Starting September 1, Norwegian Cruise Line will start round-trip sailings from Baltimore for the fall and winter seasons. This marks the first time in years that the cruise line will sail from the mid-Atlantic port.
NCL returns to Baltimore in 2023
Norwegian Sky will offer 10 to 11-day itineraries to New England and Canada in September. Kicking off the season on September 1 is the 10-night Canada and New England voyage. The 1999-built ship underwent a massive renovation in 2019. Following the cruise industry shutdown, Sky was laid until early 2022, Norwegian Sky restarted voyages that March.
The 2000-built Norwegian Sun will offer five- and 12-day voyages to the Dominican Republic and Bermuda for those who prefer to sail in November and December.
For its 2022 season, Norwegian Sun was originally scheduled to sail Far East voyages after a summer in Alaska. However, due to uncertainty in Asia, the company redeployed the ship closer to home.
Port stops in Canada, and the United States will include the popular Halifax and Bar Harbor. Still, they will also feature more unusual ports of call, such as Shelburne and Baie-Comeau in Canada and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Plans are underway to include the Cruise Maryland Terminal in Norwegian’s 2024 fall schedule.
But Norwegian Cruise Line isn’t the first major cruise line to homeport in Maryland’s economic hub. Last May, Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas returned with sailings. Carnival Cruise Line has been frequenting the port for over ten years, restarting operations with Carnival Pride in September 2021.
Baltimore’s facts and figures
Baltimore is conveniently accessible from major cities and located off Interstate 95. Despite being smaller than other cruise ports, the size can appeal to cruisers looking to avoid congestion.
Baltimore expects to welcome over 223 ships and 550,000 cruise ship passengers this year. When a cruise ship docks in Baltimore, it generates $500,000-$550,000 in economic revenue from services such as fuel bunkering, wharfage, dockage charges, water, trash removal, security, pilotage, and line handling.