Norwegian Cruise Line is cancelling Norwegian Epic’s upcoming winter schedule in Europe.
Maintaining the company’s year-round presence in the region, the 4,200-guest ship was set to offer a program in the Mediterranean and the Canaries.
According to a letter sent to booked guests, all sailings previously scheduled to depart between December 1, 2023 and April 9, 2024 will no longer go ahead.
The cancellations are part of a fleet redeployment initiative, Norwegian Cruise Line explained in the statement.
“As a company, we are committed to providing exceptional vacation experiences, both aboard our ships and by taking guests to some of the most sought-after destinations around the world,” the company added.
Affected guests will automatically receive a full monetary refund of the fare paid to the form of payment provided at the time of the reservation.
Reservations paid via Future Cruise Credit (FCC) will see 100 percent of the FCC automatically reapplied to the guests’ Latitudes Account.
Calling it a “token of appreciation,” Norwegian is also offering a 20 percent discount in the form of an FCC to be applied towards any of the company’s published European sailings through April 30, 2024.
In addition, all guests are also receiving a ten percent discount in the form of an FCC for another future voyage. The credit may be applied towards any Norwegian sailing departing through December 31, 2024.
The discounts will be available to use through June 1, 2023, and are not combinable.
With the Epic now sailing elsewhere, Norwegian Cruise Line appears to be returning to seasonal operations in Europe.
In 2023, a total of nine ships are set to operate an extended program in the region that stretches through December.
Norwegian is now set to kick off its 2024 program in Europe in April, with nine ships sailing in both the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
The changes to Epic’s winter program comes just days after the cancellation of most of Norwegian Spirit’s summer program in Alaska.
As a result of a full ship charter, Norwegian cancelled all of the vessel’s sailings scheduled to depart between July 3, 2024 and September 18, 2024.
