Events by Ship:
Illness Outbreaks by Ship:
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2009 |
Incident |
| 14.12.09 | Norwegian Gem | Florida Today reports a car crashed into a bus carrying 43 passengers and crew members on Merritt Island near Port Canaveral at 2:00 PM. A person in the car was killed and seven people on the bus were injured. Most were crewmembers, possibly headed to the mall or Walmart on Merritt Island for a shopping trip. All the crewmembers were Filipino nationals. | Car-bus accident ashore |
| 11.12.09 | Norwegian Dawn | The St. Lucia Star reports that police in St. Lucia are investigating a robbery of 14 cruise passengers. At about 11am Wednesday, 14 tourists who had gone to the waterfall, were in the process of boarding a Safari Jeep, in preparation to return to Castries, when four masked men who were reportedly armed with firearms and cutlasses, approached them. Reports are the visitors were allegedly robbed of their jewelry and cash; the tour guide was reportedly injured in the incident. | Robbery ashore |
| 29.11.09 | Norwegian Pearl | A poster at Cruise Critic says: We are nearing the end of our 1st sea day and we went down to Blue Lagoon for a light dinner. While sitting there with DW these two women sat down and were talking. All of a sudden they hollered out loudly "Dave" and this Dave character came flying up the stairs from the Crystal Centrum screaming and yelling expletives as these 2 ladies. The male slammed the one girls head against the window while punching the other woman in the face. He was screaming up a storm and pounding on these poor girls. Looking around for security or staff they were nowhere to be found. Myself and a few other patrons witnessed this attack. Obviously the guy was very drunk and kept screaming at them that he was going to come by later and finish them off. He was even menacing towards myself and my wife. When asked the staff basically acted like nothing happened. I spoke with security personnel who said they were looking into the matter. Can't even sit in peace onboard a cruise ship and have a dinner without some crazy idiot assaulting and battering passengers. This guy was not a crew member but just a passenger who needs to be tossed off the ship and arrested. Later on I overheard the ladies saying they didn't want to press charges. Hmm get your head bashed against a glass window and your face punched but they don't want to press charges. Called down to reception later after our dinner was basically ruined by this character and his unwarranted behavior and reception said that they weren't doing anything about it. So I guess now NCL thinks it's ok to be assaulted by other passenger's and witnessed by at least 6-10 other passengers including myself but they don't feel the need to locate this guy and put him off the ship. We will be in Samana in the Morning and hopefully they put this jerk off on a slow boat sit adrift in the open Atlantic. NOTE: It appears the discussion threat has been removed. The incident is now only mentioned as an aside at this URL. | 2 female passengers assaulted |
| 29.11.09 | Norwegian Dawn | NCL canceled today’s five-day Western Caribbean sailing from Miami after the ship experienced a power outage near San Juan on Friday night (see below). Passengers reported spending Friday night on deck because air conditioning did not function. After partial power was restored, Norwegian Dawn was able to reach San Juan on Saturday, where the ship remains. NCL chartered aircraft to return passengers to Miami during the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The company is still looking into the cause of the engine problem. On Sunday morning, it was not known when the ship will be able to return to Miami. NCL is refunding the full fare for passengers booked on today’s canceled voyage and giving a 50% future cruise credit. UPDATE: The ship has been repaired (December 1) and will be in Miami for its cruise December 4th. | Canceled cruise |
| 27.11.09 | Norwegian Dawn | Associated Press reports the ship temporarily lost power off the coast of Puerto Rico. A Norwegian Cruise Line news release says the ship lost power at 9 a.m. Friday about 95 miles off the north coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The United States Coast Guard and local authorities were notified immediately. The cruise line reports that all guests on board were safe and secure. Power was restored later Friday, and the ship was back under way. It was expected to arrive in Miami as scheduled on Sunday. The ship departed Miami last Friday, making stops throughout the Caribbean. UPDATE: Jackson NJ Online reports passengers on board say the ship completely lost all power and Coast Guard ships and helicopters were dispatched to the scene. All activities on board the ship were cancelled Friday and the ship is headed to the port of San Juan in Puerto Rico, not Miami, this morning. Passengers were told they would have to make accommodations to return to Miami, but were offered a 70% discount and credits of 50% on future cruises. NCL also offered to pay for hotel accommodations and airfare. During the power outage, the more than 2,000 passengers on the ship had no access to running water, electricity air conditioning or toilet services in the hot Caribbean. The current temperature in San Juan is partly cloudy 85 degrees with 67% humidity. Guests have been asked to conserve water because the ship has limited capacity to produce new fresh water. | Engine failure |
| 11.11.09 | Norwegian Cruise Line | Received from a passenger: I recently took a NCL cruise. Unfortunately, I left my passport in California and was sailing out of Miami for a week long cruise to the Caribbean.
Since I was unable to board the ship sans passport, I sent my friend ahead and told her I would meet her in the first port (Ship sailed on Saturday, first port was Samana on Monday) I phoned my family to fed ex the passport to arrive on Monday. I phoned NCL "emergency airline" number and told what had happened and what my plans were. I asked them if they could assist me in getting to Samana. Upon looking up my booking number they said "We would be able to help you if you had purchased your entire package from NCL" but since you only booked the cruise portion through us we are unable to help you. (I had used frequent flyer miles to get to Florida to keep the cost of the trip at a minimum) I told them that I wasn't looking for them to fly me there, I was planning on paying for my airfare - I just needed guidance - what airline flew there, what times, how long would the flight take, where was the port in connection to the airport etc. The agent said he could not help me and suggested I contact the different carriers or use the internet. I was aghast but thought, OK maybe the "emergency airline" number wasn't who I should have called, I will call corporate office and see if they can help me with logistics. Same deal. The person that answered the phone was unable to help (granted it was Saturday) when I asked who I should speak to. They had suggested I call back on Monday....after explaining that by then it would be too late. I hung up frustrated. But, I didn't stop there. My next call was the the NCL excursion desk (thinking that since it is one of their ports and they do excursions on the island, they would know the layout) NOPE! I did my research and flew to Dominican Republic with American Airlines. I made the last tender by 1/2 hour. The port is on the opposite side of the island from the airport and it takes a $200 taxi ride that is about 2hrs to get there. Once aboard the ship, the following day I was met by customs to explain why I boarded in Samana. With me was one other person ( a gentleman from corporate offices of NCL) who had also boarded in Samana. After explaining the lack of support I got from the 3 numbers I dialed, he suggested I write a letter - and I did, but have not heard back. I wanted to share this story with the readers because one thinks, that they will be taken care of as guests should be - but in this case I was not. |
Customer dis-service |
| 6.11.09 | Norwegian Spirit | Associated Press reports a Danish tourist died Friday, two days after being shot by robbers who tried to steal his camera while he visited a cemetery. Police said two suspected gang members had been arrested. The cruise passenger died at a hospital in Guatemala City, where he was flown after being wounded in the port city of Santo Tomas de Castillo. He went with another tourist on a paid tour to a nearby town Wednesday. On the way back, they asked the driver to stop at the cemetery so they could take pictures. They were approached by two young men who tried to steal their cameras, and the passenger was shot in a scuffle. Police spokesman Donald Gonzalez said two men, thought to be gang members because of the tattoos on their faces, were arrested. | Pax murdered on shore |
| 4.11.09 | Norwegian Dawn | The Royal Gazette (Bermuda) reports on a trial in which a passenger was found with 32 packages of marijuana in his cabin, with the intent to import into Bermuda. According to testimony, the passenger arrived on June 17. Police noticed him acting suspiciously after he disembarked in Dockyard. He was going from phone booth to phone booth in an apparent attempt to contact someone. After he re-boarded the ship, they searched his cabin and found 32 packages of cannabis in his suitcase and under his bed. | Drug bust |
| 30.10.09 | Norwegian Spirit | The CDC reports 9 of 965 (0.93%) crew and 73 of 1991 (3.66%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 16 day cruise ending November 8 in New Orleans. | Illness |
| 28.10.09 | Norwegian Majesty | The Bermuda Sun reports a 72-year-old male passenger died of a suspected heart attack after a helmet-diving trip off the east end yesterday afternoon. He collapsed on board the boat after completing a helmet dive with Peppercorn Diving. Staff tried to revive the man, who was visiting with his wife, but to no avail. | Death after shore excursion |
| 24.10.09 | Norwegian Jewel | The Chronicle Herald reports an employee that visited Halifax on Friday was arrested after border agents allegedly found sexually explicit images of children on his cell phone. Menandro Lim Lanzar, 31, of the Philippines was arraigned in Halifax provincial court on a Customs Act charge of importing child pornography. Mr. Lanzar, quarter master on the Norwegian Jewel, was remanded to the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth until Tuesday, when he returns to court. Blair MacDonald, a criminal investigator with the Canada Border Services Agency, said Mr. Lanzar was inspected as he was getting off the ship at Pier 22. UPDATE: The Chronicle Herald reports the crew member has been sentenced to 100 days in jail and will then be deported. | Child pornography arrest |
| 1.9.09 | Norwegian Pearl | The ship was cited for violating Alaska Wastewater Quality Standards in July. There were two violations. The ship's effluent on July 7 exceeded the allowable level of fecal coliform bacteria and on July 28 exceeded the allowable level of pH. | Environmental |
| 28.8.09 | Norwegian Sky | According to CBS-TV in Miami NCL has issued a statement that a passenger on the ship and his wife were walking on rocks by the shore on Great Stirrup Cay in a remote part of the island when he fell into the water yesterday. Following an extensive search, the man's body was recovered this morning. The ship's four-day Bahamas cruise departed Miami on August 24th and returned to Miami today. | Pax dies on private island |
| 18.4.09 | Norwegian Sky | The Miami Herald reports the Coast Guard is searching early Saturday for a 39-year-old man who went overboard the cruise ship Norwegian Sky around 3 a.m. about 60 miles north of the Nassau, Bahamas. The ship left Miami for a three-day cruise, and was headed to its first port of call, Nassau. The name of the passenger was not released. Fellow passengers saw him go overboard. Also assisting in the search were The Royal Bahamas Defense Force, the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas cruise ship crew, the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship crew and Disney cruise line smallboat crews. The search was called off at nightfall. | Passenger overboard |
| 25.3.09 | Norwegian Majesty | From a passenger: On March 20th at approximately 14:45 off the coast of Jacksonville, FL, following a boom or rumble like sound, large chunks of rusty iron matter jettisoned out from ship's funnel raining down on guests on aft sundecks 10 & 8. This was followed by a spray of an oily substance and black soot that showered the entire aft section. Passengers were literally coated with this residue permanently damaging clothing and personal belongings. Crew members who witnessed just pointed and laughed. Ship staff tried to smooth over by offering free laundry and free wine + compensation for damaged clothing through NCL Corporate. The ship and NCL themselves have yet to provide any detail as to cause and/or health implications to those affected. See photos here. | Sooty mess from smokestack |
| 24.3.09 | Norwegian Star | A man filed a lawsuit against NCL after being assaulted during a vacation cruise on the Norwegian Star in March 2008. He alleges that while traveling with his family, three men violently attacked him with beer bottles and punched and kicked him in the face. His parents asked NCL to identify the attackers and provide a copy of the tapes from the cruise ship's surveillance system which recorded the incident, but the request was denied. They hired a lawyer for the purpose of obtaining the names of the assailants so that the crime could be reported to the FBI, but NCL responded by blocking all e-mails from the lawyer. They have now filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Miami. See press release here. |
Lawsuit filed |
| 10.3.09 |
Norwegian Sun | From a reader: In
February, while on a cruise on the ship, I overheard two crew members
discussing the fact that another crew member had discovered $2,000
and returned it to it's rightful owner through the proper
channels. Apparently, the money was discovered in a pair of pants
belonging to a passenger who had sent them to the laundry to be
cleaned. Upon discovery, the laundry attendant promptly reported the
discovery to his superior and the money was returned to the owner. |
Good news story |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2008 |
Incident |
| 26.12.08 |
Norwegian Pearl | Searchers from the U.S. Coast Guard joined the hunt Friday for a cruise ship passenger reported missing after employees of the Norwegian Pearl failed to find her. The search was centered about 15 miles east of Cancun, off the northeastern Mexico coast. The husband of 36-year-old Jennifer Feitz told cruise ship personnel about 3:50 a.m. that he couldn't find her. When a thorough search didn't locate her, the Coast Guard got a call for help. "Initial reports indicate the guest may have gone overboard while the ship was at sea, east of Cancun," a spokeswoman for the Miami, Florida-based Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement. Given her mental health history, media are assuming the disappearance is a suicide. | Person Overboard |
| 4.12.08 |
Norwegian Jade | FROM A PASSENGER: Due to bad weather and winds up to 50
knots, the Jade skipped its port of Piraeus, Greece after the port
pilot refused to board in the rough seas. The passengers were
treated to a one hour 'happy hour' of free beer and select wine. Last
week, on November 29th, the ship called off its port call to Palma de
Mallorca due to bad weather. |
Missed port calls |
| 13.11.08 |
Norwegian Sun | The port call at Punta Arenas (Costa Rica) was cancelled after industrial fishing boats blocked entrance to the port in protest at shark finning regulations. | Cancellation of port call |
| 1.11.08 |
Norwegian Dream | From a passenger: At about 2:45 a.m. an electrical fire
broke out on deck three in an electrical locker of the ship. It was
en route to Boston on the final leg of her final cruise as the Norwegian
Dream. Code Bravo deck three 3019 was called over some parts of the
ship including some passenger cabins.The crew responded and succeeded
in extinguishing the fire.The captain explained the situation later in
the day during His regular report to the Passengers. |
Fire |
| 16.10.08 |
Norwegian Star | The company announced today that the cruise scheduled for
July 11, 2009 is canceled due to a full ship charter. |
Cancellation |
| 15.10.08 |
Norwegian Pearl |
Both ships skipped its port call at Roatan due to
riots/unrest. Over the last few months there has been a steady
escalation of civil unrest by inhabitants of Roatan due to major
increases in electricity charges. In the last week, at least two cruise
ships have diverted scheduled port visits as a direct result of the
civil unrest currently making travel potentially unsafe. The UK
Foreign Office has the unrest listed in their travel aware section.
The US dept of State has no mentions of the problems. However, as per
instruction from the UK Foreign Office, it is advisable to avoid all
large groups of people if visiting Roatan and do not be surprised if
you are diverted to another port, such as Progresso, if Roatan is on
your itinerary until the civil unrest ceases being a potential danger
towards visitors. |
Skipped port |
| 28.9.08 |
Norwegian Dawn | Fire broke out under a West Side pier (New York City),
startling passengers preparing to disembark. The ship was docked along
Manhattan's West Side when a fire erupted beneath Pier 88 on West 48th
Street and 12th Avenue shortly after 9 a.m. While some of the 2,300
passengers hurried off the ship, others stayed aboard until the drama
was over. The threat ended when divers swam under the pier and
extinguished the fire. Fire officials said the cause was probably
electrical insulation used to keep water pipes warm in the winter. |
Fire at pier |
| 25.9.08 |
Norwegian Pearl | The Juneau Empire reports the ship violated its wastewater discharge permit in May, June and July (2008), according to Alaska state regulators. Wastewater samples from the ship had higher-than-permitted pH. | Environmental |
| 15.9.08 |
Norwegian Dream | High winds caused the ship to skip its port call at Saint
John, New Brunswick. |
Skipped port call |
| 3.9.08 |
Norwegian Pearl | Further to the pod problem (thrust bearing failure)
mentioned on August 27, NCL has announced the October 26th cruise
aboard Pearl has been cancelled so the ship can enter dry dock for
repairs. All passengers booked on the sailing
will be fully refunded and a credit of 25% for a future cruise will be
given. September 7 & 14 cruises - will have slightly altered
itineraries. Victoria will be a 'touch & go' therefore passengers
will be unable to disembark. September 21 cruise - San Francisco and
Los Angeles are being dropped. Port calls at Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco
and Cartagena will be slightly altered to allow for a slower cruise
speed. Each passenger will receive $50 OBC. October 12 & 19 cruises
- Roatan times will be altered slightly to 11am til 7pm. The ship will
return to normal service November 2. |
Mechanical problems / Itinerary changes |
| 27.8.08 |
Norwegian Pearl | Cruising
Talk reports that the ship appears to have a pod problem meaning a slower
cruise speed and slight alterations to her planned itinerary. The stop
in Victoria is a touch & go (to stay legal for Jones Act purposes)
and the time spent in Ketchikan has been reduced. OBC of $50 per head
or a full refund choice has been issued by NCL as this problem was
picked up about a fortnight ago. The ship is not due to dry dock in the
immediate future, however should her performance deteriorate, she is
likely to go to a Bahama dry dock shortly after her repositioning to
Miami at the end of her Alaska season. |
Mechanical problems / Itinerary changes |
| 18.8.08 |
Norwegian Sky | Cruise Critic reports a dozen passengers were stranded at the Port of Miami when the
ship departed early on its four-night Bahamas
cruise due to Tropical Storm Fay. It was scheduled to depart at
5 PM, but due to the oncoming storm the ship was forced to change
it's departure time to 3 p.m.
The line
posted notices of the revised embarkation times on its Web site as
early as Sunday and called all of the passengers on its manifest (and
reached many of them, including some of the passengers who still
arrived too late to embark), according to a spokeswoman for the line.
NCL offered the stranded passengers full refunds of their cruise fares,
and paid for their cab rides from the port to wherever they wanted to
go (airport, hotel, etc.). The line arranged for a reduced rate for the
travelers at a Miami hotel and gave them the number of NCL's Total
Travel department, which could help arrange last-minute air travel back
home. Passengers were also given the option of meeting up with the ship
in a subsequent port (most likely Nassau on Wednesday), but no one took
this option. |
Missed
ship |
| 15.7.08 |
Norwegian Dream | The Royal Gazette reports a passenger was slashed with an axe in a robbery involving four men. The man suffered several cuts to the chin, head and chest in the attack, which happened around 9:30 PM after he stopped for a cigarette while out driving his rental scooter on the North Shore in the vicinity of Terceira's gas station, Roberts Avenue and Palmetto Road, Devonshire. The 46-year-old, from Massachusetts, said a black male approached him, aged 18-20, with a "long narrow 'droopy' face". After offering him a cigarette, the man left but returned a few minutes later with three other men. The man suffered several two inch lacerations about his head and abdomen. In addition, he also received a four to five inch laceration to the left side of his chin -- none were life-threatening. The robbers got away with a wallet containing cash and credit cards. | Onshore attack of passenger |
| 17.6.08 |
Norwegian Dream | The
Royal Gazette in Bermuda reports that a passenger was arrested and
fined $2500 after 6.7 grams of marijuana was found in the room's safe.
According to the article, the Seaport Enforcement team along with a
security guard and a sniffer dog went on board the ship docked at
number six shed in Hamilton looking for drugs. The sniffer dog alerted
the officers to a cabin and when they knocked on the door, there was no
response. The security guard opened the door and the officers went
inside to find the cabin unoccupied. The sniffer dog alerted the
officers to a grey safe. When they opened it, they found a small
plastic bag containing plant-like material. Later that day, the
officers met with the cabin's occupant who admitted the drugs belonged
to him. The
Royal Gazette reported the same day that a second passenger was
fined $3,000 for bringing cannabis and
cannabis resin into the Island. While the Seaport
Enforcement team along with a security guard and a sniffer dog went
aboard the ship looking for drugs the passenger opened his cabin door
and the
sniffer dog reacted. Officers identified themselves to the defendant
and asked him if he had any drugs. He said: "Yes, I have a little pot."
Officers
found a small black toiletries bag in the closet containing a Ziploc
bag with plant-like material, a brown substance and a homemade pipe.
The man
was arrested with 1.92 grams of cannabis and 0.10 grams of cannabis
resin. EDITORIAL
COMMENT: It
would be nice if the cruise industry was at least as vigilant in
dealing with sexual assaults perpetrated against passengers by crew
members and officers!!!! |
Passengers arrested for pot possession |
| 31.5.08 |
Norwegian Spirit |
The Daily
News reports on a couple who were on the ship in late April. A
woman says perverts turned her Bahamian cruise into a shipwreck,
opening her cabin door as she slept naked and grabbing her buttocks on
a dance floor. The article may be of interest to some. |
"Perverts ruined my cruise" |
| 25.5.08 |
Norwegian Spirit | While docking in NYC (Manhattan) the ship apparently took a
turn too wide and rammed into Pier 90 at 50th St.
and 12th Ave. No one on board was injured. The city Buildings
Department said the accident damaged beams supporting
upper-level parking lots. There is need for reinforcements to be built,
but there's apparently no danger of a collapse. |
Collision with pier |
| 24.5.08 |
Norwegian Dream | FROM A READER: the Norwegian Dream, for the past 2 weeks,
has not been able to call in St. Georges Bermuda. It had instead stayed
docked in Hamilton. The reason apparently was that high winds Didn't
allow her to enter the "town cut" or leave it latter in the week.
Norwegian Dream currently docks in Boston on Sunday and spends tuesday
thru Friday in St Georges. |
Itinerary change |
| 20.5.08 |
Norwegian Cruise Line | Norwegian Cruise Line was ordered by federal court judge in Florida to pay a $1 million fine and $13.75 million preliminary restitution to the victims of the deadly boiler explosion on the Norway May 25, 2003. All the dead suffered severe burns from the superheated steam and oil that burst from the ruptured boiler, the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office ruled at the time. The company agreed to plead guilty earlier this month (see May 2) to a charge of gross negligence, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The company admitted it had "failed to insure that proper inspections, maintenance, and repairs of boiler components were carried out." | $14.75 Million judgment |
| 16.5.08 |
Norwegian Jade | As reported at Cruise Critic, the ship experienced an eight degree list while en route from Venice to Naples this past week. According to an official statement from the cruise line, Jade "experienced a temporary technical issue that affected the ship's steering.". The list only lasted for a few seconds, and was the result of a technical issue with an electrically powered compass. According to online reports, Jade's list emptied water from pools and toppled a buffet. | Eight degree list |
| 11.5.08 |
Norwegian Dawn | A 46 year old woman was reported to have fallen overboard
from the ship at about 7:50 PM on a cruise from New York City to
Bermuda. A search was called off because of bad weather. The cruise
line asserted that video tapes show she was apparently trying to climb
between balconies when she fell overboard near Atlantic City, NJ. Her
family believes foul play was likely involved, which has been disputed
by the cruise line. |
Person Overboard |
| 2.5.08 |
Norwegian Cruise Line | Norwegian Cruise Line agreed to plead guilty to a charge of
criminal negligence in connection with 2003 boiler explosion that
killed eight crewmen and injured another 20 (some seriously). A report issued by
the National Transportation Safety Board determined the explosion
was likely the result of deficient boiler operation, maintenance and
inspection. |
Guilty Plea |
| 18.3.08 |
Norwegian Spirit | A 44 year old woman fell 65 feet to her death during a zip line ride through the jungle on the Caribbean island of Roatan. She was riding along a steel wire hung between trees in the jungle when either a harness holding her broke or the line snapped -- she and another person (a worker) had both fallen. She was taken to a private clinic on the island, then transferred to a hospital in the mainland city of San Pedro Sula, where she died on Wednesday. The excursion was reportedly at Gumbalimba Park. | Fatal accident on shore
excursion |
| 17.1.08 |
Norwegian Pearl | Reported in the St. Lucia Star January 21: "Six cruise ship passengers, two Americans and four Canadians were on a forest trail above the Botanical Gardens [at Soufriere] when two masked men, one yielding a machËte and the other a gun, robbed them of their ID, jewelry, purses and wallets. The two tour guides were robbed of their monies and one of them, Katia Polius, attempted to call for help on her cell phone. The bandits noticed and landed her with several kicks. When the masked men left, it is reported that the female guide reassuringly escorted the guests to their taxi . . . then fainted." | Robbery on shore
excursion |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2007 |
Incident |
| 20.12.07 |
Norwegian Spirit | From a passenger: I'm supposed to leave on the NCL
Spirit on the 23rd -- the engine is still a problem and they are
cutting a
port (1 of 4), no refunds and customer service was very rude. Did not
let us know of problem until the 20th. I'm pretty ticked -- we could
have at least been notified ahead of time to get money back .. the port
that was cancelled was the reason why I signed up. Another
passenger, on the December 16 cruise, reports there was an illness
outbreak on the cruise (at least 15 people were quarantined in their
rooms) and there were problems with service and attitude. |
Engine problems |
| 15.12.07 |
Norwegian Spirit | From a passenger: There was a small fire in the engine room at around 8:45PM as the ship headed back to New Orleans. The ship was about 140 nautical miles south of New Orleans. The ship was adrift for about 15 minutes as all engines were shut down. The engine shut down caused severe cavitation and “code bravo to the engine room” was announced. Smoke was seen coming from below the smoke stack which smelled like burnt oil. The emergency signal was given but was reported to be a false alarm 1-2 minutes later at which time they announced that there was a small fire and it was under control. About 5 minutes later it was announced that the fire was completely out and we would arrive in New Orleans as scheduled. | Fire |
| 10.12.07 |
Norwegian Dream | The ship collided with a barge
being pulled by a tug in Uruguay's main port, sending several
cars and containers off the barge and shutting the port down. The ship
received damages above the water line which do not
appear serious. It will remain in port for repairs. Passengers on
the current cruise, a 14 day around the southern tip of South America,
will miss two ports miss three ports(Port
Stanley, Puerto Madryn and Ushuaia) of
call before repairs are complete; they're being offered alternate shore
excursions before leaving for Ushuaia. There were no injuries. The
harbour remained closed for more than 24 hours, trapping Celebrity
Cruises' Infinity in port and blocking Marco Polo out of port.
Passengers were offered a 50% refund of cruise fare paid in addition to
$150 per passenger ($300 per room) onboard credit. A group of
passengers are demanding greater compensation -- see Merco
Press for more info. See here for
photos. |
Collision |
| 30.11.07 |
Norwegian Majesty | Newspapers in South Florida report that a 26 year old man
was med evaced from the ship just outside Miami (on it was from Key
West to Charleston, SC) this morning. The man reportedly fell 50 feet
(from the eight floor to a deck below) on board the ship at about 4 AM
and was
treated onboard until onshore
medical services could be secured. Details about the fall and his
condition have not been reported, however there are reports that the
man was intoxicated when the accident happened. (A similar accident
occurred June 20 on the same ship ... see
below) |
Injury onboard |
| 18.11.07 |
Norwegian Majesty | NCL's website says the ship's arrival into Charleston been delayed by one day (arriving today instead of yesterday) and it will sail a revised six-day itinerary. They cite several factor for the delay. On her return to Charleston, the ship came to the aid of a person in a sailboat who needed immediate medical attention. The passenger is currently being treated on board the ship. Also on the return, high winds and heavy seas necessitated the ship to operate at a reduced speed. In addition, planned maintenance during the ship's stay in Bermuda included the overhaul of a cylinder head on one of the main engines. Unfortunately, after departure, a seal on the new unit developed a minor leak and required remedial work to correct it. Even if the engine had not had this issue, the ship would not be able to go any faster than the speed she is presently doing because of the heavy seas and strong wind conditions. To compensate guests for the missed cruise day, NCL will refund one-seventh of the cruise fare paid, issued as an on-board credit. In addition, they are extending a $50 per person on-board credit ($100 maximum per stateroom) as a gesture of goodwill. And they are offering guests the option to cancel their cruise in which case cancellation fees will be waived. | Delayed arrival / departure |
| 2.11.07 |
Norwegian Crown | A 42 year old passenger was reported in the Bermuda
Sun to have pleaded guilty to importing 2.64 grams of cannabis and
1.18 grams of metamphetamine while aboard the ship. Customs
officials boarded the ship after receiving a security report of burning
cannabis on one deck. They located the room, knocked, and
the passenger admitted to having drugs. He was fined $6000 by a
Bermuda court. |
Drug bust |
| 25.10.07 |
Norwegian Star | The following was posted by a passenger at Cruise
Critic (the ship is on an 8 day Mexican Riviera cruise to/from Los
Angeles): Well we were at the
pool, got some sun...beautiful day! Went back to our
state room to make some drinks and we were enjoying watching a huge
whale and lots of dolphins..... when all of the sudden the ship tilted! Not a little....ALOT We were listing over and our bar set up and everything in our room flew on the floor! Including the coffee maker! The ship was finally righted, you could hear passengers screaming. The captain came on and said everything was ok.....he seemed a bit out of breath. Today he made a formal announcment...something to affect human error...and promised it would not happen again...the waiters were saying they had never had it happen before....plates and food and drinks flying everywhere....visions of the Poseidon adventure and titanic flashed by me! everyone on board is talking about it. I guess some people were hurt. I don't know all the details....WOW! |
Severe List (Tilt) |
| 22.9.07 |
Norwegian Spirit | The ship's departure from New York City was delayed 3 hours
following a bomb threat called into 911 -- the call was determined to
be a hoax. The ship was departing on a one-night cruise to
nowhere,. |
Bomb Threat |
| 26.8.07 |
Norwegian Crown | The ship was due to return to New York City this afternoon, but a problem with the ship's starboard propeller shaft has caused reduced speed and will delay arrival almost 24 hours ... now arriving between 6 and 8AM on Monday morning. The next cruise is expected to embark one day late (at 4PM) on a revised itinerary. Passengers on the shortened cruise will be refunded one-seventh of their cruise fare plus receive a 10% future cruise credit on the cruise fare paid. UPDATE AUGUST 27: Necessary repairs will take longer than anticipated -- the ship will now depart on Tuesday afternoon. Passengers on the shortened cruise will be refunded one-half of their cruise fare plus receive a 20% future cruise credit on the cruise fare paid. NCL will also refund government taxes and fees of approximately $34 to the guest's on-board account. | Delayed arrival / departure |
| 6.7.07 |
Norwegian Cruise Line | A Jamaican cleaner was sentenced to 18 years in prison in
Bermuda for smuggling $300,00 worth of heroin and marijuana from NYC to
Bermuda. He was arrested October 6, 2006, along with his
girlfriend who was sentenced to five years. |
Drug sentence |
| 20.6.07 |
Norwegian Majesty | A 22-year-old American man died this morning after falling four decks on board while the cruise ship was berthed in St. George's, Bermuda. Police were called at 1.15AM. According to the Royal Gazette, “It appears that the passenger had returned to the ship with his cousin after they had a few drinks together at a nearby St. George's bar. Around 12:25AM the men were on the fifth deck of the ship intending to go to the disco on the seventh deck when the 22-year-old American man fell from the fifth deck to the first deck. Two nurses on board attended the scene and discovered the victim in an unresponsive state. They immediately gave him CPR and tended to a head wound sustained from the fall." The man was pronounced dead at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital at 3.11a.m. | Fall --- Death |
| 6.6.07 |
Norwegian Dawn | As reported here on March 30, the ship was in drydock in Boston this week and last to repair a thrust bearing the the Azipod propulsion system. According to reports by Boston TV station WHDH, fire broke out in South Boston on Dry Dock Avenue in the area where the ship was docked. "An acety-line tank apparently caught fire while workers were doing repairs. Firefighters had to be lowered to the ship's hull to reach the fire." Reports indicate that damage to the ship is minimal. | Fire |
| 18.5.07 |
Norwegian Majesty | The ship will arrive a day later than scheduled into Boston
on Monday, May 21, because of a tug strike and high winds that delayed
the ship's departure from Bermuda today. It is now scheduled to
depart 6 AM, May 19. Embarkation for the May 20 Bermuda sailing
will now begin on Monday, May 21 at 1 p.m. Guests on that sailing
will receive an on-board credit in the amount of one-seventh of the
cruise fare paid plus a 10 percent future cruise credit based on the
cruise fare paid. |
Delayed Arrival / Departure |
| 17.5.07 |
Norwegian Star | The ship was escorted into the
Prince Rupert harbour by the a Canadian
Coast Guard vessel following a small fire in the engine room. At 3:13
p.m., Prince
Rupert’s marine communications traffic services were notified that
there was an engine room fire on board. Causing no significant
damage, the fire was easily extinguished. The vessel was in U.S. waters
near an area called Butterworth Rocks when the problem occurred.
Once docked in Prince Rupert a marine safety inspector conducted a
preliminary investigation. It was determined that a
broken fuel line caused the accident. The unit was taken out of use and
the vessel was deemed safe to resume course to Seattle. UPDATE: Associated Press
subsequently reported that NCL says there was not a fire; they say a
component failure knocked out one of the four main diesel engines and
that the ship is safe. Regardless of "the truth of the matter,"
the ship is due back in Seattle May 19th one hour behind schedule. |
Engine Room Fire |
| 17.4.07 |
Norwegian Pearl | A 35-year-old man drowned while snorkeling off the west
coast of Barbados. He was a passenger on ship and was snorkeling
off a small boat with his wife and a few others. |
Pax drowns |
| 6.4.07 |
All |
The federal government is suing the company on behalf of six
Muslim me who were fired apparently because their ethnicity gave rise
to suspicions they were terrorist. The suit was filed in federal
court in Honolulu by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. |
Discrimination? |
| 6.4.07 |
Norwegian Majesty | A 13-year-old girl was evacuated after she fell five decks
down an interior stairwell. She received immediate medical care
onboard and was taken to hospital as precaution. She suffered mid
head trauma. |
Pax injury |
| 30.3.07 |
Norwegian Dawn | It was announced today that the ship will enter drydock on May 29 for repairs to a thrust bearing in the Azipod propulsion system. The May 26 and June 2 cruises were canceled. Passengers on the affected sailings will get a full refund and a 25% credit toward a future cruise. | Cancellations |
| 7-18.1.07 |
Norwegian Dawn | Passengers report: Departure
from NYC was 2 hours delayed -- one account says because it arrived
late from Great Stirrup Cay; another says because of a delay in fuel
bunkering. The stop at
Great Stirrup Cay was cancelled because of high winds. There was
apparently a tour bus accident in Roatan sending 11 crew members to
hospital. Departure from Belize City was delayed for an emergency
evacuation. Two passengers were arrested in Ocho Rios because it
was believed they had drugs in their bags, and a passenger with a
medical condition was offloaded immediately before departure. |
Delays / Drug arrest / Bus accident |
| 9.1.07 |
Norwegian Majesty | A 60-year-old woman died after getting into trouble while
swimming at Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman. These case are not
normally reported, but this is the second reported swimming death in
Cayman in a couple of weeks (see Carnival
Valor, 28 December). It should remind people to be careful
when going for a swim, especially if it has been a while since the last
time you were in the ocean. |
Pax swimming death |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2006 |
Incident |
| 30.12.06 |
Norwegian Majesty |
The New Years' cruise scheduled to depart today has been
cancelled. The ship experienced engine problems on the Christmas
cruise and will remain in Charleston for repairs. The January 6
cruise is expected to depart as scheduled. Passengers on the
cancelled cruise will receive a full refund and a 50% future cruise
credit (based on fare paid). |
Cancellation |
| 27.12.06 |
Norwegian Star |
The
ship arrived 3-4 hours late in Acapulco because of engine
problems.
Repairs were made while in port (overnight) and the cruise continued as
scheduled. The cruise was on a 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise from
Los
Angeles. |
Engine problems |
| 21.11.06 |
Norwegian Dawn | The ship made an unscheduled port call at Norfolk because of
a technical problem with its propulsion system and poor weather off
North Carolina that blocked its route from New York to Florida. The
ship arrived at 6:45 PM today and is expected to leave tomorrow at 5:00
PM. Update on Tuesday: Departure
has been set back until
Wednesday at 5 PM at the earliest -- repairs are still being
undertaken. Given that the itinerary is "up in the air,"
passengers have been offered a full refund, plus 25% off a future
cruise based on what they paid on this cruise, plus a $100 per
stateroom onboard credit. They have also been offered a charter
bus for return to NYC Tuesday evening, for those wishing to go home. |
Unscheduled Stop - - Cancellation / Delay |
| 15.11.06 |
Norwegian Majesty | The ship arrived in St. George's (Bermuda) one day late
because of continuing engine problems. It is scheduled to leave
Bermuda five hours earlier than the stated itinerary in order to return
to Charleston on schedule. Plans to repair the faulty crankshaft
while the ship was in Bermuda were scrapped given that the equipment
will not arrive in time. |
Engine Problems / Itinerary change |
| 11.11.06 |
Norwegian Majesty | The ship was delayed leaving Bermuda this week (Thursday
evening) and is delayed leaving today on her next cruise from
Charleston. She has a snapped crankshaft. NCL threw its
Charleston-bound passengers a complimentary cocktail party and offered
$100 per stateroom in onboard credit and 15 percent off the price of a
future cruise. Those heading out to Bermuda will get $50 per stateroom
in cruise cash or a chance to rebook as a consolation for the extra
time at sea. Norwegian Cruise Lines' Majesty was expected as of
last night to steam into port at about 2 p.m., seven hours behind
schedule, and head back to Bermuda on three of its four engines at 9:30
p.m. |
Engine Problems / Delays |
| 29.10.06 |
Norwegian Spirit | A passenger disembarking today wrote describing an
infestation of bed bugs on this 10 day cruise beginning and ending in
NYC, 19 - 29 October. The full text of
the passenger's message can be accessed here. |
Bed Bugs |
| 28.10.06 |
Norwegian Spirit | From a passenger: At approximately 7pm, as i left my room on deck 4 and hit the elevator button, approx 6 crew members exited elevator with woman on stretcher with neck brace on. Word later from crew was that due to high seas (15-25 ft) tables and approx 10 people fell on deck 12 Italian restaurant causing multiple injuries. We experienced rough seas and gale force winds on oct 28 -- "what an experience". This was on the last leg of the 10 day cruise, sailing from Tortola (26 Oct) to New York (29 Oct). | High Seas / Injuries |
| 25.10.06 |
Norwegian Wind | The ship "lost an engine" and had to skip today's scheduled port cal at Nawiliwili (Kauai). The next day there was a total power blackout while off Lahaina (Maui) with no AC , lights , elevators , toilets , water ,etc. These were gradually restored over a 7 hour period . Public washrooms were locked and dining rooms closed (no hot coffee after 7:45 AM ) . At noon they had a cookout on the pool deck for both passengers and crew. Each passenger got a free drink and a $50 per cabin shipboard credit. See Cruise Critic. | Power failure / Missed port |
| 11.10.06 |
Norwegian Star | A
35 year old women went overboard shortly after the ship left Cabo San
Lucas. According to passengers, the ship turned around at about 7 30pm
(after leaving Cabo at about 5.30) and conducted a search for about 2
hours but to no avail. There are reports that her body washed up
onshore the following day, and some passengers report that she and her
partner had an argument in public before she went missing. The
ship
was late in its arrival to Los Angeles, where the FBI boarded for an
investigation. |
Person overboard |
| 19.9.06 |
Norwegian Sun | Alaska State Troopers are investigating a sexual assault case aboard the cruise ship as it traveled the waters of Southeast Alaska. Troopers received a report shortly after six Tuesday morning that a male crew member sexually assaulted a 25 year old female member of the crew. The charge involved is sexual assault in the first degree. | Sexual Assault (Crew on
Crew) |
| 7.6.06 |
Norwegian Crown | The ship ran aground while en route from St. Georges to
Hamilton, Bermuda. Passengers went ashore by tender. The
ship was refloated ten hours later and is expected to keep to its
original itinerary. |
Grounded |
| F19.2.06 |
Norwegian Jewel | From a crew member: One of the female crew jumped overboard and committed suicide ... she was 24 years old and pregnant, had found out her boyfriend who also worked on the ship had cheated on her. The whole thing is a huge "hush hush" thing on the ship, what crew were told, etc. and passengers have no clue" The crew member was upset by how NCL was covering the story up and felt it should be "exposed" to further educate passengers ... S/he says what's more troubling is that this is the second staff suicide on the Jewel within 6 months; the other crew person hung himself in the closet. | Crew member suicide |
| 12.2.06 |
Norwegian Dawn | As a result of a snowstorm the ship arrived late in NYC. It also left late, at approximately 2100 EST but had insufficient fuel -- apparently fuel could not be delivered while at the pier. The ship dropped anchor in the harbor and was met by a fuel barge at in the early morning hours. The delay caused uncertainty with the itinerary -- it appears the stop at Great Stirrup Cay was cancelled. | Delay -- Changed itinerary |
| 19.1.06 |
Norwegian Spirit | Both WABC and WCBS reported that passengers returning from
a southern Caribbean cruise complained about heavy seas and a series of
high waves -- some as high as 50 feet -- during the leg from Tortola to
New York. Several windows were smashed and 11 cabins were
flooded. Passengers had to be relocated and those in cabins most
effected were offered a free cruise in the future, if they want
it. Here is a
QuickTime video (9 MB, so slow to load) of the seas taken an hour
before waves broke through that cabin's window. |
Storm at Sea |
| 12-20.1.06 |
Norwegian Star | A passenger reports that scheduled stops at Acapulco and Zihuatanejo would be dropped because of engine problems. Instead, passengers called on Mazatlan and Manzanillo and given a CAN$50 onboard credit. It has been reported that the same happened to the cruise Nov.25th/05 and Dec.11/05. | Itinerary Change |
| 7-14.1.06 |
Norwegian Majesty | A passenger reports that she contracted Legionnaire's
Disease while on the ship. Details available
here. |
Legionnaire's Disease |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2005 |
Incident |
| 22.11.05 |
Norwegian Star | The itinerary for Mexican Riviera cruises have been revised
because of damage to the forward thrust bearings of the ship's azipod
propulsion system. The old itinerary included port calls to
Acapulco (13.5 hours), Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa (7 hours), Puerto Vallarta (8
hours), and Cabo San Lucas (8 hours). The revised itinerary
includes Manzanillo (8 hours), Puerto Vallarta (11 hours), Mazatlan (10
hours), and Cabo San Lucas (7 hours). These changes will continue
until the ship enters drydock March 8, 2006 -- cruises scheduled for
March 8 - April 1 are cancelled. Passengers affected by the
itinerary change will receive $50 per person($100 per cabin maximum)
onboard credit. |
Azipod problems ---- Itinerary change |
| 13.10.05 |
Norwegian Dream | The ship is expected to arrive 5 hours late from its
current cruise
because of mechanical problems. The Oct 15th cruise out of
Houston will depart late and Roatan and Cancun have been dropped as
ports. The only ports visited will be Cozumel and Belize. NCL is
offering $100pp (limit
2) credit per cabin and $100 pp for future cruise. There are
reports that the cruises beginning Oct 22 and 29 will replace Roatan
(Honduras) with Progresso (Mexico) and itinerary changes may continue
until repairs are made. |
Mechanical problems |
| 25.9 - 2.10.05 |
Norwegian Majesty | From September 26th thru October 1st, I was repeatedly “hit on” by my Cabin Steward. He left notes on the bed in my cabin, and lurked in the corridor at all hours of the day and night, seeming to be waiting for me. He even so much as asked me to have dinner with him… and also marry him! Although it seemed a bit overly flirtatious, I did not make a big deal of it, but…. On the final day of my cruise, October 2nd, the Cabin Steward assaulted me. He followed me into to my cabin, closing the door behind him. There was very little room and I tried to distance myself from him, but he grabbed me and began kissing me. I tried to push him away and said, “NO!”, but he had one arm firmly around my waist, while his other hand gripped the back of my head. He forced my mouth open with his tongue. Again, I yelled, “NO!”, causing him to loosen his grip, long enough for me to make my way out of the cabin. For more see here. | Sexual Assault |
| 30.8.05 |
Norwegian Jewel | There are reports the ship lost power as a result of problems with the port-side azipod on Monday while leaving St. Petersburg . The ship was assisted by Finnish tugs to reach the next port (Tallinn, Estonia), arriving 5 hours late; it is expected to depart 3 hours later than scheduled. On Tuesday morning the ship's Captain announced the azipod had been fixed. | Propulsion problems |
| 11.8.05 |
Norwegian Dream | Engine problems continue with the ship (see July 4) though
an additional "technical issue with one of the engines" caused the
current cruise to end 6 hours late (many pax missed flights, had to
stay overnight, and scramble for flights on Friday). Returning
passengers told of limping
into Seattle on a failed engine and of missing out "on major,
picturesque stops." The cruise beginning today as well will visit
four ports rather than six (missing SItka and Ketchikan). Of the
ship's four engines, two are
under repair and two are working -- the delay presumably was caused by
a
problem with one of the working engines. Passengers were assured
that the problem only affects speed and not safety. |
Propulsion problem -- Delays -- Missed ports |
| 31.7 - 7.8.05 |
Norwegian Star | Apparently because of propulsion problems this "Glacier Bay
Cruise" skipped Glacier Bay and substituted in its place a port call at
Sitka. Passengers were compensated with a $200 onboard
credit. As stated by one passenger, "we picked this cruise for
Glacier Bay; the cruise was more expensive BECAUSE of the cruise
through Glacier Bay; and the cruise is called a GLACIER BAY CRUISE in
advertising and agenda." |
Propulsion problem -- Missed port |
| 5.7.05 |
Norwegian Spirit | A passenger reports that the ship collided with the pier as
it docked at Juneau, breaking out windows in 3 or 4 rooms and making a
large dent in the side. Passengers in the room affected were
relocated to other accommodations because of the damage, and were given
both an onboard credit and a discount on a future cruise. |
Collision with dock |
| 4.7.05 |
Norwegian Dream | The June 30 - July 11 sailing has experienced engine
problems and as a result Sitka has been dropped from the
itinerary. Passengers were compensated with a $50 onboard
credit. Sitka has also been dropped from future itineraries
through August -- presumably until the engine problem is repaired. |
Engine problems Missed port |
| 2.7.05 |
Norwegian Dawn | The ship was re-routed after Great Stirrup Cay due to engine problems -- it is running on only one azipod prop. The port of Nassau was canceled so the cruise can end on-time in NYC. | Engine problems |
| 20-27.6.05 |
Norwegian Dream | Passengers were notified after leaving Seattle that because of engine problems they would be miss the port of Sitka and would receive a "conditional" non-refundable $50.00 per person shipboard credit that could not be used in the casino or for service charges. When questioned about the missed port, the Cruise Director reportedly replied to a guest in a a crowded auditorium... "you can either get over it or be sulky for the rest of the cruise." At the same time, the Captain insisted that College Fjord, a stop listed on the itinerary, was NOT an his itinerary and was instead a "surprise" stop to celebrate a crew members birthday. A poster at Cruise Critic further talks about being reprimanded by a junior waiter for ordering improperly, having hot coffee spilled on her, and finding a soiled diaper in the night table beside the bed. | Engine problems Missed port Service issues |
| 14.6.05 |
Norwegian Dawn | A lawsuit was
filed against NCL alleging the ship was put into harm's way when its
owners ordered it to race back to New York for a photo shoot with "The
Apprentice" (see April 15
below). The $100 million suit claims that NCL sent the
Norwegian Dawn into the path of a storm as it headed back from Florida
on
April 16. Some passengers were hurt. "They deliberately took those
passengers into a serious storm and put their lives at risk for
financial reasons," said lawyer Brett Rivkind. See story here. |
Lawsuit |
| 4.6.05 |
Norwegian Star | While docked in Victoria (British Columbia) local residents
near the port complained of a noxious odour pervading their homes
following release of a billow of black smoke from the ship's
smokestack. The cruise line didn't notify the port, so inquiries
were told it was being looked into. What was determined was that while fixing a diesel-powered electricity generator,
the engine had to be restarted several times. On two of those
restarts the engine emitted heavy black smoke which triggered the
ship's own onboard smoke emission alarms. In each of those two
occasions the smoke was emitted for less than 30 seconds. It was
the source of the noxious odour. |
Air Pollution |
| 22-29.5.05 |
Norwegian Star | From a passenger: On the disembarkation day (at Seattle), we saw the big baggage cage moving luggage from the pier to the ship drop some bags into the ocean. At least 8 bags fell right into the drink and were fished out of the ocean and from under the Edgewater Hotel. We never heard what compensation was made for these unlucky travelers. Then on the last night (the 28th) security rushed by us while we were walking the deck. An obviously intoxicated man was straddling the railing and threatening to "end it all." Security latched on and removed him. Apparently, he had been drinking and losing in the casino for some time that night. | Luggage overboard - - - - Attempted suicide |
11.5.05 |
Norwegian Majesty | As the ship moored at St. George's, Bermuda, it knocked into three yachts moored in Powder Hall anchorage and almost sucked one yacht under – as its passengers screamed for help on the radio. There were no known injuries, but the ship's propeller appears to have been damages. See Royal Gazette. | Collision with yachts |
| 8.5.05 |
Norwegian Dawn | Today’s one-night Mother’s Day cruise has been canceled due to adverse weather delaying the ship’s return from the Bahamas. The vessel is expected to arrive back in New York at 5 p.m. today. Passengers booked on the one-night May 8 cruise will receive a full refund and a 50% future cruise credit certificate. The May 9 cruise will operate on schedule. | Cancellation |
| 15.4.05 |
Norwegian Dawn | The ship was struck by a 70 foot wave en route from the Bahamas to New York. The wave knocked out windows in two passenger cabins and on the navigation bridge and damaged the ships hull -- the frame beneath the spare anchor was bent by the force of the anchor hitting the flat deck during the heavy seas. Four passengers were hurt, mainly by cuts from broken glass, and treated at the ship's infirmary. Two cabins were flooded and 60 others were damaged by water seeping from those where the windows broke out. The ship was diverted to Charleston, SC for repairs and continued to New York, arriving one day later than scheduled. Some 300 passengers chose to be flown home from Charleston rather than continuing on the ship. Those remaining onboard were given free drinks for the remainder of the cruise; all passengers received a 50% refund and a 50% discount on any future cruise. The following 7 day cruise was revised to 6 days. See: Marine Accident Report: Heavy-Weather Damage to Bahamas-Fag Passenger Vessel Norwegian Dawn, Atlantic Ocean, 120 Miles East of Charleston, South Carolina, April 16, 2005, NTSB Report Number: MAB-05-03 | Windows broken out Diverted for repairs |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2004 |
Incident |
| 25.10.04 |
Norwegian Majesty | Arrives in Boston one day late after going through a storm
on its return from Bermuda. The ship reportedly experienced 25 -
30 foot waves and horrendous winds and spent much of Saturday and
Sunday in poor conditions. Saturday
|
Damaged in Storm |
| 22.8.04 | Norwegian Sea | While en route from Houston to Cozumel, the ship rescued four men who had been clinging to a partially submerged fishing boat for 12 days. The four men -- all from Honduras -- had left Roatán for a fishing trip on Aug. 8, and their small outboard boat capsized two days later. For almost two weeks, the group drifted approximately 520 nautical miles through the Yucatán Strait, catching fish with the help of a t-shirt and drinking rainwater. | Rescue |
| 21.7.04 |
Norwegian
Crown & Norwegian Majesty |
The
Royal Gazette (Bermuda) reported that hundreds of
passengers
fell violently sick as their Bermuda-bound ships were pounded by 15
foot
waves during a fierce storm. All outdoor activities were
cancelled
and staff distributed seasickness drugs, green apples and salt
crackers.
Click here
to see the story. |
Stormy
seas |
| 1.5.04 |
Norwegian
Dream |
Earlier
this week, the Norwegian Dream cancelled its its
scheduled stop at Genoa, and it scheduled a stop at the port of
Gibraltar. Its next scheduled port of call was to have been Barcelona the following day, but the Spanish government decided to enforce a decades-old law that says a ship cannot dock at a Spanish port after it has called at Gibraltar. NCL substituted Sete, France for Barcelona. Other cruise lines are now canceling stops at Gibralter in order to avoid similar problems. |
Cancellation
of Port of Call |
| 30.4.04 |
Norwegian
Crown |
Fuel fumes
filled 50 cabins as a result of a
hole in a ventilation duct in
the air conditioning system, and there were reportedly power
outages. Passengers were promised full refunds by the Captain
onboard, but news reports indicate the company reneged. |
Power Outages Fumes |
| 8.4.04 |
Norwegian
Dream |
The
itinerary
for the 22 March cruise was changed as a result of a
broken crankshaft and need for the ship to operate on one
engine. Madeira and Genoa were cancelled as ports of
call and a stop at Gibraltar was added. NCL says the engine
problems will not effect the next three Mediterranean sailings.
There is no word when the repairs will be made. |
Engine
breakdown |
| 2.4.04 |
Norwegian
Star |
Because
of damage to the forward thrust bearing in the
ship's Azipod system, stops at Fanning Island have been cancelled for
cruises through April 25. The ship will then enter drydock one
week early. |
Cancellation
/ Propulsion Problems |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2003 |
Incident |
| 13.11.03 |
Norwegian Wind |
Passenger
report: Both ships (HAL's Veendam and N. Wind)were docked at
the
Cozumel pier stern to stern with approximately 20-30' between the 2
ships. A sudden brief storm with high wind
and rain came in around 7-7:30 and pushed the Veendam into the Wind.
The Wind seemed to have more damage than the Veendam. From
what we could see, the Veendam had damage to a window cleaning walkway.
The Wind had a nice size dent 15' wide in the stern at Deck 7/8
towards the port side. The floor on the deck was buckled where it
meets the stern. Also a section of pipe under deck 8 crimped.
Possibly related to the accident and to the crimped pipe, a
sprinkler line burst
in the aft stairwell around the same time. Departure from Cozumel
was delayed by only 15 minutes and as far as we know, there were no
injuries. |
Bump |
| 25.9.03 |
Norwegian
Crown |
Sustained
damage to the port side propeller when it came
into contact with a fishing net while sailing from Quebec City to
Boston. The ship will be delayed one day. |
Collision |
| 25.5.03 |
Norway |
Initially
next 3 cruises cancelled because of boiler
explosion. By early-June, cruises through September had been
cancelled. Subsequently announced that
all cruises were cancelled indefinitely. |
Cancellation |
| 25.5.03 |
Norway |
A
boiler room explosion killed eight crew members and
injured a dozen others. No passengers were injured. The
ship had arrived at the Port of Miami around 5 a.m. The fire began at
6:30; it was caused by a steam leak. |
Boiler Explosion |
| 3.5.03 |
Norwegian
Sun |
The
ship
is being investigated by the State of Washington for an illegal
discharge of 16,000 gallons (40 tons) of raw sewage into the
Strait of Juan de Fuca (just off Whidby Island, a popular vacation
resort). The strait is known to be habitat for Orca whales. |
Environmental |
| 28.4.03 |
Norwegian
Dream |
Passengers
notified at embarkation that cruise itinerary
will not include St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Talinn as planned. Due
to ice in the Gulf of Finland (a fact that is disputed) the ship
instead would stop at Amsterdam, Germany, and Norway. Passengers say
they should have been notified earlier about the change given that the
decision to change the itinerary was made before most passengers had
left home. Close to 1000 passengers (60%) have signed a petition
demanding appropriate compensation for in effect doing the same thing
as substituting a cruise to Mexico for a cruise to Alaska. |
Itinerary
Change |
| 13.3.03 |
Norwegian
Star |
An
injured crewman was airlifted to Oahu after falling from
a tender and injuring his legs on the propeller when the ship was
visiting the Fanning Islands (Republic of Kiribati). The ship was
diverted to Christmas Island. Subsequent ports of call cancelled
because of diversion. |
Crew
injury / Itinerary change |
| 6.2.03 |
Norwegian
Wind |
A
couple aboard the ship reported observing whole beer
bottles, whole wine bottles, beer and pop cans, corks, plastic plates,
plastic utensils, plastic cups and organic material all being tossed
into the ocean from the back of the ship. The ship was between
Hawaii and Fanning Island. The company insists it did nothing illegal.
The incident is
being investigated by the US Coast Guard and EPA. |
Environmental |
| 3.2.03 |
Norwegian
Star |
A
technical problem in one of the two Azipod transformers
has forced the ship to operate at a slower speed. The current
cruise will skip the stop at Fanning Island, but all Hawaiian islands
scheduled will be visited. It remains unstated how cabotage law
requirements ($200
fine per passenger for not including a foreign port) will be handled. |
Engine problems |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2002 |
Incident |
| 13.8.02 |
Norwegian Majesty |
Acting
on intelligence reports, police raided the
ship and seized 33 pounds of cocaine (valued at $4.5 million).
The ship was docked St. George's, Bermuda. |
Drug bust |
| Aug.02 |
Norway and "at least one other ship" |
Norwegian Cruise Line pled guilty to on numerous occasions from 1997 through April 2000 that it routinely circumvented the oily water separator, allowing oily bilge to be discharged directly into the sea. The company was given a lenient sentence because it reported its practices to the Department of Justice. FINE = $1.5 million ($1 million fine and $500,000 in court-ordered community service to fund environmental projects in South Florida) | Environmental |
| 28.7.02 |
Norway |
U.S. Customs agents were waiting on pier as the Norway arrived at Miami with an arrest warrant for a crew member on drug smuggling charges. He fled, hiding onboard, and was eventually apprehended. He had two kilos of heroin strapped to his body. Disembarkation delayed while drug dogs searched the ship. The incident caused a four-hour delay in the ship's departure. | Drug bust / Delayed departure |
| 21.7.02 |
Norway |
Wine
steward arrested for raping a passenger. Both
the woman and her husband were under the effect of some type of drug.
(Reported in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, July 26, 2002) |
Rape |
| 5.3.02 | Norway | Stewardess accidentally fell overboard and rescued after ten hours in the water. Port call at St. Maarten canceled. | Person overboard |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2001 and earlier |
Incident |
| Dec. 01 |
Norwegian Star |
From a passenger: Inaugural voyage in Hawaii -- aka why never to take an inaugural cruise. Food running out on way back from Fanning Island because the entire buffet was shut down and thrown out for not being to temperature before leaving Honolulu. Delayed departure to wait for passengers from international flights – several hours delay, causing shortened first port stop and cancelled tours. Fanning Island tendering situation was hideous – two to three hours in line to wait for return tenders and no shade. Most people were glad just to see land though, since all the way down to Fanning and most of the way back we were battling high seas and winds from Typhoon Fanxi (probably misspelled). Also hit by a rogue wave at 7am one morning on the Fanning leg, causing lots of things to fall from shelves. By the time we got out of the cabin we didn’t see any breakage, but we were awakened by champagne bottles flying from top shelves onto the floor. Estimated tilt about 30 degrees one way, then back 30 degrees the other and then it was as if nothing happened. No notification at all of what caused it. And I only found out about the Typhoon (soon to be supertyphoon) because I’d gone on the internet to surf. High seas also meant that the crew was sick – up to 1/3 of them couldn’t handle the storms so services were horribly interrupted. Billing was not done in time (I actually heard the person responsible for the billing being berated by the captain for going to sleep when the billing system wasn’t working with the idea that it’d get fixed later – and this was the night before the return to Honolulu). Worst cruise I’ve ever been on by far – what a honeymoon! | Cruise from hell |
| Sep. 01 |
Norway |
Collides with pier in New York
City, Grounded |
Collision |
| 27.5.01 |
Norway |
The Coast Guard yanked the
ship's permission to carry passengers out of a US port because the
ship's fire-safety system had sprung more than 100 leaks. |
Safety hazard - Cancellation |
| 21.5.01 | Norwegian Sky |
The autopilot failed and caused
the ship to make a jarring turn and then list, sending plates and
glasses crashing and injuring more than 70 people. The ship was
near the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. |
Severe List |
| 24.9.99 |
Norwegian Sky |
Ran aground on a sandbar near the confluence of the Sagenay and St. Lawrence rivers; was refloated at high tide. The ship will need to undergo repairs so the next two cruises were cancelled. See: Grounding Passenger Vessel "NORWEGIAN SKY" Off Île Rouge, St. Lawrence River, Quebec, 24 September 1999, Transportation Safety Board of Canada Report Number M99L0098 | Grounded |
| 24.8.99 |
Norwegian Dream |
Collides with the Ever Decent
(containership) in the British Channel and sustaining heavy
damage. Miraculously there was no loss of life or serious
injury. Several subsequent cruises were cancelled. |
Collision |
| 28.7.99 |
Norwegian Crown |
Passengers complained after a
switchboard problem caused a four hour (11AM - 3PM) loss of electricity
and water. The ship was at dock in Bermuda. |
Electricity loss |
| 28.5.99 |
Norway |
Suffers a fire in its
turbocharger room while entering Barcelona and is put out of commission
for 3 weeks. |
Fire |
| 12.6.99 |
Norwegian Wind |
Skipped two ports in the Alaska
cruise each of the last two weeks because of propulsion problems -- pax
given $100 onboard credit |
Propulsion problems |
| 19.4.99 |
Norwegian Majesty |
On its first voyage after refit,
passengers complained about "appalling conditions." Complaints
centred on diesel fumes, toilets backing up, and televisions and
telephones not working. |
Passenger complaints |
| 12.4.99 |
Norwegian Majesty |
As it was preparing to leave
port, a grease fire broke out in a pizzeria on an upper deck -- a
passenger (firefighter) put out the fire with an extinguisher but
was injured slightly. The cruise left without him. |
Fire |
| 14.1.99 |
Norwegian Dynasty |
The ship was forced into port
(San Diego) to repair a failed engine. The ship was sailing from
Honolulu to Puerto Vallarta. |
Engine problems - Detour |
| 19.12.97 |
Leeward |
Sailed over and damaged a 460 square yard swath of
the Great Mayan Reef near Cozumel. Fined $1 million by Mexican
government. |
Environmental |
| 28.9.97 |
Dreamward |
The ship lost power as a result
of an electrical explosion, which shortcircuited the engines and
steering capability of the ship. The ship was adrift about 30
miles out to sea for 20 hours before repairs were made and it continued
on to Halifax. |
Power loss |