AIDA, River Cruises Cancel Sailings as New COVID-19 Lockdown Rules Threaten Cruise Restart in Europe

(Updated 2 p.m. EDT) — New measures being imposed by several European countries threaten the already-limited restart of cruises in the Mediterranean and beyond, as coronavirus cases continue to spike in many parts of the world.

New restrictions imposed by the German authorities on Wednesday have caused Carnival Corporation’s German-language brand, AIDA, to temporarily suspend all sailings through November 30. CroisiEurope, which is Europe’s biggest river cruise company, has also canceled all cruises through 2020.

COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in much of Europe, including spikes in Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

The region ha