2 more major cruise lines are canceling a large number of spring and summer sailings
Two more major cruise lines on Thursday canceled most of their sailings for June, adding to a flurry of cruise cancellations this week at more than half a dozen cruise brands.
The most notable swath of cancellations on Thursday came from Royal Caribbean, the world's largest cruise line by passenger capacity. The Miami-based line canceled all departures worldwide for June with the exception of sailings on a handful of ships that are in the midst of resuming operations in such places as the Bahamas and the Eastern Mediterranean.
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Royal Caribbean's smaller sister brand, Celebrity Cruises, canceled all June departures with the exception of recently announced Caribbean voyages out of the island of St. Martin and Eastern Mediterranean voyages out of Piraeus, Greece, which will start in June.
Until Thursday, both lines only had canceled a large array of sailings through the end of May.
The new cancellations from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity come during a week that also saw significant cancellations of June, July and even August sailings by Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Viking, Virgin Voyages and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Carnival and Disney canceled all June sailings, while Viking, Oceania and Regent canceled all or most sailings through the end of July. Norwegian canceled a wide swath of sailings all the way through the end of August, and Virgin canceled all previously announced departures through Sept. 17.
Still, even as they canceled more departures, several lines announced budding plans for a restart of operations over the coming months with at least a few ships.
Norwegian, for instance, on Tuesday said it would resume limited sailings out of Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Greece starting in July and August.
For now, Norwegian plans to have just three of its 17 vessels operating in July and August.
Also on Tuesday, luxury line Seabourn revealed plans to restart cruising in July with sailings of a single ship operating out of Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens). On Thursday, luxury line Silversea announced plans to restart cruising in July with a single ship sailing out of Piraeus.
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Crystal Cruises in recent days also have announced new or expanded restart plans that involve a small number of ships.
The latest round of cancellations is coming as cruise lines continue to be blocked from sailing from U.S. ports by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The health agency has banned cruise ships from sailing in U.S. waters since the coronavirus pandemic began in March of 2020. Other countries currently blocking cruise ships from operating include Canada.
Cruise lines have been pushing the U.S. government and governments of some other countries to allow them to resume operations with new health protocols in early summer.
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- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
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- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
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Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees