One of Norwegian Cruise Line's most well-travelled ships has just hit a milestone: the Norwegian Sun turned 25 years old, having been handed over by Germany's Lloyd Werft shipyard on 31 August 2001. Even its name has a story — it came out of a travel agent naming contest rather than a boardroom decision.

The 78,309-ton ship, a sister to the 1999-built Norwegian Sky, kicked off its maiden season in September 2001 with cruises to Canada and New England. It was then christened in Miami alongside the Norwegian Star at a double ceremony on 17 November 2001, with model and TV host Brooke Burke serving as godmother.

Few ships of its generation have clocked as many regions. Over the years the Sun has sailed seasons in Alaska, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, South America, Asia and Australia, plus long stretches in the Caribbean — a true globetrotter in a fleet of big newcomers.

There's still time to sail it under the Norwegian flag. After this summer in Northern Europe, the roughly 2,000-passenger ship crosses the Atlantic to New York in mid-October, then repositions to PortMiami. From there it runs 11- and 12-night Caribbean and Central America itineraries through the 2026-27 season, headlined by partial transits of the Panama Canal plus calls at Cartagena de Indias in Colombia and Puerto Limón in Costa Rica. In early May 2027 it heads back to Europe for seven-night Western and Eastern Mediterranean cruises from Italian ports, covering Sicily, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro and Slovenia.

Then comes the real news: in September 2027 the Sun leaves Norwegian altogether and joins Cordelia Cruises, the Indian line that already operates its former sister, the Norwegian Sky. Renamed Cordelia Sun, it will run short cruises from Mumbai as its inaugural programme — a notable boost for India's growing domestic cruise market.

For travellers, the takeaway is simple. If you like a mid-sized, classic resort-style ship without the waterslides and mega-venues, the Sun's final Norwegian year offers some genuinely appealing itineraries — Panama Canal partial transits from Miami are rare on a ship this size, and the Med season is a solid value play on a familiar product. And if you're curious about cruising in India, a known former NCL ship sailing short Mumbai itineraries from late 2027 is an easy entry point.

Worth keeping an eye on, too: ships changing hands often mean farewell-season pricing, so the 2026-27 Caribbean sailings could be a savvy booking for anyone flexible on dates.

Story via Cruise Industry News.