Christmas has come early for hundreds of fans of the Ellen DeGeneres show thanks to
Norwegian Cruise Lines, which presented them with a complimentary cruise holiday.
More than 300 in-studio audience members of the US comedian were given a surprise seven-day Freestyle Cruising vacation for two as part of the cruise line's contribution to the show's 12 Days of Giveaways.
Norwegian's Freestyle Cruising is designed to offer holidaymakers a more flexible cruising experience to enable them to have the freedom to enjoy their cruise with a variety of choices.
Expressing his "pleasure" with the contribution, Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line's chief executive officer, explained that Ms DeGeneres is "one of the funniest, most engaging personalities on television today".
He said: "We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate 2010 as the year to take a Freestyle vacation than by giving away cruises to Ellen's entire audience so that they can experience Norwegian's signature Freestyle Cruising for themselves."
The company recently said that it will kick off the next phase of freestyle cruising with the launch of
Norwegian Epic in summer 2010.
Written by Chris Smith.