Royal Caribbean Postpones Sailings On Four Ships
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Royal Caribbean International has canceled sailings on four of its ships due to surging cases of COVID-19.
Sailings aboard the Serenade of the Seas have been canceled from January 8th to March 5th. It will return to service after dry dock on April 26th.
Voyages on Jewel of the Seas have been canceled from January 9th to February 12th. It will return service on February 20.
Cruises aboard the Symphony of the Seas have been canceled from January 8th to January 22nd. It will resume service on January 29th.
The cruise line said Vision of the Sea return to cruising has been pushed back to March 7th.
"We regret having to cancel our guests' long-awaited vacations and appreciate their loyalty and understanding. Our top priority is always the well-being of our guests, our crew and the communities we visit. Despite stringent health and safety measures, including vaccination and testing requirements for guests and crew, and extensive contingency planning, we have had to move forward with this decision," the cruise line said in a statement.
Guests booked on these canceled sailings will receive assistance and compensation options, including a full refund.
On Wednesday, Norwegian Cruise Line announced voyages had been postponed on eight ships including the Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Sun, and Norwegian Star due to ongoing COVID-19 travel related restrictions. Some of the cancellations affect sailings through dates in April.
Guests booked on affected sailings will receive automatic full refunds plus a certificate valid for a future cruise
On December 30, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention increased the risk level for cruise ship travel to its highest level and said it should be avoided, regardless of vaccination status.