The blocks keep tumbling as another cruise line extends its suspension of cruising even further into 2021. There will be no Disney Cruise Line sailings until June, while Disney Magic cruises will no longer run until August 2021. Cruises to Alaska and Canada onboard Disney Wonder are still up in the air.
We posted last week that the cruise line removed all upcoming May 2021 sailings from its website. So the announcement from the company isn’t all that surprising:
Our team at Disney Cruise Line remains focused on our Guests and team members’ health and well-being. We are carefully preparing for a return to service following the guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As we continue to refine our protocols and await further technical guidance from the CDC, we are canceling all sailings departing through May 2021.
Preparation Is The Magic Word
As with all other cruise lines that have now canceled their voyages throughout May, Disney Cruise Line says it is preparing for a return. The cruise line is carefully laying out the measures and guidelines that the CDC has initiated.
However, as the cruise line, like the entire industry, is still waiting for further technical guidance from the CDC, they are forced to cancel all sailings departing through May 2021.
The first cruise back for a Disney Cruise line vessel will be onboard Disney Fantasy on a 4-day voyage sailing from Port Canaveral on June 2, 2021. The vessel will be calling at Nassau, Bahamas, and its private island Castaway Cay.
What is different from our previous report is that Disney Cruise Line now has removed all of its European voyages onboard Disney Magic until August 2021.
Closed Borders Likely
Europe is still suffering under multiple lockdowns, and much of the continent is still inaccessible. This means that Disney Cruise Line is unlikely to offer any voyages towards the Mediterranean and Western Europe, the traditional sailing areas for Disney Magic, until August.
There have been no decisions regarding the cruise lines Alaska and Canada season onboard Disney Wonder. Like most other cruise lines, Disney seems quite content to wait out any Canadian or US government decisions.
Related: Cruise Ships Banned in Canada for an Entire Year
To allow any cruises in Alaska this year, the Canadian government would have to retract its cruise ban, set to expire in February 2022. The only other option would be for the US government to change the passenger vessel service act of 1886, which seems unlikely.
Full Refunds Or Cruise Credit
Other news from Disney includes the cancelation of all voyages longer than seven days, another requirement that was put on the cruise lines by the CDC.
A full refund or a cruise credit will be offered to guests who have paid for their reservations in full on affected sailings. Guests who have not paid in full for their reservations will receive a refund of what they have paid to date. Affected guests and travel agents will receive an email from Disney Cruise Line outlining details and next steps.
This news follows Carnival Cruise Line removing all of its May 2021 sailings and Norwegian Cruise Line already announcing a further suspension until June.
Main Photo Credit: Rodnie Smith / Shutterstock.com
