Norwegian Cruise Line Cancels Several Sailings, Some Into April, Due to Omicron Surge

On Wednesday, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that it has canceled a number of cruises through the spring. One ship, the Norwegian Getaway, had been scheduled to set sail from Miami on Wednesday for a nine-day cruise to the Caribbean.

The move is due to continued travel restrictions and for the health and safety of their guests, Norwegian said in a statement—something the company vowed to "never compromise on."

The following Norwegian cruises have been canceled:

• Norwegian Getaway cruise with embarkation date of January 5
• All Norwegian Pearl cruises with embarkation dates through and including January 14
• All Norwegian Sky cruises with embarkation dates through and including February 25
• All Pride of America cruises with embarkation dates through and including February 26
• All Norwegian Jade cruises with embarkation dates through and including March 3
• All Norwegian Star cruises with embarkation dates through and including March 19
• All Norwegian Sun cruises with embarkation dates through and including April 19
• All Norwegian Spirit cruises with embarkation dates through and including April 23

Those who had booked a voyage on one of these now-canceled cruises will be completely and automatically refunded and will also be provided with a certificate valid for a future cruise, according to the company.

In recent weeks, the United States has experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the country primarily due to the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning against traveling on cruise ships, moving their Travel Health Notice Level from three to four. The agency said the latest warning against vacationing on cruise ships came after an increase of COVID-19 cases on liners, and that even for travelers who may be vaccinated against the coronavirus, it's still possible to contract and pass it to fellow passengers.

Those who do decide to cruise are urged by the CDC to undergo a COVID test one to three days before their trip as well as testing themselves three to five days after their return.