Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled a unique voyage in 2025 onboard Norwegian Sun that was to combine the sun-drenched Hawaiian Islands with the glaciers of Alaska.
The 20-day cruise from Vancouver to Honolulu was slated to depart on June 20, 2025, giving booked guests just a seven-month cancellation notice of a lengthy and unique itinerary. In a message to guests and travel advisors, the cruise line attributed the change to a fleet redeployment but offered no specific details.
“Occasionally, scheduled itineraries may need to be canceled, allowing us the opportunity to introduce enhanced itineraries that accommodate strong guest demand and provide a more immersive experience,” stated Norwegian Cruise Line’s cancellation notice.
“While unfortunately cancelations may arise, please rest assured that we are always working hard to provide you with a smooth and enjoyable journey. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment this cancelation may cause,” the cruise line added.
Cruise fares are being refunded to the guests’ original forms of payment and will be processed within 30 business days. Refunds will be posted 7 to 10 business days after that.
Guests who paid their Norwegian Sun cruise fare using a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) will see the fare amount re-posted to their Latitudes account. As a bonus for all guests on the cancelled sailing, the cruise line is offering a 10% discount on a future cruise.
The discount will be provided as an FCC and can be used toward any published itinerary from November 11, 2024 to December 31, 2025.
Norwegian Cruise Line offered four possible replacement cruises onboard the 1,936-guest Sun-class ship, with departures around the same time as the cancelled sailing. All of the suggested options are shorter South Pacific itineraries of 14 days, and none visit any Alaska ports.
The options include a May 7, 2025 cruise from Lautoka to Papeete, calling at ports in French Polynesia, Fiji, Samoa, and New Zealand; or a reverse itinerary departing on July 23, 2025.
Also, guests can choose a May 21, 2025 Papeete to Honolulu itinerary, calling at Bora Bora and other French Polynesia ports, plus Kauai, Kona, and Maui; or a reverse route departing on July 9, 2025.
The cancelled sailing was to call at Ketchikan, Ice Strait Point, Juneau, Sitka, and Whittier, Alaska, and feature scenic cruising at Hubbard Glacier before continuing on to Hawaii. Port calls there were to include Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island of Hawaii before concluding in Oahu.
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Just one other Norwegian Sun itinerary features the Hawaii-Alaska combination of ports, and that cruise sails the reverse route from Honolulu to Vancouver on June 4, 2025. The sailing is not listed as an option in the alert to guests but is still shown as available on the cruise line website.
Many Reasons Can Prompt Cruise Cancellations
Cruise lines cancel sailings for a variety of reasons, including fleet redeployment, which was the reason given in this case, plus full ship charters, unscheduled dry docks for maintenance or repair, or operational issues at one or more planned ports of call, for instance.
Such changes are not unusual at Norwegian Cruise Line. In recent years, the line has significantly altered or cancelled cruises, often multiple cruises, for these and other reasons.
The line cancelled nearly all of Norwegian Spirit’s summer 2024 Alaska cruise series in favor of a full ship charter. Guests booked on a dozen weeklong sailings to the destination were disappointed to learn they would not be visiting the Great Land.
In 2023, Norwegian Cruise Line nixed three months’ worth of Western Caribbean voyages onboard Norwegian Escape from January to March 2025. The series was to sail from Galveston. In all, eight voyages were cancelled due to a fleet redeployment.
