Guests setting sail aboard Norwegian Getaway on the ship’s March 9, 2025 departure have been notified of an itinerary change for their voyage due to an unusual reason.
While cruisers are accustomed to itinerary changes for a wide range of reasons – poor weather, pier construction, engine difficulties, even civil unrest – the change to Norwegian Getaway‘s 7-night sailing is for an even more unique reason.
“Due to a general election in Belize on March 12, 2025, which is expected to limit the availability of essential port services and may result in a guest experience that falls short of the high standards we aim to deliver, our call to Harvest Caye, Belize, has been rescheduled for March 13, 2025,” the notification email explained.
It should be noted that March 12, 2025 has now been declared a public and bank holiday in Belize due to the election. The declaration was made by the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth in an effort to encourage greater participation in the election process without work-related conflicts.
This means that port officials, dock workers, pilots, and other essential staff may not be working on that day, or staff schedules may be minimal.
Norwegian Getaway was to have been visiting Roatan, Honduras on Thursday, March 13. Because of the need to reschedule the visit to Belize, the ship will now be skipping Roatan altogether. Meanwhile, Wednesday, March 12, will now be a day at sea.
On Friday, March 14, the ship will be in Cozumel, Mexico. Unfortunately, she will be arriving two hours later than originally planned, at 10:30 a.m. instead of 8:30 a.m. The ship will still depart Cozumel at 6:30 p.m.
Norwegian Getaway‘s departure from New Orleans, her first day at sea, the visit to Costa Maya on Tuesday, March 11, and the final day of the cruise – another day at sea – as well as her return to New Orleans on Sunday, March 16 all remain unchanged.
Any shore tours booked through Norwegian Cruise Line for Roatan will be automatically cancelled and full refunds returned to the original form of payment.
Similarly, tours for both Belize and Cozumel will be adjusted to the new visits and times as needed. Guests who have already booked those excursions do not need to take any action to ensure the necessary adjustments.
Last-Minute Itinerary Changes
Cruise travelers might criticize Norwegian Cruise Line for the last-minute itinerary change. The cruise line does have a reputation for multiple itinerary changes made for “fuel efficiency” and similar reasons, occasionally notifying guests just before their sailings depart.
According to Breaking Belize News, however, the new public holiday declaration was only made on February 11, 2025, just one month before election day.
In this case, Norwegian Cruise Line has given travelers as much notification of the change as possible. It does take time for the cruise line to attempt to arrange alternative ports for a ship to visit, especially a ship as large as the 145,655-gross-ton, Breakaway-class Norwegian Getaway.
Read Also: Who Owns Norwegian Cruise Line?
The Breakaway-class vessel, which joined the Norwegian fleet in 2014, can welcome 3,963 travelers. The ship is also home to approximately 1,600 international crew members ready to help every guest enjoy an amazing oceangoing getaway.
Norwegian Getaway is currently homeported from New Orleans, offering 7-night Western Caribbean cruises through mid-April.
On April 20, the ship will depart on a unique 11-night one-way trip from New Orleans to New York, visiting Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Aruba, Curacao, and Puerto Plata along the way before arriving in the Big Apple on May 1.
From New York, Norwegian Getaway will spend the summer offering Bermuda sailings, followed by Canada and New England itineraries in the fall. She will reposition to Miami in October 2025 to begin offering shorter Bahamas voyages and select longer Caribbean sailings.
