Norwegian Cruise Line’s Great Cruise Comeback Continues with Bliss Departure from L.A.
byDori Saltzman/
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Great Cruise Comeback continued with Norwegian Bliss’ departure from the L.A. World Cruise terminal in San Pedro on Sunday. It was the first time in nearly 500 days that the ship sailed with passengers onboard.
“Norwegian Bliss has been one of the industry’s game changers setting multiple world records on the West Coast,” said Harry Sommer, president, and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line. “Having her make her long-awaited return from the ‘City of Angels’ sets another landmark in our Great Cruise Comeback journey as we reignite half of our fleet and continue delivering unforgettable guest experiences from one of the premier destinations on the West Coast.”
Bliss marks the seventh ship in the NCL fleet to return to sailing, with four more scheduled to launch this year. Bliss is also the line’s second ship to sail from the West Coast, following the relaunch of Norwegian Encore in Alaska this past summer.
NCL’s Great Cruise Comeback started on July 25 when Norwegian Jade became the first ship in the fleet to set sail with seven day-itineraries to the Greek Isles. Norwegian Encore followed on August 7, sailing Alaska cruises from Seattle. Other ships in the NCL fleet to relaunch have included Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Getaway, and Norwegian Breakaway.
Other ships set to launch this year include:
- Norwegian Escape from Port Canaveral, starting November 13
- Norwegian Joy from Miami starting November 20
- Norwegian Dawn from Tampa starting December 8
- Norwegian Pearl from Miami starting December 23
The rest of the Norwegian fleet will return to service in 2022, including Norwegian Prima, the first in an all-new class of ship for the cruise line.
Norwegian Bliss will sail week-long and five-day voyages to the Mexican Riviera from L.A. until January 21, 2022, when it will embark on a 14-day Panama Canal cruise from L.A. to Miami.
Strict COVID-19 Protocols
The line’s return to service has been characterized bystrict COVID-19 protocols. Norwegian is the only mainstream cruise line to require 100% of passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated.
Furthermore, all passengers must get tested at the port before being allowed onboard. Norwegian Cruise Line runs its own rapid antigen testing program. There is no cost to passengers.
“We’re skeptics,” said biological containment expert John Y. Mason about NCL’s decision to do their own testing, rather than accept outside test results. “These tests we know were done, right then and there, versus something that was done offsite.”
(Mason is a member of the cruise line’s SailSAFE council, which helped create the COVID-19 protocols the fleet operates under.)
The system works. Since NCL returned to cruising, the pre-cruise screenings have caught several positive cases at the port, both in the United States and Europe. (The line is keeping the specific number of cases confidential.)
The at-port testing is also convenient. Something travel advisor Lianabelle Pinero, owner of Nautical Dreams Travel, says her clients appreciate.
“Trying to schedule that COVID test can be really hard. Norwegian makes it really convenient. When I present it to the client, I present it as ‘don’t worry about it, they will take care of everything for you.’”
Pinero said that when it comes to comparing apples to apples, similar itineraries and prices across different cruise lines, Norwegian’s 100% vaccination policy, and at-port testing are enough to get many of her clients to book the NCL cruise.