Norwegian Cruise Line continues with its round of cancellations and has now added the Norwegian Breakway to the growing list of ships temporarily suspending operations. The cruise line informed guests on January 13 that the Breakway-class ship is canceling all embarkations until later in January.
Norwegian Breakaway Cruises Cancelled
More guests are being impacted, with Norwegian Cruise Line canceling additional sailings in addition to the 11 ships already announced. Norwegian Breakaway has now joined the list and has become the 12th ship in the fleet to cancel cruises since the start of 2022.
Embarkations will now be cancelled through January 23, 2022 out of the ship’s homeport of New Orleans in Louisiana. Norwegian Breakaway is currently sailing a seven-day voyage, but that will be the final one until the January 30 sailing.
In a letter to guests who were booked on the ship, NCL said, “We are working to navigate the fluid public health environment while delivering a safe and healthy onboard experience. Today, as a result of COVID-related circumstances, we decided to cancel Norwegian Breakaway cruises with embarkation dates through and including January 23, 2022.”
Norwegian Breakaway‘s current January 9 voyage is in the Western Caribbean and has already completed a call in Cozumel, Mexico, and Isla Roatan in Honduras. The ship is calling at the cruise line’s private island of Harvest Caye in Belize today. A call at Costa May, Mexico, will take place on January 14 before returning to New Orleans on January 16.
The reason for all these recent cancellations by Norwegian Cruise Line is due to the fluid situation with Omicron and the way it’s impacting cruising. NCL has not specifically explained why so many ships are being suspended again, but travel restrictions are undoubtedly a significant reason.
Also Read: Reasons to Cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship
Some cruise ports have already denied a limited number of ships due to COVID-19 onboard despite numbers totaling less than 1% of the capacity. The crew is an essential factor and making sure there are enough crew members who are not sick to offer an outstanding guest experience could also have an impact on whether sailings are cancelled.
Which Norwegian Cruise Line Ships Are Suspended Now?
There are currently 12 ships in the NCL fleet that will have cruises cancelled into the coming weeks and months. Some vessels were already on hold, and others were taken out of service, such as the case of Norwegian Breakaway.
Norwegian Cruise Line says in its latest update, “If your ship is not listed below, we are still sailing as planned. However, as the global public health environment continues to rapidly evolve and destinations around the world modify their travel requirements or implement new travel restrictions, it is possible that itineraries may need to be modified. We will do our best to continue to communicate any changes and always strive to deliver an amazing vacation experience.”
Here is the list of ships with cancelled cruises:
- Norwegian Pearl cruises with embarkation dates through and including January 17, 2022
- Norwegian Dawn cruises with embarkation dates through and including January 18, 2022
- Norwegian Getaway cruises with embarkation dates through and including January 19, 2022
- Norwegian Escape cruises with embarkation dates through and including January 22, 2022
- Norwegian Joy cruises with embarkation dates through and including January 22, 2022
- Norwegian Breakaway cruises with embarkation dates through and including January 23, 2022
- Norwegian Sky cruises with embarkation dates through and including February 25, 2022
- Pride of America cruises with embarkation dates through and including February 26, 2022
- Norwegian Jade cruises with embarkation dates through and including March 3, 2022
- Norwegian Star cruises with embarkation dates through and including March 19, 2022
- Norwegian Sun cruises with embarkation dates through and including April 19, 2022
- Norwegian Spirit cruises with embarkation dates through and including April 23, 2022
For those guests impacted by all the recent cancellations on the ships above, NCL is automatically refunding the cruise fare back to the original form of payment. There will also be an additional Future Cruise Credit that can be used on a future cruise that departs through May 31, 2023.
Following the industry-wide suspension, Norwegian Breakaway restarted operations from New York on September 26, 2021. The vessel then repositioned to begin sailings from New Orleans in November 2021. The ship has also been in the headlines recently when local health authorities in New Orleans released COVID numbers onboard, resulting in a lot of attention despite a low number of cases.
For now, guests should expect changes on upcoming sailings due to the situation with Omicron and ongoing travel restrictions, including for crew and requirements at ports of call. Norwegian Cruise Line has already sent out a letter to guests warning of possible changes.
