Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled Norwegian Sky’s farewell cruise, the 19-night voyage from Athens to Muscat that was to have been her last sailing for the line.
The 9 September departure was to transit the Suez Canal and Red Sea, calling at Rhodes, Alexandria, Sharm El Sheikh, Jeddah and Aqaba on the way to Oman.
In a statement to booked guests, NCL cited security concerns in the Middle East and said “we no longer have the level of confidence needed” to deliver the voyage.
The second cut in a month
This sailing had already been trimmed once. In July, NCL cancelled its Arabian Gulf calls and shortened it from 21 nights ending in Dubai to 19 ending in Muscat, issuing affected guests a 15% future cruise credit.
Now the rest has gone too. The pattern will be familiar to anyone following the region: the waters between Suez and the Gulf have been off the map for mainstream cruising since the war with Iran began in February, and this cancellation extends that from the Gulf itself to the Red Sea route towards it.
What booked passengers get
A full refund of the fare to the original payment method.
On top, a future cruise credit worth 50% of the fare, added to the 15% already issued, so 65% in credit against any NCL sailing booked by the end of 2027.
Flights booked through NCL are cancelled and refunded automatically. Passengers who booked their own flights can claim up to $300 per person for airline change or cancellation fees not covered by the airline or their travel insurance. Receipts first, in other words, then NCL tops up.
A quiet end for a ship Britain just waved off
Norwegian Sky spent this summer on a farewell British Isles season, and this voyage was to be the full stop at the end of her 27 years with Norwegian.
Instead, the goodbye has already happened without anyone aboard knowing it at the time.
She is due to be handed over in October and will sail Chennai to Singapore weekly for Cordelia from June 2027, one of five ships leaving Norwegian’s brands by 2028. NCL has not said what she will do between now and the handover.
The bottom line
If you were booked, the refund is automatic and the 65% credit is the sweetener. The $300 flight cover is the bit to chase with paperwork, and it runs through the airline and your insurer first.
If you were hoping for a last look at her, that ship has sailed, in the most literal sense available.
The larger point is what this says about the map. When a line cancels a Suez transit outright rather than rerouting it, the eastern Mediterranean’s exit door is shut, and winter itineraries everywhere are being drawn around that fact.
