Carnival-owned Princess Cruises has announced the extension on suspended operations globally until April 2021. It’s going to take a lot of preparation to resume cruises. Princess Cruises, along with many other major cruise lines, will need more time to make sure it’s done safely by following not just the framework from the CDC but other health authorities.
Major Cruise Update from Princess Cruises
With Carnival Cruise Line already announcing its extended suspension into early 2021, sister cruise line Princess Cruises is now following by canceling all cruises globally through March 31, 2021. This means cruises won’t resume operations until April at the very earliest. Even when cruises do resume, it will be a phased-in return.
As we already knew, the cruise line has also removed cruises that are longer than seven days out of U.S. ports which is in-line with the CDC framework.
- All cruises sailing through March 31, 2021
- All cruises longer than seven days sailing in and out of United States ports through November 1, 2021
Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, said:
“We are focused on preparing our ships to meet the CDC health and safety requirements for our eventual return to service.”
“We also appreciate the continued support we have received from our guests, partners and travel advisors, reinforcing for all of us why we do what we do.”
For operations out of Japan, it’s also not looking so good as Princess Cruises has suspended operations there through June 25, 2021. This is due to the uncertainty on when international travel restrictions might be lifted.
In the United States, the cruise line is needing more time to prepare the return of cruises. Time will be needed to follow the framework on the Conditional Sailing Order that was announced by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention on October 30, 2020.
A lot needs to be done to make sure cruises resume safely. For this to happen, Princess Cruises will need to implement new health protocols and stress-testing new measures first on trial sailings, training of crew, and a whole lot more. It will be a huge task to bring back thousands of crew members from their home countries back to the ships.
Also Read: Princess Cruises Extends Suspension in Australia Through May 2021
Princess Cruises is offering compensation for those guests impacted by the further cancellations in Spring 2021. Guests can choose to receive a refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 25% of the cruise fare.
The FCC will be complete automatically unless guests request a full refund using an online form by December 31, 2020.
Photo Credit: StudioPortoSabbia / Shutterstock.com
