Norwegian Cancels Months of Alaska Season for One Ship

Norwegian Cruise Line has reached out to booked guests and affiliated travel partners to notify them that nearly all of Norwegian Spirit‘s 2024 Alaska sailing season has been cancelled for a full ship charter.

A total of 12 7-night sailings are impacted, which amounts to all of the ship’s regular Alaska season, with only longer cruises left open for bookings.

Norwegian Spirit Booked for Months of Charter Sailings

In an email sent to booked guests and travel partners, Norwegian Cruise Line has announced the cancellation of most of Norwegian Spirit‘s 2024 Alaska cruise season.

“As a result of a full ship charter, Norwegian Spirit’s sailings from July 3, 2024 through and including September 18, 2024 have been canceled,” the email read.

These cancellations include all of the ship’s planned 7-night sailings for Alaska in 2024, both northbound and southbound itineraries. In total, 12 cruises are impacted.

The email does not indicate what company may be arranging so many charter sailings, but Norwegian Cruise Line works with a wide variety of businesses to offer full-ship charters.

One of the cruise line’s most prominent charter partners is Sixthman, which arranges music festivals on cruise ships as well as land-based resorts. In the past 20 years, Sixthman has arranged more than 130 music festivals at sea, bringing unique bands, artists, athletes, comedians, and other performers together with fans for unforgettable getaways.

It is also possible that more than one company is involved in the unprecedented number of charter sailings that are removing Norwegian Spirit from public booking for nearly three months.

It is important to note that because these are charter sailings, the ship is not being removed from service and will continue to host guests, but those bookings must go through the appropriate charter arrangements rather than directly through Norwegian Cruise Line.

Generous Compensation Offered

These cancellations will impact more than 24,000 guests, as Norwegian Spirit can welcome 2,032 guests when booked at double occupancy. It is common for Alaska sailings to be family cruises booked over 100% with 3-4 guests per cabin.

To compensate guests whose cruises are now cancelled, Norwegian Cruise Line is offering generous compensation with multiple credits available.

First, all impacted guests will automatically receive a full refund of the fare paid, returned to the original form of payment. If the cruise fare was paid with a future cruise credit (FCC), that credit will be returned to the guest’s Latitudes loyalty account.

Second, guests have the option to take advantage of a 50% discount for select 2023 Alaska sailings, which will be issued as a new FCC and may be applied for either Norwegian Jewel sailings (May 22, 2023 through and including September 25, 2023) or Norwegian Spirit sailings (May 24, 2023, though and including August 23, 2023).

Finally, all guests will also receive a 10% FCC for any future voyage from May 22, 2023 through December 31, 2024, on any ship cruising to any destination. The 10% discount cannot be combined with the 50% 2023 Alaska discount offer.

“We sincerely appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you aboard very soon,” the email concluded.

Alternative Options

While it will be disappointing to many guests to have their Alaska cruises cancelled, by notifying impacted travelers more than 13 months in advance, there is plenty of time to make different arrangements for an amazing cruise to the Last Frontier.

Guests could take advantage of the 50% discount to sail on Norwegian Spirit this year, if they are able to accelerate their travel plans, or they could enjoy the slightly larger Norwegian Jewel for a 2023 Alaska cruise.

The 10% discount could also be applied to other Norwegian cruise ships in Alaska for 2023: Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss, and Norwegian Sun.

If guests would still prefer to set sail in 2024, Norwegian Spirit will be offering longer itineraries that do visit Alaska that summer. The April 22 and May 8 departures are both 16-night sailings that include not only top Alaskan ports of call, but also Hawaiian destinations – an amazing combination for an unforgettable itinerary.

Similarly, the June 17, 2024 Norwegian Spirit cruise sails from Honolulu to Vancouver, visiting the Hawaiian ports of Kauai, Maui, and Hilo before sailing to Alaska to visit Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan.

At the end of the 2024 Alaska season, Norwegian Spirit will offer one final Alaska-to-Hawaii cruise of the year, departing on September 25 for a 16-night cruise from Vancouver to Honolulu.

In addition to the remaining Norwegian Spirit 2024 Alaska cruises, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Jewel, and Norwegian Sun will again be deployed to the region next year, offering a wide range of itineraries and departure dates to choose from for any guests interested in sailing Alaska.