Disney, MSC, Carnival, Norwegian cancel cruises into 2021 amid COVID-19 pandemic
cruise industry is on an operational pause through the end of the year, cruise companies have begun to voluntarily extend their sailing suspensions past that date due to the impact of COVID-19.
Disney Cruise Line announced Friday it would cancel “all departures” through Feb. 28.
“Sailings are cancelled onboard the Disney Magic through February 25; the Disney Wonder and Disney Dream through February 26; and the Disney Fantasy through February 27,” the cruise line said in the announcement posted to its website.
MSC Cruises also announced Thursday that it would cancel all cruises departing from U.S. ports through Feb. 28.
“The decision will affect the schedules of three ships based in Florida: MSC Seaside in Port Canaveral and MSC Meraviglia and MSC Armonia both in PortMiami,” MSC said in a release provided by spokesperson Paige Rosenthal.
Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Corp.’s flagship line, announced Wednesday that it would cancel more sailings in 2021.
Vance Gulliksen, spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line, told USA TODAY that all sailings scheduled to depart from U.S. ports until March have been canceled.
“We had cancelled all voyages through Feb. 2021 with the exception of Miami, Port Canaveral and Galveston,” Gulliksen added. “Those are now cancelled too and (the) Mardi Gras inaugural cruise has been pushed back from Feb. 6 to April 24.”
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, apologized to passengers in a release provided by Gulliksen.
“We apologize to our guests but we must continue to take a thoughtful, deliberate and measured approach as we map out our return to operations in 2021,” Duffy, said. “Our commitment to the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is at the forefront of our decisions and operations.”
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. announced in a press release Wednesday it has extended its sailing suspension for the three cruise lines it operates.
The suspension has been extended through February 28 for the company’s flagship Norwegian Cruise Line with some additional voyages in canceled in March. For subsidiaries Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, all itineraries through March 31 have been canceled.
“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 said in the release.
Also on Tuesday, Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company to Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises and Azamara Cruises, has canceled most sailings around the world through Feb. 28, 2021, with some additional sailings canceled through April 30.
“While we continue to work with the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and government authorities around the world towards the shared goal of safely returning to cruising, Royal Caribbean Group will be extending the suspension of some sailings,” the cruise company said in a press release.
The cancellations and resumption dates vary by line:
Royal Caribbean International:
- Most global sailings canceled through Feb. 28.
- Australia sailings canceled through April 30.
- Spectrum of the Seas China sailings canceled through Jan. 20, 2021.
- Quantum of the Seas has resumed sailing in Singapore.
Celebrity Cruises:
- All global sailings canceled through February 28.
- South America sailings canceled through April 7.
Silversea Cruises:
- Most cruises suspended through April 1, except for one. The Feb. 6 itinerary of Silver Origin will sail.
Azamara Cruises:
- All sailings canceled through March 20.
Last month, Britain’s PO Cruises, part of Carnival Corp., announced it would not resume operations before April 2021, the company said.
In a statement, PO CEO Paul Ludlow cited “the ever-changing guidance around international travel and the varying regulations in many European ports of call.”
Two more Carnival Corp. subsidiaries have also announced they will suspend sailings until April 1: Holland America Line, Princess Cruises.
“As Holland America Line continues to prepare and develop its plans to meet the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the company is extending its pause of cruise operations for all departures through March 31, 2021,” the cruise line said in its announcement.
The cruise line also canceled itineraries of eight days or longer that make port calls in the U.S. until Nov. 1, 2021. Some longer voyages in South America, Australia and New Zealand and Asia will also be canceled through mid-April 2021, according to the announcement with some rescheduled to similar dates in 2022.
Princess Cruises extended its operational pause on all cruises across the globe through March 31 of 2021 to “allow time” to meet safety standards and complete activities required by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Conditional Sailing Order” to resume sailing in U.S. waters, the company announced in a statement Friday.
“We are focused on preparing our ships to meet the CDC health and safety requirements for our eventual return to service,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, in the statement.
The cruise line owns the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess ships, both of which had deadly COVID-19 outbreaks on board earlier this year that forced the ships into quarantine.
According to the CDC, 712 passengers on the Diamond Princess tested positive for COVID-19, and nine died. A cluster of cases was traced to the Grand Princess, including a northern California man thought to be the state’s first COVID-19 death at the time.
The company also announced the cancellation of cruises longer than seven days that are departing from the U.S. until November 1, 2021. Additionally, Princess canceled cruises in Japan through June 25, 2021. The Diamond Princess was quarantined in Japan in March.
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