Goodbye Alaska, hello Cuba and Bahamas
Norwegian Cruise Line (cruise. center/norwegian) is shuffling the deck on its 2018 deployments, and there are some exciting developments in store for folks who are planning a cruise to Alaska, the Caribbean and Cuba.
Right now, Norwegian has its 2,004-guest Norwegian Sky operating short, all-inclusive cruises to Havana, Cuba, out of Miami. Norwegian took the unusual step of making all alcoholic beverages aboard Norwegian Sky complimentary back in 2016, and the decision has proven to be popular on the ship’s quick runs to the Bahamas, as well as its recently inaugurated sailings to Cuba.
Now, Norwegian has announced it will send Norwegian Sky’s sister ship, Norwegian Sun, on short cruises to Cuba in 2018. She’ll make her home in Port Canaveral, Fla., near Orlando, and will operate fourday cruises to Havana and Key West, along with short three-day cruises to the Bahamas.
Rather than sailing to Alaska as originally planned, Norwegian Sun will go into dry dock in Victoria in April 2018 for a two-anda-half-week-long refit. There, she’ll receive a stem-to-stern refresh as part of the cruise line’s new Norwegian Edge program, which aims to add some of the bells and whistles found aboard Norwegian’s newest ships to its older, but no less loved, vessels.
Like Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Sun’s new Cuba and Bahamas sailings out of Port Canaveral will also feature unlimited complimentary beverages included in the cost of the cruise. She’ll make her way down to the Caribbean on April 19, 2018, on a unique 17-day Panama Canal transit that starts in Seattle.
“Our all-inclusive model aboard Norwegian Sky has been very well-received and as we evaluated the opportunity to expand upon that concept, we felt that Port Canaveral was the ideal location to offer our guests a value-rich on-board experience and exciting action-packed ports of call, including an overnight call in Havana,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive of Norwegian Cruise Line.
Norwegian Sun’s new voyages to Cuba will include a port call in Key West, Fla., as well as an overnight stay in Havana. The ship will dock in the centre of Old Havana — recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, where guests can go ashore to take part in authentically Cuban experiences. The ship’s three-day sailings to the Bahamas call on Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island.
Because Norwegian Sun will be leaving Alaska (and Vancouver) next year, the newer, larger Norwegian Jewel will reposition north to take her place. Launched in 2005, the 2,376-guest Norwegian Jewel is a great ship to experience Alaska on, with plenty of open deck space and public rooms with vast swaths of floorto-ceiling windows.
Norwegian Jewel will sail two basic itineraries to Alaska: weeklong round trips from Vancouver that call on Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan; or seven-day voyages between Vancouver and Seward, with stops along the way in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Glacier Bay National Park. Southbound cruises (Seward to Vancouver) will substitute Icy Strait Point for Glacier Bay.
Both itineraries will include scenic cruising by Hubbard Glacier.
Elsewhere, Norwegian just took the wraps off its 2017-18 Meet the Winemaker cruises. Exclusively available aboard select Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Dawn sailings, guests will have the opportunity to engage with famous winemakers from around the world. Each voyage will feature tasting opportunities, seminars and open-forum Q&A sessions that are held in the ship’s atrium. The open forums and meet-andgreet opportunities are complimentary and are open to all guests, while tastings will start at US$19.95 per person.
Winemakers featured on board Norwegian Escape include Bill Whiting, director of wine education at Banfi Vintners (Nov. 4); television chef Aarón Sánchez (Dec. 2); Gerard Bertrand, renowned vintner of LanguedocRoussillon (Feb. 17, 2018); and fashion designer and winemaker Salvatore Ferragamo (March 2018). Michael Mondavi, founder of the Michael Mondavi Family Estate, sails aboard Norwegian Dawn’s Sept. 22 cruise to New England and the Canadian Maritimes, round trip from Boston.
Happy cruising.