Princess Cruises extends cancellations for nearly two more months
Princess Cruises is the latest line to reign in plans for a summer restart.
The world's fifth-largest cruise line on Wednesday canceled nearly all its departures through Aug. 21, citing uncertainty about whether it would get approval to restart operations in the coming months from government regulators.
Until Wednesday, the 14-ship brand only had canceled sailings across the board through the end of June.
In making the announcement, Princess on Wednesday said it still hoped to restart Alaska cruises in July in a small way with up to two vessels sailing out of Seattle.
Princess is one of the leaders in Alaska cruising, but it's currently being blocked by sailing in the state by both U.S. and Canadian regulators.
The Alaska cruise season is very short, lasting roughly from May through September, and Princess already has canceled most of its Alaska sailings for the year.
"Princess continues its discussion with various [U.S.] and Canadian government officials to try to preserve a portion of the Alaska 2021 cruise season," the line said in a statement accompanying its announcement.
Like many lines, Princess hasn't operated a single cruise departure since March of 2020, when the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic.
Cruise lines are struggling to restart operations in many parts of the world due to travel restrictions imposed by various countries, states and local entities.
In the U.S., the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been blocking cruise ships from sailing out of U.S. ports for more than a year in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Last week, the CDC issued new guidelines for a cruising restart in U.S. waters that suggested a concrete path to a cruising comeback. But the guidelines left many cruise executives flummoxed.
"We continue to have constructive discussions with the CDC but still have many questions that remain unanswered," Princess president Jan Swartz said in a statement accompanying Wednesday's announcement. "We are working diligently to resume sailing in the U.S. and meet the CDC guidelines."
Swartz said the company appreciated the continued patience of customers while it worked to resume sailings.
"We know our guests are just as eager as we are to begin sailing," she said.
Princess's announcement comes as the prospects for a July or even an August restart for cruising out of U.S. ports become dimmer. In recent days, executives at Princess rival Norwegian Cruise Line have said there's now no chance they could restart in July, given the time it will take to prepare vessels for service once regulators approve of a cruising restart.
In addition, Princess sister brand Carnival Cruise Line this week canceled a wide swath of cruises through the end of July.
Still, while a restart of cruising out of U.S. ports in the early- to mid-summer appears increasingly iffy, many lines are moving ahead with plans to restart sailings in the coming months in other parts of the globe -- most notably, the Mediterranean.
In recent weeks, nearly half a dozen major cruise brands including Norwegian and Celebrity Cruises have announced plans to resume Mediterranean sailings out of Piraeus over the next three months.
The restarts include the first Silversea sailings in 15 months, starting on June 18, and the first Seabourn sailings in 16 months, starting on July 3.
The restarts are happening as Greece moves forward aggressively with a plan to reopen widely to tourists in advance of the summer travel season, and other countries around the Mediterranean get closer to broader reopenings to tourists, too.
Several lines including Crystal Cruises, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean also have announced plans to restart Caribbean sailings in the coming months with trips out of non-U.S. ports such as Nassau in the Bahamas.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
- The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
- The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
- A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
- 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
- 15 ways cruisers waste money
- 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up
- What to pack for your first cruise
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.