Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises cancel additional sailings as COVID-19 surge continues
Carnival Cruise Line and its sister line Costa Cruises both announced Friday that they would cancel more cruises into spring.
Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement shared by spokesperson Vance Gulliksen that all U.S. departures through April 30 have been canceled.
“Unfortunately, we have determined it’s going to take a while longer, and the situation in Europe will also impact Mardi Gras’ departure to the U.S., and Carnival Legend’s itineraries in Europe,” Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in the statement.
Carnival is also canceling Australian sailings through May 19 and European itineraries for Carnival Legend that had been scheduled to start in May and continue through Oct. 31. The cruise line has also delayed the start date for sailings on its new ship, Mardi Gras. Its maiden voyage is now scheduled for May 29.
Costa Cruises said in a statement that following a careful evaluation of Italian government measures that they have decided to continue its operational pause, which started with the cancellation of holiday sailings, until March 13.
“The company believes that the current set of restrictive measures does not allow its guests to enjoy an adequate on-shore experience and the ability to fully explore the itinerary’s destinations,” Costa said, noting it supports the “collective effort” Italy is making to face the pandemic.
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Norwegian cancels cruises until May
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. announced Tuesday that it would cancel sailings on all three of its cruise lines until May.
“The suspension now includes all voyages on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises embarking through April 30, 2021,” Norwegian said in a news release. “The Company 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.”
Norwegian continues to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention toward a return to cruising.
And it’s not the only cruise company to have canceled cruises into spring.
Royal Caribbean Group cancels cruises
Royal Caribbean Group announced earlier in January that it would cancel more cruises on its cruise lines into the spring, including on subsidiary Azamara, which was sold to a private equity firm, the company announced Tuesday.
The company, which is also parent to flagship Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, said the cancellations were necessary as Royal Caribbean Group continues to focus on a safe return to cruising.
“As we work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and government authorities around the world toward this shared goal, we are extending the suspension of certain sailings for our cruise lines,” Royal Caribbean said in an announcement posted to its website.
The schedule changes for each Royal Caribbean Group cruise line are as follows:
Royal Caribbean International
- All sailings canceled through April 30, including Spectrum of the Seas from Feb. 16-28
- Quantum of the Seas, which sails shorter itineraries in Singapore, is excluded from the cancellations
Celebrity Cruises
- All sailings canceled through April 30
- Celebrity Apex’s transatlantic cruise, scheduled to depart on May 1, is also canceled.
- All European and transatlantic cruises on Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Constellation scheduled to sail from May through October are also canceled.
Silversea Cruises
- All sailings canceled through April 1
Azamara
- All sailings canceled through April 30
Royal Caribbean Group added that it continues to work with its Healthy Sail Panel as they plan to welcome passengers back on board.
Celebrity Apex, Odyssey of the Seas
Other Carnival Corp. lines cancel more cruises
Carnival Cruise Line isn’t the only Carnival Corp. Line to have canceled more cruises.
Princess Cruises has announced it will cancel all cruises from U.S. ports through May 14 — more than a year after the industry came to a standstill in the middle of March last year.
Princess itself was impacted by the pandemic early on: two of its ships, the Diamond Princess and the Grand Princess, were among the first vessels to quarantine passengers because of coronavirus infections.
Late in 2020, Princess Cruises canceled all itineraries through March 31. The additional cancellations come as the cruise line works on restart plans that will satisfy the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Framework For Conditional Sailing” announced in October.
The further suspension also applies to European cruises scheduled prior to May 15, Negin Kamali, spokesperson for Princess Cruises, told USA TODAY.
Holland America Line has also canceled all of its departures through April 30 as it prepares to meet the CDC’s guidelines, according to a statement provided by Roger Frizzell, Carnival Corp. spokesperson.
“The line also will cancel all Alaska cruises through mid-May, Alaska departures on three ships through early June, any Land+Sea Journeys connected with canceled Alaska sailings, Mediterranean cruises through early June and Zaandam’s Canada/New England itineraries through August,” Holland America said in the statement.
Another Carnival Corp. subsidiary, PO Cruises Australia, also announced Wednesday cancellations of its New Zealand cruises into April.
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Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez and Jessica Flores
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