Norwegian Gem is suffering from propulsion issues and as a result, the cruise ships November 11 sailing from New York has been cancelled.
Norwegian Cruise Line sent out a letter to travel agents and booked guests that its Norwegian Gem sailing from New York has been canceled. The reason for the cancellation was due to the ship experiencing a malfunction with the Azipod propulsion system. Norwegian Gem is unable to sail a regular speed which would impact the itinerary.
Norwegian Gem was scheduled to depart the cruise terminal in New York for a 10-night sailing. The NCL ship was set to sail the Caribbean with calls in Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Thomas. We expect the cruise line will use the time to fix the propulsion issues ready for Norwegian Gem’s next scheduled sailing departing New York on November 21.
Norwegian Cruise Line also stated in the letter:
We understand that your vacation has been planned for some time and our reservations team and travel partners are standing by to assist you with rebooking your upcoming vacation, either over the same dates or as soon as possible.
Norwegian is currently offering several limited time promotions that offer guests four free onboard amenities in the popular Free At Sea promotion including free unlimited open bar, a free specialty dining package, $50 towards shore excursions in each port per stateroom, and 250 minutes of free WiFi. On select sailings, Norwegian’s Friends & Family Sail Free offer also allows the third and fourth guests to sail for free on many 2017 and 2018 sail dates.
We hope you will be able to take advantage of these promotions as you book your new reservation with us or your travel professional.
Norwegian Cruise Line will refund all guests booked on the sailing and will provide a 50% credit towards a future cruise. The cruise line is also compensating guests who booked their airfare independently by covering up to $300 on fare changes.
Unfortunately, these issues to occur and Cruise Hive has posted in the past about cruise ships suffering from propulsion problems. Allure of the Seas which is one of the world’s biggest cruise ships was one of the most recent to suffer from propulsion issues. All the major cruise lines have had to deal with these issues in the past including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, and Celebrity Cruises.
Norwegian Gem is an NCL ship based out of New York. The vessel is 93,530 gross tons and can carry over 2,300 guests at double occupancy.
