Norwegian Cruise Line said the Norwegian Escape voyage that
departed Miami on Sept. 2 will be cut from seven to five days so that the ship
can return to Miami early, ahead of Hurricane Irma.
Norwegian also changed the itinerary of the Sept. 4 cruise
to Cuba on Norwegian Sky, cutting its length from four days to three.
The departures scheduled for Sept. 8 for the Sky and Sept. 9
for the Escape have been canceled. Guests will receive a full refund and a 50%
future cruise credit.
On its current cruise, the Escape's scheduled port calls in
Costa Maya on Wednesday and Cozumel on Thursday have been scrubbed.
The Escape is expected to arrive in Miami in the afternoon
on Thursday, Sept. 7, and fly-in guests are urged to stay on the ship for a
sailing out to sea on Thursday evening, away from the storm. The cruise line
said it did not know how long the ship would be at sea.
Norwegian said South Florida residents who drove to Miami's
port or those who have travel plans already confirmed that will return them
safely home by Friday afternoon may disembark the ship on Thursday.
All guests will get a refund for the missed days of their
cruise, along with a 25% future cruise credit of the cruise fare paid towards a
future sailing. Guests who need to make changes to any flights will be
reimbursed for any change fees up to $300 per person.
The Norwegian Sky's scheduled stop at Great Stirrup Cay on Sept.
7 has been canceled. The ship will sail for Miami following its departure from
Havana on Sept. 6. The same compensation terms for the Escape apply to the Sky.