July 2016, one crewmember was killed and three were injured by an accident during a rescue boat drill. 2018 blizzard On 4 January 2018, the Breakaway bound for New York passed through the January 2018 North American blizzard, causing major flooding in passenger staterooms. Some rooms were so badly flooded that some passengers resorted to sleeping in the public spaces. Footage of the ordeal showed the sides of the ship being hit by waves as high as , and the ship was at an inclination with the shape of the waves. Some guests had suffered seasickness at that point. While Norwegian Cruise Line released a formal apology, the incident had sparked outrage that some guests were traumatized to the point of refusing to cruise again, while some either threatened a class action lawsuit or demanded full compensation. The ship's late arrival cut the following 14-day cruise short by one day. COVID-19 pandemic On 19 March 2020, it was reported that Norwegian Cruise Line had sent a letter on 18 March 2020 to passengers of the cruise that began on 7 March 2020 and ended on 14 March 2020 that someone who had been on the same cruise had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. After showing symptoms, a passenger had checked into a hospital at Ocho Rios, Jamaica during a scheduled stop and was eventually medically evacuated to Broward Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she tested positive. Thus passenger died on 9 April 2020 in isolation at the hospital, after being on a ventilator for nearly 30 days. Many other passengers started showing symptoms but had difficulty getting tested. Passengers were wondering why the company took so long to inform passengers of the initial positive test, as they had started learning about the result through local news sources and social media instead. Passengers complained that, had they been informed earlier of the test, they could have taken precautions to avoid spreading the virus any further. It was also reported that the disembarkation process was "surprisingly routine", with one former passenger stating that there was "[n]o temperature check, no screenings, no questions asked, nothing", and that he "just walked away from the ship, got on a shuttle and left". On 24 March 2020, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that two former passengers from Westmoreland County had tested positive. At the time, there were 11 confirmed cases in the county. References External links Ships