Norwegian Prima scheduled for 13 calls to St. Kitts during winter season

St. Kitts: The NCL’s ‘Norwegian Prima’ is scheduled to make 13 port calls to Port Zante in Basseterre, St. Kitts between November 2026 and March 2027. The scheduled calls are 7-day Caribbean round trips as part of the ship's winter Caribbean deployment.

The St. Christopher Air & Sea Ports Authority shared the news on Facebook, “The Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Prima has scheduled 13 visits to St. Kitts' Port Zante during the period November 2026 to March 2027. According to the scheduled itinerary the 143,500 tonne vessel has the calls scheduled on alternate 7 days, Caribbean Round Trip from San Juan, Puerto Rico.”

It further stated, “The Norwegian Prima will make two calls to Port Zante in November 2026, January 2027; and March 2027. Four stops are scheduled in December 2026, and three calls in February, 2027.”

This scheduled series of stops is tied to Norwegian Cruise Line's (NCL) strategic decision to homeport both the Norwegian Prima and its sister ship, Norwegian Viva, out of San Juan, Puerto Rico for the winter season. During this, the ship will alternate between two primary 7-day Southern/Eastern Caribbean routes that feature stops at Port Zante in Basseterre, St. Kitts i.e the Southern loop featuring St. Lucia and the Eastern route with a stop at Antigua instead.

The authorities also highlighted the vessel’s features, “The Norwegian Prima is a Prima-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). She is the first of six new ships in its class and entered service in August 2022.”

With a double-occupancy capacity of over 3,100 guests per sailing, these 13 visits are projected to bring upwards of 40,000 cruise passengers to St. Kitts over the five-month window. This will translate into steady, high-volume traffic for local tour operators, taxi drivers, restaurants, and craft vendors during the peak tourism season and boost the island’s economy significantly.

Port Zante serves as one the anchoring points of the trip as it serves as a major exploration attraction for the tourists. Popular local excursions include a trip to the UNESCO heritage site of the island - The Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park which features the 17th- and 18th-century military architecture in the Caribbean while presenting a spellbinding panoramic view of the Caribbean Sea.

Other key spots to visit are the Mount Liamuiga area for rainforest hiking or volcano views or Carambola Beach area in the South Friars Bay that offers scenic beach views and watersports facilities such as snorkeling, kayaking and paddle boarding. Tourists can also opt for a catamaran sail across ‘The Narrows’ to travel to Nevis and stop at Pinney’s Beach or Cockshell Bay area. Alexander Hamilton Museum and Cottle Church are also potential options for a day-long trip.