Norwegian Cruise Line is reaching out to guests booked on its Greek Isles cruise. They are alerting them to a change in itineraries that include shortened ports of call and the removal of Corfu from the schedule. All the impacted cruises are on board Norwegian Breakaway and are for the 2023 Mediterranean summer season.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s itinerary changes for Greek Isles cruises

Anyone who has booked a summer Greek Isles cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway may be affected by itinerary changes. In fact, Norwegian Cruise Line has sent an email to guests booked on 2023 sailings to advise schedule changes. Meanwhile, the changes included dropping Corfu Island as a port of call and replacing it with an alternative. Moreover, port times are being adjusted for two other ports.

In the email, the cruise line wrote:

We are committed to delivering exceptional vacation experiences around the world. While it is always our intention to maintain original itineraries, at times unforeseen circumstances require us to make modifications.

The cruise line’s email was addressed to affiliated travel partners to be shared with booked guests. Meanwhile, it notes three itinerary changes on the 10-night sailings. These include departures in August and September 2023.

However, the Norwegian Breakaway has a number of Greek Isles cruises starting from early May through early November. This means that multiple additional cruises may be impacted by the changes.

Corfu removed as a port of call

For each of the impacted sailings, Corfu has reportedly been removed as a port of call and replaced with an alternative port. Of the alternatives, one is Argostoli and another is Olympia, but there may be more alternatives depending on the exact sailing. Alternatively, guests may alternatively enjoy a day at sea instead.

Meanwhile, the itineraries for ports of call have also been altered, including time spent in certain ports. It seems not every sailing has been adjusted in the same way, and it seems that port time in Valletta is being adjusted, while time in Messina has been slightly extended.  Moreover, on some itineraries, time in Mykonos has also been extended slightly, while other itineraries may have similar changes.

How will this affect guests?

Tours for the canceled port of call will automatically be refunded and guests will soon be able to book excursions at the alternative port.

At this moment, the changes have only been confirmed for Norwegian Breakaway. However, guests should note that the Jewel-class ships – Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Gem – also offer Greek Isles cruises this summer. This means they may also be subject to itinerary changes, as plans continue to be adjusted.

Moreover, Norwegian Viva is also scheduled for Greek Isles sailings in September and may also be affected.

Guests should keep in touch with their cruise line

Whichever ship they are sailing on, or which destinations, guests should ensure they keep in close contact with their cruise line. This way, they can be updated about any itinerary changes or other changes that affect their cruise.

Why did Norwegian Cruise Line make the changes?

At this stage, no official reasoning has been given for the itinerary changes, other than “unforeseen circumstances.” However, it isn’t unusual for cruise lines to make changes to ports of call, even far ahead of a scheduled cruise.

Moreover, the changes may be related to other changes made by Norwegian Cruise Line in the Caribbean. For those sailings, port times were adjusted and ports of call removed for multiple ships to lessen carbon emissions and cruise in a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable way.

If readers feel they may be affected by the changes, they should contact their cruise line or travel agent for more information.