Carnival Cruise Line Extends Sailing Suspension to Oct. 1
by Jessica Montevago /
Carnival Cruise Line has extended its operational pause in North America to Oct. 1, 2020.
Following the Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) announcement that member cruise lines agreed to extend voluntary sailing suspension through at least Sept. 15 because of COVID-19 concerns, Carnival said on Monday it will cancel all cruises through Sept. 30.
“During this unprecedented pause in our business, we have continued to assess the operating environment and confer with public health, government and industry officials,” Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, told guests and travel agents in a letter.
“We have watched with great interest as commerce, travel and personal activities have begun to start back up, and once we do resume service, we will take all necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we bring our ships to in order to maintain public confidence in our business. Nevertheless, we apologize for disrupting your vacation plans and appreciate your patience as we work through these decisions,” Duffy said in the letter.
Carnival initially announced a voluntary 30-day pause in operations on March 13, and had expected to resume sailings by Aug. 1 with eight ships sailing out of Miami, Port Canaveral, and Galveston.
Carnival has already cancelled the Vancouver-Honolulu cruise on Carnival Spirit scheduled for Sept. 25 and the Honolulu-Brisbane transpacific cruise scheduled for Oct. 6, after Canada banned cruises and ferries carrying more than 100 people in its waters through Oct. 31.
Carnival is giving guests who wish to move their booking to a later date a rebooking offer that combines a Future Cruise Credit and either a $300 or $600 Onboard Credit. Carnival is paying advisors commission on both bookings canceled because of the COVID-19 and bookings made with future cruise credits.