Norwegian Getaway accidents and incidents

September 2022Other Incidents

Due to Hurricane Ian (September 19th-formed "Category 4" storm in the Caribbean that impacted the USA's Florida Peninsula), NCL canceled Norwegian Getaway's September 29th departure from Florida (Port Canaveral/Orlando).

Two of Florida's homeports (Tampa Bay and JAXPORT/Jacksonville) were closed for maritime traffic (Port Canaveral was closed to incoming ships), forcing all Florida-based cruise liners to reroute their current voyages to avoid the storm and make itinerary changes.

NCL Getaway's canceled 9-day "Caribbean, Dominican Republic, and Antigua Cruise" (itinerary Sept 29 - Oct 8) was planned as a roundtrip from Port Canaveral visiting Bahamas (Great Stirrup Cay), St Thomas USVI (Charlotte Amalie), Antigua (St Johns), St Maarten (Philipsburg), Puerto Rico (San Juan), and Dominicana (Puerto Plata).

Impacted bookings received a 100% refund plus 25% in FCC/future cruise credit.

23 July 2021Boat Rescue

On July 23, 2021, the ship's crew successfully conducted a rescue operation saving 34 people (migrants from North Africa) stranded on a small boat in distress.

The incident occurred in the Eastern Mediterranean after the ship left Port Piraeus (Athens Greece/ at 4:05 PM UTC) and was halfway between Greece and Italy's Sicily Island.

The migrants were allowed to board the liner and were provided with food and medical care. NCL Getaway ship was carrying only crew-staff, being without passengers since the Coronavirus crisis started in March 2020.

On July 25, the vessel arrived and docked in Sicily's Port Augusta, staying in port for ~14 hours (arrival 6:04 AM, departure 7:39 PM UTC). The migrants were disembarked and handed over to the local authorities.

03 June 2019Crew / Passenger Deaths

On June 3, 2019, a 20-year-old male passenger died while the liner was en-route from Invergordon (Scotland) to Port Newhaven (one of the cruise ports for Edinburgh City). The police statement was that young man's death was not suspicious, but the potential cause was not released. Two other passengers were reported sick, disembarked in Newhaven Harbour and ambulanced to Edinburgh.

The incident occurred at the end of 14-day "Iceland and Norway Cruise (itinerary May 24 - June 7) roundtrip from homeport Copenhagen (Denmark) to Norway (Haugesund, Flam, Bergen, Hellesylt), Iceland (Akureyri, Reykjavik) and Scotland (Invergordon, Edinburgh).

30 January 2019Crew / Passenger Deaths

(CruiseMapper email from Jimmy Dives) On the NCL Getaway (Jan 27 - Feb 3). Pretty sure a man in his 40’s passed away from medical complications from a previous injury. There was no announcement. But heard it from another passenger who had interacted with him earlier in the cruise.

The incident allegedly occurred during the 7-day Western Caribbean cruise roundtrip from homeport Miami to Honduras (Roatan Island), Belize (Harvest Caye) and Mexico (Costa Maya, and Cozumel).

02 September 2018Boat Rescue

On September 2, 2018, while en route from Miami to Mexico, the ship rescued 4 Cubans stranded at sea. The men were taken to ship's infirmary and provided with food and clothing. Liner's Captain notified about the incident the USCG and Bahamas Maritime Authority and was advised to disembark them at the next call port (Costa Maya Mexico) on September 4.

The incident occurred at the beginning of 7-day Western Caribbean cruise (itinerary Sept 2-9) roundtrip from homeport Miami to Costa Maya, Harvest Caye Island (Belize), Roatan Island (Honduras) and Cozumel.

30 June 2018Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

(overboard) On June 30, 2018, a 33-year-old male crew (Filipino) was reported missing and presumably overboard. The incident occurred at ~3:30 pm, when the ship was approx 45 km (28 mi) northwest of Cuba (Pinar del Rio), en-route from Mexico back to Miami. The liner immediately turned around and conducted a search operation. USCG Miami deployed an HC-144 airplane to search the area (4200 km2 / 1630 ml2) but failed to find him.

On July 1, the man was found and recovered alive by Carnival Glory, approx 33 km (21 mi) north of Cuba. The incident occurred during 7-day Western Caribbean cruise (itinerary June 24 - July 1) roundtrip from homeport Miami to Costa Maya, Harvest Caye (Belize), Roatan Island, and Cozumel.

16 April 2018Coast Guard Medevacs

On April 16, 2018, a 41-year-old male crew (suffering from internal issues) was medevaced by USCG team while the liner was near Marathon (Florida) en-route from PortMiami to Mexico. The USCG helicopter was dispatched from Air Station Miami, hoisted the man from the ship and took him back to the station, from where he was transported by an ambulance to Jackson Memorial Hospital (Miami).

The incident occurred at the beginning of 7-day cruise (itinerary April 15-22) roundtrip from homeport Miami to Costa Maya, Harvest Caye (Belize), Roatan and Cozumel.

01 April 2018Coast Guard Medevacs

On April 1, 2018, an 81-year-old male passenger (suffering heart attack-symptoms) was medevaced from the ship by a USCG helicopter team. The liner was approx 44 ml / 70 km southeast of Marathon Florida. The elderly man was airlifted and flown to Key West FL (Lower Keys Medical Center).

The ship was just starting a 7-day Miami roundtrip cruise (itinerary April 1-8) to Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya and Cozumel.

2018Other Incidents

For the period April 15 -September 23, 2018, the shipowner Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) changed the vessel's itinerary program (based on roundtrips from homeport Miami Florida) from Eastern Caribbean to Western Caribbean.

• The originally scheduled 7-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary included call ports Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas USVI), Road Town (Tortola BVI and Nassau Bahamas.
• The new 7-day Western Caribbean itinerary included call ports Roatan Island (Honduras), Harvest Caye (Belize) and Mexico (Costa Maya and Cozumel). 

The itinerary change was due to damages on the islands Tortola and St Thomas caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017. Immediately after the storms hit the region, NCL and other cruise companies modified their itinerary routes to the Western Caribbean.

August 2016Other Incidents

During "2016 Summer Olympics" in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) for the period August 5 through 21, the NCL Getaway ship was fully chartered to serve as a hotel ship for the "Olympic Family". A second / smaller ship (Silversea's Silver Cloud) was also chartered as a hotel ship and was anchored alongside Norwegian Getaway during the games. 

The NCL ship was under time-charter (by the brokerage firm Landry & Kling) and was booked with passenger capacity 3957. Of the liner's all staterooms, 90% were reserved for the "Olympic Family" (Rio Host Committee, International Olympic Federation, National Organizing Committees, as well as for all the Olympic’s corporate sponsors). The remaining 10% were sold as cruise tour packages by Tam Viagens (Brazilian tour company).

The Silversea ship provided lodging for the NBA players (USA's men and women basketball teams), along with their families and friends. It was booked with passenger capacity 296.

The reasons for chartering cruise vessels as hotels were security. The anchored ships' location (Port Rio's Pier Maua) was not disclosed during the games.

09 March 2016Crew / Passenger Deaths

On March 9, 2016, a male passenger committed suicide by jumping intentionally from the ship’s Sports Deck 18 (basketball court area) and landing on Promenade Deck 8 (waterfront aft).

16 September 2015Crew / Passenger Deaths

On September 16, 2015, a 60-year-old male passenger died (initially reported drowned) during NCL-sponsored shore excursion in Tortola (BVI). However, the autopsy showed the man (John Joseph Russo, of US origin) died of a broken neck after diving headfirst from the tour boat. He was travelling together with his girlfriend (Jill Pires, aged 59) and both participated in a guided snorkelling tour at Frenchmans Cay Resort (West End Tortola). The boat’s crew and fellow tourists searched for ~45 min before the body resurfaced.

The incident occurred at ~11:30 am, while the NCL ship was docked in Tortola on 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise (itinerary Sept 12-19) from homeport Miami, with call ports Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas USVI), Tortola, Nassau (Bahamas).

04 September 2015Coast Guard Medevacs

On September 4, 2015, due to a medical emergency, the ship arrived early in call port Nassau Bahamas, where a female passenger was disembarked and transported by an ambulance to a hospital. The incident occurred on 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise (itinerary Aug 29 – Sept 5) from homeport Miami, with call ports Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas), Roadtown (Tortola BVI) and Nassau.

16 February 2015Coast Guard Medevacs

On February 16, 2015, a 13-year-old male passenger was medevaced via USCG helicopter and transported to Centro Medico hospital in San Juan Puerto Rico. The incident occurred en-route from Miami to St Maarten. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter flew to the NCL ship and airlifted/hoisted the boy, his mother and a crew doctor.

The ship was on 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise (itinerary Feb 14 to 21) from homeport Miami to Philipsburg (St Maarten), Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas) and Nassau (Bahamas).

05 March 2013Fire Accident

On March 5, 2013, during the vessel’s construction, a fire broke out at the shipbuilder’s yard in Papenburg Germany. No injuries were reported. The incident didn’t affect the delivery date (January 10, 2014). During the fire, all production areas and the shipyard's visitors centre were evacuated because of the huge amount of smoke accumulated in the drydock.