CCL-Carnival Cruise Line "may have no choice" but to move its liners out of the USA (canceling homeporting) to resume passenger shipping operations in case the CDC agency (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) don't lift its No-Sail Order put in response to the COVID crisis, company officials revealed.
On Tuesday, April 6, CCL extended its pause of operations out of U.S. ports through June 30, 2021.
In a statement, CCL's President Christine Duffy said:
"We know that this is very disappointing to our guests who continue to be eager to sail, and we remain committed to working with the Administration and the CDC to find a workable solution that best serves the interest of public health."
The CDC blocked cruise ships from US ports with a no-sail order after outbreaks on a number of ships around the world. Last week, the Centers updated its guidance to say that fully vaccinated people can travel within the United States without getting tested for the virus or going into quarantine afterward. The CDC issued technical details around its conditional plan to allow cruise vessels in U.S. ports but didn't say when cruise companies could resume sailing.
Duffy said the Carnival was working on a "return to service solution" that might mean moving cruise ships out of the United States.
"We are asking that the cruise industry be treated on par with the approach being taken with other travel and tourism sectors, as well as U.S. society at large. While we have not made plans to move Carnival Cruise Line ships outside of our U.S. homeports, we may have no choice but to do so in order to resume our operations which have been on ‘pause’ for over a year."
Booked passengers and travel advisors are being directly notified of the cancellations and the options for an FCC (future cruise credit) plus onboard credit package, or a full refund.
In order to provide flexibility for passengers booked on July itineraries that remain in the schedule, the company is extending final payment deadlines for July sailings to May 31, 2021, with the ability to cancel without penalty.