Norwegian Cruise Lines announced they are extending their suspension of all cruises until at least March 2021, as coronavirus cases remain high in the US and around the world.
In a statement released Wednesday, Norwegian said all trips departing between January 1 and February 28 as well as “select voyages in March 2021” will be suspended. The suspension also applies to Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises through March 31, 2021.
“Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. … today announces an extension of its previously announced suspension of global cruise voyages as the Company continues to work through its return to service plan to meet the requirements of the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the statement reads.
Norwegian now has the longest suspension of major cruise operators. Carnival and Royal Caribbean announcedlast month they would suspend voyages through January 2021. Some Carnival voyages are canceled through February.
The CDC lifted a no-sail order at the end of October, however a few days later, the Cruise Lines International Association, which represents about 95 percent of cruise operators, issued a statement that theywould voluntarily suspend voyages through the end of the year, at least.
Then a few days before Thanksgiving, the CDC warned Americans about traveling on cruises and the potential for contracting COVID-19. This followed a positive COVID-19 case on a Bahamas-based cruise voyage in early November.
When the CDC lifted their order they announced a tiered approach, which would include cruises with a select group of volunteers to test COVID-19 safety protocols before passengers would be allowed. No word on when those would begin.