Norwegian Cruise Line has become the last among the major cruise lines to restart cruise operations. NCL continues to move forward bringing more ships back into service gradually for guests who are fully vaccinated.
Seven Norwegian Cruise Ships Currently Sailing
Cruises are restarting, and even though Norwegian Cruise Line is behind other major cruise lines, we’ll start seeing more ships in the fleet sailing once again with passengers on board. So far, a total of seven cruise ships have restarted sailings, with four in the U.S. and three in Europe. So let’s take a look at which ships have resumed operations so far.
In This Article…
Norwegian Joy from Miami
Norwegian Joy became the ninth ship in the fleet to resume service on November 20. The Breakaway-Plus class vessel resumed from Miami, Flordia, the cruise capital of the world. She’s now sailing a series of seven-day Caribbean voyages with visits to Roatán, Bay Islands; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and Harvest Caye, Belize – the Brand’s private resort destination in Belize.
Norwegian Joy follows Norwegian Gem, which restarted from Miami in August 2021. However, the vessel has already shifted to sailings from New York City. Norwegian Joy will instead be joined by Norwegian Encore, Getaway, and Pearl in December 2021.
- Resumed Cruises: November 20, 2021
- Homeport: Miami, Florida
- First Cruise Back: 7-Day Caribbean Cruise
Norwegian Escape from Port Canaveral
On November 13, Norwegian Escape became the eighth vessel in the fleet to resume service since the industry-wide pause in 2020. The ship departed with guests onboard from Port Canaveral in Florida to the eastern Caribbean.
The NCL ship is also the first in the fleet to resume from the port and set sail on a seven-day voyage with calls at Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the cruise line’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. Norwegian Escape will continue to sail week-long voyages and on December 23 will embark on a one-time 11-day holiday cruise.
- Resumed Cruises: November 13, 2021
- Homeport: Port Canaveral, Florida
- First Cruise Back: 7-Day Eastern Caribbean
Norwegian Bliss from Los Angeles
Norwegian Cruise Line has already restarted operations with seven cruise ships so far with the seventh being Norwegian Bliss. The breakaway-Plus class vessel returned to the U.S. West Coast by restarting operations from Los Angeles, California on October 24, 2021.
The ship is now offering seven-day and five-day voyages to the Mexican Riviera including visits to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Ensenada. On January 21, 2022, Norwegian Bliss will set off on a 14-day cruise via the Panama Canal, which will end at the cruise capital of the world, PortMiami in Florida.
Norwegian Bliss will continue to sail cruises from LA into Spring 2022. The ship has remained on hold since operations were first suspended in March 2020. Fully vaccinated guests are now enjoying one of the newest ships in the fleet that features 19 dining options, 20 bars, and lounges, a two-level racetrack!
Norwegian Breakaway from New York
Norwegian Breakaway became the sixth ship in the fleet to resume cruise operations and the first in the fleet out of New York City. On Sunday, September 26, the first guests were welcomed on board in more than a year.
The NCL cruise ship kicked off week-long sailings from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal in New York. The cruises will continue through October 31, 2021, and will include overnight calls to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda.
Norwegian Breakaway will not keep sailing from New York for too long as she will reposition to New Orleans on November 7, 2021, after a 14-day repositioning cruise including calls at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba; Colón, Panama; Puerto Limón, Costa Rica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico.
- Resumed Cruises: September 26, 2021
- Homeport: New York City
- First Cruise Back: 7-Day Cruise to Bermuda
Norwegian Getaway from Civitavecchia
On September 13, Norwegian Getaway departed the Port of Civitavecchia to became the fifth ship in the fleet to resume operations and the third in Europe. After 18 months on hold, the 3,963 passenger ship is now sailing a mix of 10- to 11-day Greek Isles itineraries including calls to Dubrovnik, Corfu, Katakolon – NCL’s newest embarkation port located on the Peloponnese peninsula -Santorini, Mykonos, Naples, and Livorno (Florence/Pisa).
Norwegian Getaway will continue to sail the Mediterranean until December when she embarks on her epic transatlantic voyage. The vessel will sail from Rome on December 5 on a 17-day cruise that will visit ports, including Barcelona, Valencia, Ponta Delgada in the Azores, and Bermuda, before she arrives in Miami just before Christmas on December 22.
- Resumed Cruises: September 13, 2021
- Homeport: Barcelona, Spain
- First Cruise Back: 7-Day Cruise
Norwegian Epic from Barcelona
Norwegian Epic became the fourth ship in the fleet to resume cruise operations and the second in Europe. The ship resumed out of Barcelona, Spain on September 5, 2021, and the first voyage was a seven-night itinerary in the Mediterranean with vitis to Livorno, Italy; Civitavecchia, Italy; Naples, Italy; Cagliari, Sardinia, and Palma De Mallorca Spain.
The NCL cruise ship will continue sailing cruises in the region through October 24, 2021. Norwegian Epic was refurbished at the end of 2020 so guests are enjoying for the first time, 75 reimagined and upgraded suites along with The Haven Restaurant and The Haven Courtyard Pool and Sundeck.
- Resumed Cruises: September 5, 2021
- Homeport: Barcelona, Spain
- First Cruise Back: 7-Day Cruise
Norwegian Gem from Miami
Norwegian Gem became the third ship in the fleet to resume cruise operations and the first to relaunch sailings out of the cruise capital of the world, PortMiami in Florida.
The ship departed Miami on Sunday, August 15 on a seven-night Caribbean cruise including calls at Roatan in Honduras, Cozumel, and Costa Maya in Mexico along with a return to NCL’s private island of Harvest Caye in Belize.
Norwegian Gem will continue to offer week-long Caribbean and four-day Bahamas cruises through October 17, 2021. The vessel will then shift to sail five to 100-night itineraries to the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Bermuda out of New York.
- Resumed Cruises: August 15, 2021
- Homeport: Miami, Florida
- First Cruise Back: 7-Day Caribbean Cruise
Norwegian Encore from Seattle
Norwegian Encore became the first ship in the fleet to restart operations in the U.S. The vessel also resumes NCL’s long-awaited Alaska season and joining other major cruise lines operating in the region.
The newest ship in the fleet departed the Port of Seattle on August 7 and the first voyage back included maiden calls as it was the first time the NCL flagship sailed the region. One of the most significant visits was at Icy Strait Point on August 11 when the cruise line opened the new Wilderness Landing Pier. Other calls included Juneau and Ketchikan in Alaska.
Norwegian Encore will continue to sail Alaska through October 16, 2021. The cruises are only for guests who are fully vaccinated along with vaccinated crew members.
- Resumed Cruises: August 7, 2021
- Homeport: Seattle, Washington
- First Cruise Back: 7-Day Alaska Cruise
Norwegian Jade from Athens
After 500 days on hold, Norwegian Jade became the first ship in the fleet to restart operations. She departed the port in Athens, Greece, on July 25, and the new cruise offerings include calls to Mykonos, Rhodes, and Santorini. The cruises will continue until November 2021.
Norwegian Jade is sailing with fully vaccinated guests and crew as part of the SailSAFE health and safety program. The ship is 93,558 gross tons with a guest capacity of 2,402 at double occupancy and 1,037 international crew members.
- Resumed Cruises: July 25, 2021
- Homeport: Athens, Greece
- First Cruise Back: 7-Day Mediterranean Cruise
Which NCL Ships Are Next?
Here’s when each of the next Norwegian cruise ships will restart operations out of certain homeports. It is important to always check with the cruise line as dates could change due to the fluid situation.
- Norwegian Breakaway from New York: September 26, 2021
- Norwegian Bliss from Los Angeles, California: October 24, 2021
- Norwegian Escape from Port Canaveral, Florida: November 13, 2021
- Norwegian Encore from Miami, Florida: December 12, 2021
- Norwegian Getaway from Miami, Florida: December 22, 2021
- Norwegian Pearl from Miami, Florida: December 23, 2021
