Tag Archives: transatlantic crossing

A Look at the Maiden Season of the Norwegian Aura

Posted on by
Reply

A Look at the Maiden Season of the Norwegian Aura

Set to become the largest ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet, the Norwegian Aura will offer cruises in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean starting in mid-2027.

Cruise Industry News takes a closer look at the inaugural deployment of the new vessel, which is currently being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy.

Inaugural Cruise in the Mediterranean
Dates: May 21, 2027
Length: 7 nights
Homeports: Trieste (Italy) to Barcelona (Spain)
Itinerary: Valletta (Malta); Salerno and Civitavecchia (Italy)

The Norwegian Aura will make its debut in the Mediterranean as part of a seven-night cruise departing from the Italian port of Trieste.

Sailing to Barcelona, the open-jaw itinerary features visits to destinations in Italy, Spain and Malta, such as Valletta, Salerno and Civitavecchia.

First Trans-Atlantic Crossing
Date: May 28, 2027
Length: 13 nights
Homeports: Barcelona (Spain) to Miami (United States)
Itinerary: Gibraltar (United Kingdom); Motril and Cádiz (Spain)

Following its inaugural cruise in the Mediterranean, the Norwegian Aura kicks off a trans-Atlantic cruise to Miami.

The 13-night cruise sails to three ports before crossing the Atlantic: Cádiz, Motril and Gibraltar. The itinerary also includes eight days of cruising.

U.S. Debut
Date: June 14, 2027
Length: 5 nights
Homeport: Miami (United States)
Itinerary: Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic); and Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas)

For its U.S. debut, the Prima Plus-class ship offers a short cruise to the Bahamas and the Caribbean sailing from PortMiami.

In addition to a day at sea, the five-night itinerary features visits to Puerto Plata and Norwegian’s private island destination of Great Stirrup Cay.

Eastern Caribbean
Date: Weekly departures starting on June 19, 2027
Length: 8 nights
Homeport: Miami (United States)
Itinerary: Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic); St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands); Tortola (British Virgin Islands); Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas)

After its first short cruise, the Norwegian Aura kicks off a series of regular seven-night cruises to the Eastern Caribbean for the summer of 2027.

Sailing from PortMiami every Saturday, the ship offers an itinerary that features visits to Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, Tortola and Great Stirrup Cay.

Western Caribbean
Date: Weekly departures starting on October 30, 2027
Length: 7 nights
Homeport: Miami (United States)
Itinerary: Roatán (Honduras); Harvest Caye (Belize); Costa Maya and Cozumel (Mexico)

The new ship will move to the Western Caribbean for the 2027-28 season, offering weeklong cruises to the region starting in late October.

Also sailing from Miami, the itineraries include visits to Honduras, Belize and Mexico with planned stops at Roatán, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya and Cozumel.

A Look at Norwegian Viva’s Maiden Season

Posted on by
Reply

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 Group’s Executives Get a Preview of Silver Nova

Posted on by
Reply

Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty, Chairman Richard Fain and Silversea’s President Barbara Muckermann enjoyed an exclusive preview of the Silver Nova.

Royal Caribbean Group’s executives were welcomed by Meyer Werft Managing Directors Jan and Bernard Meyer and enjoyed a detailed tour of the ship. 

“Innovation drives our mission to provide the best vacations, responsibly, and Silver Nova embodies this commitment in every way. This stunning ship revolutionizes ultra-luxury cruising and represents an important step on our sustainability journey,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. “I would like to officially thank and congratulate the Meyer family, and the talented teams at Meyer Werft, Royal Caribbean Group, and Silversea for pushing industry boundaries to create such a pioneering ship.”

 “Silver Nova embodies the vision of our brand and the evolution of our fleet, demonstrating the extent to which our guests are benefitting from our brand being part of Royal Caribbean Group,” said Barbara Muckermann, president of Silversea. “Silver Nova introduces an industry-leading approach to sustainability, an unprecedented openness to the world, and an entirely new take on luxury at sea. She is a beauty and I can’t wait to personally greet our guests on board, introducing them to the future of ultra-luxury cruise travel.”

The Silver Nova will set sail on its maiden voyage on August 14, sailing roundtrip from Fusina (Venice). After a series of Mediterranean cruises, the new ship will cross the Atlantic to the United States of America to offer Caribbean and Central America voyages.

On January 4, 2024, the Silver Nova will depart on the 71-day Grand Voyage South America.