Norwegian, Oceania, Regent cruise lines extend suspensions into fall
Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises have extended their sailing suspensions through Sept. 30, with some additional voyages canceled through October. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., the parent company of the three cruise lines, announced the extensions in a press release on its website Tuesday.
All voyages departing between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 apart from its Seattle-based Alaska sailings in September have been canceled, and certain itineraries in October have been canceled, as well, citing travel and port restrictions.
The canceled cruises in October include:
- Norwegian Bliss, Pacific Coastal voyage, departing Oct. 12
- Norwegian Joy, Pacific Coastal voyage, departing Oct. 4
- Norwegian Breakaway, Canada/New England voyages departing Oct. 4-11
- Norwegian Gem, Canada/New England voyages departing Oct. 2-9
- Oceania Cruises’ Insignia, Canada/New England voyages departing Oct. 6-26
- Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Navigator, Canada/New England voyages departing Oct. 8-18
“Despite this further delay, we remain optimistic and expect to relaunch cruise operations in the near future,” Christine Da Silva, vice president of communications for Norwegian Cruise Line, told USA TODAY in a statement Wednesday.
Prior to Tuesday’s extension, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. had plans to resume sailing in August, the line announced in May.
Also in May, Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., said during an earnings call that Norwegian has been planning a phased relaunch.
He had estimated, at the time, that full resumption of operations could take up to six months across Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ 28 ships, which are spread across its three brands.
But he expressed that it will take time and require cooperation with government and health authorities – including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC’s no-sail order is set to lift after July 24, and major cruise companies, including Royal Caribbean and Carnival have extended their sailing suspensions just past that date, though only eight of Carnival’s 27 ships are set to resume sailing in August.
Del Rio said he wants to do “everything humanly possible within the bounds of what technology offers today” to be able to look his family members in the eyes and tell them that Norwegian’s cruise ships are safe to board.
Del Rio added that when operations start to resume, it will be a gradual process that takes several months.
“Nothing will be more critical to resuming sustained and profitable long-term operations than making cruising the safest option in (the) travel and leisure space and providing cruisers with peace of mind,” Del Rio said.
As a part of its “Peace of Mind” policy, Norwegian has announced health initiatives to clue cruisers in on how it will combat the spread of COVID-19 when sailings resume.
Passengers and crew will face an enhanced pre-embarkation health screening, in addition to temperature checks and monitoring during the trip. Such checks will occur before meals in dining venues and activities in public venues. Other measures include social distancing, with the implementation of staggered embarkation and advanced online check-in and reduced capacity for onboard activities.
The line also announced a new air filtration system and the inclusion of testing kits and more medical supplies on board, including more medications to treat symptoms of COVID-19.
Other lines have extended suspensions
Disney Cruise Line, which last month extended its sailing suspension through July 27, added more cancellations to its list last week, including sailings scheduled into October. Departures from Europe are suspended through Oct. 2, according to a statement on Disney Cruise Line’s website, and departures from Canada are suspended through Sept. 14 while Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy departures remain suspended through July 27.
Cunard also announced more cancellations last week. The cruise line, which is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., has three ships in its fleet. The cruise line has canceled all sailings due to depart through Nov. 1 for its ships, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. For its third ship, Queen Elizabeth, departures through Nov. 23 will be canceled.
British cruise line PO Cruises, another Carnival subsidiary, canceled all of its sailings until Oct. 15 after a move by Canada to ban cruises and ferries carrying more than 100 people with overnight capacity in its waters through Oct. 31. And Germany’s AIDA Cruises has canceled all remaining 2020 sailings with port stops in Canada and the U.S.
MSC Cruises suspended operations through July 31, according to a company news release, and also canceled some cruises in 2021.
Royal Caribbean also announced it would cancel sailings to Alaska, Canada and New England through October. Princess Cruises is extending its cancellation of some sailings through October.
When will:The Mediterranean open up to cruises?
US extends:Border closure agreements with Canada, Mexico into July
Contributing: David Oliver
Leave a Reply