The cruise industry is well and truly in comeback mode! We’ll take a look at when cruises will resume worldwide along with the situation in major cruise markets including the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
In This Article…
- The Restart is Underway!
- When Each Cruise Line Plans on Resuming Operations
- Aida Cruises
- Azamara
- Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Celebrity Cruises
- Celestyal Cruises
- Costa Cruises
- Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV)
- Crystal Cruises
- Cunard Line
- Disney Cruise Line
- Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
- Holland America Line
- Marella Cruises
- MSC Cruises
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Oceania Cruises
- P&O Cruises
- P&O Australia
- Princess Cruises
- Regent Seven Seas Cruises
- Royal Caribbean
- Saga Cruises
- Seabourn
- Silversea Cruises
- Viking Cruises
- Virgin Voyages
- Further Changes Are Possible
The Restart is Underway!
The restart of cruise operations is underway by multiple cruise lines already and more will begin resuming through the remainder of 2021. The two largest cruise lines for Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have already restarted with a limited number of ships from the US as the situation there’s is moving forward quickly.
The Celebrity Edge cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean group became the first to restart operations with regular passengers from the US which departed on June 26 out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Freedom of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International, was the first cruise ship to be approved for a test sailing at the end of June. That was then followed by the vessel resuming out of Miami, Florida on July 2, 2021.
When it comes to Carnival Cruise Line, as of July 21, a total of three ships have already restarted sailings. Carnival Vista was the first to resume in the fleet when she departed Galveston, Texas on July 3, 2021. Carnival Horizon was then the second in the fleet to resume when the ship departed out of Miami, Florida on July 4, 2021. Carnival Breeze was then the third in the fleet and resume from the Port of Galveston on July 15.
In Canada, the situation has just recently made a major step forward towards reopening for cruise ships. On July 15, the government announced that from November 1st, 2021 the country would end the ban on passenger vessels that have a capacity of over 100. As long as cruise lines follow the health protocols, then they will be able to resume from that date.
It comes after a long shutdown to the cruise industry which was first implemented in Spring 2020. The ban on cruise ships was previously set to expire on February 28, 2022. Even more good news for the cruise industry as the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act was signed by President Biden on May 25 and this now means that cruise lines can resume operations out of Seattle, Washington to Alaska temporarily not needing to visit Canada.
In the UK, the cruise industry has made a return with MSC Virtuosa becoming the first cruise ship to depart from the country since suspensions first began in March 2020. The new MSC vessel departed on May 21 and through the summer many cruise lines are following with domestic sailings.
For operations in Australia, the outlook is not looking so positive with the government deciding on a further ban on cruise ships into September 2021. For Europe, there has already been a limited number of ships sailing since 2020, and more ships are gradually making a return with MSC Cruises leading the way.
The major cruise lines are making sure crew members are fully vaccinated before ships return to service. Several US homeports continue to vaccinate the crew. So far, not all cruise lines have decided on a passenger vaccine mandate on US operations.
When Each Cruise Line Plans on Resuming Operations
Here’s the constantly changing list of when cruise lines will return to service which will likely be phased in with a limited guest capacity and new health measures: The list was last updated: July 21, 2021
Aida Cruises
Original Update: The German-based cruise line, which is owned by the Carnival Corporation, has its hold on cruises through June 30, 2020, with the first sailings now planned to begin from July 1.
Update 1: The cruise line has now announced an extension that will last through all of July with sailings set to begin from August 1.
Update 2: Aida Cruises announced that cruises with ports in the United States or Canada will be cancelled until 2021.
Update 3: As we post right here, after a delay, Aida Cruises will commence cruises on September 6 but only with a limited number of vessels with the majority of the fleet on hold through the month.
Update 4: The return has not been so easy and Aida Cruises has delayed resuming operations until November 2020 due to continued restrictions.
Update 5: Aida has been able to get cruises from Italy approved for even earlier in October but the sailings will only call to Italian ports.
Update 6: With the German government announcing a lockdown due to increased cases of COVID-19, Aida Cruises has temporarily cancelled departures until December. U.S. cruises and everywhere else remain on hold into 2021.
Update 7: As we reported here, the Carnival-owned cruise line will begin cruises in the Canary island from December 5, 2020 with the AIDAperla.
Update 8: With Germany in a more restricted lockdown until at least January 31, 2021, AIDA Cruises announced further cancelations on January 8 impacting a number of sailings.
Update 9: On February 16 2021 AIDA Cruises announced that it will restart its cruise season. AIDAperla will kickstart cruises out of the Canary Islands on March 20, 2021. Also, cruises out of Germany are unable to take place through March 19, 2021.
Update 10: On March 5, the German-based cruise line announced further cancellations into April across Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Adriatic Sea, and Norway. However, some good news is that AIDAperla will extend its season sailing the Canary Islands.
Update 11: On May 6, 2021, AIDA Cruises announced that AIDAsol will restart operations out of Kiel, Germany on May 22. The cruise line has also extended its Canary Islands season through July 2021.
Update 12: The cruise line plans to expand its program out of Kiel, Germany due to high demand. A Spinx-class vessel will be deployed from August 15 with the first four-day short cruise to Gdynia, followed by a three-day cruise to Gothenburg.
- Cruises Resume: April & May 2021
- Cruises from Germany Resume: May 22, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Azamara
Original Update: The small luxury cruise line has cancelled all cruises on or before June 11, 2020, with cruises resuming on June 12, 2020. The cruise line was previously planning on starting sailings once again on May 12 but due to the situation around the world, it was extended.
Update 1: The cruise line has paused cruises through all of July with the first departures set for August which is in-line with many other cruise lines. This extension comes after consultation by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Update 2: Following the extended CDC order, Azamara has extended its pause on cruises through all of September.
Update 3: Following the announcement by the Cruise Lines International Association (CDC) the cruise line extended its suspension through October 2020.
Update 5: All cruises are now cancelled for the remainder of 2020 and those guests affected are being compensated. The cruise line will return with new health measures in 2021.
Update 6: It was announced by the destination-focused cruise operated that cruises won’t resume until Spring 2021.
Update 7: The small cruise line that is owned by Royal Caribbean has suspended all operations through April 30, 2021. The announcement was made on January 12 by the parent company.
Update 8: The small cruise line which is no longer owned by Royal Caribbean announced a further suspension on February 28, 2021, through June 30, 2021.
Update 9: On April 27, Azamara released a new update on cruise operations and the Azamara Quest will now begin sailings out of Greece from August 28, 2021. However, regular sailings are canceled departing on or before October 2, 2021.
- Azamara Quest Cruises from Greece Resume: August 28, 2021
- Azamara Journey Cruises Resume: October 13, 2021
- Azamara Pursuit Cruises Resume: September 28, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line
Original Update: The cruise line which is based out of West Palm Beach, Florida has remained silent through early 2021. Announced on April 9, the small cruise line will make a comeback with short cruises to the Bahamas starting on July 2, 2021.
Update 1: In a recent development from Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, Grand Classica has been approved by the CDC to operated a simulated voyage. The ship will depart on June 25 on a 2-night test cruise to stress test health protocols as per the CDC Conditional Sailing Order requirements.
Update 2: In early July, the cruise line altered its return to service date and its planned simulated cruise. The test cruise finally departed out of West Palm Beach, Florida on July 13 with cruises officially restarting from July 16.
Cruises Resume: July 16, 2021
Carnival Cruise Line
Original Update: Carnival Cruise Line announced on April 13 another extension on its voluntary suspension of cruise operations. At the moment, the cruise line plans on resuming cruises in North America on June 27, 2020.
Update 1: Eight cruise ships will resume sailings in August and the majority of the fleet will start cruises until September 2020.
Update 2: As a result of the CLIA voluntary suspension, Carnival followed a few days later by extending the cancellation of cruises from the U.S.
Update 3: The suspension of cruises in the U.S. has been extended once again through all of October 2020 as announced by the CLIA. Read the details from Carnival right here.
Update 4: The cruise line suspended operations again impacting two cruise ships based out of Australia, read the article here.
Update 5: Lots of fleet changes recently announced by Carnival due to dry docks and the disposal of Fantasy-class vessels.
Update 6: The cruise line announced that all cruises will be cancelled from the U.S. for the remainder of the year except cruises out of Miami and Port Canaveral in Florida, all details are here.
Update 7: So it came as no surprise that Carnival Cruise Line cancelled all cruises out of Miami and Port Canaveral for November. It means cruises in the U.S. won’t resume until December at the earliest. Here was the news report.
Update 8: So with the CDC announcing a new Conditional Sailing Order and a 40-page framework of details, Carnival Cruise Line has suspended operations until January 1, 2021.
Update 9: So in the latest update from Carnival, all U.S. departures have been cancelled until February 2021 but only a limited start for that month. More cruises will resume from March and Carnival Legend even later.
Update 10: Further bad news was announced on December 3, 2020, with Carnival canceling all cruises through February 2021 and delating the Mardi Gras for a third time into April 2021.
Update 11: Carnival Cruise Line has made more changes and announced more delays than any other cruise line and on January 6, further cancellations were announced with cruises not resuming until April 2021.
Update 12: Once again, Carnival decided to announced further cancellations until May 2021. This was announced on January 22, 2021, right here. Operations in Australia are also canceled through May 19, 2021. The cruise line has also made a range of adjustments with select ships not returning to service until November due to dry docks.
Update 13: Carnival has officially announced that its U.S. operations are now suspended through all of May 2021. Cruises won’t return until June at the very earliest.
Update 14: On April 6, Carnival Cruise Line decided to extend its suspension out of U.S. ports. So it means that cruises are canceled through June 30, 2021. It also includes the new Mardi Gras cruise ship which won’t debut until early July. Cruises out of Australia are also suspended for Carnival into August and September 2021.
Update 15: On May 11, 2021, it was announced by the Miami-based cruise line that three, possibly four cruise ships will restart sailings in July 2021. All other cruises are canceled through July 2021. Carnival Splender out of Australia will also remain on pause even longer through September 17, 2021.
Update 16: On May 28, the CDC approved Carnival Cruise Line to restart cruise operations out of PortMiami, Port Canaveral, and Port of Galveston. The cruise line still plans to begin sailings in July including Alaska cruises from Seattle.
Update 17: On June 7, the cruise line confirmed its restart plans from the U.S. Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze would restart in July out of Galveston, Texas, for fully vaccinated guests only. Details for Carnival Horizon cruises from Miami will be released no later than June 11, 2021.
Update 18: On June 10, Carnival Cruise Line revealed that even more cruise ships will be restarting operations through August. It was also announced that Mardi Gras will finally begin cruises out of Port Canaveral on July 31, 2021.
Update 19: The cruise line has already resumed operations from the U.S. with three ships. On July 19, Carnival made a major announcement on ships that will resume through September and October 2021. Three ships will restart in September and four in October, all keeping with the current protocols Carnival has in place.
- Carnival Vista Cruises Resume from Galveston: July 3, 2021
- Carnival Breeze Cruises Resume from Galveston: July 15, 2021
- Carnival Horizon Cruises Resume from Miami: July 2021
- Carnival Miracle Cruises Resume from Seattle to Alaska: July 27, 2021
- Mardi Gras Cruises Begin from Port Canaveral: July 31, 2021
- Carnival Magic Cruises Resume from Port Canaveral: August 7, 2021
- Carnival Sunrise Cruises Resume from Miami: August 14, 2021
- Carnival Panorama Cruises Resume from Long Beach: August 21, 2021
- Carnival Glory Cruises Resume from New Orleans: September 5, 2021
- Carnival Pride Cruises Resume from Baltimore: September 12, 2021
- Carnival Dream Cruises Resume from Galveston: September 19, 2021
- Carnival Conquest Cruises Resume from Miami: October 8, 2021
- Carnival Freedom Cruises Resume from Miami: October 9, 2021
- Carnival Elation Cruises Resume from Port Canaveral: October 11, 2021
- Carnival Sensation Cruises Resume from Mobile: October 21, 2021
- Cruises Resume in Australia: September 2021
Celebrity Cruises
Original Update: Celebrity Cruises has suspended all cruise operations through June 11, 2020, after the decision was made by parent company Royal Caribbean Ltd. Cruises will start again on June 12, 2020.
Update1: The cruise line has followed parent company Royal Caribbean by extending its pause on cruises. Sailings will now start from August 1, 2020.
Update 2: Celebrity Cruises has cancelled sailings in Canada, Alaska, and New England due to a further ban on cruise ships from the Canadian government.
Update 3: In the latest update from Celebrity, further cancellations were announced, impacting itineraries that featured Denmark. The country has announced an extended ban on cruise ships.
Update 4: Celebrity has followed the announcement by CLIA by canceling more cruises through September 15, 2020.
Update 5: The cruise line which is owned by Royal Caribbean has extended its suspension of operations through September 2020.
Update 6: Following most major U.S. cruise lines, Celebrity has now suspended operations until November 1, 2020. It’s the same for all Royal Caribbean-owned cruise lines and this excludes cruises in China and Australia.
Update 7: Following parent company Royal Caribbean Group, it has been announced that cruises are now suspended through November 2020. Here are the details.
Update 8: Parent company Royal Caribbean Group has announced the suspension of cruises until 2021 except for pilot sailings out of Singapore on Quantum of the Seas.
Update 9: Celebrity Cruises has extended its suspension in the U.S. with cruise ships now resuming operations until March at the earliest. This follows other sister cruise lines owned by Royal Caribbean. The cruise line was previously planning a limited start in January 2021 but it will take more time to restart.
Update 10: Following parent company Royal Caribbean, the cruise line has now suspended operations through April 30, 2021. This includes the May 1 transatlantic cruise on Celebrity Apex. Also, the May through Oct. 2021 Europe and transatlantic cruises on Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Constellation will be suspended.
Update 11: Royal Caribbean Group which includes Celebrity Cruises announced a further suspension on March 9, 2021. All Celebrity cruise ships will now remain on hold through May 31, 2021. The cancellation policy has also been extended through May.
Update 12: On March 19, Celebrity Cruises announced its return to operations but not out of the United States. Celebrity Millennium will begin cruises out of St. Maarten on June 5, 2021. Celebrity Apex will be the second ship to begin cruises by homeporting in Greece from June 19.
Update 13: As we continue to cover when cruise lines aim to resume cruises, for Celebrity it’s looking good as the cruise line will be adding Celebrity Silhouette to homeport out of Southampton UK to sail domestic sailing from July 3, 2021.
Update 14: Even though some Celebrity cruises will resume this summer, its U.S. operations will remain on hold even longer through June 30, 2021. Departures out of the U.S. now won’t start until July at the earliest.
Update 15: On May 26, it was announced that Celebrity Cruises became the first cruise line to be approved to restart cruises with the Celebrity Edge. The ship is scheduled to depart on the first cruise from the US wince the suspension first started in March 2020. Celebrity Edge will depart out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 26, 2021.
Update 16: Celebrity Cruises has been busy on its return to service, with Celebrity Equinox becoming the second ship approved to restart operations from the U.S. Celebrity Millennium also became the first cruise ship to restart cruises in the Caribbean out of St. Maarten.
Update 17: On June 26, Celebrity Cruises made a major step forward by restarting cruise operations from the U.S. with the Celebrity Edge out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
- Cruises Resume: July 2021
- Celebrity Equinox Cruises Resume from Fort Lauderdale:
- Celebrity Edge US Cruises Resume: June 26, 2021
- Celebrity Millennium Cruises from St. Maarten Resume: June 5, 2021
- Celebrity Apex Cruises from Greece Resume: June 19, 2021
- Celebrity Silhouette Cruises from the UK Resume: July 3, 2021
- Celebrity Flora Cruises from Baltra Resume: July 4, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Celestyal Cruises
Original Update: The cruise line which mainly operates out of Greece with two vessels has announced that cruises are canceled until July 30, 2020. Cruises may resume gradually depending on travel restrictions and the authorities in Greece.
Update 1: Celestyal announced a further extension on its suspension through July 30, 2020 with new sailings starting from July 31.
Update 2: The cruise line won’t be restating operations until its 2021 season starting in March 2021.
Update 3: Celestyal Cruises now plans on resuming cruises on April 24, 2021, with 7-night Aegean sailings.
Update 4: On March 10, 2021, the cruise line announced that it will resume cruises on May 29. Celestyal Crystal will kick-start operations with a seven-night Idyllic Aegean itinerary.
- Cruises Resume: May 29, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Costa Cruises
The Italian based cruise line currently has an extension of the suspension on cruises until May 31, 2020. After that date cruises will begin again with the majority within the first week of June.
Update 1: On the same day as sister line Aida Cruises, Costa Cruises has extended its suspension on operations through all of July with the first sailings set to depart from August 1.
Update 2: In early July the cruise line announced an extension to canceled cruises until August 15 due to on-going travel restrictions and to implement new health measures.
Update 3: With Italy approving the restart of cruises, Costa has announced the first departure is scheduled for September 6 out of Trieste, Italy. Only Italian guests will be able to cruises for now due to complicated travel restrictions around the world. More details are here.
Update 4: On January 22, 2021, Costa Cruises announced it will resume operations on March 13 with Costa Smeralda. The ship will offer 3- and 4-day mini-cruises, or a 7-day cruise, calling at Savona, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina, and Cagliari.
Update 5: Costa Cruises had to put a hold on its return of operations in Europe due to the ongoing pandemic. Some good news was announced on February 17 with the cruise line restarting operations with Costa Smeralda on March 27, 2021. More ships will follow in the weeks after.
Update 6: Costa Cruises revised its plan and Costa Smeralda will now restart cruises out of Italy on May 1, 2021. Costa Luminosa will be the second in the fleet to resume sailings with cruises from Trieste from May 16.
- Cruises Resume: May 1, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV)
The British-based cruise line has extended its hold on cruises through August 25, 2020. This is due to the lockdown still being in place in many countries and port closures.
Update 1: The cruise line has gone into administration and will likely no longer continue its business. As of now, all cruises are canceled permanently.
- Cruises Resume: Never
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Crystal Cruises
The luxury cruise line has put cruises on hold through June 2020 with sailings starting up again in July just like many other cruise lines. This also includes its river cruises.
Update 1: There are now further delays on when cruises will resume for the luxury cruise line including its river operations and due to the cruise ship ban by Canada. It does depend on the vessel when cruises resume.
Update 2: Crystal Cruises has stopped wiped out cruises for 2020 and is instead focused on resuming cruises with new health measures in 2021.
Update 3: In December Crystal Cruises announced further cancellations impacting river and ocean cruises.
Update 4: On January 27, the cruise line announced a new round of cancelled cruises impacting all markets it operates in including ocean cruises.
Update 5: We’ve had a major update from Crystal Cruises which has already announced that all guests will need to be vaccinated before being allowed to cruise. In addition, the luxury cruise line extended its suspension through May for ocean cruises and for even longer for other types of vessels.
Update 6: Crystal Cruises continues to make further cancellations due to the evolving situation around the world. Further cruises are canceled for Crystal Endeavor impacting voyages between October 9 and November 6, 2021. There are also more select river cruise cancellations in August and September 2021.
Update 7: On July 3, Crystal Serenity restarted operations out of Nassau, Bahamas for the first time. Crystal Endeavor departed on her maiden voyage on July 17 and the cruise line will soon begin sailings from Boston and New York with Crystal Symphony in August and September.
- Crystal Esprit Cruises Resume: June 2021
- Crustal Symphony Cruises Resume: August 22, 2021
- Ocean Cruises Resume: June 2021
- Expeditions Voyages Resume: August 2021
- River Cruises Resume: June 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Cunard Line
The iconic cruise line has extended its cancelled voyages through May 15, 2020. Sailings are set to resume on May 16 but this could change depending on the situation in the UK and around the world.
Update 1: The cruise line has announced a further extension with cruises cancelled through July 31. However, the Alaska season for Queen Elizabeth will no longer take place and cruises for that vessel are cancelled through September 8.
Update 2: Due to ongoing travel restrictions around the world and port closured Cunard Line decided to delay when cruises would resume.
Update 3: With no end to the suspension for UK cruise lines, Cunard Line has extended its suspension through into Spring 2021 and Queen Elizabeth won’t return until December 13, 2021, more details here.
Update 4: Cunard Line has already stopped selling all cruises 8 days and longer, which call upon a U.S. port and depart January 1 through November 1, 2021, any impacted voyages visiting Canadian ports, and all voyages due to sail through June 21, 2021.
Update 5: On March 26, Cunard Line detailed its return to service with UK domestic sailings around the British Isles. Voyages will take place between July and October 2021 with Queen Elizabeth.
Update 6: On June 16, Cunard Line revealed its restart plan and new international itineraries later in the year. Cruises will restart with Queen Elizabeth on July 18 with UK domestic sailings.
- UK Domestic Cruises Resume: July 10, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Disney Cruise Line
Original Update: For Disney, the return of cruises has different dates depending on the cruise ship and where it is sailing from. Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy won’t resume sailings until May 18, 2020. Disney Magic cruises are suspended through June 7. Disney Wonder sailings are suspended through all of June due to the suspension of cruises by Canada until July 1, 2020.
Update 1: The cruise line has now provided a further update and cruises are now cancelled through July 18, 2020. This also goes for Disney Magic sailings through July 2 and Vancouver departures through the end of June.
Update 2: Disney has now extended the pause on cruises through Monday, July 27, 2020.
Update 3: Once againa due to the extended CDC order Disney has delayed returning to service until October.
Update 4: Inline the latest CLIA announcement, Disney Cruise Line has suspended all departures through October. Hopefully, in November some cruises will resume.
Update 5: Disney Cruise Line has suspended operation even further to at least December 6, 2020. It could even further depending on the CDC’s No Sail Order. Here’s the latest update.
Update 6: Following other major cruise lines in the United States, Disney has put on hold departures until 2021 so it can continue to refine new health protocols.
Update 7: Disney Cruise Line announced on November 23, 2020 of a further suspension impacting all cruise ships through January 31, 2021.
Update 8: Following all the major cruise lines, Disney has also cancelled cruises for even longer through February 28, 2021. This means sailings are cancelled onboard the Disney Magic through February 25; the Disney Wonder and Disney Dream through February 26; and the Disney Fantasy through February 27.
Update 9: On January 12 the cruise line cancelled more sailings which means cruises now won’t start returning until April at the earliest.
Update 10: Disney has made another announcement on delaying the resumption of cruises for several ships. Each ship will have a different return date between April 24 to May 12, 2021.
Update 11: Disney Cruise Line has different return dates for each ship and even though the current advisory impacts some May sailings, it has recently appeared that all May 2021 sailings have been removed from its booking engine. We’ll have to wait and see for any new updates from Disney.
Update 12: It has now been confirmed that all Disney cruises are canceled through May 2021 with select sailings now set for June at the very earliest.
Update 13: On April 6, 2021, Disney Cruise Line updated its advisory and all U.S. cruises are now suspended through June 30, 2021. This impacts the Disney Dream, Fantasy, and Wonder. However Disney Magic will be sailing UK domestic sailings during the summer.
Update 14: On May 15, Disney Cruise Line released an updated advisory with further cancellations. Regular cruises are now suspended through July 2021. UK domestic sailings with Disney Magic are still all good.
Update 15: Disney Dream has been approved for a test sailing by the CDC as announced by Disney Cruise Line on June 1. The ship will depart out of Port Canaveral on June 29 on the two-night simulated sailing.
Update 16: The Disney Dream finally commenced her test sailing on July 17, 2021, out of Port Canaveral, Florida. The two-night sailing with crew members as test passengers returned home on July 19. The ship is now one step closer to resuming operations with a date not yet set.
- Cruises Resume: August 2021
- UK Domestic Cruises Resume: July 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
Original Update: The UK-based cruise line has announced an extension on cancelled cruises just like many other cruise operators. However, the cruise line has not announced a return date and is keeping it open.
Update 1: Fred Olsen has now announced some return dates for its ships towards the end of the year and into 2021.
Update 2: A lot has been going on with the British-based cruise line with two new ships purchased from Holland America Line and new return dates.
Update 3: The cruise line has decided to cancel cruises into 2021 due to the ongoing uncertainty around the world.
Update 4: Fred Olsen Cruises has announced more specific return dates for three cruise ships starting from the end of Spring 2021.
Update 5: In the latest cancellation update, the cruise line removed specific return dates for each ship and now expects all its vessels to start resuming sailings up until the end of June 2021. However, Braemar will remain on hold for much longer until Spring 2022.
Update 6: Fred Olsen will follow several other UK-based cruise operators by offering residents UK domestic sailings to nowhere. Borealis will be the first ship to start from Liverpool on July 5. She will then be followed by Balmoral and Bolette out of different homeports.
- Cruises Resume: End of June/Early July 2021
- UK Domestic Cruises Resume: July 5, 2021
Holland America Line
Original Update: The cruise line, owned by Carnival has announced that cruise operations will remain suspended through June 30, 2020. This also includes the delay of the Alaska, Europe, and Canada & New England seasons. The Canadian government announced cruises will be suspended there until July 1 which also impacts several Holland America vessels.
Update 1: The cruise line has now cancelled all Alaska, Europe and Canada/New England cruises for 2020.
Update 2: Even more select cruises have been cancelled due to cruise ship bans and travel restrictions.
Update 3: Holland America has updated that all cruises are cancelled through December 15, 2020. Select sailings will be for even longer.
Update 4: To follow other CLIA members and parent company Carnival Corporation, Holland America Line has cancelled all cruises through December 31, 2020.
Update 5: Following sister cruise line Princess Cruises, Holland America Line announced on November 20, 2020 that all cruise are now cancelled into Spring 2021.
Update 6: On January 6, Holland America announced further cancelations which now means all cruises are cancelled through April 30, 2021. The pause also includes Alaska departures through mid-May, Mediterranean through early June and select Canada/New England.
Update 7: On February 24 Holland America Line extended its hold on all sailings out of Canada in 2021. This follows the recent news of Canada banning cruise ships for an entire year.
Update 8: On March 10, Holland America announced further cancellations on European departures through June 30, 2021. this impact sailings on Nieuw Statendam, Volendam and Westerdam.
Update 9: Holland America Line continues to try and save what’s left of the 2021 Alaska season. However, it does still mean the cruise line needs to extend its suspension out of Seattle, Washington.
Update 10: On May 20, the cruise line announced it will make a return to Alaska this summer starting from July 24 through October 2 with Nieuw Amsterdam. It comes due to the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act becoming law and being signed by President Biden.
Update 11: On June 21, Holland America announced its plans to resume cruises out of Port of San Diego with Koningsdam and Zuiderdam and out of Fort Lauderdale with Nieuw Amsterdam, New Rotterdam, Eurodam, and Nieuw Statendam.
- Cruises Resume: May 2021
- Europe Cruises Resume: July 2021
- Seattle Cruises to Alaska Resume: July 24, 2021
- Cruises from San Diego Resume: September 2021
- Cruises from Fort Luaderdale Resume: October 2021
- Canada Cruises Resume: 2022
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Marella Cruises
The TUI-operated UK cruise line has extended its pause on operations now through June 30, 2020 The first sailings will commence from June 31. This also impacts the launch of its new river cruises service which has been delayed un November 26, 2020.
Update 1: Marella has joined the trend by also extending its pause on operations and now all cruises are cancelled through July 30 with the first departures starting from July 31.
Update 2: The cruise line has extended its pause on sailings for select cruises.
Update 3: The UK cruise line has put cruises on hold for even longer into November 2020.
Update 4: With the UK in a full lockdown due to increased virus cases, Marella Cruises has extended its hold on operations until December 16, 2020.
Update 5: With a full lockdown announced by the UK government due to the huge increase in infections, Marella Cruises has now extended its pause in operations through February 2, 2021.
Update 6: Cruises have been delayed for even longer. The restart of operations in Europe will not happen until March 31, 2021, and no longer sailings until May 2021.
Update 7: The British-based cruise line has extended its pause on operations until May 2021 due to the uncertainty with travel restrictions. The cruise operator has already put on hold sailings from Barbados and Jamaica to April 30, 2021.
Update 8: Cruises continue to be canceled even further and that includes Fred Olsen in the UK. Borealis, Bolette, and Balmoral sailings are now canceled up until the end of June 2021. Braemarโs cruises will remain on hold until Spring 2022.
Update 9: Marella Cruises has already resume UK domestic cruises with Marella Explorer and Marella Explorer 2. From September 3, 2021, the cruise line will begin international sailings out of Malaga.
- Select Cruises Resume: End of June 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
MSC Cruises
Original Update: The mainly European-based private cruise line currently has cruises suspended through May 29, 2020. This is much longer than the original pause on operations through April 30, 2020.
Update 1: The private cruise line has now extended the hold on cruises through July 10, 2020. The first sailings will begin again on July 11.
Update 2: MSC is now planning on a phased-in return from August 1, and the fleet won’t be fully back in business until Summer 2021, depending on the region.
Update 3: MSC announced that cruises from the U.S. will now resume from September 16 due to the voluntary extension by CLIA.
Update 4: Two ships are starting cruises in August but with limitations, Cruises in the U.S. are now suspended until November 2020.
Update 5: As Cruise Hive posted here, MSC Cruises has now suspended operations from the U.S. until next year due to the new CDC requirements and time to implement new health measures.
Update 6: It’s been a double blow for MSC Cruises with a further suspension on U.S. operations until March 2021 impacting three cruise ships and forced cancelations in the Mediterranean due to new restrictions in Italy.
Update 7: Even though MSC had already resumed operations out of Italy, the cruise line has since paused sailings due to the pandemic. Cruises from Italy are now set to restart from the Port of Genoa on January 24 with MSC Grandiosa. U.S operations have been suspended further through March 31, 2021, so the situation there is not looking so good.
Update 8: MSC Cruises is one of the very cruise lines that has managed to keep some ships sailing. Even though the cruise line did need to suspend cruises temporarily in Europe due to the growing pandemic, the line does now plan to restart once again out of Greece at the end of April 2021 and cruises from Italy have already commenced with MSC Grandiosa out of Genoa. However, most sailings remain on hold until May 2021.
Update 9: The cruise line quietly announced on March 1, 2021, that in the Caribbean, all itineraries are canceled through May 31, 2021.
Update 10: MSC Cruises has already opened up bookings for sailings out of Southampton, England with the MSC Virtuosa. Cruises are set to begin from May 20, 2021, out of Southampton.
Update 11: MSC Cruises has released its plan on resuming cruise operations out of the U.S. Firstly, MSC Meraviglia has been approved for a simulated sailing departing PortMiami on July 17. The vessel will then be the first MSC cruise ship in the U.S. to begin cruises on August 2. MSC Divina will also restart sailing out of Port Canaveral on September 16. However, the cruise line has made further cancellations for previously scheduled cruises out of the U.S. for MSC Meraviglia through September 17, MSC Divina through September 15, and MSC Armonia through October 24, 2021.
Update 12: MSC Cruises made a major step towards resuming operations out of the U.S. as MSC Meravilgia completed a test cruise after arriving back in Miami on July 20, 2021.
- Cruises from the U.S. Resume: June 2021
- MSC Meraviglia Cruises Resume from Miami: August 2, 2021
- MSC Divina Cruises Resume from Port Canaveral: September 16, 2021
- UK Cruises Resume: May 20, 2021
- Limited Mediterranean/Italy Cruises Resumed: January 24, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Norwegian Cruise Line
The cruise line’s previous extension was only cancelled through May 14, 2020, with new embarkations starting on May 15, 2020.
Update 1: Now, after an announcement by NCL LTD cruises will be cancelled through June 30, 2020, with the first embarkations commencing on July 1.
Update 2: NCL has made another announcement that cruises will be suspended through all of July and the first cruise ships will begin sailings again from August 1, 2020.
Update 3: In the latest advisory from NCL the fleet will be out of action through August 30, 2020. This is expected to change again due to the new CLIA announcement of cruises from the U.S. cancelled through September 15.
Update 4: The cruise line last updated its advisory on June 30 cancelling all cruises through all of September and a phased-in return starting in October with select voyages.
Update 5: NCL and its sister lines have followed the CLIA announcement by cancelling all operations in the U.S. until November 1, 2020. However, this doesn’t mean cruises will suddenly start from that date as it will be a phased-in return.
Update 6: The cruise line announced a further extension through November 2020 on all cruises. Further details are here.
Update 7: Following CLIA and other major cruise lines, Norwegian Cruise Line has extended its suspension of operations until 2021. This is to allow time to prepare ships with new health measures and follow CDC requirements on resuming sailings.
Update 8: Norwegian Cruise Line was the first of the major cruise companies to announces a new round of suspension. The cruise line has suspended all operations through February 28, 2021. However, only three NCL ships are set to resume operations before April 2021. All the details can be found here.
Update 9: On December 29, NCL announced that Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Escape, and Norwegian Joy will join the rest of the fleet and remain on hold through March 2021.
Update 10: On January 19, 2021, Norwegian Cruise Line announced a further suspension on operations. The fleet will now remain on hold until May 2021 while the cruise line continues to work on the safe return to sailings.
Update 11: On February 16 it was announced by the cruise line that operations are to remain on pause through May 31, 2021. NCL Holdings is working on a safe return with the reagent authorities to make sure guests and crew remain safe once cruises do eventually resume.
Update 12: Norwegian Cruise Line has become the first of the major lines to extend its suspension through June 30, 2021. Cruise ships won’t start to return to service until July at the earliest. It didn’t come as a surprise as NCL had already removed all June sailings from its booking engine days before the announcement.
Update 13: Norwegian Cruise Line has been very busy behind the scenes and is now planning on resuming operations outside the United States. Starting on July 25, Norwegian Jade will start cruises out of Athens, Norwegian Joy will homeport out of Montego Bay, Jamaica from August 7 and Norwegian Gem will restart cruises out of Dominican Republic on August 15, 2021.
Update 14: On April 28, the cruise line announced a new round of cancellations with some U.S departures now canceled as far back as November 2021. It comes as the cruise line has shifted more vessels to alternative ports outside the U.S.
Update 15: On May 24, it was announced by NCL that cruses will restart to Alaska in August with the Norwegian Bliss out of Seattle, Washington due to the passing of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act. However, Norwegian Joy’s restart out of Montego Bay, jamaica has been canceled and the crew is being transferred to Alaska for the restart there instead.
Update 16: On May 26, Norwegian Cruise Line released its restart plans for eight cruise ships covering 11 homeports worldwide including the US ports of New York, Port Canaveral, Los Angeles, PortMiami, and Honolulu.
Update 17: Norwegian Cruise Line decided to cancel Norwegian Gem’s restart out of the Dominican Republic due to crew member staffing issues. The focus will shift to resuming cruises from the US.
Update 18: On June 7, Norwegian Cruise Line announced further plans on resuming operations from the U.S. along with some changes. Norwegian Gem to begin cruises from PortMiami on August 15, 2021, and Norwegian Encore will replace Norwegian Bliss to operate Alaska sailing from Seattle starting on August 7, 2021.
- Cruises Resume: August 2021
- Norwegian Gem Cruises Resume from Miami: August 15, 2021
- Norwegian Encore Alaska cruises from Seattle Resume: August 7, 2021
- Norwegian Epic Cruises out of Barcelona Resume: September 5, 2021
- Norwegian Getaway Cruise out of Rome Resume: September 13, 2021
- Norwegian Jade Cruises out of Athens Resume: July 25, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Oceania Cruises
As posed by parent company NCL Ltd, the luxury cruise line will start cruising again from July 1 as all sailings are currently canceled through June 30, 2020.
Update 1: The operated has extended its hold on cruises through all of July with the first departures starting from August 1, 2020.
Update 2: Just like other cruise lines and following parent company NCL, the cruise line has extended its pause on cruise operations.
Update 3: The Norwegian Cruise Line-owned cruise line has suspended all ship operations until 2021.
Update 4: Parent company Norwegian Cruise Line announced on January 19, 2021, an extended hold on operations and that includes Oceania vessels.
Update 5: Just like other sister lines, Oceania Cruises has extended its suspension until Summer 2021. The cruise line continues to work on a safe return.
Update 6: Parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has decided to extends its hold on all operations through June 2021. It does mean that Oceania vessel won’t start to resume sailings until July at the earliest.
Update 7: On April 28, Oceania Cruises announced that all sailings on Riviera, Regatta, Insignia, Nautica, and Sirena are suspended through September 30, 2021. Sailings with Marina are suspended through August 19, 2021.
Update 8: On May 26, it was announced by Oceania Cruises that an additional three vessels will restart operations between October 2021 and January 2022 including Riviera out of Istanbul, Insignia out of Miami, and Sirena also out of Miami. The three vessels follow the announcement of Marina restarting cruises from Copenhagen on August 29, 2021.
- Cruises Resume: October 2021
- Marina Cruises Resume: August 29, 2021
- Riviera Cruises Resume: October 18, 2021
- Insignia Cruises Resume: December 21, 2021
- Sirena Cruises Resume: January 22, 2022
- Marina Cruises Resume: August 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
P&O Cruises
The British cruise line’s original 30-day suspension of cruise operations was not feasible due to the current global crisis. At the moment all cruises are suspended through May 15, 2020. Embarkations are set to begin again from May 16.
Update 1: The cruise line has announced an extension until August 1 impacting the entire fleet.
Update 2: A further extension has been announced due to ongoing travel restrictions. The focus is now on implementing new health measures for when cruises resume.
Update 3: Due to UK Foreign Office guidance and the continued travel complications around the world P&O Cruises decided to extend its suspension on cruises through November 12, 2020. You can read our post about the update here.
Update 4: The UK cruise industry is in crisis and many cruise lines won’t be returning to business until 2021 including the largest which is P&O Cruises, here’s the latest update from them.
Update 5: On November 24, 2020 P&O Cruises announced a further suspension into Spring 2021. So cruise ships won’t sail until April 2021 at the earliest.
Update 6: The UK government has started to push forward on a safe reopening of international travel after The Secretary of State Grant Shapps chaired the first meeting of the new Global Travel Taskforce to discuss plans. With a more clear time for the Summer, P&O Cruises decided to cancel its regular sailings into September 2021 and replaced them with new UK-only offerings.
Update 7: We now know when P&O cruises will resume cruises in the UK. On March 17, it was revealed that Britannia will start UK coastal sailings in June and then Iona will start from August.
- Regular Cruises Resume: August/September 2021
- UK Domestic Cruises Resume: June 27, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
P&O Australia
With the Australian government banning cruises until June 15, 2020, this has impacted operations down under. The cruise line now expects to resume sailings from June 16, but this could still change.
Update 1: The cruise line has announced an extension with cruises now commencing at the very end of August.
Update 2: Due to a further ban on cruises by Australia until the middle of September 2020 P&O Australia has been forced to cancel more cruises. The first sailings are now set to begin from September 18.
Update 3: Another update has been released, and Australia and New Zealand cruises are now cancelled until October 29.
Update 4: P&O Australia has cancelled a further 20 cruises and suspended operations into December 2020, more details right here.
Update 5: Full changes from the Carnival-owned cruise line due to the delay in the arrival of Pacific Adventure and the departure of Pacific Aria and Pacific Dawn from the fleet.
Update 6: The Australian-based cruise operator announced on January 5 more cancelled cruises out of New Zealand. The suspension in the country has been extended through April 25, 2021.
Update 7: On February 18, P&O Australia decided to extend its hold on operations until June 18, 2021. However, the cruise line remains optimistic on its return along with the arrival of two new additions to the fleet named Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure.
Update 8: With no signs of Australia reopening for cruises, P&O has decided to extend its pause and has cancelled all departures through December 17, 2021.
- Select Cruises Resume: December 18, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Princess Cruises
Due to the decision by parent company Carnival Corp, Princess Cruises has extended its pause on cruise operations through June 30, 2020. Cruises will start again from July 1, 2020. The cruise line was one of the first to announce the voluntary suspension of operations which went into effect on March 12, 2020.
Update: The cruise line has now cancelled select cruises through the end of Summer and into the fall of 2020.
Update 2: Lots of changes from Princess Cruises and different regions are returning slowly. However, with bans remaining in Canada and Australia cruises won’t be fully back up until 2021.
Update 3: Princess Cruises announced that select sailings would be cancelled into December 2020.
Update 4: Five Princess cruise ships have been impacted by further cancellations down under as posted here.
Update 5: parent company Carnival Corp has announced a suspension of operations in North America through December 31, 2020.
Update 6: Princess Cruises announced on November 20, 2020 that all cruises are now suspended through March 31, 2021 along with the removal of cruises over seven days long until November 2021.
Update 7: On January 6 the cruise line announced an extension on the pause of guest operations through May 14, 2021. This includes sailings in the Caribbean the California Coast, along with early season Alaska and Europe cruises.
Update 8: On February 28, 2021, Princess Cruises decided to cancel select sailings in Alaska, Canada & New England, and the Pacific Coast through 2021.
Update 9: On March 3, due to the developments in international travel in the UK, Princess Cruises decided to make some changes. European sailings to and from the UK, including roundtrip from Southampton through September 25, 2021, on Sky Princess, Regal Princess, and Island Princess are now canceled. Instead, from late Summer 2021, the cruise line will begin offering short UK coastal cruises.
Update 10: On March 9, Princess Cruises along with two sister brands announced more select cancellations. Cruises are now canceled in the Caribbean, California Coast, Mexico, and the Mediterranean through June 30, 2021. It impacts cruises for Caribbean Princess, Enchanted Princess, and Ruby Princess.
Update 11: On March 16, Princess Cruises made it clear it was still trying to save what remains of the Alaska 2021 cruise season. However, the cruise line still needs to extend its suspension out of Seattle, Washington through June 27, 2021.
Update 12: On May 12, 2021, the cruise line announced further select cancellations worldwide across the Caribbean, Mexico, California Coast, and the Mediterranean impacting three Princess cruise ships.
Update 13: On May 20, it was announced that Princess Cruises will be returning to Alaska this summer. With President Biden signing the new Alaska bill into law it now means that cruise ships can sail to Alaska without needing to visit a foreign port. Majestic Princess will begin sailing to the region from July 25 through September 26, 2021.
Update 14: On June 17, Princess Cruises announced its restart of operations from the U.S. in addition to the previously announced restart to Alaska. Eight ships will restart this fall out of California and Florida.
- Cruises Resume from California and Florida: Starting from September 25, 2021
- Majestic Princess Alaska Cruises Resume: July 25, 2021
- Caribbean, California Coast, Mexico, and Med Cruises Resume: August 2021
- Regular UK Cruises Resume: Late September 2021
- New Short UK Cruises Resume: Late Summer 2021
- Select Alaska, Canada & New England and Pacific Coast Cruises Resume: 2022
- Australia and New Zealand Cruises Resume: June 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Parent company Norwegian Cruise Line has announced another extension with all sailings on pause through June 30, 2020. Cruises for the luxury line will now start from July 1.
Update 1: The luxury cruise line has announced that cruises will now commence from August 1 after another extension on the pause of operations.
Update 2: Following most other cruise lines, the suspension of operations is now running through October.
Update 3: Following parent company Norwegian Cruise Line announcing a further suspension through December 2020, Regent Seven Seas has also done the same.
Update 4: Parent company Norwegian Cruise Line announced a further pause on operations and that includes ships operated by Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Update 5: It’s another round of suspensions for the luxury cruise line which was announced by NCL Holdings on February 26, 2021. This impacts operations through May 31, 2021.
Update 6: On March 16, parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced a further suspension through June 2021. It now means Regent won’t resume cruises until July at the very earliest.
Update 7: On April 28, Regent Seven Seas Cruises announced a further suspension through September 30, 2021, which impacts Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Voyager, Seven Seas Mariner, and Seven Seas Navigator. However, Seven Seas Splendor will begin cruises from the UK on September 11, 2021.
Update 8: On May 26, it was announced by the luxury cruise line that the fleet will be returning to service before the end of the year. In addition to the previous announcement on restart plans, Seven Seas Explorer will restart on from Venice, Seven Seas Mariner will resume from Miami after a dry dock, Seven Seas Navigator also out of Miami, and Seven Seas Voyager from Barcelona.
- Seven Seas Explorer Cruises Resume: October 16, 2021
- Seven Seas Mariner Cruises Resume: December 18, 2021
- Seven Seas Navigator Cruises Resume: January 6, 2022
- Regent Seven Seas Cruises Resume from the UK: September 2021
- Seven Seas Splendor Cruises Resume from UK: September 11, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Royal Caribbean
Original Update: Royal Caribbean is also following Carnival by extending its suspension on cruise operations. The cruise line has canceled cruises through June 11, 2020 with the first embarkations commencing on June 12, 2020.
Update 1: Royal Caribbean and its cruise brands have now suspended cruise operations through July 31, 2020 with the first sailing starting from August 1. China sailings are cancelled through the end of June.
Update 2: Due to the cruise ship by Canada even further sailings are cancelled to Alaska and more.
Update 3: In-line with the CLIA announcement last week, Royal Caribbean has extended its pause on cruises from the United States through September 15, 2020. More details are here.
Update 4: Just like other cruise lines, Royal Caribbean has extended its hold on operations again in the United States through October 2020. Read more details right here.
Update 5: Parent company Royal Caribbean group has now cancelled all departures in Australia and New Zealand for 2020 which means cruises now won’t resume until early 2021, here are the details.
Update 6: In-line with parent company Royal Caribbean Group, it was announced the suspension of operations will continue through November 2020. Read the news post here.
Update 7: Royal Caribbean has followed other major cruise lines and CLIA members by suspending operations through December 31, 2020. The aim is now to resume in early 2021 with new health measures. The suspension excludes Quantum of the Seas pilot sailings out of Singapore.
Update 8: Royal Caribbean followed other major cruise lines by extending its pause on cruise operations out of the U.S. Royal Caribbean will begin cruising again from March 2021 but it will be a phased-in return to service. This excludes Quantum of the Seas out of Singapore and Spectrum of the Seas out of China.
Update 9: Royal Caribbean went beyond April and suspended operations until the start of May 2021. The announcement was made on January 12, 2021, but does exclude two ships in the fleet.
Update 10: On March 9, it came as no surprise that Royal Caribbean extended its suspension through May 31, 2021. This does exclude some sailings including Quantum of the Seas which is already sailing out of Singapore, Odyssey of the Seas out of Israel, and two ships out of China.
Update 11: Royal Caribbean has been busy working on plan b as cruises from the U.S. remain on hold. Multiple new homeports have been announced including out of Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Cyprus.
Update 12: On April 3, 2021, Royal Caribbean announced that Anthem of the Seas will begin UK domestic cruises from July 7 out of Southampton. The first voyage will be for 4-nights and then from July 15, the cruise line will launch 5-8-night cruises with several port calls in destinations such as Liverpool, Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, and Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Update 13: On April 8, Royal Caribbean announced an extended suspension through June 30, 2021. This only impacts U.S. operations with cruises now not resuming until July at the earliest.
Update 14: On May 21, the cruise line detailed its return to Alaska due to the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act becoming law. Serenade of the Seas will begin cruising to Alaska in July and Ovation of the Seas will begin cruising to Alaska in August, both out of Seattle, Washington.
Update 15: It’s reported that Spectrum of the Seas will resume operations out of Hong Kong on July 30, 2021, after the territory announced a reopening of cruise travel.
Update 16: On June 4, Royal Caribbean announced its big U.S. summer comeback with a total of eight cruise ships to begin sailing from ports this summer. The first vessel to begin cruises will be Freedom of the Seas out of Miami on July 2. The ship is also approved for a test sailing by the CDC to depart on June 20 out of PortMiami.
Update 17: So far, six Royal Caribbean cruise ships have resumed operations including the restart of Alaska out of Seattle.
- U.S. Cruises Resume: July 2021
- Freedom of the Seas Cruises Resume from Miami: July 2, 2021
- Serenade of the Seas Cruises Resume from Seattle: July 19, 2021
- Allure of the Seas Cruises Resume from Port Canaveral: August 8, 2021
- Ovation of the Seas Cruises Resume from Seattle: August 13, 2021
- Symphony of the Seas Cruises Resume from Miami: August 14, 2021
- Independence of the Seas Cruises Resume Galveston: August 15, 2021
- Mariner of the Seas Cruises Resume from Port Canaveral: August 23, 2021
- Spectrum of the Seas Cruises from Hong Kong Resume: July 30, 2021
- Anthem of the Seas UK Domestic Cruises Resume: July 7, 2021
- Quantum of the Seas Cruises Resume: Currently Sailing from Singapore
- Odyssey of the Seas Cruises Resume from Fort Lauderdale: Delayed to July 31, 2021
- Adventure of the Seas Cruises out of the Bahamas Resume: June 12, 2021
- Vision of the Seas Cruises out of Bermuda Resume: June 27, 2021 (Deployment Cancelled)
- Jewel of the Seas Cruises out of Cyprus Resume: July 10, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Saga Cruises
The British-based cruise line became the first in the world to announce that all guests will need to be vaccinated before cruising. With the UK planning a framework on reopening international travel later in the Summer, Saga has decided that Spirit of Adventureโs planned May 4, 2021, inaugural sailings are delayed. The new date for the new shipโs first guest voyage will be July 26, 2021. Spirit of Discovery will also be delayed until June 27, 2021.
- Spirit of Discover Cruises Resume: June 27, 2021
- Spirit of Adventure Cruises Resume: July 26, 2021
- Check Official Advisory
Seabourn
The Carnival-owned ultra-luxury cruise line has cancelled some cruises all the way into November. The latest ship returns to service on November 21, 2020.
Update 1: The cruise operated has announced that three cruise ships will have cancelled sailing into Spring 2021 as posted here.
Update 2: The luxury cruise line which is owned by the Carnival Corporation has canceled further cruises in 2021 impacting two vessels. Select Seabourn Odyssey voyages are canceled to November 5, 2021, and select Seabourn Quest voyages are cancelled also to November 6, 2021.
Update 3: On February 24, 2021, the luxury cruise operator announced that 19 voyages aboard Seabourn Odyssey in summer 2021 between Vancouver, Canada, and Juneau, Alaska, including one Pacific Coast voyage are now all canceled.
Update 4: The small luxury line which is owned by the Carnival Corporation announced on March 9, 2021, an extended pause on select 2021 Europe departures.
Update 5: On April 6, the Carnival-owned cruise brand announced that it will restart cruise operations out of Athens in Greece on July 3, 2021. Seabourn Ovation will offer 7-day cruises throughout the Greek Isles.
Update 6: On April 21, Seabourn announced that Seabourn Odyssey will operate 7-day cruises from Barbados to the Southern Caribbean. Cruises in the Caribbean will begin on July 18, 2021.
- Select Cruises Resume: July 2022
- Seabourn Ovation Cruises Resume from Athens: July 3, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Silversea Cruises
On April 8, parent company Royal Caribbean group announced cruises are suspended through June 30, 2021. This also impacts Silversea excluding Silver Moon, Silver Origin, and Silver Explorer. Silver Moon is still set to begin cruises out of Athens from June 18, 2021.
Update 1: On May 22, Silversea updated its advisory on restarting cruise operations around the world.
- Cruises Resume: July 2021
- Official Advisory
Viking Cruises
The luxury cruise line was the first to announced a temporary suspension of cruise operations on March 11, 2020. As of now, the cruise line has extended the pause on ocean and river cruises through June 30, 2020.
Update: Viking Cruises extended its pause on cruise operations through August 31 which also applies to river cruises.
Update 2: A further update has been released impacting Ocean and River cruises with the pause continuing through September.
Update 3: Viking announced the cancellation of all River and Ocean cruises until 2021, a major setback which could be the start of a new trend as cruising in 2020 is likely not to make a major comeback.
Update 4: On February 18, 2021, the luxury cruise line announced an extended pause impacting river and ocean operations through May 2021.
Update 5: On March 16, the luxury cruise line provided plenty of excitement by detailing new UK domestic cruises. The cruises will begin in May and be for UK residents only.
Update 6: On April 6, 2021, Viking Cruises released some optimistic news with new voyages out of Bermuda, Iceland, and the UK. Due to high demand, there will be two additional domestic UK sailings in June 2021 for Viking Venus. Viking Orion will homeport out of Bermuda and Viking Sky out of Iceland.
Update 7: On May 19, Viking Cruises detailed restarts plans for European river sailings. Cruises will start in July with select itineraries in Portugal, France, and along the Rhine for vaccinated guests only.
Update 8: On May 24, it was announced that a third vessel will begin cruises in the Mediterranean this summer. Viking Star will begin sailings in the Western Mediterranean joining Viking Vernus and Viking Sea.
- UK Cruises Resume: May 22, 2021
- River Cruises Resume: June 2021
- Ocean Cruises Resume: June 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages hasn’t really started regular cruises yet with its first and currently only cruise ship Scarlet Lady. The inaugural sailing season for the vessel has been delayed until July 15, 2020, and the Maiden Voyage will be taking place on August 7, 2020.
Update 1: The cruise line has announced that cruises will now start from October 16, 2020 as cancellations are now through October 15.
Update 2: With the on-going suspension of operations and limited port access the new cruise line has cancelled November sailings too.
Update 3: The debut of Scarlet Lady in the U.S. will just have to wait a little longer as the cruise line has cancelled voyages in December 2020. The first cruise is scheduled for January 3, 2020.
Update 4: Virgin Voyages is going to have to wait much longer until operations actually begin for the very first time. At the moment Scarlet Lady is set to begin cruises in May 2021.
Update 5: On March 2, Virgin Voyages announced that it had made the decision to cancel more sailings. This now means that Scarlet Lady cruises are canceled through June 30, 2021.
Update 6: On April 7, Virgin Voyages updated its advisory that all regular Scarlet Lady cruises are canceled through September 17, 2021. This is due to the cruise line planning on new summer UK domestic cruises for UK vaccinated residents only.
Update 7: Virgin Voyages has made further cancellations for its first cruise ship Scarlet Lady. The vessel’s restart out of PortMiami will now begin on October 6, 2021. The second ship Valiant Lady will now debut in the UK departing Portsmouth on March 18, 2022.
- Scarlet Lady Cruises from Miami Begin: October 6 2021
- Valiant Lady Cruises from Portsmouth Begin: March 18, 2021
- Official Advisory: Click Here
Further Changes Are Possible
The situation worldwide is changing weekly, and cruise lines are working with the relevant authorities for a safe return. It’s all very fluid, and the restart dates may change even further. The CDC has been making some adjustments recently with relaxing masks and social distancing rules for vaccinated guests.
Also Read: CDC Ditches Mask and Social Distancing Rules for Vaccinated Cruises
Norwegian Cruise Line still plans to restart in August from Florida but parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings recently filed a lawsuit against Florida on the state’s vaccine passport ban. The result of this could have an impact on any protocols the line implements.
The ongoing saga between the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Florida has still not been resolved. In fact, just recently, the CDC successfully got a hold on Florida being allowed to overrule its Conditional Sailing Order. On July 19, the Florida Governor said it will come out on top and could take its lawsuit against the CDC as far as the supreme court.
Cruise Hive will continue to monitor any new developments, so keep checking this detailed page for when cruises resume, not just this year but in 2022.