Did Norwegian Breakaway "Break Away" in NYC?

If you were watching the news last Sunday you were probably bombarded with breathless reports of a) a runaway ship in New York's Hudson River, or b) that a cruise ship had run aground in the river. While at a neighborhood cook-out that's what friends told me they heard. As often happens at such gatherings, the men were watching television while the women were in another room so I'm going with what they related.

Curious, I checked out the stories online and upon discovering that Norwegian Breakaway had been assisted by tugboats when docking on Sunday morning. I asked Norwegian Cruise Line what happened and this is their statement: "Norwegian Breakaway docked at Pier 88 in New York this morning at approximately 10 am. The ship was slightly delayed because of strong currents in the Hudson River."

Due to the delay, the line also advised embarking guests to arrive at the terminal after 2 pm. Norwegian Breakaway's cruise to Bermuda was scheduled to depart at 5 pm that day. Norwegian also expressed their appreciation to guests for their patience and understanding.

Early reports on the incident were apparently greatly exaggerated by the New York media. The New York Daily News even managed to find some disgruntled passengers upon debarkation, which is not uncommon after such events. Seldom are passengers who happily spent a few extra hours onboard interviewed.

Image Courtesy Norwegian Cruise Line