It might be gradual, and it might not be all the ships in the fleet, but Carnival Corporation is going for a complete restart within all of its brands this summer. All the company’s cruise lines have now announced sailings for the summer in what looks to be the return of cruising worldwide.
A Phased-in, Cautious Return to Cruising
Cruises from Europe and the Caribbean are the most prevalent for now; however, the signs towards cruises from the United States look good with Carnival Cruise Line planning cruises from both Miami and Galveston, while Alaska is also back on the program, it seems.
For AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, and P&O Cruises UK, it’s cruising in the Mediterranean and the UK which seem to be pulling in the most ships. At the same time, the Caribbean has also drawn in a fair few.
Although the numbers seem to suggest otherwise, it is undoubtedly a phased-in return, with cruise lines very cautiously going about vaccinations, crewing the vessels, and stocking up. It is a massive operation that needs to take place, especially for the larger lines.
Also Read: When Will Cruises Resume in 2021?
The current itineraries include 16 ships across the fleet, which accounts for 20% of Carnival Corporations’ entire fleet. With the adjusted capacity for passengers, health protocols, and training and vaccination drives for crew members, it comes as no surprise the company is adding ships gradually.
Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corporation:
“The resumption of our cruises marks a critical step in the recovery of our brands and the industry as a whole, which provides a major economic impact and supports jobs across multiple sectors around the world. As our cruise line brands gradually resume cruising, we will continue to work as an industry to share important learnings and best practices to help ensure the resumption of cruise operations is done in the best interest of public health.”
P&O Cruises UK, Cunard, and Princess Cruises will offer sailing around the UK, including Iona, the LNG powered 5200 passenger vessel, which had its naming ceremony in Southampton this week.
AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, and Seabourn will be sailing around the Greek Isles. Greece is one of the major draws in a traditional cruise season, and this year is no different with all the major cruise companies sending ships here. In addition to Greece, ultra-luxury operator Seabourn Cruise Line has announced a series of cruises from Barbados.
Where Will They Sail?
Below you can find a complete overview of all Carnival Brands and where they intend to sail this summer:
AIDA Cruises
AIDA Cruises, the brand that focuses on the German market, has been sailing in the Canary Islands since March 20. AIDAsol will be sailing from Kiel, Germany, on Northern European voyages, while AIDAblu, will restart in Greece on May 23 on seven-day cruises through the Greek Islands from May 23. AIDAprima will start sailing on July 3, offering seven-day voyages departing from Kiel through October 23.
Costa Cruises
A total of four Costa ships will be cruising in the Mediterranean this summer. Flagship Costa Smeralda resumed sailing on May 1, on a 7-day Italian itinerary. Costa Luminosa started sailing on May 16 towards the Greek Islands; Costa Deliziosa will start sailing on June 26, on a similar itinerary to Greece.
Costa Cruise Line’s newest ship will start sailing on July 4. Costa Firenze will start her maiden season with a one-week itinerary in Italy, followed by one-week international cruises from September 12 until mid-October.
P&O Cruises UK
P&O Cruises will kick off its UK cruise season onboard flagship Britannia and the cruise line’s epic new ship, Iona. Britain’s favorite and biggest cruise line will resume between June and September with two vessels. Britannia will start on June 27, while August 7 will see the maiden voyage of Iona.
Seabourn
Ultra-luxury brand Seabourn, the company’s ultra-luxury brand, will resume its cruise operations July 3 around the Greek Isles onboard Seabourn Ovation. Seabourn Odyssey will restart from Bridgetown, Barbados, on July 18. The vessel will visit Antigua, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and St. Kitts.
Princess Cruises
Princess cruise will sail around the UK with two ships this summer. Regal Princess will offer 14 UK voyages beginning July 31; Sky Princess will offer eight UK cruises on August 30. The sailings on Regal Princess and Sky Princess will be available for UK resident COVID-19 vaccinated guests only. Whether or not Princess will sail any Alaskan cruises remains to be seen given the recent developments in the US Senate.
Cunard
Another brand sailing the UK is, unsurprisingly, Cunard Line. A series of UK voyages onboard Queen Elizabeth will take guests from Southampton between July and October. These voyages include the British Isles scenic sailings along the UK’s coastline and Sun Voyages, lasting between three and 12 nights which will venture further south.
Holland America Line
Holland America Line will restart cruising from Athens on August 15 with four seven-day departures aboard Eurodam. This first itinerary departing August 15, will visit several ports in the Greek Isles. A second itinerary will visit a different set of Greek ports. The third seven-day itinerary will sail from Athens to Venice, Italy, with calls in Greece and Sarandë, Albania.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line will be making its long-awaited return to cruising in July if all goes well. While other brands itineraries’ are set and confirmed, the itineraries for Carnival Vista, Horizon, Miracle, and Breeze still depend on the procedures, decisions, and clarifications from the CDC and the Alaska Recovery Bill making it through the House of Representatives and signed by President Biden.
Also Read: Carnival Cruise Line Releases Update on Restart and Cancellations
P&O Cruise Australia
It looks like P&O Australia’s return to cruising will be a while longer. The cruise line recently announced cancelations as far back as September 2021.
