Nine ships, 101 distinctive itineraries, and 140 ports across Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Greek Isles, and the Atlantic Coast. That’s Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2024 Europe program in a nutshell.
The season launched April 19, with the arrival of Norwegian Epic to its seasonal homeport of Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, before embarking on a 10-day Greek Isles and Italy voyage.
Cruises will depart from 13 homeports including three brand new options for NCL voyages to Europe -- New York City; Le Havre (Paris), France; and Oslo, Norway.
The line’s nine ships in the region include its newest vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, as well as Norwegian Escape, which returns to Europe following its first season in 2022. Together, they will offer 38 roundtrips and 63 open-jaw sailings. Guests can fully explore highlight destinations such as Istanbul, Turkey; Florence (Livorno), Italy and Reykjavik, Iceland with select itineraries offering overnight calls.
With an average of 10 hours in port, guests can explore at their leisure or choose from a wide range of shore excursions. For more immersive experiences, NCL offers a unique collection of shore excursions including:
Beyond Blueprints, where guests uncover the design secrets and stories of Europe’s most iconic architectural landmarks.
Gourmet Tours, designed for the foodie-driven traveller allowing them to go behind the scenes of local cuisines.
Go Local, a selection of excursions inviting guests to unveil the everyday rhythms and customs of life in destinations.
Guests aiming to spend even more time can take advantage of NCL’s Cruisetours program, a pre- or post-cruise-option that includes roundtrip flights, hotel stays, transportation and excursions. Cruisetours are currently available in 10 European destinations, such as Istanbul, Turkey; Paris, France; Barcelona, Spain; Reykjavik, Iceland; Rome and Venice, Italy, amongst others.
Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Prima. (Photo Credit: Norwegian Cruise Line)
“As we return to Europe for this season, our goal remains consistent -- curating unmatched and captivating experiences for guests to immerse in Europe’s most iconic and sought-after destinations, while delivering value for them to maximize their journey with us,” says David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line.
“In fact, we have found that cruising to Europe with NCL offers up to 40% more value than a similar land-based vacation, making it not just a memorable experience, but a cost-effective one. There is still time for guests to book that last-minute trip to Europe with NCL and enjoy the beauty of waking up in a new destination nearly every day.”
Itinerary highlights for NCL cruises in Europe include:
Norwegian Star Sails To Iceland, Greenland and Canada
Norwegian Star is the only ship in NCL’s fleet equipped for polar navigation, which makes it possible for it to reach ports above the Arctic Circle. The ship will be the first in the NCL fleet to offer 12- to 14-day open-jaw sailings between New York City and Reykjavik, Iceland with calls to Akureyri and Grundarfjordur, Iceland; Qaqortoq, Greenland; and St. John’s (Newfoundland) and Halifax, Canada. These itineraries will embark in July and August 2024.
The Greek Isles with Norwegian Getaway
Norwegian Getaway will homeport in Athens (Piraeus), Greece on June 25 embarking on seven- to 10-day Greek Isles roundtrip itineraries. Each day, the ship will moor at a new port allowing guests to explore bucket-list destinations like Istanbul, Turkey; Iraklion, Santorini and Mykonos, Greece as well as hidden gem Izmir (Ephesus), Turkey. Select departures include overnight stays in Istanbul.
TravelPulse Canada was onboard for the first commercial sailing onboard the all-new NCL Viva. (Photo Credit: John Kirk)
Norwegian Viva’s Cruises to the Mediterranean
Between May and November 2024, NCL's newest ship, Norwegian Viva, offers guests a selection of nine, 10- and 11-day open-jaw voyages cruising the Mediterranean. These unique itineraries feature a different embarkation and disembarkation port in sought-after destinations such as Athens (Piraeus), Greece; Lisbon, Portugal; Venice (Trieste) and Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, allowing travellers the opportunity to plan an extended vacation either pre- or post-cruise.
Almost No Days at Sea Onboard Norwegian Escape’s Mediterranean Sailings
Norwegian Escape is NCL’s biggest ship in Europe this season, homeporting in Barcelona, Spain; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; and Trieste (Venice), Italy. Escape is sailing eight- to 10-day roundtrip sailings in the Western Mediterranean with a port call every day, as well as seven- to 11-day open-jaw sailings with stints in Italy, Greece and France with only one day at sea.
Additionally, NCL cruises in Europe are already on sale through December 2025 giving guests the chance to plan and book their next summer getaway early.
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