Dream Cruises will voluntarily suspend Genting Dream sailings from Singapore amid concerns stemming from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the Hong Kong-based cruise line announced Thursday.
The upcoming suspension, the latest involving the reeling cruise industry, will last more than a month, beginning Sunday, February 23 and continuing until Friday, March 27. The Genting Hong Kong subsidiary apologized to customers and is promising several compensation options including a full refund.
"Dream Cruises has made the difficult decision to suspend its operations from Singapore as a measure to help curtail the spread of COVID-19 and as a result of the tightening travel restrictions that have been enacted by various countries," said Dream Cruises President Michael Goh in a statement accompanying Thursday's announcement. "Guests who are booked on any of the canceled itineraries will be contacted and provided with a variety of compensation options including to defer their cruise to a future sailing or, if needed, to cancel their cruise for a full refund."
"We have been extremely grateful for the support we have received from our guests and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this suspension has caused," added Goh.
Dream Cruises also confirmed that it's been working closely with authorities to implement precautionary measures across its fleet, including boarding restrictions on Genting Dream, health and temperature screening for all embarking guests and crew members ahead of each sailing and stringent sanitization and enhanced disinfection protocols.
Earlier this month, Dream Cruises' World Dream cruise ship was quarantined in Hong Kong after several people reported feeling ill. Tests ultimately proved negative and health officials eventually cleared those passengers and crew members to disembark.
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