by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:50 AM ET, Thu October 15, 2020
A Royal Caribbean executive revealed on Wednesday that she expects a potential restart of cruise operations announcement to come as early as next week.
According to Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President of sales Vicki Freed during her weekly Coffee Chat Facebook segment, the cruise line has put the necessary health and safety protocols in place to be ready to sail again, but officials are still waiting for approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Royal Caribbean previously canceled all U.S. departures through November 30, and Freed said the announcement of a cruise restart could be further delayed if the CDC doesn't respond to the call to action this week.
The CDC's No-Sail Order remains in effect through October 31.
While Freed provided no additional details about which ships or itineraries would be the first to return, but other Royal Caribbean representatives shared a few nuggets of information.
Royal Caribbean Vice President of Port Development Joshua Carroll said the cruise line's operations in Alaska are "growing dramatically" and it is considering winter destinations from the West Coast.
Carroll also confirmed an increase in overnight stays would be added to itineraries, "especially in places like Europe," where longer journeys would allow them to see several tourist attractions within a small area.
Royal Caribbean Director of Revenue Strategy Brittany Briggs revealed that itineraries for the 2022-2023 cruise season would be announced soon, possibly in November. She also said the company is looking at several non-Alaska options for sailings from Vancouver.
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