Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line cancel cruises

Royal Caribbean has cancelled planned voyages on four ships due to concerns about ‘ongoing Covid-related circumstances’, following an announcement on 7 January.

The company says that the move represents an ‘abundance of caution’, and confirmed that guests who were booked to travel on the cancelled excursions would receive a range of compensation options, including the availability of a full refund.

The four ships affected are:

• Jewel of the Seas – Cancelled between 9 January and 12 February, returning to regular scheduling from 20 February
• Serenade of the Seas – Cancelled between 8 January and 5 March, and returning to dry dock on 26 April
• Symphony of the Seas – Cancelled between 8 January and 22 January, returning to regular scheduling from 29 January
• Vision of the Seas – Planned return to cruising is postponed until 7 March.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean apologised, saying that: “We regret having to cancel our guests’ long-awaited vacations and appreciate their loyalty and understanding. Our top priority is always the wellbeing of our guests, our crew and the communities we visit.”

It follows the company’s Spectrum of the Seas vessel being ordered to return to port by Hong Kong harbour officials on 5 December, due to a Covid-related health scare.

Norwegian Cruise Line has also cancelled a number of voyages

Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled a number of voyages across its fleets, following an announcement on 11 January.

The company will postpone restart date for much of its fleet, including:

• Norwegian Pearl – until 17 January
• Norwegian Dawn – until 18 January
• Norwegian Getaway – until 19 January
• Norwegian Escape – until 22 January
• Norwegian Joy – until January

The postponed restart dates follow similar announcements made earlier this month, which included delays to:

• Norwegian Sky – until 25 February
• Pride of America – until 26 February
• Norwegian Jade – until 3 March
• Norwegian Star – until 19 March 19
• Norwegian Sun – until 19 April
• Norwegian Spirit – 23 April.

Norwegian Cruise Line has not confirmed the motive for its decision to delay. However, the move comes just over a week after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its travel health notice for cruising to Level 4, effectively advising American travellers, regardless of vaccine status, to avoid cruising entirely.