Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. announced this morning it is extending its suspension of cruises by canceling all sailings through February of 2021.
NCL, which operates its eponymous line as well as the Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, said the company continues to work through its return-to-service plan to meet the requirements of the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Norwegian’s suspension now includes all voyages on Norwegian Cruise Line embarking between January 1 through February 28, as well as select voyages in March 2021.
All voyages on Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises embarking between January 1 through March 31, 2021, are suspended.
“The Company will continue to work in tandem with global government and public health authorities and its Healthy Sail Panel expert advisors to take all necessary measures to protect its guests, crew and the communities visited,” Norwegian said in a statement.
Guests who are currently booked on canceled voyages on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises or Regent Seven Seas Cruises are asked to contact their travel advisor or the cruise line for more information.
With the surge of coronavirus cases virtually all over the world, the cruise industry has again been under pressure not to force a return to the water. A pair of Democratic Senators recently sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control, appealing to the agency to reinstate its ‘no sail order’ that would prohibit cruises from sailing in U.S. waters.
The no-sail order expired on October 31, and the CDC instituted a ‘Conditional Sailing Order’ that allowed cruise lines to return to the seas under a phased plan.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Doris Matsui (Calif.) told CDC Director Robert Redfield in a letter that cruising “is simply unsafe during a global pandemic” that has already killed 243,000 Americans.
