Carnival Extends Suspension of Cruise Operations Through Late June

Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Ecstacy cruise ship is docked at the Port of Jacksonville amid the CCP virus outbreak in Jacksonville, Florida, on March 27, 2020. Greenwood/Getty Images

Carnival Cruise Line is suspending all cruises through late June and canceling some trips through the end of the year, the company stated in an update.

All trips scheduled through June 26 are canceled, Carnival stated. Carnival Sunrise trips are canceled through Oct. 19, Carnival Legend trips are canceled through Oct. 30, and all Carnival Radiance trips are canceled through Nov. 1.

Additionally, all sailings to or from San Francisco are canceled for the rest of the year.

The cancellations stemmed from the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, the company said in a statement.

People who booked cruises are being offered future cruise credit or a 100 percent refund.

Carnival Corp., which owns Carnival, Princess Cruises, and Costa Cruises, initially canceled trips from the United States in mid-March, along with other companies. Carnival later canceled all trips worldwide.

The company on March 30 extended the suspension of cruises through May 11. Other lines have also extended suspensions of service through May.

Carnival’s decision came several days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended its No Sail Order for all cruise ships until one of three triggers happens: the expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency; the CDC director rescinds or modifies the order; or 100 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.

People look out from the Coral Princess cruise ship as it is docked at PortMiami during the new coronavirus outbreak in Miami, on April 4, 2020. Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

“We are working with the cruise line industry to address the health and safety of crew at sea as well as communities surrounding U.S. cruise ship points of entry,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement.

The extension is aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

At least 10 cruise ships have reported crew members or passengers showing symptoms similar to the CCP virus, some of whom later tested positive. About 100 ships remained at sea in waters off the United States as of April 9, as well as 20 ships being at port or anchorage in the United States, with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases.

Evacuating, caring for, and repatriating crew members has incurred financial cost and diversion of resources away from other pandemic response efforts, according to the CDC.

The Cruise Lines International Association said it’s concerned about the order, which it claimed is “singling out the cruise industry.”

“While it’s easy to focus on cruising because of its high profile, the fact is cruising is neither the source or cause of the virus or its spread. What is different about the cruise industry is the very stringent reporting requirements applicable to vessels that do not apply to comparable venues on land where the spread of communicable disease is just as prevalent,” the group said in a statement.

“It would be a false assumption to connect higher frequency and visibility in reporting to a higher frequency of infection.”