Royal Caribbean, MSC, Carnival Cruise Line extend sailing suspensions into fall
Major cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, MSC and Carnival Cruise Line have announced extensions of their sailing suspensions into the fall months.
The extensions come on the heels of an announcement from industry group Cruise Lines International Association that member cruise lines have voluntarily extended the suspension of U.S. cruise operations until Sept. 15 amid coronavirus concerns.
CLIA’s member lines carry 95% of the world’s ocean-going cruisers. The new order applies to all CLIA member ships that can carry 250 or more passengers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “no-sail order” is scheduled to expire on July 24, and Canada has issued a ban on cruises in the country’s waters through Oct. 31.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean announced it will extend its sailing suspension through Sept. 15 for most cruises, Jonathon Fishman, spokesperson for Royal Caribbean, told USA TODAY Tuesday.
Exceptions include itineraries from China, which are canceled through the end of July and sailings to Bermuda, which are canceled through Oct. 31, according to the announcement.
Previously, Royal Caribbean had suspended operations through July 31.
MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises also confirmed it would extend its sailing suspension of ships sailing from U.S. ports to the Caribbean, effective until Sept. 15, according to a release provided to USA TODAY by MSC spokesperson Paige Rosenthal.
Cruises to and from New York will also be canceled from Sept. 5 through Oct. 22, according the MSC website. The line had previously announced its sailing suspension through July 31, which remains intact for the other regions in which the company operates.
MSC also announced its fall and winter itinerary for Nov. 2020 through March 2021.
Carnival Cruise Line
And Carnival Cruise Line will extend its suspension in North America through the end of September, the cruise line announced Monday.
“During this unprecedented pause in our business, we have continued to assess the operating environment and confer with public health, government and industry officials,” Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy told cruisers and travel agents in a letter sent Monday announcing all cruises are canceled through Sept. 30.
Roger Frizzell, spokesman for Carnival Corp., told USA TODAY on Thursday, that though health protocols and ship capacity levels have not yet been announced, “there is certainly some time to finalize that while we are at a pause.”
Cruisers who want to rebook for a later date will get a future cruise credit and either a $300 or $600 cruise credit or can receive a full refund. They have until May 31, 2021, to decide.
Carnival Corp., the parent company of Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and others announced last week it would take a phased approach to returning ships to sailing.
“We are going to be patient in our approach and learn from the best available information we are going to have before we sail,” Frizzell said.
Carnival Cruise Line, which has a fleet of 27 ships, also noted in its announcement that the line is completing the repatriation of nearly 29,000 crew members to more than 100 countries.
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