Carnival Cruise Line confirmed Monday morning that they are canceling all voyages through September 30, 2020.
This was not an unexpected move, given that Cruise Lines International Association announced last week that all of its members — including Carnival — would be extending their voluntary suspension of services. What is slightly unexpected is that Carnival’s suspension goes several weeks beyond that stated by CLIA.
What Carnival Is Saying
In a statement, Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy explained their decision thusly: “During this unprecedented pause in our business, we have continued to assess the operating environment and confer with public health, government and industry officials.”
READ MORE: Carnival Corp. Selling Six Ships, More To Come
She added that it was with input from all of the various organizations in mind that Carnival had ultimately made the decision to suspend services through the end of September.
How Carnival is Approaching These Decisions
While this news has upset many cruisers, Carnival Corporation’s CEO, Arnold Donald, seemed almost to be bracing people for the development during a recent webinar. “I wish I could give you a date,” he said, “but we can’t.”
Instead, he said that he could give the conditions under which they would return. “Cruise at its essence is a social gathering,” he explained. “So when society is starting to social gather again, then we can begin to talk about cruise.”
He added that, “At minimum, we’re not looking for people to take on any more risk than they would normally take in [shoreside] social gatherings.” Ultimately, he said that science would drive their timetable.
How Impacted Cruisers Will Be Impacted
Carnival has outlined the compensation offered for their canceled cruises.
Cruises of six or more days
- Option 1: Passengers can receive a 100 percent future cruise credit, plus $600 on board credit per stateroom to be used on their next cruise.
- Option 2: Guests who opt not to take a future cruise credit can receive a 100 percent refund.
READ MORE: How To Use A Future Cruise Credit
Cruises five days or less
- Option 1: Passengers can receive a 100 percent future cruise credit, plus $300 on board credit per stateroom to be used on their next cruise.
- Option 2: Guests who opt not to take a future cruise credit can receive a 100 percent refund.
You can find the compensation form here.
Late Friday afternoon, CLIA (Cruise Line International Association) said, “We are confident that future cruises will be healthy and safe, and will fully reflect the latest protective measures, as we also feel that it is appropriate to err on the side of caution to help ensure the best interests of our passengers and crewmembers. We have therefore decided to further extend our suspension of operations from U.S. ports until September 15. The additional time will also allow us to consult with the CDC on measures that will be appropriate for the eventual resumption of cruise operations.”
Earlier this month, Norwegian Cruise Line made the decision to cancel August sailings and most of the voyages in September.
