Norwegian Cruise Line has released their first collection of NFTs. This is quite groundbreaking within the cruise industry. While cruise lines have always aimed towards the future, this is the first time a major cruise line has adopted technology like this. While this will certainly gather controversy thanks to the controversial nature of NFTs, it definitely shows how forward-thinking Norwegian really is.
If you’re not familiar with NFTs, you’re probably wondering what any of this means. We don’t blame you: NFTs and the blockchain are very complicated. Although we aren’t finance experts, here’s our best explanation. NFTs are basically online “tokens” or digital objects that are assigned unique digital identities. They can be anything from pictures to videos to articles. If you own an NFT, you are the only person that can possibly own it. People can copy it just like art can be reproduced, but it won’t be authentic. Think of NFTs like digital art. Some people view NFTs as revolutionary while others decry them as silly and bad for the environment.
Norwegian, however, is all in on the technology. Their collection of NFTs was launched on April 13th, and it consisted of seven pieces designed by the Italian artist Peeta. Each NFT was inspired by the designs of Norwegian’s ships Prima and Vita. The sale was planned so that all of the proceeds would go directly to Teach for America.
As luck would have it, the sale went quite well. Six pieces that were priced at $250 were sold out within 20 minutes. The one remaining piece is still up as of the writing of this article, with the current bid sitting at $3000. You can view the NFTs – or even place a bid on the final piece – on NCL’s website.
There are a few reasons why this is such impactful news. First of all, this is the first time we have seen an NFT sale like this in the industry. Although other cruise lines have embraced the blockchain in the past, we have never seen it to this level with such a large company. Second of all, it shows NCL’s commitment to both art and technology, establishing them as a leader in the cruise industry. And finally, it’s a real demonstration of the demand for cruise NFTs. With such great success, we expect to see other companies put their own spin on the same idea.
Whether you love or hate NFTs, you can’t deny that Norwegian has done something innovative here. It’s great that the proceeds are being donated, and the art isn’t half bad either. We’re curious to see what Norwegian does next!