NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Royal Caribbean Cruise Line yesterday decided to extend the suspension of sailings for its global fleet through May 31.
While cruise executives say they have no definitive timeline on when they will resume sailing from US ports, yesterday’s announcement indicates that any return to this destination will not be over the next few months.
In its latest update, Royal Caribbean noted: “At Royal Caribbean International, our guests and crew’s safety and well-being are always our top priorities.
“In order to allow additional time for our return to service preparations, we have decided to extend the suspension of sailings for our global fleet through May 31st, 2021 — excluding sailings onboard Quantum, Spectrum, Voyager and Odyssey of the Seas.”
Quantum of the Seas is expected to remain in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Odyssey of the Seas has seen her May 9 to October 28, 2021 sailings departing from Rome, Italy, canceled and instead will begin its inaugural season out of a new homeport, Haifa, Israel, from June to October 2021.
The cruise line noted: “We don’t have enough information from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to know when we will be able to resume operations.”
Disney Cruise Lines, in a COVID-19 Travel Alert late last month, noted that it had extended the suspension of all departures through May 2021 and Disney Magic sailings through August 10.
That cruise line similarly noted: “Our team at Disney Cruise Line remains focused on the health and well-being of our guests and team members.
“We are carefully preparing for a return to service following the guidelines issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As we continue to refine our protocols and await further technical guidance from the CDC, we are canceling all sailings departing through May 2021.”
Carnival Cruise Line executives told Eyewitness News last month they were encouraged by the strong demand for cruises, while noting they are still not in a position to say when they will resume sailing.
According to Carnival, cumulative advanced bookings for the first half of 2022 are ahead of a very strong 2019, with its forward booking trends for the 12-month period ending May 2022 showing long-term demand for cruising with minimal advertising and marketing.
Yesterday, at the Annual Meeting for Disney Shareholders, DIsney CEO Bob Chapek said that Disney Cruise Lines won’t resume operations until “this Fall”, at the earliest, and, even then, in a “limited” way. Most people close to DCL believe that “limited” means short cruise between Florida home ports (Port Canaveral and Miami) and Castaway Cay.