Carnival Cruise Line has released its plans for cruise ships that will restart operations through September and November 2021. There will be a total of 15 vessels restarting by the end of October, which is half of the fleet. The cruise line has already resumed sailings with three ships, and we already know which ships will resume in July and August.
Additional Carnival Cruise Ship to Restart
The Miami-based cruise line has announced that even further vessels will restart in September and October. Three ships will resume through September, including Carnival Glory from New Orleans on September 5, Carnival Pride out of Baltimore on September 12, and Carnival Dream from Galveston starting on September 19, 2021.
For October, there will be an additional four vessels that will resume sailings, including Carnival Conquest out of Miami on October 8, Carnival Freedom also from Miami on October 9, Carnival Elation from Port Canaveral on October 11, and Carnival Sensation out of Mobile, Alabama on October 21, 2021.
Also Read: Which Carnival Cruise Ships Have Resumed Operations?
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said:
“We are very excited about our restart and greatly appreciate the support of our guests, travel agents, and port and destination partners.”
“By the end of July, we will have five ships in our restart plan, including the introduction of service on Mardi Gras, and we are seeing a great combination of strong demand and strong guest satisfaction scores tied to the positive guest experience on board.”
Carnival Horizon has already restarted out PortMiami in Florida along with Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze out of Galveston. Carnival Miracle will become the fourth ship in the fleet to restart when she departs out of Seattle on July 27. The new flagship, Mardi Gras, will then finally begin sailings out of Port Canaveral on July 31.
What Are Protocols for Sept and Oct Departures?
The cruise line will continue to remain cautious, just like with July and August sailings. All vessels up to the end of October will continue to sail with full-vaccinated guests. However, unvaccinated guests will still be allowed on board, including those under the age of 12.
Duffy continues to say:
“The decision to sail with vaccinated voyages was a difficult one to make, and we recognize this is disappointing to some of our guests especially the many families with children under the age of 12 who we love to sail, and who love to sail with us.”
“It’s important to remember that this is a temporary measure given the current circumstances. In consultation with our medical experts and advisors, we’ve determined this plan is in the best interests of the health and safety of our guests, crew and the destinations that we bring our ships to. It’s very important that we continue to maintain the confidence of our destination partners, so that we can provide our guests with the optimal cruise experience and sail our itineraries.”
Unvaccinated guests will have to undergo strict protocols to make sure everyone on board remains protected. Guests will have to go through multiple testing including before the cruise and before disembarkation. There will be a $150 per person charge for the testing requirements, screening, and reporting.
Guests who are booked on any upcoming sailings will be receiving communications before the cruise to provide specific details and what guests need to do before the departure. The full protocols can also be found here.
Carnival Ships to Remain on Hold
Now that Carnival Cruise Line knows which ships will be restarting through the coming months, other ships in the fleet are to remain on hold for even longer and new return dates for those making a comeback. Here are the adjusted dates for when the ships will remain on hold:
- Carnival Pride Through September 5 from Baltimore
- Carnival Dream Through September 11 from Galveston
- Carnival Conquest Through October 4 from Miami
- Carnival Sensation Through October 16 from Mobile
- Cruises on Carnival Sunshine from Charleston, Carnival Ecstasy from Jacksonville and Carnival Liberty from Port Canaveral will be cancelled through Oct. 31.
- In addition, a three-day cruise on Carnival Miracle from Long Beach on Sept. 24 is being cancelled, and then Carnival Miracle will begin sailing from Long Beach on Sept. 27.
It’s been a long struggle to get cruise operations going again, but now finally, ships are making a phased-in comeback safely and following guidelines set by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
