Key Aspects:
- Thanks to Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Imelda, Norwegian Escape’s current 12-night sailing is no longer a journey to the Caribbean.
- Instead, the NCL ship will sail to better weather in New England and Bermuda.
- Guests have been compensated with a 20% future cruise credit and all shore excursions booked through the cruise line will be automatically refunded.
Norwegian Escape’s 12-night sailing to the Caribbean has abruptly turned into a voyage to New England and Bermuda due to poor weather conditions.
The sailing in question embarked in New York on Monday, September 29, 2025.
The 4,218-guest ship is the latest to join a growing list of cruise ships from brands like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line that have already altered course to steer clear of Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Imelda.
Both storm systems are currently just a few hundred miles apart from each other in the Atlantic Basin.
In order to avoid the worst of the weather, Norwegian Cruise Line has had to rework the entire itinerary for its Breakaway-Plus class ship. Every single port call has been replaced.
“While we always aim for calm seas and bright skies, Mother Nature sometimes has other plans,” Norwegian Cruise Line wrote to impacted guests.
“Due to weather conditions caused by Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Imelda, we’ve made the difficult but necessary decision to adjust our itinerary.”
Originally, the 2015-launched ship was supposed to visit Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis; Castries, St. Lucia; Phillipsburg, St. Maarten; and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
Instead, she will now begin the voyage by visiting destinations within the New England region, including Boston, Massachusetts, and Maine’s Portland and Eastport.
The 164,998-gross ton ship will then proceed to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda for an overnight stay that lasts from October 6 to October 8.
It’s kind of an interesting replacement, as usually Bermuda is the port that gets replaced due to inclement weather.
When Hurricane Erin was wreaking havoc toward the end of August, several ships had to skip Bermuda due to the intense storm.
Weather & Compensation
As much as they would like to, cruise lines cannot control the weather. But what they can control is keeping everyone onboard safe and comfortable.
“We understand that this change may be disappointing, especially for those who were looking forward to experiencing the Caribbean,” NCL’s letter sympathised.
“While the weather is beyond our control, please rest assured that your safety, along with that of our crew and ship, will always remain our top priority.”
According to the National Hurricane Center (NOAA), Hurricane Humberto is currently a category 4 storm system with wind speeds reaching 140 miles per hour.
It’s tracking northwest at speeds of 13 miles per hour, and is expected to pass Bermuda by Wednesday, October 1 – several days before Norwegian Escape will arrive.
Tropical Storm Imelda isn’t quite as intense, but is still dangerous with wind speeds reaching 60 miles per hour and has the potential to strengthen into a hurricane.
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Imelda will also pass near Bermuda toward the middle of the week.
Additionally, Tropical Storm Watches are in effect for portions of the northwestern Bahamas because of Imelda, including for popular cruise destinations like Eleuthera, the Abaco Islands, and Grand Bahama Island.
Understandably, cruise ships do not want to get caught in the heavy rains, winds, and big swells that come with these storms.
Even though NCL is doing its duty by avoiding the worst of the weather, the cruise line is still providing guests with a 20% Future Cruise Credit to show appreciation for passengers’ understanding and flexibility.
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This credit will be available starting on October 1, 2025, and can be applied to any Norwegian Cruise Line sailing that embarks on or before December 31, 2026.
Additionally, all shore excursions that were booked through NCL will be automatically cancelled and refunded without passengers needing to lift a finger.
