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Carnival Cruise Line aims for phased-in, 8-ship resumption starting August

Carnival Cruise Line plans a phased-in resumption of North American service, beginning Aug. 1 with eight ships from Miami, Port Canaveral and Galveston.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

May 4, 2020

2 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Other cruises canceled through August

In connection with this plan, the pause in operations for all other North American and Australian markets will be extended through August.

'We are committed to supporting all public health efforts to manage the COVID-19 situation,' the company said Monday. 'We are taking a measured approach, focusing our return to service on a select number of homeports where we have more significant operations that are easily accessible by car for the majority of our guests.'

Carnival aims to resume service from PortMiami on Carnival Horizon, Carnival Magic and Carnival Sensation, from Port Canaveral on Carnival Breeze and Carnival Elation and from Galveston on Carnival Dream, Carnival Freedom and Carnival Vista.

Carnival Spirit/Carnival Splendor cancellations

All Carnival Spirit Alaska cruises from Seattle are canceled, as well as the ship's Vancouver, BC-Honolulu cruise on Sept. 25 and the Honolulu-Brisbane trans-Pacific cruise on Oct. 6.

All Carnival Splendor cruises in Australia from June 19 to Aug. 31 are canceled, too.

Carnival said it will use the longer suspension time to 'continue to engage experts, government officials and stakeholders on additional protocols and procedures to protect the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we serve.'

No-sail order would need to be rescinded

On April 15 the US extended its no-sail order for all cruise ships, and this would have to be lifted for Carnival to execute its plan.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said its no-sail order will continue until one of these transpires: 100 days, or until the expiration of the secretary of health and human services’ declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency, or until the CDC director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations.

On Friday, Congress announced an investigation into Carnival Corp. & plc's handling of the coronavirus on its ships.

FCCs and on-board credit

Passengers on canceled Carnival sailings and their travel advisors are being contacted with options for a combined future cruise credit and on-board credit package, or a full refund. Travelers can make their selection online, alleviating the need to contact Carnival’s customer service center, which is still operating in a work-from-home status due to locally-imposed office closures in South Florida.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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