Norwegian Cruise Line Cancels Remainder of Voyage After Ship Hits Iceberg

You can receive daily cruise news updates directly to your inbox, so you don't miss a thing! Go ahead and Subscribe here.

After the Norwegian Sun cruise ship hit a small iceberg during its voyage in Alaska, the cruise line has decided to cancel the remainder of the current cruise. However, all guests remain on board, and the vessel is heading back home to Seattle, Washington.

Norwegian Sun Cruise Canceled

After hitting a small iceberg while transiting to Hubbard Glacier on Saturday, June 25, Norwegian Cruise Line has informed guests onboard that the current voyage has now been canceled. The ship’s captain announced on Monday while the vessel was docked in Juneau, Alaska.

A letter was also sent to all guests from the ship’s captain, which said, “As you may have heard from my previous announcement, in an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to cancel the remainder of Norwegian Sun’s June 21, 2022 voyage. As such we will be setting sail from Juneau (today at 2:25p), returning directly to Seattle.”

Norwegian Sun departed the dock in Juneau at approximately 2:15 PM and will sail directly back home to Seattle, Washington, at reduced speed and is expected to arrive on Thursday morning.

Norwegian Sun in Alaska
Photo Credit: SebZet / Shutterstock

The ship arrived in Juneau on Sunday, June 26, a day earlier than originally scheduled. The vessel was set to make a scheduled call to Skagway on June 26, but that port of call was canceled.

Read Also: IDEAL Things to Do in Juneau, Alaska

Instead, the vessel sailed to Juneau so divers could assess any damage after the ship hit the iceberg. Norwegian Cruise Line has not detailed any damage at this time.

Guests were allowed to go ashore on Sunday evening after the ship docked. To guests’ surprise, the cruise line did not let anyone go ashore on Monday.

One passenger told Cruise Hive, “We were supposed to be able to disembark the ship this morning at 8 AM, however, it is now 10:06 and we are still lined up waiting for the chance to get off. We are supposed to get on a helicopter to go dog sledding at 10:30, but that seems unlikely at this point.”

“Everyone is angry because the last we heard from the captain was at 8:45 AM stating that we could disembark at 9:30 AM. But they still have not opened the doors. We are being held on the ship and people are getting so very angry. We saved up for years for this trip and Norwegian has ruined this for our family,” The guest added.

Norwegian Sun in Alaska
Photo Credit: SebZet / Shutterstock

As a result of the cancellation, the scheduled calls at Ketchikan on June 28 and Victoria in British Columbia on June 29 will no longer take place.

In an updated statement to Cruise Hive, Norwegian Cruise Line said, โ€œOn June 25, 2022 while transiting to Hubbard Glacier in Alaska, Norwegian Sun was engulfed by dense fog, limiting visibility and resulting in the ship making contact with a growler. The ship sailed to Juneau, Alaska for further assessment, where it was decided that the current voyage would be shortened.”

“The ship was given clearance by the United States Coast Guard and other local maritime authorities to return to Seattle at reduced speed.  All guests currently onboard will disembark in Seattle as originally planned. We are communicating with all impacted guests directly.”

Guests to Receive Refund

With the remainder of the voyage now canceled, guests are being provided compensation. Norwegian Cruise Line is providing a full 100% refund, excluding BookSafe travel protection. Guests will also receive a 100% Future Cruise Credit to compensate for the unfortunate incident.

The refund will automatically be processed within five business days and returned within seven to ten business days from the processed date. If the voyage was booked using a previous Future Cruise Credit, that would also be re-applied to the Latitudes account.

Cruise Ship Hits Iceberg

The unexpected cancellation is due to the Norwegian Sun coming in contact with a growler on Saturday while transiting to Hubbard Glacier in Alaska.

According to the National Ocean Service, Growlers are smaller fragments of ice roughly the size of a truck or piano. They usually extend no more than three feet above the water.

Norwegian Sun in Alaska
Photo Credit: SebZet / Shutterstock

Norwegian Cruise Line originally stated to Cruise Hive, “On June 25, 2022 while transiting to Hubbard Glacier in Alaska, Norwegian Sun was engulfed by dense fog, limiting visibility and resulting in the ship making contact with a growler. The ship remains fully operational and is currently on its way to Juneau, Alaska for assessment. Additional information will be provided as appropriate.”

In this case, the Norwegian Cruise Line-operated cruise ship was sailing through heavy fog and did hit a growler. Guests onboard reported sudden shaking; some even captured the moment on video.

Even since the vessel made contact, it has been sailing at reduced speed. The good news is that there were no injuries and all services onboard remain fully operational.

The Norwegian cruise ship was sailing a nine-night voyage that departed Seattle, Washington, on June 21, 2022. The vessel is scheduled to depart on another Alaskan sailing on June 30, but it is a much shorter five-night voyage with a call in Ketchikan and Victoria.

If you enjoyed the article and would like no fuss daily cruise news to your inbox directly from Cruise Hive, you can Subscribe here.

Voting is now open at the Cruise Hive Awards, including your favorite cruise ships, cruise lines, ship features, private islands and homeports!

Don't Miss Cruise Hive's Daily Update!

Free expert cruise tips and news from Cruise Hive! We'll send you the latest cruise updates daily to your inbox.

Don't Miss Any Cruise News!

We'll send you the latest cruise updates daily to your inbox.

2.6K Shares
Copy link