Carnival Cruise Line has provided an update on its restart plan, including the next round of ships to resume operations. It comes as the Miami-based cruise line plans to have 17 ships back in service by the end of 2021 and 19 ships by February 2022.
Carnival Cruise Line Restart Update
As expected, the cruise line released an update on ships set to restart in 2022 as Carnival pushes forward on resuming operations. Additional time is needed to bring the entire fleet back to service, and as a result, five vessels in total are to remain on hold into 2022.
It now means that the entire U.S. fleet will be back sailing in Spring 2022, which is in line with other major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.
“Our restart plan continues to excel across all metrics, and we are looking forward to completing the restart of the fleet in the new year,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We appreciate the support and patience of our guests, travel agents and port and destination partners who have been key to this successful restart.”
Carnival Sunshine will now resume cruises from Charleston on January 13, 2022, starting with a four-day Bahamas itinerary. Carnival Liberty, which just recently received its new livery, will resume from Port Canaveral on February 11, 2022.
Three additional ships will resume in 2022, including the Carnival Ecstasy from Jacksonville, Carnival Paradise from Tampa, and Carnival Sensation from Mobile. Sailings for all three Fantasy-class vessels are cancelled through February 2022.
The news from Carnival Cruise Line does not come as a surprise after many guests already noticed cruise cancellations after they were removed from the booking engine earlier in the week. Booked guests have already received a letter regarding the restart update and cancellations.
There is also an update on the two Carnival cruise ships that are based out of Australia. With no word yet on when the cruise industry down under can reopen, Carnival Splendor cruises from Sydney are cancelled through February 7, 2022, and Carnival Spirit cruises from Brisbane are cancelled through February 20, 2022.
When it comes to the ever-changing protocols, there is a positive outlook for family cruising. There is optimism that vaccinations for kids aged 5-11 will be approved. The hope is to welcome more families in the months to come.
Duffy added, “We are optimistic that vaccines will be approved for children between the ages of 5-11 before the end of the year and we look forward to welcoming more families back on board.”
Also Read: Which Carnival Cruise Ships Have Resumed Operations?
So far, eleven Carnival ships have already resumed operations, with Carnival Dream being the most recent out of Galveston, Texas, on September 19. Carnival Miracle was also repositioned from Seattle to begin cruises from Long Beach, California.
Thirteen vessels are still waiting to resume, with Carnival Freedom being the next to return to service on October 9 out of Miami, Florida.
