P&O Cruise Line extends suspension of operations through April 2021
Cruise line's CEO still has 'great confidence' in future of the industry based on strong bookings
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}P&O Cruises is the latest major cruise line to announce the suspension of operations through at least the spring of 2021.
The British cruise line, which is owned by the Carnival Corp., announced on Tuesday morning that its current “pause” in operations would extend through April.
"With hopeful news headlines clearly we do not want to extend our pause in operations any further than absolutely necessary, but given the ever-changing guidance around international travel and the varying regulations in many European ports of call we felt it prudent to cancel these additional dates,” P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said in a media release.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In addition, as the final payments are due for these cruises very soon, we felt it was the right thing to do for our guests.”
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Ludlow also confirmed P&O’s “great confidence” in the future of the industry, citing strong demand for cruise bookings scheduled through 2022.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A full list of the sailings affected by the latest suspension can be found here.
Despite the extension of its pause in operations, P&O's CEO confirmed his “great confidence” in the future of the industry, citing strong demand for cruise bookings scheduled through 2022. (iStock)
News of P&O’s extended pause comes only days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidelines on cruises operating out of U.S. ports, recommending that “all people” avoid such travel as the risk for COVID-19 infection can be "very high."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meanwhile, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) had previously advised its members – which include major cruise lines Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian, among others – to extend their voluntary suspensions through at least Dec. 31.
Cruise lines operating out of U.S. ports will still need to work through a phased approach before being cleared to resume operations and provide proof that they have implemented proper safety procedures to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus throughout the ships, per CDC guidance.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Michael Hollan contributed to this report.