Holland America, Princess cancel cruises into summer
Seabourn also cancels cruises on some ships into July
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The coronavirus pandemic is officially putting a damper on another summer’s cruise season.
Three cruise lines owned by Carnival Corp. – Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn – announced on Tuesday that they were canceling more cruises, now extending into the summer.
Princess’ extended pause will affect Caribbean, California coast, Mexico and Mediterranean cruises through June 30, including sailings of the Caribbean Princess, Enchanted Princess and Ruby Princess.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Three cruise lines owned by Carnival Corp. – Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn – announced on Tuesday that they were canceling more cruises, now extending into the summer. (iStock)
Holland America also canceled European cruises in May and June that had been scheduled for the Nieuw Statendam, Volendam and Westerdam, plus other itineraries associated with the cruises. The extension affects trips that had been scheduled to depart through June 30.
Seabourn is canceling European departures for the Seabourn Sojourn, Seabourn Encore and Seaborn Ovation until July 3, plus Seabourn Quest departures until Nov. 7.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Our highest priorities are compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew and the people in destinations we visit," Josh Leibowitz, president of Seabourn, said in the announcement. "We understand guests are eager to travel and, even though we have extended our pause in operations a bit further, we continue to prepare to welcome them back once again."
Seabourn is canceling European departures for the Seabourn Sojourn, Seabourn Encore and Seaborn Ovation until July 3, plus Seabourn Quest departures until Nov. 7. (iStock)
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All three cruise lines said they would offer guests on canceled trips the chance to move their reservations to an equivalent cruise in 2022 at the same rate. Guests who prefer to either receive a credit toward a different cruise or receive a refund will also have those options available, the cruise lines added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cruise lines around the world have been preparing to resume service after coronavirus-necessitated shutdowns, and some already have returned to limited cruising. In the U.S., cruise lines will need to meet the requirements set in a CDC order to show that they can operate safely.
Princess’ extended pause will affect Caribbean, California coast, Mexico and Mediterranean cruises through June 30, including sailings of the Caribbean Princess, Enchanted Princess and Ruby Princess. (iStock)
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For now, some operators are looking for other services they can offer. Last week, Holland America and Princess announced they were offering land-based vacation packages in Alaska for this summer as cruises to "The Last Frontier" appear increasingly unlikely for this year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But cruise lines may still be dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic for a while. Six workers on a new Royal Caribbean ship under construction in Germany recently tested positive for COVID-19, and several passengers are suing Disney Cruise Line claiming they caught COVID-19 while on a cruise last March.
Fox News' Michael Bartiromo contributed to this report.