Royal Caribbean Commits to Sailing Singapore with Quantum through October

After restarting sailing onboard Quantum of the Seas in Singapore in last 2020, Royal Caribbean on Wednesday announced that it would keep the ship in Singapore through at least October 2021, the longest season yet for a ship in Singapore.

The news comes as Royal, and other cruise lines, continue to await word from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on its American restart. Royal’s decision to extend Quantum’s season in Asia comes as other cruise lines, including Celebrity Cruises and MSC Cruises, commit to moving ships outside of North America in order to get them sailing with a timeline still unclear.

Quantum will offer 2-, 3-, and 4-night sailings available only to Singapore residents with bookings opened on April 13.

“We have continued to see an overwhelming demand in Singapore to sail onboard Quantum of the Seas. With more than 50,000 guests having cruised with us and zero positive COVID-19 cases to date, holidaymakers can rest assured we are focused on delivering safe, memorable cruise holidays,” said Michael Bayley, president, and CEO, Royal Caribbean International.

Since July 2020, as it continues to wait for a broader restart in the Americas, Royal Caribbean Group has carried more than 100,000 guests on 152 cruises in Asia and Europe, including more than 50,000 guests who have sailed aboard Quantum.

Royal’s other plans include Odyssey of the Seas sailing from Haifa, Israel, Jewel of the Seas sailing from Cyprus, Anthem of the Seas sailing from the UK, and cruises from The Bahamas with Adventure of the Seas and Bermuda with Vision of the Seas.

The CDC has refused to budge on its Conditional Sail Order (CSO), which was put in place after it lifted its No Sail Order last year. In a statement to Travel Market Report, the CDC said the CSO will remain in effect—as planned—until Nov. 1, 2021.

“Returning to passenger cruising is a phased approach to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19. Details for the next phase of the CSO are currently under interagency review,” the CDC said.

Florida, the U.S. state most impacted by the cruise industry’s continued shutdown, could sue the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over its refusal to end restrictions on U.S. cruise lines.

In a press conference with cruise line executives last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called on the CDC to lift its order, explaining that “one of our major industries…has been idled by the federal government for over a year” and “we need to get these cruise lines operating again.”