered in 2022 and 2025
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Number of additional ships | Additionlships	2
Aggregate contract price of new ships	$ 663,600		€ 578.7
Subsequent Event | Revolving Loan Facility
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Debt, principal amount	875,000
Subsequent Event | Term Loan A
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Principal amount outstanding	$ 1,600,000			$ 1,300,000
Subsequent Event | Revolving Loan Facility and term loan A facility
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Maturity date	2,024
Decrease in interest rate	0.25%

Schedule II Valuation and Qua_2

Schedule II Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Details) - Valuation allowance on deferred tax assets - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Balance		$ 42,154	$ 64,573	$ 61,437
Additions Charged to costs and expenses		0	0	0
Additions Charged to other accounts		276	0	9,382
Deductions	[1]	(506)	(22,419)	(6,246)
Balance		$ 41,924	$ 42,154	$ 64,573
[1]	Amount relates to (i) utilization of deferred tax assets, (ii) revaluation of deferred tax assets from their functional currency to U.S. dollars and (iii) reversal of valuation allowances.