How Will NCL Breakaway Replace/Change the March 2025 Cruise to Barcelona?

[RWK1952]

Notice just received that the NCL Breakaway 10 day cruise from Southampton to Barcelona, departing March 28, 2025, has been cancelled due to scheduled dock renovations in March now due to be completed ahead of schedule.

 

Supposedly, we will know the exact rescheduled cruise specifics, and be able to rebook, beginning on May 20^th.  The notice I received indicated that the cruise would likely be a 14 day cruise, instead of a 10 day.  That makes sense if the renovations will be completed earlier than expected.

 

In the meantime, what do you suppose might happen?  Since no other Breakaway 2025 cruises have been cancelled to my knowledge, it makes sense to me that the basic one-way itinerary ending in Barcelona on April 7, 2025 will remain unchanged.  It would seem likely that they will just be adjusting the initial part of the itinerary.

 

What changes do you think might happen?

 

I certainly hope that the basic one-way cruise to Barcelona remains intact. I have found no other cruise line with a comparable itinerary in 2025, or certainly with a comparable price, sailing one-way to Barcelona.  The closest I have found is the cruise leaving in May 2025 on the Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas.

 

I priced that RC cruise out.  That is an 8 day cruise, and the base price for those 8 days on Brilliance of the Seas, is somewhat more than for what a comparable cabin would have been on the Breakaway for a 10 day cruise.

 

My total fare on the 10 day Breakaway cruise that I had previously booked, also included their Free at Sea package for soft drinks, non-premium alcohol, basic internet, a $50 day per port shore excursion credit, and 2 specialty dinings.  In addition, I added 2 more specialty dinings. prepaid gratuities and Priority Access.  Whereas the RC comparable cabin price did not include ANY of those extras.  Add those RC packages in and the total 8 day cruise on RC would have been close to $2000 or more than the NCL 10 day cruise.

 

I am hoping that if they just add 4 more days to the NCL Breakaway cruise, especially since they are offering a 10% credit to people who were booked on the cancelled cruise, I’m guessing a 14 day cruise on NCL might still be less than that RC 8 day cruise, in addition to having more varied shore excursion options.

 

Here is what I am hoping the NCL Breakaway changes may include. 

 

·        Still leaving from Southampton, just 4 days earlier.  I have found airfare from Boston to Southampton to have significantly less expensive options for Premium Economy seating than for itineraries leaving FROM other U.S. cities, or TO other major European cities.  Check out Virgin Airlines flying from Boston Logan to Heathrow if you have not done so already.

 

·        One additional port stop in France.  The old itinerary had only one stop in Le Havre (Paris).  Bordeaux France has some identified shore excursions.

 

·        One or two port stops in northern Spain.  The old itinerary originally had only one stop in Vigo Spain, but that port was eliminated even before the cruise itself was cancelled.  A Coruna and Bilbao Spain each have some identified NCL shore excursions.

 

·        One additional port stop in Portugal.  The old itinerary only included one stop in Lisbon.  Perhaps add Oporto or Portimao Portugal.  Both of those have identified NCL shore excursions.

 

·        A port stop in Agadir, Morocco.  This would be a personal favorite for me since I would not at all mind adding a stop in Morocco.  Agadir has some identified NCL shore excursions.  Since the cruise already passes through the Strait of Gibraltar, this is not all that far out of the way – certainly only a night of cruising. 

 

Between all of the suggestions I have listed above, they could easily be added to a new, longer itinerary for this NCL cruise.  As noted above, there are many existing NCL shore excursions available for those possible port stops.

 

What other suggestions might you have?

Edited May 3 by RWK1952

[Asawi]

Maybe they'll add an overnight in Le Havre to give people a better chance of going to Paris.