6 major cruise lines cancel December sailings in wake of CDC order
You'll now have to wait until at least January to take a cruise with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises or Silversea. Ditto for Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
The parent companies of the six brands, Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, on Monday said they would extend their seven-month-long halts to cruise operations at the lines through at least Dec. 31.
Until today, the companies only had canceled sailings for the lines through the end of November.
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Also canceling most sailings through the end of the year on Monday was MSC Cruises.
The cancellations for Royal Caribbean were for all sailings worldwide except a handful of voyages scheduled out of Singapore in December aimed at locals.
The announcements come just three days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted its longstanding "no-sail" order for cruise ships sailing in U.S. waters -- a seemingly positive sign for the cruise industry. But the CDC replaced the no-sail order with a new "framework for conditional sailing" order that will require lines to jump through a number of hoops before they can resume sailing.
Among the requirements of the new order is that cruise lines apply for what the CDC is calling a Conditional Sailing Certificate at least 60 days before they want to resume sailing. That means that even if a cruise line applies for a certificate today, it wouldn't be able to resume sailing in U.S. waters until at least Jan. 1 at the very earliest.
There are a number of other requirements in the new order that could push back the resumption of cruising for some lines even further in a best-case scenario.
Related: How to book a cruise with points and miles
The announcements also come as COVID-19 case counts in both Europe and North America are soaring. The U.S. in recent days has been recording more than 80,000 new coronavirus cases per day, on average.
Cruising has resumed in a very limited way in recent months in parts of Europe, led by Europe-based lines such as MSC Cruises, Costa Cruises and TUI Cruises. A handful of lines in other parts of the world including French Polynesia also have resumed limited sailings.
But a surge of COVID cases in Europe in recent days, and resulting lockdowns in some countries, is prompting a growing number of ocean and river lines operating there to shut back down.
Germany-based AIDA Cruises last week canceled all sailings through the end of November just days after restarting limited operations in Europe. Costa Cruises last week also canceled a significant number of cruises and scaled back plans to expand voyages in the coming months. River cruising across Europe in recent days has essentially ground to a halt.
Related: A preview of new COVID-related cruise restrictions
The CDC's new order on Friday suggested that the epidemiologists at the CDC continue to see cruise ships as places that are inherently more likely to be hotspots for COVID-19 transmission than other settings.
“Current scientific evidence suggests that, absent mitigation measures of the type needed to prevent further transmission, cruise ships would continue to pose a greater risk of COVID-19 transmission than other settings,” the order said.
Related: These 9 cruise lines have resumed limited sailings
All cruise lines around the world halted departures in March as the coronavirus outbreak grew and many have yet to restart operations. Norwegian, Oceania, Regent, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Silversea are among the lines that haven't operated a single departure since March.
Due to the CDC's "no-sail" order, there has been no cruising since March in North America.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). |
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There's a lot to love about the Amex Gold card. It's been a fan favorite during the pandemic because of its fantastic rewards rate on restaurants (that includes takeout and delivery in the U.S.!) and U.S. supermarkets. If you're hitting the skies soon, you'll also earn bonus points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders) and up to $120 in annual dining statement credits at eligible partners, there's no reason that the foodie shouldn't add this card to their wallet. Enrollment required.Pros
- 4x on dining at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1x)
- 3x on flights booked directly with the airline or with Amex Travel
- Welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first six months
Cons
- Weak on travel outside of flights and everyday spending bonus categories
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber/food credits
- Few travel perks and protections
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and 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, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
- Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $250.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees