Norwegian Cruise Line's newest home port might surprise you

27.08.2024 - 15:56 / thepointsguy.com

Would you sign up for a cruise that starts in Helsinki?

Norwegian Cruise Line is betting on it.

The world's third-largest cruise brand on Thursday unveiled plans for summer voyages from the Finnish capital — something that almost no other line offers.

The sailings, which will kick off in 2026, will be the first Norwegian has offered from Helsinki in the 58-year history of the brand. They will also put it among a small number of lines that have ever offered cruises from Helsinki.

For the coming year, only one small cruise brand, France-based Ponant Cruises, will be operating cruises from Helsinki, and only a handful. One other small cruise brand, Windstar Cruises, plans a short series of three sailings from Helsinki in 2026.

In its announcement, which was posted online, Norwegian said the 1,936-passenger Norwegian Sun would sail Baltic voyages out of Helsinki starting in June 2026 through October 2026.

Related: The 5 best places you can visit on a Norwegian ship

Ranging from seven to 10 nights, the sailings will mostly be one-way trips to Copenhagen that will include port stops in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany.

One of the sailings, at the end of the season, will be a one-way trip from Helsinki to Southampton, England.

Related: Baltic vs. Mediterranean: Which European cruise should you choose?

Helsinki is often a port stop on Baltic cruises, but it's traditionally not been a home port. Baltic cruises typically start or end in European cruise hubs such as Copenhagen, Southampton and Amsterdam.

Norwegian's launch of Baltic cruises from Helsinki will, notably, allow cruisers to create extended Baltic trips that combine several days of exploring Helsinki and its surroundings by land with a sailing around the region.

The trips will likely appeal to cruisers who want to spend more time in Helsinki and its surroundings than the few hours in the city that are typically included in a Baltic cruise.

The new sailings for the summer of 2026 include:

In tandem with the new sailings from Helsinki to Copenhagen, Norwegian Sun also will operate one-way sailings back from Copenhagen to Helsinki from June 2026 to October 2026. The sailings will visit the same ports.

The one-way voyages from Copenhagen will allow cruisers to add extra days in Finland to the end of their voyages.

Related: Why your next dream trip should be a Norwegian cruise in Europe

Norwegian Sun will be among eight Norwegian ships operating in Europe for the summer of 2026. The trips will begin and end at 11 different embarkation ports that — in addition to Helsinki, Copenhagen and Southampton — include Le Havre, France; Barcelona; Ravenna and Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) in Italy; and Istanbul.

Other home ports in Europe for