Two Cruises Cancelled for Norwegian Ship, Including Transatlantic

Norwegian Cruise Line has reached out to travel partners and booked guests to notify them that two sailings aboard Norwegian Joy have been cancelled due to a planned revitalization for the vessel.

Both cancelled cruises are in February 2024, and guests are being compensated for the change in plans.

Norwegian Joy Cruises Cancelled Due to Revitalization

Two Norwegian Joy sailings have been cancelled, and travel partners and impacted guests are being notified via email about the change.

“As part of our commitment to continuously offer extraordinary vacation experiences around the world for our guests, and to uphold a consistent world-class product across our fleet, Norwegian Joy will be undergoing a revitalization in early 2024,” the email states.

“In order to complete these enhancements, Norwegian Joy’s sailings on February 5, 2024 and February 17, 2024, have been canceled.”

The February 5, 2024 sailing was to have been a 12-night transatlantic sailing bringing Norwegian Joy from Southampton to Miami, calling on Le Havre (Paris), France; Vigo, Spain; and Ponda Delgada in the Azores along the way.

The second cancelled cruise, The February 17 departure, was a 7-night roundtrip sailing from Miami, visiting Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.

Norwegian Joy is already planned to be out of service for most of January 2024 for her revitalization. The two additional cancelled cruises may indicate that more work will be done on the ship than originally planned, or there may be delays with supplies or labor at the shipyard.

By cancelling the cruises nine months in advance, Norwegian Cruise Line is giving booked guests ample time to adjust their vacation plans and book another cruise of their choice, without too much difficulty in rearranging airfare, hotels, or other travel arrangements.

Refunds and Other Compensation Offered

Full refunds for the cancelled cruises will automatically be paid back to the original form of payment for all guests. Processing may take up to 30 days, however, and depending on each individual’s bank or card policies, refunds may not appear for 7-10 business days after processing.

If guests used a future cruise credit (FCC) to book either of the now-cancelled cruises, that FCC will automatically be returned to each individual’s Latitudes loyalty account with Norwegian Cruise Line.

As further compensation for missing out on the cruises, guests are also being given a future cruise discount of 10%, which can be applied to any Norwegian Cruise Line sailing through December 31, 2024. These new FCCs will appear in travelers’ accounts by May 15, 2023.

Read Also: Norwegian Cruise Line Makes Changes to Loyalty Program

It is unclear as to whether or not the new discount FCC will be calculated as 10% of the cruise fare paid for the cancelled sailing, or 10% off the fare price of the future cruise.

In either case, it is a generous offer for a cruise cancelled so far in advance, when travelers are already receiving full refunds. “We sincerely appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you aboard very soon,” the email concluded.

Newer Class Vessels

The Breakaway-plus class Norwegian Joy is one of the cruise line’s newer vessels, having debuted in 2017. While she has undergone periodic small renovations as all cruise ships do for deep cleaning and general maintenance, the 2024 upgrade will be her first significant revitalization.

Norwegian Cruise Line has not released details about what enhancements may be coming to the ship, but public spaces are likely to be refreshed as well as technical updates completed. New venues may also be introduced or existing venues significantly upgraded.

The 167,725-gross-ton ship features 20 decks and a wide variety of amenities, including a 2-story go-kart track, an expanded casino space, laser tag, the luxurious Mandara Spa, generous retail space, and delicious dining options, including Teppanyaki, the American Diner, Cagney’s Steakhouse, and more.

Norwegian Joy can welcome 3,883 guests onboard for each sailing, with 1,700 international crew members to deliver amazing service in Norwegian’s characteristic freestyle experience.

After the revitalization, Norwegian Joy is scheduled to offer a short series of 7-night sailings from Miami before repositioning to New York in April 2024, when the ship will begin offering Bermuda cruises.