Key Aspects:
- Norwegian Cruise Line has moved Norwegian Aura’s debut forward by 19 days due to an expected early delivery.
- Two new Mediterranean cruises, lasting 10 and 9 nights, have been added ahead of the previously announced May 21 inaugural sailing.
- The May 21 voyage remains scheduled, although its status as the ship’s maiden cruise has changed and previously announced port adjustments remain unclear.
Norwegian Cruise Line is adding new sailings for its future flagship, Norwegian Aura, ahead of its original May 21, 2027 debut. Due to an expected early delivery from Fincantieri, the ship will now welcome its first guests aboard 19 days earlier.
“The early delivery of Norwegian Aura allows us to welcome guests aboard sooner than expected,” said Marc Kazlauskas, president of Norwegian Cruise Line.
Two new sailings have been added for the 3,840-guest vessel, embarking on May 2, 2027 and May 12, 2027, respectively. The May 2 voyage is a 10-night itinerary from Trieste in Italy to Piraeus in Greece. The cruise will call at Dubrovnik, Split, Bar, Corfu, Santorini, and Mykonos before arriving in Piraeus on May 12.
From there, the Prima Plus-class ship will depart on a 9-night sailing from Piraeus back to Trieste. This itinerary will visit Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Bar, Split, and Zadar before arriving in Trieste on May 21.
The announcement comes just six weeks after a fire broke out aboard the ship while under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. Despite the incident, Norwegian Cruise Line now anticipates taking delivery of the 170,000-gross-ton vessel ahead of schedule, allowing the two additional sailings to go ahead.
Both new voyages are now available to book, giving passengers an opportunity to sail aboard Norwegian Aura before its previously announced inaugural departure. The addition also extends the ship’s initial Mediterranean season by nearly three weeks, rather than replacing any of the existing sailings.
What Happens to the Original Maiden Voyage?
The May 21 sailing that was previously advertised as the maiden voyage is still scheduled to depart on that date. This 7-night cruise was originally scheduled to sail from Trieste to Barcelona in Spain.
Cruise Hive previously reported, however, that the itinerary would swap its final port, terminating in Tarragona instead of Barcelona. This change also affected the following sailing, which will subsequently embark from Tarragona.
Interestingly, NCL’s latest announcement once again identifies Barcelona as the destination for the May 21 voyage and departure point for the subsequent transatlantic crossing. This conflicts with the previously announced move to Tarragona, and it is unclear whether the cruise line has reversed that change.
Calls in Valletta, Salerno, and Civitavecchia are still included for the May 21 voyage. The subsequent transatlantic sailing remains scheduled to bring the ship to Miami in June 2027.
Guests who booked the May 21 sailing will no longer be among the first aboard Norwegian Aura as a result of the added sailings. Norwegian has not announced any special arrangements for those guests or publicly indicated whether they will be permitted to transfer their reservations to one of the earlier departures.
