As Coronavirus Expands, Cruise Lines Extend Suspensions

A number of cruise companies are further postponing a return to operations as the coronavirus-outbreak” target=”_self” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>coronavirus outbreak continues to grow. Here is a list of recent changes and announcements. It will be updated as required.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. extended the suspension of operations by another 30 days, through May 12; cruises that include Canadian ports are off until at least July 1. RCCL brands include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.

CroisiEurope postponed cruises through April 30 for all river and coastal cruises and through May 31 for cruise safaris in Southern Africa. Cruises on the Mekong will resume on Aug. 14, 2020. Affected passengers will be able to rebook a departure date later than April 30 or May 31 for Africa. The company said its international teams will contact each person affected. For new bookings made between March 9 and May 1, 2020, for departures until Aug. 31, 2020, passengers may cancel free of charge up to 30 days before their departure date (excluding fee routing and administrative costs).

Costa Cruises has decided to extend the voluntary suspension of its cruises until April 30. Costa is taking steps to inform travel agents and guests affected by the changes. Guests booked through the North American office will receive a future cruise credit.

Oceania Cruises is temporarily revising the hours of its Guest Services Department starting March 30 until further notice. The revised hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and closed on Saturday and Sunday.