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Which cruise ships will sail from US hubs this summer? A port-by-port list

June 08, 2021
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7 min read
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Some of the world's biggest cruise lines in recent weeks have finally begun announcing concrete plans to restart sailings out of U.S. ports.

MSC Cruises, for instance, on Monday said it would resume departures out of Miami on Aug. 2. The announcement came just hours after Carnival Cruise Line said it would restart cruises out of Galveston, Texas, on July 3. Silversea, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America also have been revealing restart plans.

Still, even as they gear up for a U.S. restart, cruise lines are saying they only will operate a few ships out of U.S. ports at first. The plan -- at least for now -- is to bring additional ships into operation gradually over many months.

So, which cruise ships, specifically, will be restarting operations out of U.S. ports in the coming months -- and from which specific ports?

In the continuously updated guide below, we list every "comeback cruise" itinerary out of a U.S. port that has been announced so far for the summer months of June, July, August and September by a major, big-ship line, sorted first by home port and then line.

Note that some of the sailings listed below are contingent on approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC has been blocking all but the smallest cruise ships from sailing in U.S. waters for more than a year, citing concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Only a few ships on this list, including Celebrity Edge and Silver Muse, have been officially approved by the CDC to restart sailings with paying passengers in U.S. waters.

That said, top executives at several cruise lines in recent days have said they expected the CDC to begin approving more ships for sailings out of U.S. ports very soon -- soon enough that the executives are confident announcing concrete plans for upcoming sailings.

Cruises from Fort Lauderdale

Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean so far are the only lines to announce definitive plans to restart sailings out of Fort Lauderdale over the summer.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity plans to resume Caribbean cruises out of Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades on June 26 with its 2,908-passenger Celebrity Edge. The ship will sail alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages. The Western Caribbean itinerary will feature stops at Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico; and Nassau in the Bahamas. The Eastern Caribbean itinerary will bring stops on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Martin, and also the Bahamas.

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A second Celebrity ship, Celebrity Equinox, will resume sailings from Port Everglades on July 25. The vessel will operate seven-night trips to Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico and Nassau in the Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean plans to resume Caribbean cruises out of Port Everglades on July 3 with its new, 4,198-passenger Odyssey of the Seas.

Cruises from Miami

Three major lines -- Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and MSC Cruises -- have announced plans to restart cruises out of Miami this summer. Carnival also hopes to restart cruises out of Miami in July.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean plans to resume Caribbean cruises out of Port Canaveral on July 2 with one ship, Freedom of the Seas. A second Royal Caribbean ship, Symphony of the Seas will resume departures out of Miami on Aug. 14.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian plans to resume Caribbean cruises out of Miami on Aug. 15 with one ship, Norwegian Gem.

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises plans to resume sailings out of Miami on Aug. 2 with one ship, MSC Meraviglia. The vessel will operate three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas initially and switch to seven-night trips to the Bahamas and the Caribbean starting on Sept. 18.

Cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida

At least three lines plan to restart cruises out of Port Canaveral between now and mid-September.

Disney Cruise Line

Disney has yet to get final approval to restart cruises out Port Canaveral, but last week the CDC cleared the line to conduct a so-called "test cruise" out of Port Canaveral on June 29 — a precursor to restarting regular departures. Assuming all goes well, Disney could resume regular sailings with paying passengers from the port shortly thereafter. The test cruise will be on Disney Dream, which typically operates short, three- and four-day voyages out of Port Canaveral to the Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean plans to resume Caribbean cruises out of Port Canaveral in August with two ships. Allure of the Seas will resume departures out of the port on Aug. 8 followed by Mariner of the Seas on Aug. 15.

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises has announced that MSC Divina will operate three-, four- and seven-night Bahamas sailings out of Port Canaveral starting on Sept. 16.

Cruises from Galveston, Texas

Two major cruise lines -- Carnival and Royal Caribbean -- have announced plans to restart operations out of Galveston in July and August, respectively.

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival plans to restart cruises to the Caribbean out of Galveston on July 3 with one ship, Carnival Vista. A second Carnival vessel, Carnival Breeze, will resume cruises out of Galveston on July 15.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas will resume cruises out of Galveston on Aug. 15.

Cruises from Seattle

Seven major lines in recent weeks have announced a restart of cruises to Alaska out of Seattle, with start dates for the sailings ranging from July 19 to Aug. 7:

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 19 with its 2,100-passenger Serenade of the Seas. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point as well as Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Royal Caribbean plans to add a second ship, the 4,100-passenger Ovation of the Seas, to seven-night Alaska cruise runs starting on Aug. 13.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 23 with its 2,038-passenger Celebrity Summit. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan as well as Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.

Holland America

Holland America plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 24 with its 2,106-passenger Nieuw Amsterdam. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka and Ketchikan and also visit Glacier Bay National Park.

Princess Cruises

Princess plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 25 with its 3,560-passenger Majestic Princess. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan as well as Glacier Bay National Park.

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 27 with its 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan as well as Tracy Arm Fjord.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian plans to resume Alaska cruises on Aug. 7 with its 4,004-passenger Norwegian Encore. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point. Some sailings also will include stops at Glacier Bay National Park or the Holkham Bay Glacier Fjord.

Silversea

Silversea plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 29 with its 596-passenger Silver Muse. The ship will sail 10- and 11-night voyages to the Southeastern Alaskan towns of Ketchikan, Juneau, Wrangell, Skagway and Sitka through the fall.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

Featured image by MICHEL VERDURE/ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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