Norwegian Getaway Re-routed Away From Hurricane-Affected Destinations

Norwegian Cruise Line is changing the route of the Norwegian Getaway. From mid-April through September, the ship will sail a western Caribbean itinerary instead of an eastern route. Most travel partners have been notified of the change, a cruise line representative tells Travel Agent, and guests will be notified within the next couple of days. The cruise ship is currently homeported in Miami.

The new, seven-day western Caribbean itinerary will call at Roatan in Honduras; Harvest Caye in Belize; and Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico. The previous, seven-day eastern Caribbean route would have called at St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands; Tortola in the British Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas.

St. Thomas and Tortola were among the destinations hard-hit by last year’s Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. Immediately following the storms, Norwegian and many other cruise lines modified cruise routes to focus on the western Caribbean, which had emerged from the storms with little to no damage.

“While we are disappointed to learn that the getaway will be repositioned, we know it’s based on demand,” Beverly Nicholson-Doty, commissioner of tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands, tells Travel Agent. “We continue to put the word out on our recovery efforts and updates so the cruise industry has the ability to enhance itineraries to the USVI.

“We know that a good cruise itinerary isn’t just made of one destination, so we are really hoping to see our Caribbean neighbors like the British Virgin Islands and St. Maarten also continuing their recovery efforts so we can have a strong 2018-2019 season,” Nicholson-Doty says. 

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