Norwegian Cruise Ship Adds New Call as Part of Itinerary Change

Norwegian Cruise Line has reached out to booked guests and travel agents about itinerary changes for an upcoming sailing of Norwegian Star. Times in several port destinations have been adjusted, and an extra port of call has been added to the sailing to give guests a new spot to explore during the one-way cruise.

Norwegian Star Itinerary Change

Guests setting sail on the March 3, 2024 departure of Norwegian Star – a 14-night one-way South America and Falkland Islands cruise – now have multiple itinerary changes compared to their original cruise schedule.

Norwegian Cruise Line has notified guests of the changes, which include time adjustments for four different ports of call as well as a new destination added to the itinerary.

The four adjusted ports of call are as follows:

• Monday, March 4 – Montevideo, Uruguay – Now departing at 4 p.m. instead of 3:30 p.m. (+30 minutes)
• Wednesday, March 6 – Puerto Madryn, Argentina – Now 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. instead of 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (-60 minutes)
• Friday, March 8 – Stanley, Falkland Islands – Now 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. instead of 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. (+30 minutes)
• Monday, March 11 – Punta Arenas, Chile – Now 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. instead of 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (-180 minutes)

In total, guests are losing three hours of port time across the four adjusted ports. On this port-intensive itinerary, four other ports of call are not adjusted at this time, and these changes are not too dramatic.

Norwegian Star will also be adding a new port to the itinerary, however. Instead of spending Wednesday, March 13, as a day at sea, the ship will be visiting Laguna San Rafael in Chile from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., adding 10 additional hours of time with spectacular glacier viewing and other amazing natural scenery.

At this time, no other ports of call have been adjusted, and Norwegian Star‘s initial departure from Buenos Aires, Argentina and her arrival to San Antonio, Chile are not impacted.

Shore Excursions Also Adjusted

Because of the multiple time changes for various ports, any impacted shore excursions booked through Norwegian Cruise Line will be automatically adjusted and guests do not need to take any action to protect their tour reservations.

If passengers have made independent arrangements, however, they will need to contact their tour operators to see about adjustment options or cancellations if necessary.

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Because Laguna San Rafael is a new port on the itinerary, shore excursions for that destination will be available from January 23, 2024 through guests’ cruise line accounts or by contacting the cruise line. Norwegian Cruise Line does alert travelers that they will not be permitted to go ashore without a tour at this new destination, however.

“Please note, guests will not be able to go ashore independently in Laguna San Rafael,” the notification stated.

Because the new destination is a national park, special permits and admission fees may be necessary for travelers to go ashore, which would be included in any shore excursion options but may not be available individually.

Why the Changes?

The notification to guests did not provide details for the itinerary adjustments, only that they were being made for fuel efficiency.

“We are committed to providing the best vacations at sea and have been working tirelessly to continue to elevate the quality of our offerings and overall guest experience while driving a positive impact on society and the environment,” the email notification explained. “As we optimize itineraries for fuel efficiencies, we have modified Norwegian Star’s itinerary.”

Norwegian Cruise Line regularly makes relatively minor changes to itineraries all over the world to maximize fuel efficiency, including on the February 4, 2024 departure for Norwegian Star.

By adjusting times in port, the ship can sail at lower speeds or maneuver more efficiently in tricky sailing regions, which can improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions. In turn, this protects local environments to keep them more pristine and enjoyable for all visitors.

The 91,740-gross-ton Norwegian Star can welcome 2,348 passengers for each sailing, and also has just over 1,000 international crew members onboard. The March 4 departure is the ship’s next-to-last sailing from Buenos Aires before she will reposition to Europe for the summer sailing season.