One of the world’s largest cruise operators, Carnival Corp., has announced its intention to extend the suspension of US departures at least until April 2021. On top of that, the company decided to halt cruise operations in Australia until May 19, 2021.
The operator also canceled European cruises on its Carnival Legend ship. Cruising was supposed to resume in May. However, the company decided to extend restrictions until October 2021. Mardi Gras ships from Port Canaveral in Florida will resume voyages to Europe no earlier than on May 29 and only in case the coronavirus situation does not get worse.
The president of Carnival Cruise Line, Christine Duffy, made a statement and thanked the company’s customers, partners, and tourist agencies for their loyalty to the brand and steady booking demand. In fact, the majority of clients are even ready to wait as much as needed until ships can restart their operations. Notably, people actively book for later dates. Earlier, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the cruise operator offered all the customers whose tours had been cancelled credits towards a future cruise with an open date of departure. There were more than enough people willing to use this offer.
Carnival Corp. has not been the only operator that almost completely halted its activity during the coronavirus pandemic. Such cruise companies as Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. made the same decision.
