by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:08 PM ET, Wed June 23, 2021
Carnival Corporation & plc announced eight of its cruise line brands plan to resume guest operations in the United States, the Caribbean and Europe.
AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Seabourn will resume operations using a gradual, phased-in approach.
Sailings have been announced on 42 ships to date through November 30, representing 52 percent of Carnival Corporation's total capacity across its global fleet of 91 cruise vessels. The initial cruises will take place with enhanced health protocols developed in conjunction with government and health authorities.
"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," Carnival Corporation chief communications officer Roger Frizzell said.
"We are excited to see eight of our world-leading cruise line brands sailing this summer, and to date, we've announced over half of our capacity returning by the end of the fiscal year, as we work to meet significant pent-up demand for cruising and get back to what we do best - serving our guests with one of the world's most popular vacations," Frizzell continued.
Carnival Corporation's most recent brand restart announcements are summarized below:
North America Brands:
-Carnival Cruise Line has announced it will resume guest cruise operations with eight ships by the end of August, including sailings out of Galveston, Miami, Port Canaveral, Long Beach and Seattle (to Alaska). Included in that roster is Mardi Gras, the line's newest and most innovative ship, and first cruise ship in North America powered by eco-friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG), with sailings from Port Canaveral starting on July 31.
-Princess Cruises expects to resume guest cruise operations in July with Alaska sailings and a series of cruises around UK coastal waters, as well as cruises out of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico, Hawaii and California coast starting in September.
-Holland America Line expects to resume guest cruise operations in July with Alaska sailings, followed by sailings from Greece in August, and from Italy and Spain in September, as well as sailings to Mexico, Hawaii, the California coast and the Caribbean this fall.
-Seabourn expects to resume guest cruise operations in July sailing from Greece and Barbados, along with the beginning of the Antarctica season in November.
Europe & Asia Brands:
-Costa Cruises resumed guest cruise operations in May with sailings in Italy and Greece, and is now offering sailings to France and Spain in July, followed by Portugal and Turkey in September.
-AIDA Cruises resumed guest cruise operations in March sailing in the Canary Islands, in May with sailings in Greece and Germany, and is now offering additional sailings out of Germany as well as sailings in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Malta from July, and the Persian Gulf from November.
-P&O Cruises (UK) will offer a series of cruises this summer sailing around UK coastal waters beginning in June, expanding to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast starting in September.
-Cunard will offer a series of cruises this summer sailing around UK coastal waters in July, followed by voyages to the Iberian coast and Canary Islands. In November, Queen Mary 2 returns to service with a combination of transatlantic crossings and Caribbean cruises.
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