Thursday, December 14, 2023
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), renowned for pioneering global cruise travel with a history spanning 57 years of pushing boundaries, has unveiled its new set of voyages for the fall and winter of 2025/26.
Building on the recent surge in demand for cruising, the company reported robust sales in November, a clear reflection of the ongoing enthusiasm for cruise vacations. David J. Herrera, the president of Norwegian Cruise Line, expressed, “Our guests have made their preferences known! The substantial number of bookings this past month bodes well for the upcoming wave season in the new year, when many of our guests traditionally choose to book their cruises with us. In recent years, we’ve expanded our offerings to include more diverse and extended itineraries, and this positive trend indicates that our guests are truly pleased with what we provide and are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to explore the world with us. Our new 2025 and 2026 itineraries will offer them even more of what they desire, presenting ample opportunities to enjoy their dream vacation while visiting their desired destinations aboard any NCL vessel.”
NCL offers an extensive array of sailings, encompassing 450 destinations worldwide, featuring exotic and port-rich itineraries in regions like Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean. These thoughtfully curated voyages spotlight the most popular and highly rated ports, catering to guest satisfaction and introducing travelers to hidden gems. NCL’s itineraries deliver the ultimate cruise experience, allowing passengers to immerse themselves in each destination and wake up in a new and captivating location nearly every day.
The new season of sailings introduces several ships making their debut in new locations, such as the Norwegian Sun venturing to new ports in Asia, including Kyoto (Kobe), Japan; the brand-new Norwegian Viva setting up its homeport in Galveston, Texas for a series of Caribbean voyages, and much more.
Here are some of the highlights from the new deployment:
ASIA: Norwegian Sun’s Asian season commences on November 3, 2025, with an 11-day open-jaw sailing from Tokyo to Incheon, South Korea, featuring first-time visits to Jeju (Jeju Island), South Korea, and Kyoto (Kobe), Japan. Subsequent voyages offer similar itineraries, including stops in Nagoya and Osaka. From December 2025 through March 2026, Norwegian Sun will provide a selection of 11- to 15-day cruises through Southeast Asia, with various embarkation ports including Singapore, Laem Chabang, Thailand, and Keelung, Taiwan.
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND: Norwegian Spirit offers open-jaw sailings between Sydney, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand, from December 2025 to March 2026. These voyages range from 11 to 14 days, calling at guest-favorite ports like Melbourne, Australia, and Napier and Dunedin, New Zealand. Some sailings include visits to the magnificent New Zealand fjords, including Doubtful Sound, Milford Sound, and Dusky Sound.
AFRICA: Norwegian Dawn’s Africa sailings, starting in November 2025 and running through March 2026, feature multiple embarkation ports, including Cape Town, South Africa; Port Louis, Mauritius; and Doha, Qatar. The season begins with a 21-day repositioning cruise from Barcelona, Spain, to Cape Town, South Africa, stopping at sought-after destinations like Santa Maria, Cape Verde, Casablanca, Morocco, and Agadir, Morocco. Due to popular demand for open-jaw voyages starting and ending in Cape Town and Port Louis, NCL offers four 12-day sailings, including visits to Antsiranana and Nosy Be, Madagascar, and an overnight stay in Richard’s Bay, South Africa.
THE CARIBBEAN: Norwegian Viva will homeport in Galveston, Texas, for the first time from December 2025 to April 2026, offering seven-day roundtrip Western Caribbean itineraries. Additionally, Norwegian Prima will commence its inaugural season in Galveston on December 15, 2023. Norwegian Viva’s winter season includes a 14-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary with visits to George Town, Cayman Islands (a first-time visit for the ship), and NCL’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, among other exciting destinations.
Between November 2025 and April 2026, Norwegian Escape will homeport in New Orleans, becoming the first Breakaway-Plus class ship to do so, offering seven-day roundtrip Western Caribbean voyages. The ship also provides two 14-day Southern Caribbean cruises, introducing guests to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, Colon, Panama, and Cartagena, Colombia, for the first time.
Norwegian Sky will homeport for a second season in La Romana, Dominican Republic, offering a selection of seven, nine, and 12-day roundtrip Southern Caribbean itineraries from December 2025 to April 2026, including picturesque ports like Oranjestad, Aruba, Kralendijk, Bonaire, and Willemstad, Curaçao, among others. One of the nine-day sailings on January 5, 2026, will mark Norwegian Sky’s debut in Cabo Rojo, offering guests a beautiful beach escape.
Sailings in the Caribbean region provide travelers worldwide with an opportunity to explore these bucket-list destinations, as most visitors to the Dominican Republic do not require a visa to enter the country.
SOUTH AMERICA: The South America itineraries commence with a transatlantic crossing from Lisbon, Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 20, 2025, including stops in Portugal, Cape Verde, and various cities in Brazil. Norwegian Star embarks on a 17-day cruise from Rio de Janeiro on December 4, 2025, visiting ports in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, and culminating with a visit to Antarctica for passengers to appreciate the views and wildlife from their balcony or the ship’s top deck. The journey concludes in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From December 21, 2025, to February 15, 2026, guests can embark on 14-day roundtrip sailings from Buenos Aires to experience Paradise Bay and Elephant Island in Antarctica. These sailings also include stops in Montevideo, Uruguay, Puerto Madryn, and Ushuaia, Argentina, Punta Arenas, Chile, and Stanley, Falkland Islands.
PANAMA CANAL: Norwegian Jade will offer 11 to 17-day cruises through the Panama Canal from October 2025 to April 2026, providing guests with a highly sought-after bucket-list experience. The itineraries offer multiple embarkation and disembarkation ports, including Miami, New York City, Tampa, Florida, and for the first time, Callao, Peru, where guests can conveniently plan extended stays before or after their cruise.
A unique open-jaw 17-day Panama Canal voyage on Norwegian Jade, departing from Callao, Peru, on March 11, 2026, takes guests up the west coast of South America and Central America, visiting Acajutla, El Salvador, Huatulco, and Manzanillo, Mexico (a first-time visit for the ship), and concluding with a return to the beloved port of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for the first
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