According to NCL, the ship developed a fault on Monday (1 July) during a 13-day repositioning cruise from Amsterdam to the Mediterranean, forcing the ship to travel at a reduced speed.
As a result, Pearl did not call in Palma as scheduled and sailed directly to Barcelona instead for “further assessments”.
Following a review, the ship was held in Barcelona for an extra evening (2 July) and was due to depart for Livorno in Italy on Wednesday (3 July), skipping a planned call in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
However, passenger Greg Hughes wrote on Twitter the ship was yet to depart at 7am local time.
“Doesn’t look like we’re leaving Barcelona as promised,” he said. “We’ve passed our expected 6am departure time for Livorno and they just hooked up the ship to the gangway and water hose. Still no update from the captain. This paralysis is making it impossible to make plans.”
https://twitter.com/Ghughes20/status/1146280668168708096
The voyage is due to conclude in Rome but NCL has already said that due to “necessary repairs”, Pearl’s upcoming Greek Isles and Italy sailing – due to depart on Friday (5 July) – has been cancelled.
“We recognise the disappointment and inconvenience our guests have experienced as a result of this unforeseen situation and we offer our sincere apologies,” said the line in a statement.
Built in 2006, Norwegian Pearl was refurbished in 2017 and has capacity for just shy of 2,400 guests, some of whom have like Hughes taken to social media to seek assurances they will arrive in Rome in time for return flights or onward connections.
The ship has European sailings scheduled throughout July and August.
