Celestyal Cruises, which operates in the Greek Islands and the Mediterranean, extended its suspension of sailings until July 30, 2020, due to ongoing travel restrictions and temporary port closures.
The Greek government recently announced that the Greek tourism season will gradually start up again in the next few weeks, with international flights from select countries resuming in July. Celestyal will continue to monitor the phased opening to North American travelers while working closely with the Greek authorities on the development of enhanced health and safety protocols.
"Unfortunately we had to make this difficult decision as a result of the evolving situation in the region in which we operate," said Leslie Peden, chief commercial officer for Celestyal Cruises. "It's encouraging to see that Greece is prudently commencing its reopening for international tourism in a phased manner following the country's globally acclaimed best-practice handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the time is right, we look forward to recommencing our operations and welcoming guests back onboard."
For named and paid guests impacted by this temporary suspension, Celestyal Cruises is offering a future cruise credit (FCC) valued at 120 percent of the original booking value. Guests will have until the end of December 2021 to redeem their FCC through December 2022. Guests who do not redeem their FCC by the end of December 2021 will automatically receive a full refund upon the voucher's expiration.
Celestyal will automatically send the FCC directly to guests or their travel advisors so there is no need to call the cruise line other than to rebook.
An updated "Peace of Mind" policy allows guests to change any cruise that sets sail from now through Dec. 31, 2021. This applies to new bookings made until Aug. 31, 2020. As long as the booking is changed at least 30 days before the sail date, an FCC for 100 percent of the value received by Celestyal will be issued. The credit can be used toward any cruise that sets sail through Dec. 31, 2022.
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