Norwegian Star Moves Lisbon Departure to Tarragona for 2027 Cruise

Norwegian Cruise Line has moved embarkation for Norwegian Star’s Nov. 12, 2027, nine-night sailing from Lisbon to Tarragona and reworked the cruise into a Western Mediterranean itinerary after Lisbon port space became unavailable. The voyage, originally planned around Madeira, the Canary Islands and Morocco before ending in Barcelona, will now call in France, Italy, Malta and Spain.

Norwegian told passengers the departure-port change was driven by port availability in Lisbon.

Atlantic and North African calls dropped

The revised schedule removes Funchal in Madeira, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Arrecife in the Canary Islands, and Agadir and Casablanca in Morocco. In their place, Norwegian Star is scheduled to call at Marseille, La Spezia, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Salerno and Valletta, with Palma de Mallorca retained before the cruise ends in Barcelona.

“Although we coordinate closely with port authorities to confirm every detail well in advance, operational conditions can change,” Norwegian said in its notice to guests, adding that “space is no longer available” in some cases.

Norwegian also addressed booked guests. “We understand that itinerary changes can bring disappointment,” the company said, adding that it appreciated guests’ “understanding and flexibility.”

The affected ship, Norwegian Star, is a 91,740-gt vessel built in 2001 and refurbished in 2021, with capacity for 2,298 passengers at double occupancy. The change applies to a late-season Europe sailing before the ship’s winter repositioning.

Tarragona shift changes embarkation logistics

The move sends passengers to Port de Tarragona’s Moll de Balears cruise terminal, a 2,200-square-meter facility opened in June 2024. The terminal is about 2 to 4 kilometers from the city center, with passengers typically relying on cruise-line shuttles or taxis because of the surrounding industrial port area.

Tarragona has been adding cruise activity, with 62 ship calls and roughly 126,348 passengers handled in 2025. The port forecast 81 booked berthings and about 160,000 passengers for 2026.

Norwegian Star is not the only Lisbon departure Norwegian has moved to Tarragona. Norwegian Dawn also has an October 2026 sailing moved from Lisbon to Tarragona, though the Star change is paired with a broader rewrite of the call schedule.

Norwegian Star’s next deployment step

After the revised Mediterranean cruise, Norwegian Star is scheduled to operate a 10-night Canary Islands and Morocco sailing. The ship is then set to reposition to South America for the winter in early December 2027.

See current Norwegian Star fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.