Carnival Cruise Line cancels November, December trips on select routes
The CDC extended a no sail order through to the end of October
Carnival Cruise Line said Thursday that it is notifying guests and travel agents that all trips from U.S. homeports in November and December, excluding Miami and Port Canaveral, have been cancelled.
The move comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have extended a "no sail" order for cruise ships through the end of October because of concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. The order, which was set to expire after Sept. 30, will continue to suspend passenger cruise ship operations that have the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers or more in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
The cruise line said trips from Miami and Port Canaveral will remain in place for the time being while it evaluates its options.
“As we have said throughout this pause, our return to operations will be gradual and phased in," Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said in a statement. "And while we are not making any presumptions, once cruising is allowed, we will center our initial start-up from the homeports of Miami and Port Canaveral.”
CARNIVAL SELLING 18 CRUISE SHIPS AS CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC CONTINUES
Any guests booked on cruises in November and December out of Miami and Port Canaveral will have the ability to voluntarily cancel their reservation and receive the same offer as all other guests, including a future cruise credit and onboard credit or a full refund, according to Carnival.
“The health and safety of our guests, crew and communities we serve remain the cornerstone of our plans and decisions," Duffy added. "The patience and support of our guests and travel agent partners have been a huge motivation to our team as we have worked through this unprecedented situation and we are dedicated to getting back to operations when the time is right.”
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCL | CARNIVAL CORP. | 15.17 | +0.16 | +1.07% |
Data reported to the CDC from March 1 to Sept. 29, showed at least 3,689 COVID-19 or "COVID-like" illness cases on cruise ships in U.S. waters and 41 deaths from the virus. The agency added that those numbers are likely to be an underestimate.
The CDC's no-sail order was first issued in March.
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According to Johns Hopkins University's latest update, there are more than 7.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States and more than 207,000 related deaths.
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Fox News' David Aaro contributed to this report.