Passengers looking forward to exploring Japan and Korea aboard Norwegian Cruise Lineโs Norwegian Spirit will be disappointed again to learn the vessel has replaced several calls, skipping stops in five popular ports.
The 2,032-guest vesselโs 11-night sailing from Incheon (Seoul), South Korea, to Yokohama (Tokyo), Japan, on September 24, 2025, is filled with changes โ and it isn’t the first time.
The cruise line blamed last-minute port availability for the rescheduling, which removes Jeju (Cheju), South Korea; and Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Himeji, and Osaka, Japan, from the lineup.
โAs passionate cruisers ourselves, we understand that a great vacation is about more than just the destinations, itโs about how theyโre experienced, therefore we do not make the changes lightly,โ said Norwegian Cruise Line.
โMaking the most of the circumstances, we used our in depth understanding of the ports we visit to make thoughtful adjustments to your itinerary and establish an enhanced pattern of ports crafted to elevate the overall guest experience,โย it continued.
Originally scheduled to spend its first call in Jeju, South Korea, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on September 25, the 75,904-gross-ton Norwegian Spirit will instead visit Yeosu from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Instead of enjoying a 10-hour call in Nagasaki and a 7.5-hour call in Kagoshima, Norwegian Spirit will now spend 9 hours in Sasebo on September 26 and 9 hours in Fukuoka on September 27.
On September 28, when it was scheduled to visit Hiroshima, it will now cruise the Kanmon Straight and will not call in any port.
โWe have added a scenic cruise through the Kanmon Strait, offering stunning views of dramatic cliffs and historic bridges that connect the islands of Honshu and Kyushu,โย said the cruise line.
Read Also: Norwegian Cruise Line Haven – What You Need to Know
However, the ship will maintain a 9-hour call in Hiroshima on September 29 instead. But this means Kochi will now be pushed back a day. It will visit the port on September 30 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Removed from the lineup are also calls in Himeji on October 1 and Osaka on October 2. Instead, Norwegian Spirit will visit Kobe, Japan, for an overnight call. Arriving on October 1 at 8 a.m., the ship will remain in port until 6 p.m. on October 2.
This change pushes back the vesselโs visit to Nagoya to October 3.
The remainder of the voyage remains unchanged, and the ship will visit Mount Fuji (Shimizu) on October 4, and overnight in Tokyoโs Yokohama from October 5 until the itineraryโs end on October 6, 2025.
A Second Itinerary Adjustment
This isnโt the first time Norwegian Spirit rearranged this September 24, 2025, voyage. The cruise was actually set to sail from Keelung, Taiwan, but that was changed last November, with passenger flights being redirected to Seoul.
At that time, the cruise line removed the now-added Kobe, as well as Hirara (Miyakojima) and Naha, Japan. Hualien, Taiwan, and Hong Kong visits were also scrapped.
Following the first itinerary adjustments, the cruise line told passengers, โOccasionally, scheduled itineraries may need to be altered, allowing us the opportunity to enhance the original voyage to accommodate strong guest demand, and provide a more immersive experience.โ
The cruise line did not specify the reason for the changes at that time, but it appears to still be struggling with creating a working itinerary.
While guests took to social media to complain about the changes, others reminded them that the cruise lineโs early notice allows for cancellations.
As passengers have more than eight monthsโ until the sailing, they are eligible for a full cancellation without any cancellation fees, according to Norwegian Cruise Lineโs cancellation policy.