The line, which sends the Dreamward to Bermuda every season, has been accused of explicitness in its advertising, which has been deemed "unrealistic''.

This is the scene: A man pulls a chain to turn on a shower on a deserted beach. A woman approaches him from the back and slides her hand down his muscled chest, while he brushes his fingers across her bikini and pelvis as they kiss under the shower. The camera changes to a shot of the flagship Norway as the words "A Nice Ship'' flashes across the screen.

The 30-second black-and-white commercials, part of NCL's $30-million advertising blitz, were the work of famous fashion photographer Herb Ritts.

But the skepticism is coming from inside the industry rather than the media and advertising world. And the furore is over whether or not the commercials will increase cruise bookings, rather than over the sultriness of the scenes.

The commercials have won praise from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and Advertising Age.

Criticism has centred on the thought that "the commercials did not target what has been defined as the traditional customer.'' Indeed, critics have said the ads had "nothing to do with the product, and would strike past cruisers as being unrealistic, while first-time cruisers, who don't look like Calvin Klein models, might be turned off.'' One critic went so far as to say: "If you look at the cruise market today, you see that it is populated pretty much by Ethel and Burt from middle America, and Ethel and Burt don't envision themselves taking a shower together.'' NCL and Kloster Cruise president Adam Aron refutes this saying: "Those who think that Ethel and Burt are the only persons going on a cruise these days is only looking at two percent of vacation spenders.''