Ouch! Guests on NCL Escape Flying Home from DR After Cruise Cancellation.

Damage to the hull after the ships grounding will affect two cruises.

Several media sources report that Norwegian Cruise Line has decided to cancel the current cruise on the Norwegian Escape after high winds pushed the ship aground.

According to Bloomberg, The Norwegian Escape hit the channel bed as it was departing Puerto Plata Monday afternoon, according to a company spokesperson. The spokesperson said that the ship sustained minor damage to its hull, and the cruise line will halt the current cruise and cancel another voyage for March 19 to make the necessary repairs.

The guests on the Escape will make their Escape over the next two days via scheduled air travel and charter flights. Guests will receive a full refund within five business days.

Norwegian Escape departed Port Canaveral on March 12, and Puerto Plata was the first port of call during the seven-day itinerary. Other ports were St. Thomas, Tortola, and NCL’s private island of Great Stirrup Cay.

The Norwegian cruise ship is among the largest in the fleet at 164,600 gross tons and has a guest capacity of 4,200 at double occupancy.