Norwegian Cruise Line has launched its 2024 European season, featuring over 100 itineraries from 13 new and existing homeports and showcasing the latest Prima Class ships. The season includes a new summer series from New York to Reykjavík.
New NCL Homeport Options to Europe for Summer Season
Marking the start of its 2024 European season, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic set off on a 10-day journey through the Greek Isles and Italy on April 19. Launching from Civitavecchia (Rome), the cruise heralds a season of more than 100 diverse European voyages for NCL.
NCL introduces three new homeport options just for the summer season, increasing its total to 13. These include New York City, Le Havre (Paris), and Oslo, Norway. NCL is employing eight ships in the region during the summer season, including its newest ships, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva.
David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line, said of the upcoming season, “As we return to Europe for this season, our goal remains consistent – curating unmatched and captivating experiences for guests to immerse in Europe’s most iconic and sought-after destinations.”
The season features an array of 38 roundtrips and 63 sailings, calling at 140 ports across Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Greek Isles, and the Atlantic Coast. Passengers will have an average of 10 hours in port to immerse themselves in local cultures and landscapes with unique shore excursions, ranging from architectural tours to gourmet experiences and local customs.
Highlight European NCL Sailings
The 2024 NCL season is filled with diverse offerings, including first-ever sailings from New York City to Reykjavík, Iceland. These voyages, conducted by Norwegian Star, which is equipped for polar navigation, feature 12- to 14-day journeys with stops in Akureyri and Grundarfjord, Iceland; Qaqortoq, Greenland; and Canadian ports like St. John’s and Halifax.
Currently, on a transition cruise from Brazil to the Canary Islands in Spain, Norwegian Star will offer its first European cruise on April 27, departing from Lisbon, Portugal, en route to Southampton, England. Following a British Isles and Ireland cruise from May 8 through May 19, Norwegian Star will make Reykjavík home and begin its new polar journeys. It will complete its Icelandic adventure in September.
Another highlight is Norwegian Getaway, anchoring in Athens, Greece, and embarking on 7- to 10-day voyages around the Greek Isles. The itineraries aboard the 145,655-gross-ton ship afford passengers over 24 hours in Istanbul, plus visits to renowned locations like Santorini and Mykonos, Greece.
The ship is transitioning from the Caribbean with a cruise ending in New York City on April 29. It will then make a transatlantic crossing to Southampton, arriving on May 13. With a few calls in northern Europe until June, Norwegian Getaway will make its way to the Med on June 6, sailing to Barcelona. It will arrive in its new homeport on June 25 and stay in Athens until September 19.
Norwegian Viva, Norwegian’s newest ship that debuted in August 2023, will also spend its summer transporting passengers to various cities along the Mediterranean with 9- to 11-day voyages.
Currently crossing the Atlantic from the Dominican Republic, the 142,500-gross-ton Norwegian Viva will arrive in Lisbon on April 26. It will visit popular calls along the Med, including Gibraltar; Cadiz, Ibiza, and Barcelona, Spain; Marseille, France; Rome, Florence, and Naples, Italy; Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini, Greece; and Ephesus and Istanbul, Turkey.
Meanwhile, Norwegian Escape, also now crossing the Atlantic, will host guests on minimal sea-day itineraries throughout the Western Mediterranean from homeports in Barcelona, Spain, and Rome and Venice, Italy. The 165,000-gross-ton ship arrives in Rome from New York on April 24, beginning its season of 10- to 11-night adventures similar to Norwegian Viva.
For Norwegian Prima, the ship will begin its transatlantic voyage from New York on April 27. The 142,500-gross-ton Prima Class ship will spend much of its season in Northern Europe, calling on ports in Norway, Belgium, Holland, and Iceland.
Read Also: Norwegian Cruise Ships – Newest to Oldest
On April 25, Norwegian Pearl will also cross the Atlantic from New York, arriving in Southampton on May 9. From there, the 93,530-gross-ton ship will transition to Venice and begin its Med season, sailing between Italy and Greece through early November.
Norwegian Dawn, the smallest of the fleet sailing in Europe this summer at 92,250 gross tons, will also spend its summer in Northern Europe. It will finish its current Mediterranean season with a 10-night cruise from Rome on April 26, transitioning to Barcelona and La Havre. There, it kicks off a summer in the Baltic on May 24.
Already in the Mediterranean, the 155,873-gross-ton Norwegian Epic will continue to sail between Greece and Italy.
