Citing ‘Uncertainty,’ Princess Cancels Australia Sailings into December

Princess Cruises is canceling its sailings in and out of Australia through Dec. 19, 2021, because of a “continued uncertainty regarding the timing for the resumption of cruise holidays in the region,” the line announced Wednesday.

Princess is protecting travel advisor commission on all the impacted bookings and is offering guests a full refund or a future cruise credit (FCC) worth 110% of the cruise fare paid.

The news comes as Australia continues to extend its cruise ban, which right now is scheduled to end in September 2021.

It also comes as a seventh Australian city goes into lockdown after the emergence of more COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant.

The variant is reportedly spreading with just 5% of the population fully vaccinated in Australia and only those over 60-years-old able to get the vaccine according to the Australian Medical Association. Confusion around vaccine requirements and eligibility in the country is also a problem, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison said anyone under 40 could get the vaccine after speaking with their doctor.  

COVID remains at a low level in Australia despite the news—according to Worldometers, there are currently 374 Australians infected with COVID and all but one are in “mild condition.” Since the beginning of the pandemic, Australia has had a total case count just north of 30,000, with less than 1,000 deaths (910).