Norwegian Cruise Line has reached out to guests booked on a special, one-way sailing of Norwegian Escape to remind them of a later than typical embarkation for the vessel on Monday, April 8, 2024.
The ship will be arriving later than normal into New York because she does not have to disembark guests, but the departure from the city is unchanged and no delays are anticipated.
Norwegian Escape to Arrive Late to New York
As she moves from Port Canaveral to New York for a special one-time transatlantic sailing to reposition for the summer Mediterranean season, Norwegian Escape will arrive later than usual into New York on Monday, April 8.
This will not cause a problem for disembarking guests, as the ship will not have any passengers aboard on her journey from Florida. Instead, the ship will leave Port Canaveral on Saturday, April 6, after finishing her last 7-night Caribbean sailing from that homeport. By sailing empty to New York, the ship can move more quickly and without the need to visit a foreign port of call.
Embarking guests, however, need to be aware of the late arrival so they can plan when to get to the cruise terminal for check-in, and Norwegian Cruise Line has issued several reminders.
“Norwegian Escape is currently scheduled to arrive in New York City on April 8, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.,” the email explained.
This notification can help ease any anxiety if eager guests might be tracking the ship via popular websites or apps. For most cruises, a ship will arrive to the homeport much earlier, at 5 or 6 a.m., in order to have adequate time to clear customs and immigration processing and debark guests before new passengers begin boarding.
For this sailing, however, having the ship arrive later can make maneuvering safer around ferries and other vessels, but it can be confusing to embarking guests.
“In order to avoid congestion at the port, and to ensure the smoothest embarkation experience possible, all guests are asked to arrive at the pier between 12:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. for check-in,” the email stated. “The ship is scheduled to depart at 7:00 p.m. local time.”
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This is not a delay to the ship’s planned departure, but the cruise line wants to be sure all guests are informed about the proper scheduling. Furthermore, travelers are warned not to arrive early.
“Any guest that arrives prior to 12:30 p.m. may be turned away,” the email said.
Fortunately, travelers can find many amazing things to do in New York City prior to making their way to the cruise terminal, which is located just a short distance from such iconic landmarks as Central Park, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and much more.
A Unique Sailing
This one cruise departure from New York City is Norwegian Escape‘s 16-night repositioning cruise on her way to enjoy a summer in the Mediterranean Sea.
After leaving New York, the 164,600-gross-ton, Breakaway-Plus class ship will first visit Bermuda before crossing the Atlantic Ocean and arriving in the Azores, followed by top ports in Lisbon, Spain, France, and Italy. Of course, all ports of call are weather-permitting.
The sailing will end in Rome (Civitavecchia) on Wednesday, April 24. Through the summer months, Norwegian Escape will offer departures from Rome, Barcelona, and Trieste as she visits outstanding Mediterranean ports of call such as Cannes, Florence, Naples, Messina, Valletta, Split, and more, depending on departure date and exact itinerary.
The ship will spend her last month in the Mediterranean, departing exclusively from Barcelona, before leaving on November 26 for a 14-night cruise to Miami, Florida.
Following her arrival in Florida, Norwegian Escape will again sail empty for a short move to Galveston, where she will offer sailings for the holidays, before returning to Miami through early February 2025. After several cruises from Miami, she will move to New York to offer some early spring sailings, before once more sailing from Miami for the summer in the Caribbean.
In November 2025, the ship will begin homeporting from New Orleans, offering western Caribbean itineraries. Guests interested in sailing on the vessel, however, should note that deployment plans can and do change, as Norwegian Cruise Line recently made changes to multiple sailings on seven vessels for various reasons.
Norwegian Escape can welcome 4,266 travelers aboard at double occupancy and is also home to approximately 1,700 international crew members who strive to ensure everyone enjoys their oceangoing escapes.
