New Itineraries And Safety Programs from Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line

New Itineraries And Safety Programs from Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line

September 27, 2020 ctn_admin

By Diane Tierney

Two major cruise lines are forging ahead with updates to their 2021 cruises and beyond.

Royal Caribbean updated their European and Caribbean cruises for summer 2021 with important changes based on guest feedback, while Norwegian Cruise Line opened up sales for their 2022/23 itineraries with exclusive early booking discounts and new itineraries.

The two cruise lines, who have been working together for the past four months to form the Healthy Sail Panel, also submitted 74 recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the public, showing that cruising can be safe in the current environment with a robust set of mandatory health protocols for both passengers and crew on board and ashore.

Harry Sommer, Norwegian’s president and CEO says, “As we all continue to daydream of our next cruise vacation, we are excited to open for sale new itineraries for those eager to visit a tropical destination or dive into cultural experiences. We are very hopeful we will resume operations soon but for now, new itineraries will allow travellers to start planning ahead for their next cruise vacation.”

Updates to Royal Caribbean 2021 summer cruises

Europe cruises

Adventure of the Seas will head to Barcelona to sail new 4- and 5-night Mediterranean itineraries to La Spezia and Rome, Italy; Ajaccio, Nice and Marseille, France; and Palma and Ibiza, Spain.
Jewel of the Seas will now sail from Copenhagen and Stockholm on 7-night cruises calling on northern Europe’s ports of Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; and Visby, Sweden.

Caribbean cruises

Independence of the Seas will now homeport in Miami for the summer and offer a combination of 6- and 8-night cruises to the southern and western Caribbean, visiting Aruba and Curacao.
Vision of the Seas sails from San Juan offering a new summer program that includes 7-night southern Caribbean itineraries to Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis; St. John’s, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; and Bridgetown, Barbados.
Brilliance of the Seas will stay in Tampa for the summer making it a new drive-to port, and sails 4-, 5- and 7-night cruises to the Caribbean.

Guests with confirmed bookings between April and November 2021 and whose cruises are affected by these changes will be notified directly and are covered by Royal Caribbean’s Cruise with Confidence program.

Royal Caribbean’s other summer 2021 cruises will sail as planned in the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe and Asia-Pacific such as:

In Europe, new ship Odyssey of the Seas will join Anthem and Harmony and make its debut in Rome to kick off its inaugural season.
Alaska will see the cruise line’s biggest season yet with four ships including the new Quantum of the Seas.
Newly revamped ships such as Mariner and Navigator of the Seas sail 3-night weekend and 4-night weekday itineraries to the Bahamas and private island Perfect Day at Coco Cay.

Oasis of the Seas cruises from the New York area for the first time and heads south.
In Asia, guests sail the region’s newest ship Spectrum of the Seas offering 4- and 5-night sailings from Shanghai and include visits to Japan.

Norwegian Cruise Lines winter 2022/23 voyages

Norwegian opened its winter 2022/23 worldwide voyages for sale on 13 of its 18 ships with exclusive limited time offers. Latitudes Members receive a limited time offer available on all ships and all destinations that includes 15% off cruise fares, plus Bonus Latitudes Points for Latitudes Members.

Also, for a limited time only, all guests can book all “Five Free at Sea” offers including Free Open Bar, Free Specialty Dining, Free Excursions, Free Wi-Fi and Free for Kids, worth about $2,900 U.S.

Norwegian cruise ships will be sailing these popular destinations:

Panama Canal cruises

From October 2022 to March 2023, Norwegian offers itineraries ranging from 8- to 21-day voyages traversing the Panama Canal on Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Joy.

Caribbean cruises

Caribbean cruises from Jan. 28, 2022 to May 17, 2023 include 5- to 14-day voyages across the eastern, western and southern Caribbean. The itineraries include calls to Harvest Caye, the line’s resort destination in Belize, as well as visits to its private island resort in the Bahamas called Great Stirrup Cay.

Ships sailing the Caribbean include Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Sky.

Mexican Riviera cruises

Sailing from the west coast between Los Angeles and San Diego, guests can soak up the beauty of the Mexican Riviera with a mix of 5-, 7- and 8-day roundtrip voyages between Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Jewel beginning Oct. 30, 2022 to April 16, 2023.

Bahamas cruises

From Dec. 23, 2022 through April 8, 2023, Norwegian Getaway will sail select 8-day cruises to the Bahamas and Florida from New York which will include calls to Port Canaveral, Fla. plus Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. Beginning Jan. 20, 2023 to May 29, 2023, Norwegian Sky sails 3- and 4-day roundtrip cruises from Miami, calling to Freeport, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay.

Bermuda cruises

In November 2022, Norwegian Joy offers guests a winter escape to Bermuda on 5- and 7-day roundtrip cruises from New York featuring overnight stays at the Royal Naval Dockyard. Norwegian Getaway also offers a selection of 5-night voyages in December 2022, February and March 2023.

Diane Tierney has sailed on 71 cruises to 46 countries. Follow her travels at https://www.instagram.com/cruiseguru/