Carnival Cruise Line Cancels Most Sailings Through July, but Remains Hopeful for Sailings in Florida, Texas
Carnival Cruise Line has canceled several itineraries through July, but still hopes to sail out of Florida and Texas this summer, the company announced this week.
To start, the cruise line has its eyes on July sailings on the Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze from Galveston, and on the Carnival Horizon from Miami.
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Cruises in Alaska remain suspended due to Canada's ban on large ships and a century-old law that requires large foreign-flagged ships to stop in Canada first, but Carnival said it would restart trips on the Carnival Miracle from Seattle if they were allowed to enter Alaska again.
The announcement comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is "committed" to a July restart for cruising in the United States, and said cruise lines will soon be able to start test sailings with volunteers.
"We continue to have constructive discussions with the CDC but still have many questions that remain unanswered. We are working diligently to resume sailing in the U.S. and meet the CDC guidelines," Christine Duffy, the president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement. "We sincerely appreciate the continued patience and understanding of our guests and travel advisor partners and will share additional information as quickly as we can."
Beyond those few ships, Carnival has cancelled all other sailings through July 30, as well as cancelled its itineraries out of Sydney on the Carnival Splendor through at least Sept. 17.
Passengers on a canceled cruise can request either a full refund or a future cruise credit and onboard credit. Guests who are booked on one of the ships Carnival hopes to restart can also cancel for a full refund by May 31.
Unlike several other cruise lines, Carnival has not scheduled summer sailings outside the U.S. and has not announced a vaccine requirement for its ships. A lack of a vaccine mandate would put the cruise company in line with states that are banning vaccine passports, like Florida.
Conversely, the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (which has one of the strictest vaccine requirements in place) recently said the company's ships may not be able to stop in Florida due to conflicting policies on proof of vaccination.
Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
