Guests sailing on Norwegian Spirit in late November, early December will need to find a way home from China instead of the Philippines as Norwegian Cruise Line announced a major change in its disembarkation port.
The change affects passengers on the November 26, 2024, sailing on the 75,904-gross-ton ship.
Departing from Tokyo, Japan, the 14-night cruise was scheduled to visit Shimizu, Mount Fjui Shimizu, Osaka, Wakayama, and Naha, Japan, as well as Keelung (Taipei) and Kaoshsiung, Taiwan; Hong Kong; and Busuanga Island and Boracay in the Philippines before arriving in Manila on December 10.
While the voyage will depart and visit its first five ports as scheduled, the remaining five calls and the disembarkation port have been adjusted.
The ship’s December 4, 2024, call in Kaohsiung will now be extended from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The following day, originally meant to be an overnight call in Hong Kong extending until 6 p.m. on December 6, will now be a sea day that is followed by a call in Boracay from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The original sea day, on December 7, and the following 7-hour call in Coron have been swapped. The sea day will take place on December 8, and the Coron call on December 7 has received two more hours in port.
Whereas the 2,018-passenger Norwegian Spirit was to arrive in Boracay for 8.5 hours and then end in Manila at 7 a.m., it will end the cruise with an overnight call in Hong Kong, arriving at 11 a.m. on December 9 and beginning disembarkation at 9 a.m. on December 10.
“While it is always our intention to maintain original itineraries, at times certain circumstances require us to make adjustments,” said the cruise line in a letter to passengers.
“Due to operational challenges at the port and current limitations in available support and facilities, we are unable to deliver the high-quality turnaround experience we aim to deliver,” the letter continued. “As a result, we have made the difficult decision to modify the itinerary.”
Compensation and Travel Adjustments
Apologizing for the “inconvenience” of having to get home from a completely different country than expected with about two months’ notice, Norwegian Cruise Line is giving each stateroom a $150 onboard credit for the first two guests and $75 for each additional guest.
These credits are nonrefundable and must be used onboard the ship during the voyage, so passengers will not be able to use the funds to help support visiting the more expensive Hong Kong rather than Manilla post-cruise.
And while passengers who booked airfare directly through the cruise line will find flights automatically updated to the new disembarkation point in Hong Kong, this will not alleviate any stress of having to readjust travel plans or having to work on travel visas for visiting China.
Also, Manilla hotel stays will automatically be cancelled and refunded for those who booked through NCL, but guests wanting to stay in Hong Kong following the cruise will need to book new hotels.
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Shore excursions in affected ports, including Hong Kong and the Philippines, will also be adjusted to fit the revised schedule, although there are no guarantees. Excursions will be cancelled and refunded if adjustments cannot be made.
Still, passengers will receive a 15 percent discount for future sailings provided as a Future Cruise Credit. This discount can be used on sailings through December 31, 2025.
