Norwegian Cruise Line cancels Norwegian Sky Red Sea itineraries for 2024

Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled several cruises aboard Norwegian Sky in late 2024 due to the ongoing security concerns in the Red Sea.

Norwegian Sky was due to sail a repositioning cruise from the Western Mediterranean to Mauritius on November 4^th, November 20^th, and December 4^th, 2024, with the ship offering various ports of embarkation.

Ranging from 15 to 16 nights, the one-way cruises were set to sail from the Western Mediterranean to Mauritius via the Suez Canal, the Middle East, the Red Sea and the East Coast of Africa.

Those cruises have now been cancelled as the cruise line will instead be sailing Norwegian Sky around the tip of southern Africa without passengers, avoiding the Suez Canal and Red Sea.

Houthi militia in Yemen have been attacking international shipping with drones and cruise missiles in the Red Sea, prompting all major cruise lines to avoid the region.

“We have been monitoring the situation,” the company said in a statement sent to guests booked on one of the affected sailings. “Despite our best hopes that it would de-escalate, we have made the decision to alter the published itineraries scheduled to transit through the region.”

“With this in mind, we have made the decision to cancel Norwegian Sky’s voyage in order to reroute her around Africa and accommodate her redeployment,” the statement added.

Passengers are being offered full monetary refunds, in addition to a ten percent discount in the form of a Future Cruise Credit (FCC), which can be used towards any published sailing through December 31st, 2025.

The cancellations have not affected Norwegian Sky’s itineraries scheduled to depart after December 19th, 2024, including her grand voyage from Mauritius to Singapore and her itineraries in and around Southeast Asia.

Further Norwegian Sky itineraries may be impacted though, as the ship is due to return to Europe in early May 2025, via a repositioning cruise through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

On March 29^th, 2024, Norwegian Sky is due to sail a 14-night voyage from Singapore to Doha in Qatar, and then cruise from Dubai to Athens on April 19^th, with the 16-night voyage visiting Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Muscat and Aqaba (the gateway to the Lost City of Petra).