Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. announced Monday that they would cancel the maximum number of cruises until the end of the year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
The ads come immediately after the “conditional navigation order framework” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which replaced the eight-month “no veil” order that expired over the weekend. The new ordinance, published Friday, allows cruise ships to sail in U. S. waters starting this week, but the first cruise ships leaving the port will have paid passengers; Instead, they will be navigation simulations designed to show that ships and crews meet CDC criteria and are able to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on board.
Royal Caribbean Group, which has several cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea and Azamara, said the suspension completed until the end of the year applied to departures from Singapore and some of its lines have cancelled cruises until 2021: Celebrity Cruises has suspended its full winter schedule 2020/2021 in Australia and Asia, and Azamara has cancelled their winter 2020/2021 trips in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America, according to a press release on the company’s website. affected passengers.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. , owner of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, has extended its cruise suspension until December 31.
The two corporations had previously announced cruise suspensions until Nov. 30.
Although some cruisers have restarted with new COVID-19 protocols in Asia and Europe, ocean cruisers have still restarted in U. S. waters and have been suspended since mid-March.
The cruise industry announced mandatory fitness and protection adjustments in September to return to the cruise.
The International Cruise Line Association (CLIA), the leading organization in the cruise industry, and its members, bringing 95% of the world’s ocean cruise ships, have followed mandatory fitness protocols for vessels capable of carrying 250 passengers or more, adding equipment and passenger tests. masking, advanced cruise shipping ventilation, rigorous reaction procedures and shore excursion protocols.
CLIA has worked with Royal Caribbean and Norwegian’s “Healthy Sailing Panel”, cruise lines and fitness experts and has reviewed crosses with new protocols established in Europe.
Richard Fain, chief executive of Royal Caribbean Group, believes the industry has discovered a future.
“We think it’s imaginable to make it safer for you on a cruise ship than on Main Street,” he said Thursday during the company’s earnings call.
Contribute: Morgan Hines