Travel partners and booked guests have been notified of multiple itinerary changes for the July 9, 2022 sailing of Norwegian Getaway, with every port on the ship’s schedule affected by the changes in some way.
Not only have some ports been completely changed and one port day eliminated altogether, but other port visits have had their times dramatically changed.
Dramatic Norwegian Getaway Itinerary Change
The Breakaway-class Norwegian Getaway is scheduled to be sailing a 7-night Eastern Caribbean and Great Stirrup Cay itinerary beginning Saturday, July 9. While the ship’s planned departure from Port Canaveral at 6 p.m. is unchanged, every port of call on the itinerary is affected by changes.
The email, sent to booked guests and travel partners, does note that “it is always our intention to maintain original itineraries. However, at times, unforeseen circumstances require us to make modifications.”
The Sunday, July 10 visit to Great Stirrup Cay has been shortened by one hour, arriving at 8:30 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m., though the 4 p.m. departure from Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island in The Bahamas remains unchanged.
Monday still remains a day at sea on the revised itinerary, but the Tuesday call that was to have been at St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands will now be at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. The time in port, however, will be one hour longer, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. rather than 12-8 p.m. as was previously planned for St. Thomas.
The ship will still be visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico on Wednesday, July 11, but will be in port from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., a much longer visit than the original 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. plan.
Thursday is the most dramatic change to the ship’s itinerary, however. What was to have been a visit to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. will now be a day at sea, with no replacement port visit at all.
Friday remains a day at sea as originally scheduled, and the ship will return to Port Canaveral at the original time as well, 7 a.m. on Saturday, July 16.
The extended port times, particularly in San Juan, are likely to compensate for the missed day in Puerto Plata, giving guests more opportunities for shore tours and excursions. As the cruise does not set sail for nearly two months, guests have plenty of time to consider their options and make more plans for fun ashore.
Pre-booked shore tours for Puerto Plata are being automatically canceled and will be refunded back to guests’ original form of payment, with no further action necessary. Similarly, any shore times that need to be adjusted to accommodate the new schedule will be done automatically.
Booked guests should check online for more shore tour options as they become available.
Why So Many Changes?
There is no explanation given for the many changes to this particular itinerary, but such changes are not uncommon. While it is somewhat unusual for every port day to be affected, many of the changes are minimal, and guests have plenty of time to adjust their plans for their cruise vacation.
Removing Puerto Plata from the itinerary altogether may be due to other scheduling conflicts, berth availability, dock construction, or other factors that would not have been known when the itinerary was originally planned.
With another day at sea on the itinerary, guests will have even more time to enjoy all the amazing freestyle fun the ship has to offer, such as the amazing Waterfront quarter-mile ocean promenade, the five multi-story waterslides on board, the exhilarating thrills of The Plank that extends eight feet over the ship’s side, the luxurious Mandara Spa, or the brand new Syd Norman’s Pour House rock club.
Norwegian Getaway is one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s larger vessels, weighing in at 145,655 gross tons and measuring 1,068 feet long and 146 feet wide.
The ship can host up to 3,963 guests at double occupancy, with as many as 1,646 international crew members to provide the line’s signature great service.
