summer 2019 British Isles or Iceland cruises?

[cmh]

I also simply don't get why NCL simply does not release NCL Spirit's itineraries on time but so much delayed - they were announced for mid of January and soon we have mid of April!

 

But now that NCL Spirit appears on more and more Northern Europe port schedules for 2019, I think and hope her itineraries will be released soon.

Maybe NCL still needs to bargain which ports of call they could visit because compared to other cruise lines, NCL is quite late with the itinerary release for Northern Europe - so maybe some ports are fully booked now.

Further maybe NCL is not sure whether Spirit is only sailing from Southampton (this port was mentioned in the press release) or if there are also some sailings from Hamburg - we will see.

I too am interested in this itinerary. I will be on the Sky to Cuba on Monday and will check with the future cruise desk to see if they have any updated info.

[bmwman]

More and more information can be found for the Spirit in 2019.

 

She will arrive in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands ***** June 10th 2019, July 3th 2019, September 11th 2019 and September 22nd 2019.

 

Check the bookings - The Spirit is unlikely to be doing the UK cruises. Less than 12 months out and still not on sale. There is nothing for the Spirit beyond March 2019. People want to book flights for those overseas at the earliest time and for early April it is now passed (355 days). I think all these bookings are looking provisional by NCL.

 

I suspect the new brochure may not have Spirit in!

[littlelulu01]

Check the bookings - The Spirit is unlikely to be doing the UK cruises. Less than 12 months out and still not on sale. There is nothing for the Spirit beyond March 2019. People want to book flights for those overseas at the earliest time and for early April it is now passed (355 days). I think all these bookings are looking provisional by NCL.

 

I suspect the new brochure may not have Spirit in!

The Sun is also not available for bookings from March. Also Jewel, Jade, Sky and Pearl have no bookings available from November onwards.

 

Last big redeployment was announced in August, 2015 and affected many sailings from early 2016 onwards. There was a lot of backlash. Perhaps another big redeployment is in the works and this time around they’re not selling cruises on sailings until they get schedules finalized. It’s late in comparison to other lines but they seemed to sell the redeployment sailings with very little lead time in some cases. Sales on those new itineraries didn’t start till late August, 2015 for 2016 onward.

 

I suspect a ship will be based in Southampton for 2019 season and the reason why it’s not for sale yet hinges on a switch up of some sort.

[bmwman]

The Sun is also not available for bookings from March. Also Jewel, Jade, Sky and Pearl have no bookings available from November onwards.

 

Last big redeployment was announced in August, 2015 and affected many sailings from early 2016 onwards. There was a lot of backlash. Perhaps another big redeployment is in the works and this time around they’re not selling cruises on sailings until they get schedules finalized. It’s late in comparison to other lines but they seemed to sell the redeployment sailings with very little lead time in some cases. Sales on those new itineraries didn’t start till late August, 2015 for 2016 onward.

 

I suspect a ship will be based in Southampton for 2019 season and the reason why it’s not for sale yet hinges on a switch up of some sort.

 

Yes there is a major redployment in the offing due to new management in Europe.... Some surprises are on the way and I do not think UK customers are going to be in the forefront of NCL plans

[KeithJenner]

and I do not think UK customers are going to be in the forefront of NCL plans

 

 

I tend to agree.

 

I think that offering Southampton itineraries has an attraction to NCL as it opens up their cruises to that group of U.K. cruisers who don’t like to fly.

 

However (massive generalisation warning) a lot of that group of customers tend to be rather traditional in their views, and are not comfortable with freestyle. Every night on the Jade last year we sat at the bar and watched the rush from the theatre to the MDR. I know that happens on most cruises to an extent, but this was a torrent. From talking to other people, we found that there were many people who were trying NCL our as they were in Southampton, but weren’t converted. Many just didn’t seem able to handle freestyle.

 

It wouldn’t surprise me (nor would it bother me) if they pull out of Southampton.

 

I would, however, mention that recently on the Spirit, I was very much struck by the number of British people who I spoke to that were new to NCL, having typically been RCL or P&O customers, who loved the Spirit. Maybe they will get a better reaction if they do sail the Spirit out of Southampton.

 

Obviously, all of this is based on conversations with probably about a dozen people in total, so any conclusions I draw need to be taken with a shovel full of salt.

 

 

 

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[bmwman]

I tend to agree.

 

I think that offering Southampton itineraries has an attraction to NCL as it opens up their cruises to that group of U.K. cruisers who don’t like to fly.

 

However (massive generalisation warning) a lot of that group of customers tend to be rather traditional in their views, and are not comfortable with freestyle. Every night on the Jade last year we sat at the bar and watched the rush from the theatre to the MDR. I know that happens on most cruises to an extent, but this was a torrent. From talking to other people, we found that there were many people who were trying NCL our as they were in Southampton, but weren’t converted. Many just didn’t seem able to handle freestyle.

 

It wouldn’t surprise me (nor would it bother me) if they pull out of Southampton.

 

I would, however, mention that recently on the Spirit, I was very much struck by the number of British people who I spoke to that were new to NCL, having typically been RCL or P&O customers, who loved the Spirit. Maybe they will get a better reaction if they do sail the Spirit out of Southampton.

 

Obviously, all of this is based on conversations with probably about a dozen people in total, so any conclusions I draw need to be taken with a shovel full of salt.

 

 

 

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Keith is as incisive as ever. Yes I think from my own conversions on the Spirit and friends your comments are well founded. But the Spirit is not traditional Freestyle and this may explain why it is more popular than the Jade.

 

Your experience on the Jade was the same as ours. The other issue is NCL pricing is now so far out of line with others it is I think not the first choice of agents. This means selling is harder and they simply have decided to can the Southampton cruises. Like you not bothered but would like to do BCN to Southampton if it were possible.

[Ulsteinvik]

Norwegian Spirit is booked in Copenhagen on 7 and 27 August 2019. It looks like there will be 2-3 baltic cruises.

[heatherbelle]

Still no news:mad:

[bmwman]

Still no news:mad:

 

I am sure NCL will announce soon

[waterbabies7415]

Here it is February and for summer 2019 Europe cruises there are still only Med, Greek, and Baltic cruises available. I am beginning to wonder if NCL will be offering British Isles or Scotland/Iceland cruises next summer? The Spirit isn't listed yet so we know it would be on her, but this is taking so long for them to figure out. I have a backup Princess cruise but would really like to see what will be available on the Spirit. Do any NCL people (there are some here on CC) have any idea of when these itineraries will be released, or if they are going to send the Spirit somewhere else entirely?

I've been waiting and waiting and finally gave up and booked an 11 day Med! But what I really want is the British Isles/Ireland/Scotland -why so long?

[heatherbelle]

I messaged them yesterday through Facebook.

 

They replied that sailings on the Spirit are still being finalised and will be available soon. I have messaged back to ask how long is soon!

[blitheone]

Okay, Norwegian, I know you're monitoring these boards (or so I was told at a Meet and Greet)...finish with the finalizing, thankyouverymuch!!!!! I'd prefer to sail NCL but need to set plans soon.

[shipfriend_max]

I messaged them yesterday through Facebook.

 

 

 

They replied that sailings on the Spirit are still being finalised and will be available soon. I have messaged back to ask how long is soon!

 

 

 

Okay, thank you! This would mean 4 months later than officially announced and promised in the press release, NCL is getting more and more unreliable.

 

She is listed at Amsterdam, Ijmuiden, Shetland Islands and Reykjavik several times in 2019.

 

But guys, why are you waiting for NCL? Compared to their main competitors like Princess, RCI, HAL and P&O (British market, I know) NCL cannot beat them in terms of quality and value for money. And for what NCL offers, the prices they charge are too high.

 

 

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[Steff79]

She is listed at Amsterdam, Ijmuiden, Shetland Islands and Reykjavik several times in 2019.

 

and Kopenhagen and Warnemünde.

 

I wait for NCL, i want to know if they are with tthe spirit at the hamburg cruise days.

[rlj1973]

I called Norwegian today to ask about the Spirit and about missing dates in the schedules for the Getaway and the Jade. I was told to check back in "several months." Several months! I'm not sure which is worse -- waiting that long for the information or -- more likely -- Norwegian doing such an abysmal job of keeping its customer service staff informed that they give incorrect information to long-time NCL customers like me.

[bmwman]

I called Norwegian today to ask about the Spirit and about missing dates in the schedules for the Getaway and the Jade. I was told to check back in "several months." Several months! I'm not sure which is worse -- waiting that long for the information or -- more likely -- Norwegian doing such an abysmal job of keeping its customer service staff informed that they give incorrect information to long-time NCL customers like me.

 

 

Its like the writer who asked on FB a waste of time and the reply would be a standard reply. Why they think it is accurate I do not know. FB replies are issued by the same customer service staff! However it will be soon as the booking cycle is now in place. Look it is simple and obvious as the dates get closer it will be announced. We can all guess but only NCL planners know the answer. So my guess is some time soon,

[blitheone]

I was stymied by the response I just got from NCL, via Facebook. It was friendly and upbeat and prompt, but I wonder if they even read my inquiry. Yes, it's generally a violation of netiquette to post correspondence, but when it's business, the rules are different. So, here's the exchange:

 

Good Morning! My husband and I are about to become Platinum Plus and would like to celebrate it in 2019 on a Norwegian Fjords or British Isles/Iceland cruise. However, despite hearing rumors about the 2019 ports, nothing has shown up on NCL's site yet. We really would prefer sailing Norwegian but want to book soon. When might we see a finalized schedule?

Thanks!

 

"Thank you so much Janet for considering cruising with us! We would love to help you with finding the perfect cruise. If you send us your phone number, we can have someone call you and help you through your booking. You can also visit ncl.com, call 1.866.425.9133 or contact your travel agent! Let us know if you have any questions

 

 

My question was about when they were finalizing the 2019 schedule, which as of today, t'ain't ready.... Still, the response was pleasant :)

[chriswg]

She is listed at ... and Reykjavik several times in 2019.

 

What dates is she going to be in Reykjavik?

[heatherbelle]

The positive out of the delay could be that they will have to lower prices to fill the ship, in particular for April sailings and the later end of the year. We can live in hope;).

 

Lots of people will already have booked elsewhere and if they have booked with a UK TA, they would have to forfeit their deposit if they cancelled and switched back to NCL.

 

I only have a choice of MSC and 1 very expensive (wish it was cheaper) Princess cruise to tie in with Easter school holiday dates.

[rocklinmom]

FYI Princess just started their Landmark Sale today (May 1st) and it includes their 2019 British Isles cruises. I got mine rebooked at the same price and added $800 in OBC. Those still waiting for NCL might want to check them out under this new promo.

[KeithJenner]

Elsewhere in this forum, someone has just started a thread saying that their cruise on the Spirit (March 28th-April 7th), which is the last one currently listed, has been changed and now ends in Rome rather than Barcelona.

 

I don’t know whether this indicates that things are happening with the Spirit itineraries. It is still listed on the U.K. site as ending in Barcelona.

 

It seems a rather odd change to make, I must say.

 

 

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[dub237]

So I am sure spirit will not do Uk cruise for summer 2019

 

 

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[KeithJenner]

Apparently that itinerary has been changed back to Barcelona now.

 

Not sure what is happening, but it may be worth keeping an eye on the site in the coming days in case they are doing something.

 

 

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[KeithJenner]

So I am sure spirit will not do Uk cruise for summer 2019

 

 

Why do you say that? Do you have any info?

 

 

 

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[Steff79]

keeping an eye everyday, let´s go NCL

 

Spirit is coming to North Europe because of all the port announcements the last weeks i think.