Norwegian Sky drops Dubai call from final voyage before transfer to Cordelia Cruises

Dubai will no longer feature on Norwegian Sky’s farewell voyage after Norwegian Cruise Line revised the ship’s final itinerary ahead of its transfer to Cordelia Cruises.

Norwegian Cruise Line has removed Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha from the farewell voyage of Norwegian Sky, with the ship now set to end its final sailing for the company in Muscat instead.

The itinerary change affects the vessel’s repositioning cruise from Athens, which departs on September 9th, 2026, before the 1999-built ship is handed over to India’s Cordelia Cruises later this year.

Originally planned as a 21-night voyage ending in Dubai, the sailing has been shortened to 18 nights and will now conclude with an overnight stay in Muscat, Oman.

In a letter to booked guests, Norwegian said the decision was made in response to the evolving security situation in the Middle East.

“As the sailing approaches, we would like to share an important itinerary update,” the company said. “While the voyage is still several months away, we believe a proactive approach is appropriate given the evolving conditions in the Middle East.”

“As such, we are revising the voyage accordingly, and we will continue to monitor the situation for the safety and security of all onboard,” it added.

In addition to removing calls in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, the revised itinerary also avoids a transit through the Strait of Hormuz, where commercial shipping was disrupted during the regional conflict earlier this year.

The updated sailing will instead continue to Muscat after transiting the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, while retaining calls in Greece, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Ports still scheduled to be visited include Rhodes, Alexandria, Port Sokhna, Safaga, Sharm El Sheikh, Jeddah, and Aqaba.

Norwegian said guests will receive a refund equal to 15 per cent of their original cruise fare while retaining all existing promotional offers attached to their bookings.

Passengers will also receive a Future Cruise Credit worth 15 per cent of the original cruise fare, which can be redeemed on any published Norwegian Cruise Line sailing departing through December 31st, 2027.

“Additionally, in appreciation of your patience for this unfortunate event, we’re providing all guests with a 15 percent discount in the form of a Future Cruise Credit (FCC),” the company said.

Guests who prefer not to travel will be able to cancel their bookings for a full refund without penalty.

For passengers who have made independent travel arrangements, Norwegian said it will reimburse up to US$300 per person for eligible airline change or cancellation fees not covered by insurance or the airline.

Guests who booked flights or transfers through the cruise line will have those arrangements updated automatically.

Prepaid services, including beverage and internet packages, will be adjusted to reflect the shorter itinerary, while shore excursions booked for the cancelled ports will be refunded to the original form of payment.

The revised voyage marks Norwegian Sky’s final sailing for Norwegian Cruise Line before the ship joins Cordelia Cruises.

Following delivery, the vessel will be renamed Cordelia Sky and is scheduled to begin operations in India on October 23rd, 2026, offering short cruises from Mumbai, Goa, and Cochin before expanding into longer Southeast Asia itineraries during 2027.

Norwegian Sky was acquired by Cordelia Cruises in early 2025 as part of a deal that also included sister ship Norwegian Sun, which is scheduled to leave the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet following a repositioning voyage in 2027.