Norwegian Cancels All Viva Sailings From San Juan for 2028
Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that it’ll be canceling over 6 months of cruises scheduled to depart from San Juan in early 2028. During this time, the Norwegian Viva was scheduled to run 7-night sailings from the port to the Southern Caribbean.
Port Availability Issues Cited as the Reason
In a communication sent to affected guests and travel agents, Norwegian said the issue was “port availability.”
“While we try to maintain original itineraries as much as possible, at times modifications are made to optimize voyages due to changing port availability. As a result of port availability, Norwegian Viva’s sailings from January 2, 2028, through July 23, 2028, have been cancelled.”
What Happens If You Were Booked?
Guests who are booked on one of the canceled sailings will automatically receive a full refund to the original form of payment used for the booking. Refunds will begin processing within 30 days of the June 1, 2026, cancellation announcement. Guests who used Future Cruise Credits will have those refunded to their Latitudes Rewards account within days of the cancellation.
In addition to the full refund, Norwegian is offering impacted guests a 10% Future Cruise Credit that can be applied toward any published sailing through December 31, 2028. The credit becomes available beginning June 8, 2026.
For guests still wanting to sail from San Juan, the twin sister ship, the Norwegian Prima, is still sailing there from January to April 2028. It will offer similar destinations, including the British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Unfortunately, there are no similar options for those who booked cruises sailing from late April through July.
Big Impact on the Local Economy
It was big news when Norwegian first announced it would be porting two of its ships, Prima and Viva, out of San Juan in 2028. It would bring over 8,000 guests to the island each week, booking hotels, going to restaurants, and using local transportation. Now they will lose a significant amount of revenue. According to the W Journal, this could result in a loss of $17 million in travel revenue for the area.
Norwegian Viva Is Moving to Short Bahamas Sailings
While all the details haven’t been released yet, according to the letter sent to guests, the Viva will redeploy to Miami, where it will offer short Bahamas getaways. They will visit Norwegian’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay.
It’s in line with what leadership has said on investor earnings calls over the last few quarters. The company wants to focus on shorter Caribbean sailings and private destinations rather than longer cruises to more exotic ports of call.
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