Norwegian Cruise Line Removes Months of Spirit Sailings

Norwegian Cruise Line has reached out to guests booked on many different sailings for Norwegian Spirit in 2024 and 2025 to let them know their cruises have been cancelled.

Different guests have reported months of cancelled bookings, which leaves the ship’s deployment plans in question for the next two years.

2024 Norwegian Spirit Cancellations

Just one month ago, Norwegian Cruise Line announced the cancellation of several months of Alaska sailings for Norwegian Spirit. The 12 total sailings represented nearly all of the ship’s 2024 Alaska sailing season, and the changes were made due to a full ship charter for all of those sailings.

Now, even more 2024 cruises have been cancelled for the newly renovated ship. Guests booked on sailings from May 8 through June 17, 2024 have been informed of cancellations of all cruises in that five-week window.

Norwegian Cruise Line said in a letter: “As a company, we are committed to providing exceptional vacation experiences, both aboard our ships and by taking our guests to some of the most sought-out destinations around the world. As a result of a fleet redeployment, Norwegian Spirit’s sailings from May 8, 2024, through and including June 17, 2024, have been canceled.”

This includes four separate, unique sailings that would have brought the ship from Vancouver to Honolulu, then on to Papeete, Tahiti, then return sailings back to Honolulu and back to Vancouver. The two Vancouver/Honolulu sailings were 12 nights each, while the two Honolulu/Papeete sailings were each 16 nights.

Guests on any of these cruises are being refunded 100% of the fare paid, to be returned to the original form of payment. These refunds will process automatically but may take several weeks, depending on each guest’s financial institution.

Impacted travelers are also receiving a 20% discount as a future cruise credit (FCC) toward any alternative Norwegian Spirit cruise from June 23, 2023 through and including April 22, 2024.

Read Also: Norwegian Cancels Full Season of Calls to Alaskan Port

Finally, an additional 10% discount FCC is being offered for any Norwegian Cruise Line sailing on any vessel from June 23, 2023, through December 31, 2024. This 10% discount cannot be combined with the 20% discount specifically for Norwegian Spirit sailings.

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

2025 Norwegian Spirit Cancellations

In addition to the months of 2024 cancellations, Norwegian Cruise Line has also reached out to guests booked for Norwegian Spirit sailings from February 8 through November 23, 2025, to inform them that all of those cruises – more than nine months’ worth of sailings – are also cancelled.

These were to have included 21 different cruises, including 12-, 13-, 14-, and 15-night sailings in Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, and Hawaii.

Guests impacted by the 2025 cancellations will receive similar compensation as for the 2024 cancelled cruises: a 100% refund of the fare paid, a 20% FCC discount for select Norwegian Spirit sailings (June 23, 2023, through, and including April 22, 2024), and a 10% discount FCC for any other published sailing from June 23, 2023 through and including December 31, 2025, not combinable with the Norwegian Spirit discount.

Why So Many Cancellations?

No detailed explanation has been given as to why dozens of cruises have been cancelled for Norwegian Spirit in recent weeks. Each email has only stated that the changes are “a result of fleet redeployment” though no new itineraries for the ship have yet been announced.

The Leo-class vessel is the oldest in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet, having debuted in 1998, but only recently received a $100 million (USD) bow-to-stern refurbishment.

This massive investment to upgrade and renovate the ship does not indicate that selling the vessel may be imminent, and it is instead likely that new itineraries will be announced shortly and Norwegian Spirit will instead be sailing in different regions than initially planned.