Some of the world’s biggest cruise lines in recent days have finally begun announcing concrete plans to restart sailings out of U.S. ports, reports The Points Guy.
Resume cruises
Celebrity Cruises, for instance, on Wednesday said it would resume cruises out of Fort Lauderdale on June 26. And the world’s largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean, said on Friday that it would begin cruises to Alaska out of Seattle on July 19. Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America and Carnival Cruise Line also have begun announcing restart plans.
Still, even as they gear up for a U.S. restart, cruise lines are saying they only will operate a few ships out of U.S. ports at first. The plan — at least for now — is to bring additional ships into operation gradually over many months.
Restarting operations
So, which cruise ships, specifically, will be restarting operations out of U.S. ports in the coming months — and from which specific ports?
In the continuously updated guide below, we list every “comeback cruise” itinerary out of a U.S. port that has been announced so far for the summer by a major, big-ship line, sorted first by home port and then line (for now, it’s a list that only includes sailings out of Fort Lauderdale and Seattle, but we expect that to change quickly in the coming weeks).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Note that some of the sailings listed below are contingent on approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC has been blocking all but the smallest cruise ships from sailing in U.S. waters for more than a year, citing concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Only one ship on this list, the Celebrity Edge, has been officially approved to restart sailings in U.S. waters.
That said, top executives at several cruise lines in recent days have said they expected the CDC to begin approving more ships for sailings out of U.S. ports very soon — soon enough that the executives are confident announcing concrete plans for upcoming sailings.
Cruises from Fort Lauderdale
Celebrity Cruises so far is the only line to announce definitive plans to restart sailings out of Fort Lauderdale over the summer.
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity plans to resume Caribbean cruises out of Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades on June 26 with its 2,908-passenger Celebrity Edge. The ship will sail alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages. The Western Caribbean itinerary will feature stops at Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico; and Nassau in the Bahamas. The Eastern Caribbean itinerary will bring stops on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Martin, and also Nassau.
Cruises from Seattle
Five major lines in recent days have announced a restart of cruises to Alaska out of Seattle, with start dates for the sailings ranging from July 19 to Aug. 7:
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 19 with its 2,100-passenger Serenade of the Seas. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point as well as Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Royal Caribbean plans to add a second ship, the 4,100-passenger Ovation of the Seas, to seven-night Alaska cruise runs starting on Aug. 13.
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 23 with its 2,038-passenger Celebrity Summit. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan as well as Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.
Holland America
Holland America plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 24 with its 2,106-passenger Nieuw Amsterdam. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka and Ketchikan and also visit to Glacier Bay National Park.
Princess Cruises
Princess plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 25 with its 3,560-passenger Majestic Princess. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan as well as Glacier Bay National Park.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival plans to resume Alaska cruises on July 27 with its 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan as well as Tracy Arm Fjord.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian plans to resume Alaska cruises on Aug. 7 with its 4,004-passenger Norwegian Bliss. The ship will sail seven-night voyages to Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point. Some sailings also will include stops at Glacier Bay National Park or the Holkham Bay Glacier Fjord.
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Source: The Points Guy
