In a significant schedule shake-up, Norwegian Cruise Line has announced the cancellation of more than four months¡¯ worth of sailings for two of its ships, the Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Breakaway, as part of what it¡¯s calling a ¡°fleet redeployment¡± for the 2026 season.
According to USA Today, the Prima and Breakaway will effectively trade places starting late 2026. The Norwegian Prima, which currently sails from New Orleans, will instead take over Breakaway¡¯s Southern Caribbean voyages from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, the Breakaway will move to the Western Caribbean itinerary originally assigned to Prima, departing from New Orleans.
The affected sailings cover a substantial stretch:
- Norwegian Prima: All cruises from November 15, 2026, through March 28, 2027
- Norwegian Breakaway: All cruises from November 8, 2026, through March 28, 2027
The company shared the news in letters sent to affected passengers and travel partners, acknowledging the inconvenience. ¡°As passionate cruisers ourselves, we know this wasn¡¯t part of your plan, and we truly apologize for any disruption or disappointment this has caused,¡± the letter, dated July 7, read. ¡°We want to assure you that we¡¯re here to make this process as smooth as possible.¡±
Travelers with existing reservations aboard the canceled cruises won¡¯t be left high and dry. Norwegian says it will issue full refunds for affected bookings and throw in a 10% future cruise credit as a goodwill gesture. However, the original itineraries will still be available on the swapped ships, and Norwegian plans to reopen bookings for those sailings starting August 8, 2025.
Still, not all guests may be thrilled with the change of equipment. The Norwegian Prima is a newer vessel, having debuted in 2022 as the lead ship in a modern class. By comparison, the Norwegian Breakaway, launched in 2013, is part of an older generation of vessels. For passengers who had chosen Prima for its fresh amenities and contemporary design, the switch may come as a letdown.
Although cruise cancellations like this are not particularly common, they do occur for various operational reasons, such as private charters or ship maintenance that requires dry docking. In this case, it¡¯s unclear why the decision was made to swap the two ships¡¯ itineraries. The Breakaway has a somewhat higher guest capacity than the Prima, so perhaps this is related to the demonstrated demand for each itinerary.
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