Last week Norwegian Cruise line reached a historic milestone in its ‘Great Cruise Comeback’ with the successful relaunch of Norwegian Jade in the Greek Isles. This was followed by the cruise line’s first cruise in the United States in over 500 days as Norwegian Encore sets sail from Seattle to Alaska.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, has announced its phased relaunch plans for all 28 ships across its three brands. The relaunch began with Norwegian Jade on July 25, 2021 and continues through April 1, 2022. The first cruise in the United States departed on August 7, 2021 with Norwegian Encore sailing to Alaska from Seattle. The company expects to have approximately 40% of its fleet capacity operating by the end of the third quarter 2021 and approximately 75% by year-end 2021 with the full fleet expected to be back in operation by April 1, 2022.
The company’s current plans include a re-start of operations from Florida beginning on August 15, 2021 aboard Norwegian Gem sailing from Miami.
“Our team is working tirelessly to execute on our plan to return our full fleet to operations by April 2022 to capitalize on this unparalleled pent-up demand,” Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
When will the NCL ships resume sailing?
- Norwegian Jade – July 25, 2021: seven-day itineraries to the Greek Isles.
- Norwegian Encore – August 7, 2021: first season of voyages to Alaska from Seattle.
- Norwegian Gem – August 15, 2021: the first ship to set sail from the new Norwegian Cruise Line Terminal at PortMiami. Through October, she will offer a selection of week-long voyages to the Caribbean and four-day cruises to the Bahamas.
- Norwegian Epic – September 5, 2021: weeklong voyages from Barcelona to Naples, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Cagliari and Palma de Mallorca.
- Norwegian Getaway – September 13, 2021: 11-day voyages from Civitavecchia to Dubrovnik, Corfu, Katakolon, Santorini, Mykonos, Naples and Livorno.
- Norwegian Breakaway – September 26, 2021: seven-day itineraries from New York to Bermuda.
- Norwegian Joy – October 20, 2021: five to 11-day Caribbean voyages from Miami.
- Norwegian Bliss – October 24, 2021: seven-day Mexican Riviera voyages from Los Angeles.
- Norwegian Escape – November 13, 2021: seven-day itineraries to the Caribbean from Orlando (Port Canaveral).
- Pride of America – November 27, 2021: seven-day Hawaii inter-island voyages from Honolulu.
- Norwegian Dawn – December 8, 2021: from Tampa to Key West, Puerto Plata, St. thomas, Aruba, Curaçao and Grand Cayman.
- Norwegian Pearl – December 23, 2021: Panama Canal, Bahamas and Caribbean cruises from Miami
- Norwegian Star – January 16, 2022: 15-day voyages from Buenos Aires visiting Puerto Madryn, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Port Stanley and Punta del Este
- Norwegian Jewel – January 20, 2022: roundtrip Panama Canal cruises from Panama City (Colón and Fuerte Amador).
- Norwegian Sky – January 24, 2021: 10-day cruise from Miami to Grand Turk, Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, San Juan and Great Stirrup Cay
- Norwegian Sun – January 28, 2022: a five-day Japan itinerary from Hong Kong, before sailing a variety of 11-day cruises from Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.
- Norwegian Spirit – February 21, 2022: 12-day Australia and New Zealand voyages from Sydney, and Auckland, New Zealand.
Health and Safety
Norwegian is committed to protecting the health and safety of its guests, crew and communities visited and has developed SailSAFE, a robust, science-backed health and safety program which creates multiple layers of protection against COVID-19. The SailSAFE health and safety program is informed by expert guidance from the Healthy Sail Panel and the company’s SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council. As part of this program, all voyages will operate with fully vaccinated guests and crew in addition to comprehensive SailSAFE protocols, which include universal COVID-19 testing prior to embarkation. The Company’s 100% vaccination policy applies across all voyages on its three brands as it believes this is the safest way to resume cruising in the current global public health environment. These measures will be continuously evaluated and modified as science and technology evolve.