Norwegian Joy Alaska Cruise Cuts Two Bucket List Ports
Key Aspects:
Norwegian Joy’s May 19, 2028 Alaskan itinerary has been shuffled, with visits to Skagway and Sitka replaced with a call at Whittier.
The day cruising near Hubbard Glacier as well as the port visits to Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan have also been adjusted.
There is no change to the ship’s departure from or return to Seattle as planned for the 10-day roundtrip sailing.
An Alaskan cruise can be a bucket list vacation even for the most frequent cruise guest, and such a vacation is selected with great care for specific itineraries that visit coveted destinations. It can be disappointing, then, when an itinerary must be changed, even if that change is made more than 20 months before embarkation.
This is the disappointment guests booked on Norwegian Joy‘s May 19, 2028 sailing are now dealing with, as Norwegian Cruise Line has sent email notifications of an itinerary change for the 10-day voyage. Booked guests shared the notification on Facebook on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
“Even the most thoughtfully planned sailings can occasionally shift course,” the email begins. “While these moments aren’t always expected, they often open the door to fresh ways of experiencing your vacation.”
The new itinerary is fresh indeed, as it drops two planned port visits, moves around scenic cruising and another port visit, adjusts times in two ports, and adds a new destination to the schedule.
The 3,802-guest Norwegian Joy will still be departing Seattle at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 19, her first full day of the cruise will still be a day at sea, and the first port visit will still be to Juneau from 1:30-10 p.m. on Sunday, May 21.
After her visit to Alaska’s capital city, however, the next five days of the itinerary are different than the original plan.
Monday, May 22: Icy Strait Point from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (previously Skagway from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
Tuesday, May 23: Scenic cruising to view Hubbard Glacier (previously Sitka from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Wednesday, May 24: Whittier from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (previously Hubbard Glacier scenic cruising)
Thursday, May 25: Day at sea (previously Icy Strait Point from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Friday, May 26: Ketchikan from 12-8 p.m. (previously Ketchikan from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
The end of the cruise remains a day at sea on Saturday, May 27 and a visit to Victoria, British Columbia on Sunday, May 28 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Norwegian Joy will still return to Seattle at 6 a.m. on Monday, May 29 for debarkation as originally scheduled.
Both Sitka and Skagway have been dropped from the schedule, while Whittier has been added to the itinerary. In addition to being on a different day than the original itinerary, the time in Icy Strait Point has shifted an hour later in the day but the duration of the port visit remains the same.
Ketchikan is still on the same day but the port visit is four hours shorter, as the ship will not arrive until noon instead of at 8 a.m. as initially planned.
Nevertheless, guests can still expect what Norwegian Cruise Line describes as an itinerary that will “showcase the remarkable beauty, wildlife, glaciers, and coastal scenery that make Alaska such an extraordinary destination to explore.”
Norwegian Cruise Line has noted that berth availability is the reason behind this dramatic itinerary shuffle, though the cruise line does not clarify which port or ports have caused the adjustments. These types of changes often create a knock-on effect with multiple adjustments needed to accommodate one initial change.
What Guests Need to Do Now
While these itinerary changes are automatic and guests do not need to do anything to enjoy their cruise, it might be necessary to adjust some plans for port days.
Typically, a cruise line will automatically adjust any pre-paid excursions booked through the line for changed port visits, or cancel and refund those excursions if they cannot be adjusted. Because this Norwegian Joy sailing is more than 20 months away, however, Norwegian Cruise Line may not yet have made tours available for booking.
If guests have already made independent plans with tour operators in their planned ports of call, they will need to contact those operators directly to cancel or adjust their plans.
Fortunately, because this itinerary change is so far ahead of time, it should be easy for guests to have those tours adjusted. Also, since Norwegian Joy is not changing her departure from or return to Seattle, guests should not need to adjust any pre- or post-cruise travel plans.
It is always prudent for cruise guests to stay in close contact with their cruise line when they have a sailing booked, just in case there are any such changes to be notified about.