All three NCL-owned brands extend cruise suspension until September
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has announced that all three of its cruise brands, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, will remain in lockdown until at least September 30th, 2020. The extension of its previously announced suspension of global cruise voyages includes all voyages embarking between August 1st, 2020 and September 30th, 2020, except the currently scheduled Alaska cruises in September.
Norwegian Cruise Line is still planning to sail its Alaska program out of Seattle in September, despite Canada’s ban on cruise ship calls through October 31st (foreign-flagged cruise ships, such as NorwegianJoy and Bliss, require a call to a foreign port to comply with the Jones Act). “We are hopefully that through the support of the Alaska delegation and openness of mayors of Alaska port towns, we have the potential to resume voyages in September,” Norwegian said, in a statement.Norwegian Cruise Line operates Pride of America in Hawaii, it is the only modern, large U.S.-flagged cruise ship in the world and can conduct cruises without visiting a foreign port. If the ship were to redeploy, new itineraries could include Alaska without Canada, or the U.S. East Coast, which would give Norwegian access to high yielding markets.
In addition to the cruises cancelled in August and September, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has also cancelled select cruises in October, including Pacific Coastal voyages on the Norwegian Bliss and Joy, and Canada/New England cruises on the Breakaway, Gem, Insignia and Seven Seas Navigator.The cruise company said this was due to port restrictions and other local regulations due to COVID-19 that made those previously scheduled cruises unfeasible. “The Company will continue to work in tandem with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal government and global public health authorities to take all necessary precautions to ensure the health, safety and security of guests, crew and the communities visited,” it said in a statement.
Guests who are currently booked on cancelled voyages on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises or Regent Seven Seas Cruises are asked to contact their travel advisor or the cruise line for more information.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has not detailed compensation for the cancelled cruises, but on previously affected cruise schedules it has offered a future cruise credit of 125% or a full refund of 100%, although refunds are reportedly taking weeks and even months to process due to the huge backlog.
Cancelled October cruises: Cruise Line Ship Region Departure Dates NCL Norwegian Bliss Pacific Coastal 10/12/20 NCL Norwegian Joy Pacific Coastal 10/4/20 NCL Norwegian Breakaway Canada/New England 10/4/20-10/11/20 NCL Norwegian Gem Canada/New England 10/2/20-10/9/20 Oceania Cruises Insignia Canada/New England 10/6/20-10/26/20 Regent Seven Seas Cruises Seven Seas Navigator Canada/New England 10/8/20-10/18/20
