Attributing it to the current surge of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, Royal Caribbean International on Friday canceled voyages on four separate ships.
According to multiple reports, including CNN, the affected cruises include:
-Serenade of the Seas will be docked from January 8 to March 5. Serenade's return is scheduled for April 26.
-Symphony of the Seas is shut down from January 8 to January 22 but will return on February 20.
-Cruises on the Jewel of the Seas are canceled between January 9 and February 12, also with a February 20 return.
-And the return to the water of the Vision of the Seas is delayed until March 7.
Royal Caribbean said it made its decision based on current events and out of an "abundance of caution."
"We regret having to cancel our guests' long-awaited vacations and appreciate their loyalty and understanding," the cruise line said in a statement, noting its vaccination and testing requirements as well as the stringent health and cleanliness measures. "Our top priority is always the well-being of our guests, our crew and the communities we visit."
Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas was forced to return to port in Hong Kong on Wednesday due to a COVID scare, and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) called off cruises scheduled aboard eight of its ships as far out as April, and modified a few others, citing "ongoing travel restrictions" as the cause.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently investigating 92 cruise chips for possible COVID-19 cases.
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