Norwegian Sun accidents and incidents

November 2023Other Incidents

In late November 2023, NCL canceled a total of 22 voyages scheduled for Norwegian Sun in 2025 (March 28th through November 3rd).

Next are listed the canceled cruises as departure dates (in 2025), itinerary lengths and homeports.

1. (Mar 28) 15 days from Singapore to Doha Qatar
2. (Apr 12) 7 days from Doha to Dubai UAE
3. (Apr 19) 16 days from Dubai to Haifa Israel
4. (May 5) 11 days from Haifa to Istanbul Turkey
5. (May 16) 11 days from Istanbul to Civitavecchia-Rome Italy
6. (May 27) 9 days from Civitavecchia to Trieste Italy
7. (Jun 5) 9 days from Trieste to Istanbul
8. (Jun 14) 11 days from Istanbul to Civitavecchia-Rome
9. (Jun 25) 9 days from Civitavecchia-Rome to Lisbon Portugal
10. (Jul 4) 9 days from Lisbon to Le Havre-Paris
11. Jul 13) 10 days from Le Havre-Paris to Lisbon
12. (Jul 23) 11 days from Lisbon to Copenhagen Denmark
13. (Aug 3) 11 days from Copenhagen to Lisbon
14. (Aug 14) 9 days from Lisbon to Le Havre-Paris
15. (Aug 23) 10 days from Le Havre-Paris to Lisbon
16. (Sep 2) 10 days from Lisbon to Civitavecchia-Rome
17. (Sep 12) 10 days from Civitavecchia-Rome to Trieste
18. (Sep 22) 10 days from Trieste to Istanbul Trieste
19. (Oct 2) 12 days from Istanbul to Civitavecchia-Rome
20. (Oct 14) 9 days from Civitavecchia-Rome to Lisbon
21. (Oct 23) 11 days, roundtrip from Lisbon (Morocco and Azores)
22. (Nov 3) 9 days, roundtrip from Lisbon (Morocco and Canary Islands)

As a reason for the cancellations was cited "fleet redeployment".

24 April 2023Propulsion / Power Loss

On April 24, 2023, while at Port Cartagena (Colombia), the ship started to experience technical issues ("electrical difficulties") that resulted in power loss (outages) and a temporary failure of the air-conditioning system. The ship was mastered by Captain Maksym Kyselov.

The technicians' attempts to resolve the problems were unsuccessful and the ship remained docked overnight (from 10:10 on Apr 24 to 22:33 on Apr 25).

As a result, the Panama Canal transit was postponed (from Apr 25th to Apr 27th) and the scheduled stops in Costa Rica and Nicaragua were canceled.

The accident occurred at the beginning of the 20-day Panama Canal cruise/repositioning from Florida to Alaska (itinerary Apr 21 - May 11, from Miami to Seattle) with call ports in Colombia (Cartagena/Apr 24th/scheduled port stay 6 am - 2 pm), Costa Rica (Puerto Caldera-Puntarenas/Apr 27th/canceled), Nicaragua (San Juan del Sur-Granada City/Apr 28th/canceled), El Salvador (Acajutla/Apr 29), Guatemala (Puerto Quetzal/Apr 30), Mexico (Huatulco/May 1st, Acapulco/May 2nd, Manzanillo/May 3rd, Puerto Vallarta/May 4th, Cabo San Lucas/May 5th) and Canada (Victoria BC/May 10th).

25 June 2022Ship Collision / Allision

On June 25, 2022, while transiting toward Hubbard Glacier, due to dense fog the ship made contact with a growler/small low-lying iceberg. Because of the limited visibility, Norwegian Sun continued at reduced speed as a security measure.

NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line's official statement also added that the ship remained fully operational and is en route to Juneau for inspection and damage assessment. As result, the scheduled visit to Skagway was canceled.

The accident occurred during the 9-day Alaska Hubbard Glacier, Skagway and Juneau Cruise" (itinerary June 21-30, roundtrip from Seattle WA) with call ports Sitka (June 23), Hoonah-Icy Strait Point (24), Hubbard Glacier (25), Skagway (June 26, port stay 8 am - 8 pm/canceled), Juneau (27), Ketchikan (28) and Victoria BC Canada (29).

NCL subsequently canceled two Norwegian Sun cruises (departures June 30 and July 5, both Seattle roundtrips) to make time for the needed repairs.

• 5-day "Alaska - Ketchikan and Victoria" itinerary (June 30 -July 5), call ports Ketchikan and Victoria (BC Canada)
• 9-day "Alaska- Hubbard Glacier, Skagway and Juneau" itinerary (July 5-14), call ports Sitka, Hoonah/Icy Strait Point, Hubbard Glacier (scenic cruising), Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria (BC Canada).

Note: Actually, this type of marine accident is called “allision” (striking a fixed object) as opposed to “collision” (striking another vessel).

April 2020Other Incidents

In mid-April, NCL cancelled Norwegian Sun's entire Alaskan cruise program (May 21 through October 18), which included all departures from homeport Seattle WA. Rebookings made by April 27 on any departure October 1, 2020 (including and onward) received 20% discount off the cruise fare.

All affected bookings May 21 through August 12 received a 125% refund in FCC with rebooking, valid for one year and to be applied to any itinerary/departure through December 31, 2022. All affected bookings August 13 through October 18 received a 100% monetary refund (reimbursed to the original form of payment).

The other NCL Alaska-based ships (Bliss, Joy, Jewel) operated as scheduled and with highly reduced rates on all Alaskan itineraries. Bliss and Joy were homeported in Seattle WA, Jewel - in Vancouver BC and Seward AK.

12 November 2019Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

(overboard / rescued) On November 12, 2019, a female passenger went overboard and was rescued while the liner was navigating in Bahamian waters en-route from Freeport to Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island). Fortunately, the overboard was reported soon, the sea was calm and the ship was moving relatively slowly after the Freeport departure. The crew immediately lowered a rescue boat to locate and retrieve the young woman. Reportedly, she jumped overboard from her cabin's balcony on Deck 9.

The incident occurred during 5-day Bahamas cruise (itinerary Nov 9-14) roundtrip from homeport Port Canaveral Florida to Great Stirrup Cay (Nov 10), Nassau (Nov 11), Freeport (Nov 12, departure 5 pm) and Great Stirrup Cay (Nov 13).

02 September 2019Other Incidents

Due to Hurricane Dorian, the 5-day Bahamas cruise (itinerary September 2-7) was canceled. The roundtrip voyage from homeport Port Canaveral (Orlando, Florida) was planned to visit Key West FL (Sept 3, 3:30  - 9 pm), Freeport (Sept 4, 11 am - 6 pm), Nassau (Sept 5, 8 am - 5 pm) and Great Stirrup Cay (Sept 6, 8 am - 5 pm).

Note: Hurricane Dorian was a Category 4 tropical cyclone that mostly affected the territories of USA, Canada, Bahamas (Abaco Islands, Grand Bahama), Puerto Rico, Windward Islands (Barbados, Dominica, St Lucia), Leeward Islands (US Virgin Islands, BVI). Hurricane's reported max wind speeds were 295 kph ((183 mph). Formed in the Central Atlantic Ocean on August 24, the powerful cyclone was first moving west (towards the Caribbean), then turned north along the US East Coast and Atlantic Canada, affecting the coastal regions of USA (Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia) and Canada (Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Quebec).

June 2019Other Incidents

Following the US Government (June 3, 2019)-issued USA to Cuba travel ban, NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line modified all NCL Sky and NCL Sun ships itineraries with planned visits to Havana. On all deposited bookings, travel agencies' commissions were protected and distributed by June 30, 2019. All pre-purchased through NCL Havana tours/excursions were automatically refunded (to passenger’s onboard account).

All Cuba bookings (departures through and including Sept 2, 2019) received 50% refund (of the fare paid) plus 50% future NCL cruise credit (valid for voyages through December 31, 2021. Refunds for June-July-August 2019 cruises were processed by July 31, automatically applied to the original form of payment.

Cuba bookings on departures after September 2, 2019, were automatically canceled, with refunds automatically applied to the original form of payment. To all affected customers, NCL offered  20% discount (off the current fare paid) on new future cruises booked by August 5, 2019, and leaving no later than December 31, 2020.

16 March 2018Structural and Technical Issues

During the 15-day Panama Canal cruise (itinerary March 16-31, 2018) from Miami to Los Angeles, passengers reported continuous construction works during most of the voyage. The ongoing refurbishment project involved works on the outdoor teak decks - sanding, coating and painting. Reportedly, many of the working crew and contractors were with respirators. Several public spaces were heavily covered with dust.

Due to construction works, some of the ship's bars, restaurants and open-deck areas were closed for passengers. On open decks were stored flammable chemicals and paints, some of which were open and produced strong fumes. Some passengers complained of fumes entering their cabins.

The "floating drydock refurbishment" cruise visited Colombia (Cartagena), Fort Lauderdale, Nicaragua (Puerto Corinto), Guatemala ) and Mexico (Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada).

On April 5, after some negative US media coverage of the incident, Norwegian Cruise Line compensated all passengers with 100% future NCL cruise booking credit.

16 February 2016Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) On February 16, 2016, a 55-year-old male crew was reported missing upon the ship’s arrival in Puerto Chacabuco (Chile). Reviewing the CCTV camera records showed that the man (Dominic Gubertino, of Filipino origin) intentionally jumped overboard committing suicide) at 6:41 am on Feb 16.

The incident occurred on 14-day eastbound South America cruise (itinerary Feb 13-27) from Valparaiso-Santiago to Buenos Aires.

02 July 2015Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) On July 2, 2015, a male crew jumped overboard while the ship was at sea - in Alaska and en-route to call port Juneau AK. One of the onboard CCTV cameras showed the man jumping overboard at 4:15 am and without a lifejacket. The conducted search didn’t find the body.

15 June 2015Coast Guard Medevacs

On June 15, 2015, while the ship was in the Gulf of Alaska, a 63-year-old female passenger suffered abdominal complications. The woman was medevaced by a USCG helicopter and transported to Cordova Community Medical Center.

10 March 2015Drug Smuggling

On March 10, 2015, when the ship was docked in call port Coxen Hole (Roatan, Honduras), 5 male crew were arrested and charged with drug smuggling. The crew (aged 21, 21, 23, 29 and 30) were all working in the ship’s galley/kitchen. They were arrested ashore, together with 2 local women (aged 34 and 39) assisting the smuggling operation.

The drug bust was a result of a conducted by Homeland Security Investigations surveillance. They were caught with ~7 kilos of cocaine (street value ~USD 200,000) hidden in their underwear, plus ~USD 50,000 in cash and in Western Union transfer receipts.

The two women checked out of their hotel, met the men and drove up A75. The car was stopped by Pasco County agent assisted by a sniffer dog. In the car were found 4 bundles of cocaine.

(law news) On December 17, 2015, Tampa court jury returned a guilty verdict against Desrick Gordon (age 23). The other crew (Arkine John 21 yo, Jason Leon Carmichael 21 yo, Alfred Kernel Ince 24 yo, Johnson Cherubin 30 yo, Teffan Delice 29 yo) previously pleaded guilty.

(law news) On March 11, 2016, Desrick was sentenced to 10 years in jail for “conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine”.

23 December 2011Crew / Passenger Deaths

On December 23, 2011, a male passenger died on the NCL private island in Bahamas – Great Stirrup Cay. The man suffered a heart attack. The conducted CPR failed to revive him.

04 November 2011Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) On November 4, 2011, a male passenger jumped overboard from the ship’s top deck (Sports Deck 12) into the sea and died. The incident occurred at ~ 6:30 pm – or ~30 min after the vessel left call port Falmouth Jamaica. The man's body was recovered from the water.

29 April 2011Coast Guard Medevacs

On April 29, 2011, while the ship was berthed in Bermuda, a 23-year-old male crew (of Peruvian origin) in a medical emergency was offloaded to a pilot boat in a stretcher and transported by an ambulance to KEMS (King Edward VII Memorial Hospital).

11 April 2011Crew / Passenger Crimes

(sexual / law news) On June 21, 2011, a lawsuit against NCL was filed on behalf of a female passenger asserting she was sexually assaulted (raped) in one of the cruise ship’s public bathrooms. The complaint was filed in Miami Federal Court and alleged that NCL created a dangerous condition by feeding passengers huge amounts of alcohol, thus making them vulnerable targets for sexual predators.

The incident occurred on April 11, 2011, when she was participating in an onboard fun event (called “pub crawl”) on which passengers were taken throughout the ship to enjoy quick drinks at several bars. After the drinking event, she went to a public restroom. While in the stall, the door busted open, a man entered and raped her.

05 February 2011Other Incidents

On February 5, 2011, a false bomb threat delayed the Port Canaveral departure by ~2 hours. The anonymous call was received at ~9 am, informing about a bomb on the cruise ship located on Lido Deck 11. Brevard County’s bomb squad, along with FBI agents and USCG crews boarded the vessel and evacuated all passengers (~1800). The search lasted for ~2 hours and failed to find any explosives.

04 December 2010Propulsion / Power Loss

On December 4, 2010, the ship experienced serious propulsion system problems (with its starboard Azipod motor) that resulted in reduced cruising speed. The incident subsequently caused an itinerary change, with 2 major call ports – the Eastern Caribbean islands St Thomas and St Maarten – being dropped and replaced with Dominican Republic (Samana) and Bahamas (Great Stirrup Cay Island).

The incident was also marked by numerous passenger complaints about the ports of call substitutes, expressing their disapproval on large meetings held in the ship’s Atrium area and in the theatre lounge. As compensation, NCL offered US$100 per cabin in onboard credit, plus missed ports taxes and fees refund and 30% future NCL cruise booking discount.

The list of other bonus perks added as compensation also included free wine at dinner, rum punch in the afternoon, free photos (at the Photo Gallery), free use of the Hippo Slide (Great Stirrup Cay).

19 September 2006Crew / Passenger Crimes

(sexual) September 19, 2006, the Alaskan police investigated first-degree criminal sexual conduct case on the ship involving 2 crew members. When the vessel was in Southeast Alaska waters, the police received a crime report about a male crew who sexually assaulted a 25-year-old female crew.

May 2006Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

May 2006, CDC reported on the voyage May 13 to 20, a Norovirus outbreak (gastrointestinal illness) infected 71 passengers (out of 2107, or 3,4%) and 6 crew (out of 924, or 0,7%). All sick suffered from Noro virus symptoms (vomiting, diarrhoea) and were quarantined to their cabins for 48 hours. The ship was on a 7-day Alaskan cruise from homeport Seattle WA.

03 May 2003Sea Pollution

On May 3, 2003, the vessel was under investigation conducted by the State of Washington. The allegation was for illegally discharging of a huge amount of raw sewage (~16,000 gallons / 50 tons) into the waters of Juan de Fuca Strait. The strait is located south of Vancouver Island and is part of the USA-Canada borderline (length 95 ml / 153 km).

October 2002Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

September-October 2002, CDC reported on the voyage Sept 28 to Oct 5, a Norovirus outbreak affected 91 passengers (or 4,6% of all) and 2 crew (or 0,2% of all).

August 2002Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

August 2002, CDC reported a Norovirus outbreak affecting 78 passengers (or 3,5% of all) and 25 crew (or 2,6% of all).