Guests sailing aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Prima missed their planned port call in Amsterdam on May 31, 2024, due to high winds that prevented the ship from transiting the sea locks leading to the city’s cruise port.
Rainy weather put a damper on the city, but it was the wind, reaching up to 17 miles per hour, that caused the 3,100-guest ship to turn away from the port call and instead sail to her next destination, Bruges (Zeebrugge), a day before the ship’s scheduled call there.
Cruise tracking data shows that Norwegian Prima traveled to the Netherlands from the north but turned around after sailing a short distance east toward the Amsterdam region. The ship then headed south toward Bruges.
As one cruiser onboard the ship commented on social media: “Had to skip due to high winds in the locks getting to Amsterdam. It was borderline, but if we were unable to get out, we would be stuck til Monday. Just ended up with an overnight stop in Zeebrugge.“
All marine traffic between the Port of Amsterdam and the North Sea must transit the North Sea Canal via the IJmuiden lock. According to the port, the sea lock is 500 meters (1,640 feet) long and accommodates ships up to 400 meters (1,412 feet).
The ship departed from Reykjavik, Iceland, on May 23, 2024, on a 10-day voyage to Southampton, England. Amsterdam and Bruges were the final two calls on the itinerary, which also featured visits to Isafjordur and Akureyri, Iceland; and Geiranger, Alesund, and Bergen, Norway.
As a result of the itinerary change, the ship is spending two days in Bruge, departing that port on June 1, 2024 and returning to Southampton as scheduled on June 2, 2024.
Robust winds are not an uncommon problem for cruise ships, during both sailing and berthing operations. Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Magic recently had two incidents involving wind.
In February 2024, the ship was forced to depart from Ocho Rios, Jamaica, after wind caused the ship to hit the pier. Less than a month later, the same ship was unable to call at Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, due to winds that prevented her from docking.
Also in February, two Royal Caribbean ships had their port calls at Perfect Day at CocoCay cut short when high winds hit the private Bahamas destination and forced its closure. Guests onshore were called back to Freedom of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, and the vessels departed the area.
Ship Offers Iceland Itineraries Through Summer 2024
Through September, Norwegian Prima will sail a series of 10- and 11-day voyages between Southampton and Reykjavik, before deploying to Rome in October for a short set of sailings to the Greek Islands.
In November 2024, the ship will operate a 16-day repositioning cruise to New York and begin a series of Caribbean/Bermuda voyages. Norwegian Prima will homeport in the Big Apple until January 2, 2025, when she will sail to her winter homeport of Galveston, Texas. From the Lone Star state, the ship will offer Western Caribbean cruises.
Read Also: Norwegian Cruise Ships – Newest to Oldest
The 142,500-gross ton Norwegian Prima, which entered service in 2022, was the first of the line’s Prima-class ships. Offering four cabin categories — studio, interior, ocean view, and balcony — the ship also features three classes of suites, Club Balcony, Traditional, and The Haven, which is the line’s exclusive luxury section.
Norwegian Prima provides entertainment in the form of the Prima Speedway, a three-level racetrack, The Drop, a 10-story, free-fall dry slide, a three-story theater, more than a dozen eateries, and 15 bar/lounges.
