The Leisure World was delivered on December 10, 1969 as Skyward for cruise services along with her sister, the Starward. Skyward and Starward were the first purpose built ships of Norwegian Cruise Line. During a cruise in 1973 a large amount of passengers became ill due to infected water. In 1979 a boiler room fire broke out on board the Skyward, and consequently her engines had to be stopped and her passengers transferred to the Starward. She was operated by her original owners until 1991, when the Skyward was purchased by Johnson Sembawang Shipmanagement in Nassau to become the Shangri-la World. Shangri-la World operated cruises out of Singapore. After going through several name changes in the 1990s, the now renamed Leisure World was rebuilt and renovated in Jacksonville, Florida and sol