Sunday, March 31, 2024

American Queen Voyages shuts down, cancels all future cruises

cancelled cruise

The October 2, 2024 departure was originally planned as a 12-night “Discover the Canaries” cruise but has now been shortened to an 8-night sailing. While the ship will still be returning to Southampton, this will give the vessel four extra days to make up the extra distance as she moves around Africa. The original itinerary had the ship sailing from Southampton to Rome (Civitavecchia), and guests might question why this leg of the voyage must be cancelled as it does not come close to the Red Sea. In fact, Civitavecchia is approximately 1,400 miles from the Suez Canal and the start of the Red Sea. In exchange, passengers — or residents, as the company called them — were promised a long list of amenities, including an onboard hospital and doctor.

MSC Cruise Cancelled Due to Operational Reasons - Cruise Hive

MSC Cruise Cancelled Due to Operational Reasons.

Posted: Mon, 15 Apr 2024 21:25:42 GMT [source]

Royal Princess from September 2022 through March 4, 2023

cancelled cruise

Even for those taking the credit, many lines are refunding taxes, fees, port charges and other prepaid items in cash. Spokespeople for a number of cruise lines contacted by TPG said they were trying to process refunds as fast as they could. They're also hampered by stay-at-home orders that have refund processors trying to handle their work from home offices instead of company sites. "We are working hard to help our guests," Jonathon Fishman, a spokesperson for the parent company of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, told TPG. "It takes 30 business days from the cancellation date. It may take a couple of days for the cancellation to take effect."

Royal Caribbean cancels cruise because of Houthi Attacks in Red Sea - Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean cancels cruise because of Houthi Attacks in Red Sea.

Posted: Wed, 17 Apr 2024 01:04:06 GMT [source]

What passengers can expect from the cruise line if they are canceled or bumped

In recent weeks, hundreds of passengers have contracted the coronavirus aboard ships. While Kuther said cruise cancellations are “pretty rare,” they are aggravating when they happen. "Please know this decision was not made lightly," he said in an emailed statement shared with USA TODAY. You won't necessarily know how many passengers are being bumped, but it could be hundreds, all scrambling to rebook something. Even if you're inclined to wait a full year for a replacement cruise, the dates or cabin you want might fill up.

Celebrity Cruises canceled four Pacific Coast sailings to date

You don’t need to take any action to receive the default compensation offer. You can find out details of your compensation by clicking the link that matches your sail date below. An automated voice message on its customer information hotline said the cruise line "has made the difficult decision" to suspend operations, and all future cruises have been scrapped. “Guests and customers should expect to be fully refunded for canceled cruises,” the message said. Once you get a representative (or your travel adviser) on the line, clarify whether your reimbursement options include bonus future cruise credit or a refund. If you're not offered the compensation you prefer, it never hurts to ask for it.

It's important to note that Vision of the Seas was not sailing with passengers and had yet to restart operations. It was scheduled to restart cruises on January 24, 2022 from Fort Lauderdale. Royal Caribbean posted an update that it has cancelled the sailings, "as a result of the ongoing COVID-related circumstances around the world, and in an abundance of caution." The Covid-19 pandemic has forced Royal Caribbean to cancel scheduled cruises on 4 ships for varying lengths of time, with one as far out as April. On Friday, Royal Caribbean canceled a sailing on the ship Independence of the Seas, in response to “Covid-related circumstances around the world,” the company said on its website. In recent weeks, hundreds of passengers have contracted the coronavirus onboard ships, with many falling ill and spending days in quarantine.

The ship, which will debut in January 2024 as the largest cruise ship afloat, will carry 7,600 guests at full capacity, plus 2,350 crew. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas successfully completed her second set of sea trials and is in the final stages of outfitting at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. Celebrity Ascent is the line’s fourth Edge-class ship, but offers some design changes. These include two-story villa staterooms, an expanded Rooftop Garden, and an outdoor dining space at Blu, a specialty restaurant. Along with signing the paperwork, the ship’s handover event featured raising her flags that indicate she is a Celebrity Cruises vessel.

Fleet changes can also result from ship sales or even transfers between sister companies (like Carnival Cruise Line taking some of sister brand Costa Cruises' ships). But if you thought that you could only cancel for certain reasons or that you weren’t able to cancel at all, that’s simply not the case. Its website, which was promoting the cruise as of Monday, described the ship, the MV Lara, and promised visits to the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal. If you’re going to organize a three-year round-the-world cruise, a good first step is probably to acquire a ship. If this voyage were to move forward, however, Anthem of the Seas would need to backtrack significantly to transit around Africa – at least 1,500 miles. This would be a massive investment of time and fuel in order to move the vessel.

Planning for the unexpected is especially important if your cruise is a one-way trip where you fly into one port and home from another (like some Alaska cruises). Having a Plan B is also crucial if your cruise involves a group or an event like a wedding. The cruise line has also updated its mask protocols, requiring face coverings be worn "indoors at all times unless actively eating or drinking." Royal Caribbean requires guests 12 and older to be vaccinated to board.

While some ships are pausing operations, the majority of cruise ships remain in operation, thanks to the stringent protocols onboard. After seeing Royal Caribbean cancelled sailings on just four ships, the question of why these, and not other ships, appears. There is no indication yet why these specific ships have had their sailings cancelled.

cancelled cruise

The cruise line is refunding all fares and any pre-booked shore excursions and onboard packages. It also will pay up to $200 toward airline change fees, and is offering a 100% future cruise credit to guests booked on the November 11 and 18 sailings, and a 50% FCC on the November 26 and December 2 cruises. Norwegian Cruise Line recently canceled months of sailings for its Norwegian Spirit ship scheduled between July 3 and Sept. 18, 2024, because of a full ship charter. The cruise line notified guests in May and offered them full refunds and future cruise credits, according to a letter to passengers the line shared with USA TODAY. For example, when Carnival Freedom's funnel caught fire in March 2024, the line had to cancel its next two sailings for emergency repairs. The line not only refunded passengers on the canceled sailings their original cruise fares but also gave each guest a future cruise credit in the same amount as the original fare to encourage a future Carnival cruise booking.

And they may be more alarmed to learn that the ship, under its original name, the AIDAaura, was acquired in mid-November by Celestyal Cruises, not by Life at Sea. Guests impacted by the cancellations will receive a full refund and a 10% discount in the form of a Future Cruise Credit towards any sailing through Dec. 31, 2025. Guests on that now-shortened sailing are being contacted with their options, including an offer of onboard credit for the inconvenience and the choice to move to alternative sailings if preferred. Norwegian Cruise Line has canceled more than seven months of sailings on its Norwegian Sun ship. TPG reader Kim Johnson, 64, of Tucson, Arizona, said Grand Circle initially offered her and a group of her friends a refund for a canceled Holland and Belgium river cruise. The cruise line has not disclosed full details of the ship’s design, but executives indicated she would offer new and innovative spaces not seen on other ships in the class.

"We know how much time and effort go into planning your vacation, and we're sorry for the impact to your plans," Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley wrote in an email to passengers. Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. The message directed listeners to “to begin the refund process,” and said they could find more information at

The company said this month that it had called off planned trips on three ships — Serenade of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas — and delayed the return to cruising of another, Vision of the Seas, to March. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have canceled several trips as the Omicron variant continues to wreak havoc with the cruise industry. The decision was made as "part of our continuous review of our operating plans as we return to service," Lomax told the outlet. Customers will receive a 100% refund or "lift and shift" to a "coastal" sailing, which is on the Celebrity Millennium.

If you are picky about ship size, where the ship stops or cabin type or placement, you wouldn't want to swap to the proposed alternative sailing if it wouldn't make you happy. The good news is that the closer it gets to the oversold cruise, the better the offers are likely to be. The caveat, though, is that you might already have paid for airfare, hotel stays and other pre- and post-cruise bookings that cannot be canceled without paying a penalty. Oversold cruises, though still quite rare, can result in enticing options for those who either accept a voluntary bump or anyone subject to an involuntary one.

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