News
Princess Cruises cancels sailings until mid-December because of the pandemic
Forrest Brown, CNN • Published 23rd July 2020
(CNN) — The Covid-19 pandemic continues to hit the travel industry hard -- especially cruise ship operators.
Case in point: Princess Cruises has announced it is canceling all its sailings worldwide until mid-December with only one notable exception.
All sailings in Asia, the Caribbean, California, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama Canal, South America. Antarctica, Japan, and Tahiti/South Pacific will stay on pause, the company said in a news release Monday.
"We share in our guests' disappointment in canceling these cruises," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president, in the news release. "We look forward to the days when we can return to travel and the happiness it brings to all who cruise."
CDC's no-sail order in the US
These dates go far past the no-sail order date set by the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, which expires on September 30.
That order, extended on July 16, suspends "passenger operations on cruise ships with the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers in waters subject to US jurisdiction. It was originally set to expire on Friday.
The exception
There's one country in the Princess line-up that's been scheduled an earlier reprieve: Australia.
The cruise line said all trips in and out of Australia on their ships Majestic Princess, Regal Princess, Sapphire Princess, Sea Princess and Sun Princess can resume on October 31.
Refunds
Princess announced a refund policy for people who had already booked a cruise with them.
Your options depend on whether you've paid in full or put down a partial deposit. Princess is offering financial incentives to rebook at later date, or you can request a full refund at this link.
You must send in requests for a full refund by August 31 or you'll automatically be registered for what Princess calls the "Future Cruise Credit" option.
