Passengers on the Norwegian Gem have been forced to spend the remainder of their cruise at sea after Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) canceled their voyage mid-trip due to COVID-19.
The sailing that left New York on Sunday, January 9 bound for the Caribbean for 10 days was abruptly ended on Thursday, January 13, after making a port of call in St. Maarten.
But that would be the last time cruisers would be allowed to get off the boat, passengers told USA Today.
"As we continue to navigate the fluid public health environment, while focusing on delivering a safe experience for all on board, today, we made the difficult decision to cancel Norwegian Gem's current Caribbean sailing, due to COVID-related circumstances," a Norwegian Cruise Lines spokesperson said in a statement to the media outlet.
Instead of stopping at other islands, the Gem will remain at sea. Ship officials told passengers the boat would return to New York on the morning of January 19, as scheduled, but the NCL spokesperson would not confirm the date to USA Today and said only it will arrive in New York "shortly."
The Gem spent the night on Friday, January 14, in Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
Passengers will have their full booking fare returned to them as well as a 50 percent discount on a future cruise by May 31, 2023.
The cruise industry has again been hit hard by COVID outbreaks. Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifting the conditional no-sail order in favor of voluntary compliance, Norwegian has nonetheless now canceled 12 cruises. Royal Caribbean has also canceled several cruises and, just this week, the Windstar line said it will pause operations in the Caribbean.
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