Norwegian Cruise Line’s 92,250-ton Norwegian Dawn was unable to complete its scheduled docking in Portland, England, on Monday and ended up leaving the port behind.
The itinerary’s second scheduled port of call in Portland was experiencing ‘high winds’, leading Norwegian Dawn to skip its full day on the island connected to Weymouth.
Norwegian Dawn’s Unexpected Itinerary Change
The 2,340-guest Norwegian Dawn decided to unexpectedly skip its first scheduled port of call after embarking the day prior from Southampton, England.
Norwegian Dawn embarked on a ten-night British Isles itinerary on September 25, heading to its initial stop in Portland, England, but ditched the port at 7 am Monday, heading to Cork, Ireland instead.
According to the Met Office weather forecast, ‘high winds’ were expected that day, making the 92,250-ton Norwegian ship think twice before heading elsewhere.
Winds over 29 mph are classified as ‘strong winds,’ and the Portland Harbour was set to potentially get hit with wind gusts reaching upwards of 30 mph.
Based on the questionable weather patterns, Norwegian Dawn chose to play it safe before stopping at the island connected to Weymouth, dodging the port and missing its day ashore, supposedly departing at 5 pm that same day.
Due to the last-minute itinerary shift, shuttle buses and coaches anticipating to transport guests on land in Portland were seen departing empty after hearing the ship’s change of plans.
The ten-night British Isles itinerary, traveling England and Ireland to Amsterdam, took its guests and crew to its first of three stops in Ireland instead, ensuring the safety of everyone onboard.
Read Also: Norwegian Cruise Line Cancels Port of Call for European Sailing
The 965-foot ship is set to spend September 27 in Cork, the following day in Dublin, and the 28th in Belfast, Northern Ireland, completing its stops in Ireland.
For the next three consecutive days leading into October, this itinerary will make three stops in Scotland, visiting Kirkwall, Invergordon, and Edinburgh, completing days six-eight.
In hopes that the itinerary makes no further changes, Norwegian Dawn will spend its final days of this itinerary in Zeebrugge (Bruges), Belgium on October 4, and make its last stop in Amsterdam, Holland on Wednesday, October 5.
Upcoming Impacting Weather Ahead
The ship’s several upcoming stops will hopefully not be impacted by extreme weather alerts, but the weather on Tuesday in Cork, Ireland, doesn’t look promising.
Although winds should be under 15 mph in Cork, the area is set to have brisk rainy days ahead with temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Farenheight.
Drizzly, cool days ahead for the ship’s following days in Ireland and throughout its time in Scotland. These dreary days ahead at the upcoming ports of call should, however, be met with reasonable winds and brisk temperatures between 40-60 degrees Farenheight.
Built at the Myer Werft Shipyard in Germany, the 15-deck, 92,250-ton Norwegian Dawn is the first in the line’s fleet to carry hull art.
Norwegian Dawn was christened for Norwegian Cruise Line, previously owned by Star Cruises, on December 16, 2002, in Manhattan, New York, and is set to sail upcoming itineraries that visit the Baltic and the Caribbean.
