Disney, Cunard cancel sailings
Cruise ship schedules affected well into the fall
Disney Cruise Line and British luxury cruise line Cunard have joined a myriad of other lines canceling additional future sailings and pushing back their restart dates.
Disney Cruise Line, which extended its sailing suspension through July 27 last month, has added more cancellations to its list, including sailings scheduled as far ahead as October.
Departures from Europe are suspended through Oct. 2, according to a statement on Disney Cruise Line’s website, and departures from Canada are suspended through Sept. 14 while Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy departures remain suspended through July 27.
Passengers on affected sailings will be given the option of a future cruise credit or a full refund and are advised to contact their travel agent or Disney, directly.
Cunard, which is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., has three ships in its fleet. The cruise line has canceled all sailings due to depart up to and including Nov. 1 for its ships, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. For its third ship, Queen Elizabeth, departures up to and including Nov. 23, will be canceled.
“With many differing restrictions across countries, people’s ability to move freely and safely across borders remains seemingly someway in the distance,” Simon Palethorpe, president of Cunard, said in a statement shared by Carnival Corp. spokesperson Roger Frizzell.
“We also need to better understand the implications Covid-19 will have on board our ships.”
The line will only return to service once Cunard has a “comprehensive restart protocol” with approval and accreditation from authorities. Palethorpe said the line is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health England, trade group Cruise Lines International Association and other health experts to review “every aspect” of the Cunard cruise experience.
All guests booked on Cunard cruises and their travel agents will be contacted if they are on an affected voyage. Those whose cruises are canceled will receive a 125% future cruise credit to be used by the end of 2021.
What AIDA, MSC, Royal Caribbean, Princess and P&O lines are doing
British cruise line P&O Cruises, another Carnival subsidiary, is canceling all its sailings until Oct. 15after a move by Canada to ban cruises and ferries carrying more than 100 people with overnight capacity in its waters through Oct. 31. And Germany’s AIDA Cruises canceled all remaining 2020 sailings with port stops in Canada and the U.S.
While Canada’s ban on cruises has been pushed into the fall, the CDC’s no-sail order is set to lift after July 24, and major cruise companies, including Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Carnival have extended their sailing suspensions just past that date.
MSC Cruises suspended operations through July 31, according to a company news release and also canceled some cruises in 2021.
Itineraries impacted by 2021 cancellations include:
❚ MSC Armonia itineraries from Tampa, Florida (May 2, 2021, to Oct. 31, 2021)
❚ MSC Divina itineraries from Miami (March 28, 2021, to Aug. 22, 2021)
❚ MSC Divina itineraries from New York (Sept. 3, 2021, to Oct. 23, 2021)
Royal Caribbean also announced it would cancel sailings to Alaska, Canada and New England through October. Princess Cruises also is extending its cancellation of some sailings through October.