Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company, has announced plans to resume guest cruise operations this summer for seven of its nine cruise brands, with AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn and P&O Cruises (UK) sailing from global ports in Europe and the Caribbean.
An eighth brand, Carnival Cruise Line, has announced possible US restart plans and hopes to begin operating sailings in July on three ships from ports in Miami and Galveston, Texas, based on continued negotiations with US authorities.
(The ninth brand is P&O Cruises Australia).
The company and several of its brands are also hopeful that cruises will be allowed to sail to Alaska for part of the summer.
Collectively, the brands resuming sailings from global ports over the next several months will be using a gradual, phased-in approach, including limited itineraries that have been announced on 16 initial ships to date, representing nearly 20% of the company’s global fleet. The initial cruises will take place with adjusted passenger capacity and enhanced health protocols developed in conjunction with government and health authorities, and informed by guidance from the company’s public health, epidemiological and policy experts.
Three Carnival brands – P&O Cruises (UK), Cunard and Princess Cruises – will each offer a series of cruises this summer sailing exclusively in UK coastal waters, including the inaugural sailing for P&O Cruises’ new flagship, Iona. Cruises will also resume this summer around the Greek Islands with four of the company’s brands – AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line and Seabourn. Additionally, Seabourn has announced plans to restart in the Caribbean with a series of new summer sailings out of Barbados.
The newly announced voyages build on recent cruising restarts from the company’s Germany-based AIDA Cruises brand, which resumed in late March sailing in the Canary Islands, and its Italy-based Costa Cruises brand, which restarted in May sailing to Italian ports.
In addition to dozens of successful sailings from both brands in 2020, the most recent 2021 sailings from AIDA and Costa have demonstrated the effectiveness of enhanced health protocols developed in conjunction with local, national, and global experts, and have generated high guest satisfaction scores, measured by detailed net promotor surveys, says the company.
“For all of our brands, our highest responsibility and top priorities are always compliance, environmental protection, and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, our shipboard and shoreside employees, and the communities we visit,” said Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corp.
Noting strong pent-up demand from past guests and consumers in general, Frizzell added: “The resumption of our cruises marks a critical step in the recovery of our brands and the industry as a whole, which provides a major economic impact and supports jobs across multiple sectors around the world. As our cruise line brands gradually resume cruising, we will continue to work as an industry to share important learnings and best practices to help ensure the resumption of cruise operations is done in the best interest of public health.”
Below is a brief summary of Carnival Corp. brand operations:
AIDA Cruises: Germany-based AIDA Cruises restarted sailing in the Canary Islands with AIDAperla on March 20, with the season extending through July. Two additional ships, AIDAsol and AIDAblu, will restart at the end of May in Germany and Greece, respectively, followed by additional new voyages in Germany in July
Costa Cruises: Italy-based Costa Cruises resumed its cruise operations on May 1 with flagship Costa Smeralda sailing a week-long all-Italian itinerary, officially kicking off the brand’s summer season, which will see a total of four Costa ships cruising in the Mediterranean.
P&O Cruises UK: Two ships will sail roundtrip from Southampton around the UK coast between June and September.
Seabourn: The company’s ultra-luxury brand, will resume its cruise operations in Greece beginning July 3, with a series of sailings on Seabourn Ovation operating roundtrip from Athens throughout the Greek Isles. A second ship, Seabourn Odyssey, will restart on July 18 with a series of new summer voyages operating roundtrip out of Bridgetown, Barbados, and visiting Antigua, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and St. Kitts.
Princess Cruises: Princess will resume operations with two of its ships in the UK, with a series of Seacations on the Regal and Sky Princesses, sailing roundtrip from Southampton around the UK coast through late September.
Cunard: The brand will restart sailing for UK guests with a series of UK voyages on board Queen Elizabeth.
Holland America Line: HAL will restart cruising from Athens in August with four seven-day departures aboard Eurodam. This first of the brand’s voyages will depart Aug. 15, visiting several ports in the Greek Isles. A second unique itinerary departs Aug. 22 to a different set of Greek ports. A seven-day itinerary will also depart Sept. 5 from Athens to Venice, Italy, with calls in Greece and Sarandë, Albania.
Gray Line Alaska: In addition to the newly announced voyages, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises offer land-based vacation options this summer through Gray Line Alaska. Travellers can experience Alaska through a combination of escorted, explorer and rail tours, and lodging and sightseeing, between Kenai, Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks, Alaska.