Norwegian Cruise Line has reached out to guests booked aboard the June 6, 2024 departure of Norwegian Getaway to alert them to a dramatic itinerary change. Every port of call on the cruise is being changed in some way, with days and times changed as well as two port visits cancelled entirely, and one alternate port added.
The overall cruise is a 10-night, one-way sailing from Southampton to Barcelona. The original itinerary included a visit to Paris (Le Havre), two stops in Portugal, a visit to Gibraltar, four ports in Spain, and one day at sea.
“Given recent guest feedback, and to accommodate certain circumstances including but not limited to port availability, fuel optimization as part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, as well as global maritime regulations, we have adjusted our original itinerary,” the email notification read.
The new itinerary is now Paris, one stop in Portugal, no visit to Gibraltar, five ports in Spain, and two days at sea. In total, only a single day during the cruise – the second full day of the sailing, which is the ship’s first day at sea – is not impacted.
The ship’s departure from Southampton on June 6 at 5 p.m. and arrival in Barcelona on June 16 at 5 a.m. are unchanged, but every other port visit is shifted as follows:
- Friday, June 7: Paris (Le Havre) now from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. (instead of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.)
- Saturday, June 8: Day at sea (unchanged)
- Sunday, June 9: Now Vigo, Spain from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (instead of Oporto, Portugal)
- Monday, June 10: Lisbon, Portugal now from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (instead of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Tuesday, June 11: Now Seville (Cadiz), Spain from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (instead of Gibraltar)
- Wednesday, June 12: Now Granada (Malaga), Spain from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (instead of Seville)
- Thursday, June 13: Now a day at sea (instead of Granada)
- Friday, June 14: Now Palma Majorca, Spain from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (instead of Ibiza)
- Saturday, June 15: Now Ibiza, Spain from 1-7 p.m. (instead of Palma Majorca)
In addition to the changes of some ports and the changes of which days other ports are being visited, the times in port have been adjusted. On the original itinerary, guests were to have had a total of 82 hours in 8 ports of call. The new itinerary features just 65 hours in 7 ports of call.
Guests are being offered $100 per person of non-refundable onboard credit in acknowledgment of the changes (up to $200 per stateroom). Any shore excursions booked through Norwegian Cruise Line will be automatically adjusted to the new days and times, or cancelled and fully refunded if necessary.
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Travelers who may have booked independent tours in the various ports may now be scrambling to make adjustments, however. Because spring and summer are very busy sailing seasons, it may be difficult to change tours just two weeks before departure. Guests will need to contact their tour operators individually to see if changes are possible.
Why So Many Changes for Norwegian Getaway?
While Norwegian Cruise Line notes that these changes are necessary due to guest feedback, port availability, fuel optimization, sustainability, and global maritime regulations, it is unclear which port change is due to which reason.
It is not unusual for cruise lines to adjust and refine itineraries, though doing so just two weeks before setting sail can be upsetting to booked guests. Some travelers may have booked this specific sailing for the bucket-list port of Gibraltar, for example, and now are unable to visit the iconic destination.
Norwegian Cruise Line does tend to make these types of changes more frequently than other major cruise lines. Earlier this month, three sailings of Norwegian Breakaway were adjusted in the Caribbean.
As with Norwegian Getaway, those sailings had every port of call shifted in some way and Tortola removed from the itineraries completely. The exact same statement was given for the changes as with the adjustments to Norwegian Getaway‘s European cruise.
The two vessels are sister ships, measuring 145,655-gross-tons and able to welcome nearly 4,000 passengers for each cruise. Also onboard are approximately 1,600 international crew members.
Cruise lines do have the authority to shift itineraries for any reason and are not obligated to provide travelers with compensation for such adjustments.
Norwegian Cruise Line Guest Ticket Contract, section 7(c) states that the cruise line has the sole discretion to “deviate from the purchased voyage or the normal course for any purpose.”
Cruise travelers should always be flexible with their travel expectations, as itineraries can be changed not only for operational reasons, but due to mechanical difficulties, poor weather, port construction, and other considerations.
