Boston to Bermuda in 2008, which ship

[gomeztravel]

isi it true that the Majesty won't be going to Bermuda in 2008? Does anyone know when NCL will post the schedule for Bermuda Sept 2008? thanks:o

[Don Haynes]

There have been a lot of speculation, but no official confirmation as yet. The itineraries should be up within a month or so. Hang in and be patient.

[Leafpeeper]

I have been hoping that NCL Dawn would come to Boston to replace Majesty in 2008. We wanted to book this ship for our 40th anniversary. I don't like old ships like Majesty, so I may have to do a week on Martha's Vineyard so somewhere else if Majesty lingers one more year.

 

I don't understand why NCL can't rotate cruises departing from either Boston or NYC. NCL Gem is stopping in Boston for a 2 night cruise to nowhere in December. Why couldn't they have offered a cruise to the caribbean and then docked in NYC on the way back.

 

I can understand wanting a ship based in NYC. I just don't understand why they can't offer a couple carribean cruises out of Boston. We have already booked RCCL Jewel out of Boston to the caribbean in Oct 2008.

 

I know people who have booked RCCL 2009 cruises. I don't see why NCL is taking so long announcing cruises in May or June 2008.

[Don Haynes]

All of the cruise lines, especially the smaller ones, earn their most profits during the summer, and hold their cards close to their vests. You don't expect NCL will post first do you? Royal Caribbean has not posted all of theirs. Of all the cruise lines, only Carnival has posted all of theirs. Think March for Carnival, think the whole month of April for Royal Caribbean, and think mid April to mid May for NCL.

 

While NCL's Alaskan itineraries had no major changes, this week NCL's European itineraries have been a shock. I suspect outside of the Pride of Hawaii becoming the Norwegian Jade and being deployed away from Hawaii, the other two ships should not have a major change. This leaves the Caribbean and Bermuda cruises left to be posted for the summer of 2008. Maybe NCL will have all of them posted by the end of April. I don't recall NCL having done so in the last three years.

 

Just because one cruise line has their itineraries posted for next year, doesn't mean every other cruise lines have to.....

[electricron]

I have been hoping that NCL Dawn would come to Boston to replace Majesty in 2008.

 

I don't understand why NCL can't rotate cruises departing from either Boston or NYC. NCL Gem is stopping in Boston for a 2 night cruise to nowhere in December. Why couldn't they have offered a cruise to the caribbean and then docked in NYC on the way back.

 

I can understand wanting a ship based in NYC. I just don't understand why they can't offer a couple carribean cruises out of Boston.

 

NCL can offer Eastern Caribbean cruises from Boston. But they can't rotate them from one American home port to another. That would violate the Passenger Service Act.

They could rotate American home ports only if the International flag ship sails to a DISTANT foreign port. For a Caribbean cruise, the closest DISTANT foreign port is in Aruba, which basically is just shy to sailing to South America. Likewise, for the Canadian maritime provinces, the closest DISTANT foreign port is Greenland or Iceland. For an Alaskan cruise, the closest DISTANT foreign port is in Russia. For a Mexician Riveria cruise, I believe the closest DISTANT foreign port is in El Salvador, the only Central American country that doesn't border the Caribbean Sea. But it could be Columbia, depending upon whether Central America is considered North America or not.

Other North American coutries, countries in the Caribbean Sea, and Bermuda are considered NEARBY foreign ports. An International flag cruise ship has to return to the same home port it left. That's the reason all Panama Canal repostioning cruises between America's East and West Coasts stop in Aruba or Columbia. They HAVE to.

The only way NCL can sail the Dawn to the Caribbean rotating home ports between Boston and New York is if they sailed Southern Caribbean cruises that included Aruba on the cruise, in reality a repositioning cruise. It would take at least a 14 days to cruise that far south and return. Possibly longer.

[Leafpeeper]

I am still confused about all the regulations. My prior post did seem a bit whiny. Sorry. I suppose it's the let down that Dawn may be going to NYC instead of Boston as I had hoped. Maybe there's an even better ship coming to Boston in 2009.

 

I just saw that Pride of Hawaii is being renamed Norwegian Jade and will be doing a British Isles (Ireland/Scotland) Northern Europe itinerary that I may want to try if we don't sail to Bermuda in 2008. That itinerary will be announced next week.

 

I do prefer sailing NCL, but at least we have the opportunity to sail RCCL's Jewel of the Seas next year from Boston to Aruba in 2008. Now I must wait for NCL's announcement for Boston cruisers. I'll be reading the boards to see what happens. It is great to have all these choices. It wasn't too many years ago that cruising was just a summer event in the northeast.

[electricron]

I am still confused about all the regulations. My prior post did seem a bit whiny. Sorry. I suppose it's the let down that Dawn may be going to NYC instead of Boston as I had hoped. Maybe there's an even better ship coming to Boston in 2009.

 

I just saw that Pride of Hawaii is being renamed Norwegian Jade and will be doing a British Isles (Ireland/Scotland) Northern Europe itinerary that I may want to try if we don't sail to Bermuda in 2008. That itinerary will be announced next week.

 

I do prefer sailing NCL, but at least we have the opportunity to sail RCCL's Jewel of the Seas next year from Boston to Aruba in 2008. Now I must wait for NCL's announcement for Boston cruisers. I'll be reading the boards to see what happens. It is great to have all these choices. It wasn't too many years ago that cruising was just a summer event in the northeast.

 

It's possible NCL will have one Boston sailing via Aruba to New York, like RCI. Aruba is a DISTANT foreign port. Or possibly, a London to Boston TransAtlantic?

But it appears likely that the Majesty will be sailing to Bermuda from Boston in 2008. In 2009, a different ship may.