Norwegian Cancels Viva’s Inaugural Cruises

Norwegian Cruise Line is cancelling the first and second sailings of the new Norwegian Viva.

Citing construction delays, the company said the 3,215-guest ship won’t be ready in time for the cruises, which were set to depart on June 15 and June 24, 2023.

In a statement sent to booked guests, Norwegian informed that the cancellations were a result of “global supply chain constraints impacting industries worldwide and the related downstream construction delays at the shipyard.”

According to the company, impacted passengers will receive a full refund to the original form of payment, with no further actions required on their part.

“We are committed to always putting our guests first. This includes providing information regarding any changes to voyages with as much notice as possible,” Norwegian added.

Opening up the ship’s inaugural summer in the Mediterranean, the cancelled cruises included visits to several countries in Europe.

A one-way, nine-night voyage, the inaugural sailing was set to depart Portugal, calling in various destinations in Spain and France before arriving in Italy.

An open-jaw itinerary as well, the second cruise was set to sail between two Italian ports: Civitavecchia and Trieste.

The nine-night voyage also featured visits to other ports in the country, in addition to popular destinations in Croatia, Greece, Malta and Slovenia.

The Norwegian Viva is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. Second, in a series of six ships known as the Prima Class, the vessel will be a sister of the new Norwegian Prima.

Set to debut this year, the 142,000-ton vessel is also entering service later than initially planned due to supply chain issues. Norwegian informed guests booked on the ship’s inaugural voyage that their cruise was no longer going ahead.

Also being built in Marghera, the Prima was set to depart on August 17, 2022. Ahead of a christening ceremony in Reykjavik, the vessel was offering an eight-night cruise from the Netherlands to Iceland.

PRINCESS EXTENDS SAILING SUSPENSION UNTIL END OF MARCH

Princess Cruises has extended its suspension of global sailings until the end of March.

All cruises through to 31 March 2021 have been cancelled, while itineraries from US ports longer than seven days have been put on hold until 1 November.

Princess said the move would allow time for “completing required activities” in line with recommendations made by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) restart framework published earlier this month.

The line has also extended its pause in operations for cruises departing in and out of Japan through to 25 June 2021 due to “uncertainty about when international travel restrictions might be lifted”.

Guests currently booked on these cancelled voyages will have the option to receive a refundable future cruise credit equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare and an additional non-refundable bonus credit equal to 25% of the cruise fare.

Customers can alternatively request a full refund for all monies paid on their booking. Requests must be received by 31 December 2020 or guests will be registered for the future cruise credit option.

Princess president Jan Swartz said: “We are focused on preparing our ships to meet the CDC health and safety requirements for our eventual return to service.

“We also appreciate the continued support we have received from our guests, partners and travel advisors, reinforcing for all of us why we do what we do.”