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Three Sailings Changed For Norwegian Cruise Ship, Port Dropped
Norwegian Cruise Line has reached out to travel agents and booked guests to alert them to itinerary changes for three upcoming sailings of Norwegian Breakaway. Every port of call on each of the 7-night itineraries has been adjusted, and one port has been removed from the schedule altogether.
Itinerary Changes for Norwegian BreakawayThree upcoming cruises for Norwegian Breakaway have had their itineraries significantly adjusted, with each port of call seeing changes and one port altogether removed from the itinerary. The impacted sailings are the ship's May 12, May 19, and May 26 departures from Miami, sailing Caribbean routes.
The original itineraries were to have visited Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic; St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, and Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.
"Given recent guest feedback, and to accommodate certain circumstances including but not limited to fuel optimization as part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, as well as global maritime regulations, we have adjusted the original itinerary," the email notification explained.
Each port of call is impacted, though the days visiting remain the same. Each of these cruises is a 7-night sailing with a Sunday departure, and Monday is scheduled as a day at sea. The visit to Puerto Plata will now be from 9 a.M. To 5 p.M. On Tuesday, instead of 7 a.M. To 4 p.M. As previously planned.
The next port, St. Thomas on Wednesday, will now be from 1-7:30 p.M. Instead of the original schedule of 11 a.M. To 7 p.M.
Thursday was to have been a visit to Tortola from 6 a.M. To 2 p.M., but that port has been removed from all three itineraries altogether, and no substitute port has been added in its place.
Instead, the time spent at Great Stirrup Cay on Saturday will now be a full 12 hours from 7 a.M. To 7 p.M., instead of the original schedule of 10 a.M. To 6 p.M.
Read Also: Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas – What You Need to Know
With the loss of 1 hour in Puerto Plata, the loss of 1.5 hours in St. Thomas, the loss of all 8 hours for Tortola, and the gain of 4 hours in Great Stirrup Cay, guests on these sailings will now have 6.5 fewer hours in port for the entire cruise. Norwegian Getaway's departure and arrival times to Miami remain unchanged.
Compensation OfferedBecause these adjustments may significantly impact guests' travel plans for the time they plan on spending in port, Norwegian Cruise Line is offering an onboard credit as compensation. The credit will be applied as $50 per person for the first two guests in each stateroom.
"As a gesture of appreciation for choosing to sail with us and as a genuine acknowledgement of the inconvenience caused, we have arranged a $100 non-refundable onboard credit per stateroom," the email explained.
Furthermore, all pre-booked shore tours for Tortola will be automatically cancelled and fully refunded, while tours for the other ports will have their times adjusted as necessary to accommodate the new schedule. Guests who have booked independent tour arrangements will need to contact their tour operator for cancellation or rescheduling as necessary.
Why the Change?Other than "to accommodate certain circumstances including but not limited to fuel optimization" no explanation has been given for such a dramatic itinerary change.
Norwegian Cruise Line does frequently make similar adjustments to various itineraries for fuel optimization or to "enhance the guest experience." Norwegian Getaway – sister ship to Norwegian Breakaway – has had her current sailing modified with a slight delay due to "global maritime regulations, as well as whale zone speed restrictions enroute from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic to New York City."
Since Norwegian Breakaway is also sailing to Puerto Plata, the same whale zone speed restrictions might be one of the factors leading to these itinerary changes.
It is of interesting concern that Tortola is the port being removed from the itinerary, when five cruise guests have failed to return to their ship – Norwegian Sky – after visiting that port on two different cruises in the past month.
At the moment, the US State Department lists the British Virgin Islands as a Level 1 advisory with no unusual precautions necessary. The region is not noted for excessive crime or other difficulties, and there is no indication that crime might be a factor in the itinerary changes for Norwegian Breakaway.
While future itineraries for Norwegian Breakaway are not yet adjusted, guests booked on similar sailings should remain alert to the possibility of similar changes. The 145,655-gross-ton ship is homeported from Miami through mid-August, offering very similar 7-night cruises.
Norwegian Breakaway can welcome 3,963 travelers at double occupancy, and is also home to approximately 1,600 international crew members.
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Norwegian Cruise Ship Delayed Returning To New York
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Norwegian Cruise Line has reached out to guests booked aboard the April 29, 2024 departure of Norwegian Getaway from New York to alert them to a delay with the ship's return to her homeport.
This will impact embarkation times, and guests are urged to ensure they arrive within the new embarkation window for smooth and efficient boarding.
Norwegian Getaway DelayedNorwegian Getaway will not be arriving in New York as early as originally planned on Monday, April 29. Guests and travel agents have been notified of the approximately two-hour delay, and how it will impact embarkation arrangements for that day's departure.
"Due to global maritime regulations, as well as whale zone speed restrictions enroute from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic to New York City, Norwegian Getaway's arrival into New York City on April 29, 2024 has been delayed by two hours," the email explained.
The ship will now arrive at 10 a.M., and embarkation will be from 12-4 p.M. Originally, the ship was to have arrived closer to 8 a.M. To be clear, there are no technical difficulties with the ship and this delay is not a result of any mechanical problems in any way.
Guests are further advised not to arrive before noon to embark the ship to ensure a smooth embarkation with less congestion for both debarking and embarking guests.
"Please note, any guest that arrives prior to 12:00 p.M. May be turned away," the email explains.
Travelers who have booked pre-cruise transfers from the airport to the cruise terminal through Norwegian Cruise Line will have their transfer times automatically adjusted. Transfers will now begin at 10 a.M. To coincide with the new embarkation window, accounting for traffic and travel time from nearby airports to the terminal.
Read Also: Must Know Things About the Manhattan Cruise Terminal
Because the 145,655-gross-ton, Breakaway-class vessel can welcome 3,963 travelers at double occupancy (and hundreds more when fully booked with all berths filled), there may be 10,000 guests or more moving through one cruise terminal in just a few hours. It is best to permit debarking guests to leave the area before embarking guests arrive.
Norwegian Getaway will set sail at 6 p.M. On her 14-night transatlantic cruise to Southampton, UK. Along the way, the ship is planned to visit ports of call in Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, and France before arriving in Southampton on Monday, May 13.
At this time, there are no changes expected to the ship's overall itinerary other than the embarkation adjustment.
Norwegian Getaway will remain in Europe through mid-October, offering departures from Southampton, Barcelona, Athens, and Lisbon. The majority of the ship's summer season will be in the Greek Isles, visiting iconic destinations such as Istanbul, Mykonos, and Santorini.
When she returns to North America, the ship will homeport from New Orleans with Western Caribbean itineraries visiting Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize, and Roatan.
Why the Delay?The reason for Norwegian Getaway's delay in returning to New York is due to "whale zone speed restrictions." This likely includes various risk zones established to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.
While such zones typically only extend five nautical miles out to sea from coastal areas and busy harbors, different zone restrictions may also be in place along Norwegian Getaway's route, particularly in the Caribbean.
Slower speed zones are often established in sensitive maritime environments, such as Glacier Bay, Alaska and throughout the Alaskan corridor, the Norwegian fjords, and many similar coastal areas worldwide.
Slower speeds permit wildlife to more easily move away from a cruise ship when they sense its disturbance. A ship traveling at lower speeds can also maneuver more easily to avoid wildlife collisions, and is more fuel efficient to have fewer emissions that may pollute a delicate environment.
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NCL Expands Trade Sales And Training Efforts
Laura Croft has been promoted by Norwegian Cruise Line from regional sales executive to a new role as UK and Ireland travel partner training manager.
She will focus on expanding the line's product and brand training programme across the trade in the UK and Ireland.
NCL will be adding two new field-based account executives to its sales team to further support that expansion.
At the same time Richard Wager has moved from the NCL partner call centre to become regional sales executive for the north of the UK.
He will be responsible for expanding NCL's brand awareness in the north of England and Scotland, as well as supporting travel agents and key partners in the region.
He reports into Nigel Rankin, senior business development manager, retail, who said: "Trade partners are critical to our success in the UK, and we are delighted to be developing our trade sales team with Richard's appointment.
"He will be an asset to the NCL sales team and in supporting frontline agents in the northern region."
Wager previously worked as cabin crew for both Monarch Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
He said: "This year has some great things in store for the brand, including the launch of our new ship Norwegian Aqua, the third vessel in the Prima Class, and I am excited to expand awareness in the north of the UK, which is a very important area to NCL"
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