Norwegian Cruise Line has reached out to booked guests on several sailings of the new Norwegian Viva with notice that the ship’s itinerary has been changed and the port of Kralendijk, Bonaire has been removed.
While no alternative port has been added, the times in other ports of call on each itinerary have been extended to compensate.
The impacted sailings include the ship’s February 16 and February 23 departures, both in 2025. These 7-night itineraries are identical, now with identical changes.
The ship will set sail from San Juan, Puerto Rico as planned on Sunday, with no change in the 7 p.m. planned departure. On Monday, the visit to Punta Cana (La Romana) in the Dominican Republic will now be from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., rather than the original 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This gives guests an extra hour to explore the beautiful tropical destination.
Tuesday’s call to Oranjestad, Aruba will be from 11 am. to 9 p.m., a total of 10 hours in port. The original itinerary had Norwegian Viva visiting just from 1-9 p.m., only eight hours. Wednesday, the ship will be in Willemstad, Curacao from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., a one-hour gain from the original itinerary of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday was to have been the visit to Kralendijk, Bonaire, but instead, that day will now be a day at sea. As the ship was to have been docked from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., this is a loss of 7 hours of port time.
Friday, the ship’s call to Castries, St. Lucia will be significantly expanded. Instead of the original itinerary of 1:30-7:30 p.m. (6 hours), the ship will now visit the port from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (10 hours).
Likewise, the Saturday visit to Basseterre, St. Kitts, is now from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (10 hours) instead of just 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (8.5 hours).
All pre-purchased shore tours booked through Norwegian Cruise Line for Bonaire on these impacted itineraries will be automatically cancelled, with full refunds returned to guests’ original form of payment. If necessary, shore tour times for the other ports of call will be adjusted accordingly.
The 142,500-gross-ton, Prima-class Norwegian Viva can welcome 3,215 guests at each sailing. She is currently spending the summer and autumn seasons in the Mediterranean, before she will move to San Juan in December.
Why the Changes?
The reasoning for the changes to every single port on each of Norwegian Viva‘s impacted itineraries, as well as dropping Bonaire completely, has not been detailed other than a relatively generic explanation Norwegian Cruise Line has frequently used with such changes.
“As we continue to optimize itineraries for enhanced port and shore excursion availability for the ultimate vacation experience, fuel optimization as a part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, as well as global maritime regulations, we have adjusted the original itinerary,” the email notification said.
The idea of dropping Bonaire as a port visit for “shore excursion availability” is interesting as Norwegian Viva was the only ship scheduled in the port on Thursday, February 20 as well as the following week on February 27.
It is possible that the other ports of call will have more crowding, and extending the times in port will permit more shore tour opportunities for passengers.
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Regardless of the reason, travelers will be understandably disappointed in the change, particularly if this may be their first cruise to the Southern Caribbean. Bonaire is part of the unique “ABC” cruise itinerary – Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao – that many travelers note as a bucket-list sailing.
As Norwegian Viva is offering a number of identical itineraries while she is homeported from San Juan from mid-December 2024 through early April 2025, it is possible that other sailing dates may be similarly impacted.
Guests booked on sailings during that time period should stay in close contact with Norwegian Cruise Line in case of updates or adjustments.
