Hong Kong cruises' restart delayed to Feb. 4

CRUISE_Spectrum_of_the_Seas_Hong_Kong.jpg
Spectrum of the Seas is expected to resume Hong Kong cruises Feb. 4
Cruises from Hong Kong, suspended as part of wide-ranging measures to contain the Omicron variant, are now expected to resume Feb. 4.

A Jan. 20 restart had been foreseen back in early January when sailings were halted on Dream Cruises' Genting Dream and Royal Caribbean International's Spectrum of the Seas.

'The current government lockdown is set to expire on Feb. 4, and we hope to resume sailing then,' a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman told Seatrade Cruise News.

Dream Cruises had indicated the same prior to parent Genting Hong Kong filing to wind up its business with cash expected to run out by the end of January. And in that Jan. 19 filing, Genting said operations by Dream Cruises 'shall continue in order to preserve and protect the core assets and maintain the value of the group.'

Both Genting Dream and Spectrum of the Seas offer short cruises to nowhere for vaccinated travelers.

Genting Dream had initially resumed Hong Kong service in July, followed by Spectrum of the Seas in October.