Norwegian Redeploys Four Ships for 2025-26: Focus Shifts to North America

November 26, 2024 Randy Young

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced major changes to its 2025-26 deployments, affecting four ships and over 50 sailings. The redeployment plan sees a significant shift in focus back to the Caribbean and North America, with a range of new itineraries replacing the canceled voyages. Here’s everything you need to know about which cruises were affected and what’s coming next.

Norwegian Star: South America to the Bahamas and Southern Caribbean

Originally scheduled for a winter season in South America and Antarctica, the Norwegian Star is being reassigned to the Bahamas and Southern Caribbean. Cruises scheduled from November 20, 2025, to April 14, 2026, are affected by this change. While a new homeport has not yet been announced, we know the Star will also offer trans-Atlantic crossings to and from Europe.

Norwegian Dawn: Exotic Africa Replaced by Western Caribbean

The Norwegian Dawn was initially set for an exotic winter season in Africa and the Indian Ocean but will now offer cruises in the Western Caribbean. All itineraries between November 2, 2025, and April 12, 2026, have been canceled as part of this shift. The new North American homeport has yet to be confirmed.

Norwegian Jewel: Moving From Tampa to Miami

The Norwegian Jewel was originally scheduled to sail from Tampa with Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. Now, the Jewel will operate out of Miami. From November 23, 2025, to April 16, 2026, it will offer cruises to the Bahamas, Southern Caribbean, and Panama Canal. This move shows an increased focus on Miami operations; Norwegian will have 8 ships sailing out of the port during that time.

Norwegian Jade: Heading West to the Mexican Riviera

Originally planned to offer Caribbean and Panama Canal itineraries from Miami and Panama City, the Norwegian Jade will now reposition to the West Coast. From San Diego, the ship will sail to the Mexican Riviera. This move gives Norwegian Cruise Line a greater presence on the West Coast, something other cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival have focused on over the past couple of years. This change affects sailings from October 18, 2025, to February 16, 2026.

What Does This Mean for Cruisers?

Thankfully, since the impacted cruises are more than a year out, booked guests have plenty of time to figure out what they want to do. Norwegian Cruise Line will provide a full refund for the cruise fare already paid, plus a 10% future cruise credit for the inconvenience. This credit can be used for these new sailings or any other cruise by Norwegian Cruise Line.

Bookings for these new itineraries open on November 29, 2024.

Norwegian’s Strategic Shift

Previously, Norwegian offered some unique and exotic itineraries on these smaller ships. This redeployment signals a renewed focus on North America and the Caribbean for the 2025-26 seasons. This move was alluded to in investor calls as the Caribbean and North American market is very strong, and with limited ship capacity, moving these ships to the area is more profitable.