Norwegian Cruise Line continues with its gradual return to service, and on November 13, Norwegian Escape restarted operations from Port Canaveral in Florida. The ship becomes the eighth in the fleet to resume guest sailings.
Norwegian Escape Resumes Operations
Norwegian Escape has become the eighth ship in the NCL fleet to resume passenger operations since the suspensions first started in March 2020. The vessel began operations from Port Canaveral in Florida on Saturday, November 13. Norwegian Escape is also the fifth in the fleet to restart in the U.S.
“We have welcomed back more than 110,000 guests worldwide as part of our global redeployment efforts,” said Harry Sommer, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “Our Great Cruise Comeback stems beyond the relaunch of our vessels but also the return of our shipboard team members who have been excited to return to deliver unforgettable vacations experiences to our guests.”
The ship departed the port on a seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise, including a call at Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and NCL’s private island Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.
Norwegian Escape will continue to sail seven-day voyages to the Eastern Caribbean through November and most of December 2021. On December 23, the ship will embark on an 11-day itinerary, a special holiday voyage visiting nine destinations. Guests will spend Christmas Day at Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and spend New Year’s in St. Thomas. There will also be calls at Bridgetown, Barbados, and St. John’s in Antigua.
The Breakaway-Plus class vessel has remained on hold during the pandemic and now joins several other cruise ships operated from other cruise lines that are back sailing from one of the busiest cruise ports in the U.S. The ship is 164,998 gross tons and has a guest capacity of 4,266 at double occupancy.
The Cruise Comeback Moves Forward
Now that Norwegian Escape is back sailing, there are now eight NCL cruise ships in service. The first to restart was the Norwegian Jade on July 25 from Athens, Greece.
Norwegian Encore then became the second in the fleet to restart and the first in the U.S. on August 7, 2021. Norwegian Encore also kickstarted what remained of the 2021 Alaska season out of Seattle, Washington. More Norwegian cruise ships will restart in December 2021 and into 2022.
Also Read: Which Norwegian Cruise Line Ships Have Restarted?
From December 11, 2022, options from Port Canaveral will become even more enticing with the new Norwegian Prima. The new-class vessel will sail 15 roundtrip Western Caribbean voyages, including five, seven, and nine-day itineraries that include popular ports such as Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and of course, a voyage would not be complete at Norwegian Cruise Line Great Stirrup Cay private island.
