Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC cancel cruises through November, past CDC’s ‘no-sail’ order
A week after the CDC extended its “no-sail” order, Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. have canceled sailings through November, a month past the order’s expiration date.
On Tuesday, Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of flagship Royal Caribbean International, Azamara, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises, announced it was extending its own operational suspension through Nov. 30.
There was one exception to the cancellation: it is going forward with Hong Kong cruises scheduled for November.
However, Celebrity and Azamara have canceled additional sailings. Celebrity Cruises suspended its full 2020/2021 winter program in Australia and Asia and likewise Azamara canceled its 2020/2021 winter sailings in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America, according to a news release on the company’s website.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s parent company, which also owns Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, announced Monday that it suspended all cruises through Nov. 30.
Norwegian Holdings said in a news release that it will “continue to work in tandem with global government and public health authorities and its Healthy Sail Panel expert advisors to take all necessary measures to protect its guests, crew and the communities visited.”
It advised guests with reservations on any of its cruise lines to contact Norwegian or their travel agent for more details.
Norwegian and Royal Caribbean aren’t the only major cruise companies to cancel cruises beyond the restart date.
MSC Cruises, which already began sailing in Europe, extended the suspension of voyages for certain itineraries and ships through the end of November.
“This includes all Caribbean and Bahamas cruises including sailings on MSC Meraviglia, MSC Seaside and MSC Armonia; and, all Mediterranean and Far East cruises – with the exception of MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica, sailing in the Mediterranean with guests from Schengen countries only,” Luca Biondolillo, chief communications officer for MSC Cruises, told USA TODAY.
MSC will only restart operations in the U.S. when the “time is right,” after approval from the CDC and other authorities, Biondolillo added.
On Oct. 1, Carnival Cruise Line announced it scrubbed all remaining 2020 cruises except those sailing out of its home ports in Florida, and even those aren’t a sure thing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requested that its “no sail” order be extended to Feb. 15, 2021, but compromised with the White House Coronavirus Task Force to let it run out Oct. 31, four days before the election Nov. 3, a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told USA TODAY Sept. 29, one day before the order had been set to expire. The CDCorder originally suspended cruising in U.S. waters beginning in mid-March and has been extended multiple times.
Last month, the Cruise Lines International Association, the trade group that represents 95% of the world’s oceangoing passenger ships, unveiled a list of mandatory health and safety changes designed to make it safe to sail during the COVID-19 pandemic – ideally with a phased-in U.S. start before the end of the year.
CLIA’s mandatory “Core Elements of Health Protocols” includes crew and passenger testing, mask wearing, enhanced cruise ship ventilation, stringent response procedures and shore excursion protocols.
The new protocols will apply to all CLIA member vessels that can carry 250 or more passengers. CLIA, which voluntarily suspended sailing in the USA until Nov. 1, requires each cruise company’s CEO to provide written verification that the elements are being applied to their individual fleets, according to a news release shared by Bari Golin-Blaugrund, vice president of strategic communications and public affairs for CLIA.
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