Cruise lines have officially started to cancel Alaska sailings
The Alaska cruise cancellations have begun.
The two biggest cruise lines operating in Alaska, Princess Cruises and Holland America, on Wednesday canceled all of their 2021 Alaska sailings that begin or end in Vancouver, British Columbia.
A third, smaller line -- Seabourn -- canceled all its Alaska sailings for the year.
All three of the lines, which are owned by the same parent company, said they were acting in the wake of Canada's announcement earlier this month that it would ban cruise ships from its waters until 2022 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The cancellations will affect tens of thousands of vacationers on dozens of sailings.
"We share in our guests’ disappointment over these canceled voyages especially as we have been preparing our ships for our return to service,” Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “We understand how much of Alaska is dependent on the cruise economy. We are going to do all we can to help our business partners and the communities of Alaska.”
Princess and Holland America on Wednesday also canceled all 2021 voyages along the Pacific Coast of the United States that begin or end in Vancouver.
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Princess also canceled a 2021 sailing to Canada that was scheduled to begin and end in Southampton, England. Holland America also canceled three New England and Canada sailings.
For now, Princess and Holland America are not canceling 2021 sailings to Alaska that are roundtrip out of Seattle, even though the trips also include stops at Canadian ports that, by law, cannot be dropped from the itineraries.
Princess and Holland America operate foreign-flagged cruise ships that legally cannot cruise between U.S. ports without visiting at least one foreign port.
Related: Cruise lines begin removing Alaska departures from their schedules
Both of the lines suggested they were trying to negotiate a way to continue such sailings despite the law, which was enacted in 1886 and is known as the Passenger Vessel Services Act. The law was designed to give America's maritime industry a monopoly on travel between U.S. ports.
"Princess is engaged with various United States and Canadian government officials to try to preserve a portion of the Alaska and Canada [and] New England 2021 cruise seasons," Princess said in a statement announcing Wednesday's cancellations.
Princess also pledged to keep three resorts and hotels that it owns in Alaska -- the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge on the Kenai Peninsula; the McKinley Chalet Resort at Denali National Park; and the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel -- open for the year.
The cruise line traditionally packages stays at the properties with the cruises it operates to and from Vancouver. Without those cruises running, occupancy at the properties will, in theory, drop sharply this year. But Princess on Wednesday said it's developing land-tour packages for the coming summer season in Alaska that would include stays at the properties without an associated cruise.
Related: Canada cruise ban 'devastating' for Alaska
A spokesperson for Princess Cruises told TPG the line had canceled 51 sailings to Alaska in all.
A spokesperson for Holland America did not immediately respond to a question about the number of Alaska cruises it had canceled. But in a statement, the line said the cancellations included all voyages to Alaska on four ships: Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam and Zuiderdam.
The cancellations at Seabourn affected 19 sailings.
Princess, Holland America and Seabourn are all owned by Carnival Corp. -- the world's largest cruise company.
Also canceling more sailings on Wednesday was a fourth Carnival Corp.-owned brand, Carnival Cruise Line, as well as Windstar Cruises and Disney Cruise Line.
Carnival said it was extending its pause to operations from all U.S. ports through the end of May. Until Wednesday, it only had canceled sailings through the end of April.
Windstar extended its pause to operations by a month to early June. Four of Windstar's six ships now are scheduled to return to service between June 10 and June 19, with two more scheduled to restart operations in July.
Disney Cruise Line canceled all sailings until early June and sailings on one ship, Disney Magic, through Aug. 18. Disney Magic had been scheduled to spend the summer in Europe.
The lines are just the latest to cancel more cruises in recent days. Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises last week pushed out their return to service by a month, until at least the end of May.
All cruise lines around the world halted departures in March of last year as the coronavirus outbreak grew and many have yet to restart operations. Carnival, Norwegian, Princess, Holland America and Celebrity Cruises and Holland America are among the major lines that haven’t operated a single departure since March.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- 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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- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $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.
- Terms Apply.