Norwegian Cruise Line is waving goodbye to two more ships —the Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Sun. But before we dive into that, let’s rewind a bit. Over the past few weeks, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) made headlines by offloading two older ships in their luxury brands: the Regent Seven Seas Navigator from Regent Seven Seas Cruises and the Oceania Insignia from Oceania Cruises. These ships aren’t headed to the scrapyard—they’re getting a whole new lease on life with Crescent Seas, a startup that’s turning them into residential cruise ships. The Navigator is set to kick off this new chapter in 2026, followed by the Insignia in 2027.
Now, Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Sun are set to leave the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet. These two aren’t being sold off for residential life, though—they’re heading to Cordelia Cruises, a cruise operator based in India. The Sky will make the switch in 2026, with the Sun following in 2027. It’s part of NCLH’s strategy to “optimize” their fleet, AKA getting rid of older, smaller, less efficient ships to make room for bigger new ones that can generate more revenue.
The History of Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Sun
The Norwegian Sky has been around since 1999. Originally built for Costa Cruises as Costa Olympia, the ship never actually sailed for them. Instead, Norwegian scooped it up, finished the construction, and launched it as Norwegian Sky. At 77,104 gross tons and with a capacity for about 2,000 passengers, it’s been a fan favorite for shorter cruises, especially those 3- and 4-night jaunts to the Bahamas from Miami.
Then there’s the Norwegian Sun, which joined the fleet in 2001 as a newbuild for Norwegian. A bit bigger at 78,309 gross tons, it also carries around 2,000 passengers.
Both ships are part of Norwegian’s Sun-class, known for their cozy, mid-sized feel—big enough to have fun amenities but small enough to dodge the crowds in the supersize ships that are now the norm – like Carnival’s recent announcement of a new class of ship that will hold 8,000 passengers.
Prima-Class to Pick Up the Load
To offset these departures, Norwegian is counting on their new Prima-class ships. The first in the class, Norwegian Aqua just arrived in March 2025. The Norwegian Luna is set to debut in 2026, with a capacity for 3,571 guests. This beauty promises to “shine brighter” with celestial-inspired hull art when it arrives in Miami. It will be followed in 2027, with another Prima-class ship, who’s name has yet to be announced.
My Time On Norwegian Sky
Last July, I had the opportunity to cruise on the Norwegian Sky on a 9-day cruise to the Caribbean, and for a ship of her age, she was in remarkably good condition. While the layout felt quirky at times, it was nice to be on a ship with far less passengers than the 6,000+ mega ships. That small ship experience is what cruisers like myself are definitely going to miss once all the lines start removing small ships from their fleets. Unless you’re willing to shell out a lot to cruise on more intimate vessels on lines such as Regent, Oceania, or Explora Journeys, you’ll be sailing on these behemoths of the sea.
Check out my Norwegian Sky review by clicking here.
Norwegian Sky 9-Day Caribbean Cruise Review: Day 1 – July 16, 2024