Norwegian Dawn trapped in Norfolk, finally escapes

Norwegian Dawn had sailed Sunday for a warm Caribbean cruise from New York, but mechanical problems forced the vessel to Norfolk on Monday for repairs. Then the east coast's foul weather trapped the ship there until Thursday morning. Fortunately, Norwegian delivered fair compensation, refunding the cruise fare and offering a discount on a future cruise.

Norwegian Cruise Line and the Norfolk port authority tried to keep the passengers entertained, offering shore excursions in the area. Norwegian also bused some passengers back to New York on Tuesday for those who were ready to give up then.

After leaving Norfolk Thursday morning, Dawn headed straight back to New York instead of trying to salvage some of the trip by heading south, since propulsion system problems remained. No word yet as to how upcoming trips on the ship will be impacted.