A powerful nor'easter hammered New Jersey and New York over the weekend, causing multiple cruise ships to remain stuck in port.
Passengers on Norwegian Getaway revealed they couldn't depart from New York City as scheduled on Sunday, October 12.
"A Nor’easter is forecasted to impact the region beginning Sunday afternoon, bringing strong winds and rough seas," a last-minute notice given to embarking guests said.
"In anticipation of these conditions, and as a precautionary measure, local authorities have suspended pilotage services in New York, a necessary step to ensure safe navigation in and out of the port."
Consequently, two ports on the 7-night Canada and New England itinerary — Newport, Rhode Island, on Oct. 13 and Boston, Massachusetts, on Oct. 14 — have been canceled.
Because the port is closed until Tuesday, Oct. 14, the ship will remain overnight in New York again. Initially, they were hopeful that they would depart on Monday, but the pilot services, which help guide cruise ships in and out of port, are suspended due to the port's closure.
Read more: Norwegian Getaway guide and review
Further itinerary changes will likely be made, as the vessel can't arrive in Bar Harbor, Maine, in time for its scheduled visit on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
As of 1:25 p.m. EST, Cruise Mapper shows Norwegian Getaway still docked in New York City, alongside ships like Mein Schiff I and ms Europa.
Despite being in port, all onboard amenities are fully operational. Even though guests couldn't enjoy their first night at sea, they could take advantage of the 145,655 gross-ton vessel's dining and entertainment line-up.
Norwegian Getaway isn't the only cruise ship stuck in NYC
As the nor’easter continues churning up the Mid-Atlantic coast, numerous areas are bracing for heavy rainfall and powerful winds.
Consequently, multiple cruise ships scheduled to depart from the New York City area over the weekend were forced to delay their sailings, including Norwegian Getaway.
Symphony of the Seas is another ship waiting for clearance. The Oasis Class ship was slated to leave Bayonne, New Jersey, on Sunday, Oct. 12, on a weeklong Bahamas cruise.
However, despite pushing for early embarkation, the 228,081 gross-ton ship was stuck in New Jersey overnight.
Some guests have shared that Symphony isn't departing on Monday, either. According to one passenger, the Captain revealed that they can't leave Cape Liberty until Tuesday at 11:00 am.
"...[W] are ONLY going to [CocoCay] on Thursday and heading back. As compensation, we are offered 50 percent off on beverages...so there's that lol I passed by guest services and passengers are yelling at workers/each other and being petty," they commented on a Royal Caribbean Blog post.
Similarly, another Facebook post indicates that MSC Meraviglia will not depart from Brooklyn until Tuesday.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
