While Norwegian Cruise Line, along with other major cruise operators, has paused US operations through February and Australian operations to an as yet to be revealed time, according to a report in Cruise Industry news, a European restart could be coming in the near future with multiple megaships already back in the region and cruising for other brands.
The Norwegian Dawn and Spirit have been repositioned to Bar City in Montenegro where both ships pictured in port on December 5 awaiting further instructions.
The Norwegian Dawn recently joined Norwegian Spirit in Montenegro and according to a report from Crew Center, hundreds of crew members have been flown in with 275 Filipino crew recently joining the Norwegian Spirit, putting the ship well above minimum manning levels, with estimates of around 350 to 400 crew on the ship, with the majority of the new crew added to the ship said to be hotel staff.
The same Crew Center report cited a letter sent to senior officers indicating a European restart could be first.
So, where could Norwegian deploy in Europe on short notice?
AIDA and TUI are sailing in the Canary Islands, where Norwegian has had a presence over the years.
MSC and Costa are operating in Italy, which could be poised to absorb additional capacity.
Companies have also run winter programs in the Adriatic, and a winter deployment, on short notice, in the Middle East, could be the most realistic close-in option for ships positioned in the Eastern Mediterranean.
We shall have to wait and see!
An edited report from Cruise Industry News by John Alwyn-Jones
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