Norwegian Cruise Line informed booked guests of itinerary changes for the upcoming cruises onboard the Pride of America.
Sailing inter-island cruises in Hawaii, the U.S.-flagged vessel will see its visits to Kahului replaced by overnight stays at Hilo.
The change is related to the wildfires that are currently affecting Maui and impacts all cruises set to depart through August 26, 2023.
“We are deeply saddened to hear about the wildfires currently impacting the town of Lahaina in Maui,” Norwegian Cruise Line said in a prepared statement.
“We have a very special relationship with the people and islands of Hawaii, as we sail to the beautiful state year-round. It is a magical destination and one that is highly sought out by our guests for its natural beauty, culture and unparalleled experiences,” Norwegian continued noting that the “safety and security of guests and crew” remains a top priority.
As a result, the company decided to replace the visit to Maui with an overnight call to Hilo. The decision aims to avoid stressing out local resources in the region, Norwegian added.
With the change, Pride of America’s revised itinerary will also include scenic cruising past the Napali Coast, as well as an additional overnight in Nawiliwili, Kauai.
The adjusted itinerary was created in hopes of “continuing to provide the best opportunity to explore the beauty and natural wonder of the Hawaiian Islands, Norwegian Cruise Line said.
The shore excursions booked through NCL for Kahului will be automatically cancelled, the company added, with a full monetary refund of the fare paid set to be returned to the original form of payment used at the time of the reservation.
Sailing roundtrip from Honolulu, Pride of America’s regular seven-night cruise in Hawaii also includes visits to Kona.
The Norwegian Viva is readying to enter revenue service for Norwegian Cruise Line.
During its first year in service, the newbuild is set to offer a series of cruises in the Mediterranean, in addition to a trans-Atlantic crossing to North America and different itineraries in the Caribbean.
Cruise Industry News highlights some of the itineraries of the ship’s inaugural season.
Maiden Cruise Date: August 10, 2023 Length: Nine nights Homeports: Trieste (Italy) to Lisbon (Portugal) Complete Itinerary: Split (Croatia); Salerno, Civitavecchia and Livorno (Italy); Cannes (France); and Ibiza (Spain)
After leaving the building-dock in Italy, the Norwegian Viva is set to offer a maiden cruise that sails between the Eastern and the Western Mediterranean.
The one-way itinerary departs from Trieste and visits several destinations in Italy, France and Spain before arriving in Lisbon. In addition to the Portuguese capital city, the nine-night cruise is highlighted by visits to Salerno, on Italy’s Southern Coast, and to Cannes, in the French Riviera.
Greek Islands and Italy Date: September 13, 2023 Length: Ten nights Homeports: Piraeus (Greece) to Civitavecchia (Italy) Complete Itinerary: Istanbul (Turkey); Santorini, Mykonos and Katakolon (Greece); Catania, Naples and Livorno (Italy); and Villefranche (France)
Viva’s program in the Mediterranean also includes several cruises to the Greek Islands and Italy. This ten-night itinerary sets sail in mid-September and features visits to some of the most popular destinations in the region, including Mykonos, Santorini, Naples and Istanbul.
Sailing one way between Piraeus and Civitavecchia, the cruise also pays visits to less usual ports of call, including Catania and Villefranche.
Adriatic and Sicily Date: October 10, 2023 Length: Nine nights Homeports: Civitavecchia to Trieste (Italy) Complete Itinerary: Naples, Palermo and Messina (Italy); Valletta (Malta); Corfu (Greece); Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar (Croatia)
In October, the Norwegian Viva sails to the Aegean, the Adriatic and Ionian seas with this nine-night cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean.
After departing from Civitavecchia, the port for the Italian capital city Rome, the vessel is scheduled to visit Naples, Palermo and Messina, in Italy; as well as Valletta, in Malta; Corfu, in Greece; and Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar, in Croatia.
First Transatlantic Crossing Date: November 16, 2023 Length: 11 nights Homeports: Lisbon (Portugal) to Miami (United States) Complete Itinerary: Ponta Delgada (Azores); St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands); and Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic)
After completing its maiden season in Europe, the Norwegian Viva offers an 11-night repositioning cruise to North America.
Sailing between Lisbon and Miami, the transatlantic crossing features visits to three ports in Portugal, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic: Ponta Delgada, St. Thomas and Puerto Plata. The cruise also includes a total of eight full days at sea.
Southern Caribbean Date: December 15, 2023 Length: Seven nights Homeport: San Juan (Puerto Rico) Complete Itinerary: Tortola (British Virgin Islands); St. John’s (Antigua); Castries (St. Lucia); Bridgetown (Barbados); Philipsburg (St. Maarten); and St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands)
After a few itineraries departing from Miami, the Norwegian Viva is set to arrive at its winter homeport in December. Sailing from Puerto Rico during the entire 2023-24 season, the vessel is scheduled to offer a series of seven- to nine-night cruises to the Southern and Eastern Caribbean.
The first cruise from San Juan, for instance, sails for seven-night and features visits to Tortola, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados. St. Maarten and St. Thomas.
Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line are taking different business approaches when it comes to Caribbean deployment.
Caribbean itineraries will make up roughly 65 per cent of Royal Caribbean’s deployment this year, compared to approximately 33 per cent for Norwegian Cruise Line, according to the 2023 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.
Next year those numbers should climb for Royal Caribbean, which will put the Icon of the Seas in the year-round Caribbean market, sailing week-long cruises from Miami in January. That will be followed by the Utopia of the Seas, which will sail short voyages year-round from Port Canaveral, with the Miami-based cruise line betting big on the Caribbean cruise market, including the short cruise business.
“Utopia will be the first Oasis-class ship that will be entirely focused on short cruises in the Caribbean, supporting our strategy of competing with land-based vacation alternatives and driving new-to-cruise customers into our vacation ecosystem as we seek to close the value gap,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, on the company’s second-quarter earnings call in July.
Norwegian Cruise Line has taken the opposite approach.
Norwegian’s short cruise portfolio, which account for 25 per cent of its deployment in 2019, will make up just seven per cent of cruises in 2023, according to the company’s second-quarter earnings presentation.
It also means Caribbean deployment is down some nine per cent this year when compared to 2023.
“We strategically shifted our deployment to longer, more immersive itineraries at the Norwegian Cruise Line brand and increased our concentration of premium destinations while reducing our Caribbean deployment,” said Harry Sommer, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, speaking on the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
“This was designed to attract a higher quality guest and maximize our competitive position.”
CFO Mark Kempa noted: “This is really about yield and EBITDA where we believe being in more premium itineraries that are booked further in advance, giving us a much longer booking curve and a more stable and predictable demand profile, which allows us to manage demand, manage our marketing a little bit more effectively and not rely so much on close-in, unstable and unpredictable demand is really key to our success.”
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