Sponsored By

Carnival Corp. & plc sees up to 75% of its cruise capacity in action by year-endCarnival Corp. & plc sees up to 75% of its cruise capacity in action by year-end

Carnival Corp. & plc expects to resume passenger operations with 65% of its fleet capacity by the end of 2021 with the hope of going further, to 75%.

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

July 20, 2021

3 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Eight of the company's nine brands — all, apart from P&O Cruises Australia, with Australia's biosecurity emergency in place through Sept. 17 — have plans to sail 54 ships, to date, through the end of 2021, with nearly half of the capacity represented by ships homeporting in the US.

63 ships could resume, maybe more

In addition to those ships previously announced by the company's brands, Carnival Cruise Line's intent to return to full fleet service in 2021 would add another nine vessels, totaling 63 ships operating this year. Further brand restart announcements are expected in coming weeks, including resumption plans for more ships and itineraries in 2021.

The company's brands are continuing to resume operations from ports around the world using a gradual, phased approach, including sailings in the US, Caribbean, Europe and Mediterranean, along with itineraries planned in Central America and to Antarctica, among other destinations.

Carnival Cruise Line has three ships currently sailing from two ports, Galveston and Miami, and aims to have 15 ships in operation by the end of October with the full fleet by year's end.

Princess and Holland America to restart this weekend

Princess Cruises is set to resume operations this weekend with its first ship sailing from Seattle to Alaska, and will expand with a series of cruises around UK coastal waters in late July, as well as cruises from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico, Hawaii and California coast in the fall, with eight total ships expected to be in operation by the end of the year.

Holland America Line is also to restart this weekend with its first ship sailing from Seattle to Alaska, followed by cruises from Greece in August, and from Italy and Spain in September, as well as sailings to Mexico, Hawaii, the California coast and the Caribbean in the fall. This makes a total of six ships expected to be in operation by the end of the year.

Seabourn

Seabourn resumed operations with two currently sailing from Greece and Barbados, and plans to begin the Antarctica season in November with a third ship.

Costa

Costa Cruises has been operating since May with cruises in Italy and Greece, and the line is now offering sailings to France and Spain, with Portugal and Turkey to follow in September. In total, seven Costa ships are expected to be sailing in the Mediterranean by end 2021.

AIDA Cruises

Since resuming in the Canary Islands in March, AIDA Cruises add sailings in May from Greece and Germany. The line is now offering cruises from Germany and upcoming sailings in Spain, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands and the Arabian Gulf from late July to December for a total of nine ships expected to be in operation by year-end.

P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises in June resumed initiated summer sailings around UK coastal waters and plans to expand to the Mediterranean, the Atlantic coast and the Caribbean starting in September for a total of four ships expected to be in operation by the end of the year.

Cunard

Cunard plans to begin carrying passengers in August with one ship on UK coastal cruises, followed by sailings to the Iberian coast and Canary Islands. Plans to expand with a second ship in November include a combination of trans-Atlantic crossings and Caribbean cruises.

'With strong ongoing demand for cruising, we look forward to serving our guests with additional ships announced across eight of our brands and nearly three-quarters of our fleet capacity returning by the end of this year, marking an important milestone for our company and all those who rely on the strong economic impacts generated by the global cruise industry,' Carnival Corp. Chief Communications Officer Roger Frizzell said.

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.

The latest cruise news, analysis and more straight to your inbox
Get the free newsletter read by industry experts

You May Also Like