Royal Caribbean announced on it's website that it plans to resume cruises starting on September 16th, 2020.
“At Royal Caribbean International, our guests and crew's safety and well-being are always our top priorities. After further consulting with our partners at Cruise Lines International Association and in conjunction with the CDC, we have decided to extend the suspension of sailings for our global fleet for all sailings through September 15th, 2020. Our goal is to resume operations on September 16th, 2020.”
First Scheduled Sailing
According to Royal Caribbean, their first sailing will be a 3 night ‘Bahamas & Perfect Day‘ cruise scheduled for September 18th.
The cruise line did however say that their regular operations would continue to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Canada:
Due to the Canadian government’s extended travel ban on cruise ships, ALL Canada sailings will be suspended through October 31, 2020,
Other affected cruises that will NOT be sailing with the reopening:
- Explorer of the Seas August 2020 sailings will be cancelled due to a technical dry dock for routine maintenance.
- Copenhagen, Denmark cruise terminals will remain closed and as a result the following sailings have been cancelled: Jewel of the Seas August 8th, 16th, and 23rd, 2020 sailings, & Brilliance of the Seas August 21st, 2020 sailing.
- All Bermuda sailings have been cancelled through October 31st, 2020.
- Voyager of the Seas sailings through September 30th, 2020, and Spectrum of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas sailings through July 2020.
- Odyssey of the Seas sailings from November 5th, 2020 through April 17th, 2021.
For all passengers that have been affected by the cancellations, Royal Caribbean stated that refunds are taking up to 45 day to process.
“As we went into our global suspension of sailings, we initially estimated that refunds would take 30 days. Unfortunately, with an unprecedented volume of refunds and credits, we are delayed. We’ve worked diligently to resolve most of the volume issues and are working around the clock to address the backlog to get you your refund, as quickly possible. Currently, some refunds are taking up to 45 days from the date requested.”
Passengers that wish to submit a refund request can do so on Royal Caribbean's cancellation page.
Royal Caribbean also announced that they are currently working on a new health and safety protocols that will launch when operations resume.
“To develop our future boarding screening process and updated health protocols, we are collaborating with government health authorities, the Cruise Lines International Association, and our own team of medical experts. These are not yet finalized, but when they are, we will publish them online and notify all guests and travel advisors proactively.”
In May, Royal Caribbean reported a $1.4 billion loss in the first quarter of 2020. Their first quarter earnings report came out more than two months after the cruise industry halted operations for the first time in history, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 13.
This information is based on information directly from the Royal Caribbean website. Sailings and reopening dates can change without notice.
We do not endorse or encourage traveling against government and health travel advisories.
The decision to travel is your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities before booking travel.
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