Cruise lines are once again canceling sailings, this time due to the Omicron variant. As a result, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line and many others have been forced to call off planned departures.
Celebrity Cruise Line Cancellations
Celebrity Eclipse’s return to service has been delayed, with the company cutting four, 7 Night Pacific Coastal Cruise sailings that were scheduled to start at the end of March. It was sailing round trip from Los Angeles, calling Catalina Island, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Ensenada, and San Diego. The April 16 – departure from Los Angeles, calling at Catalina Island, San Francisco, Astoria, Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver. For impacted sailings, compensation of 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) will be processed automatically. Celebrity Cruise Lines Future Cruise Credit is valid for use through April 30, 2022 on sailings departing on or before September 30, 2022 .
- Asia Sailings Cancelled – Celebrity Solstice® sailings departing January 2, 2022 through April 24, 2022
- South America & Trans Atlantic Sailings Cancelled – Celebrity Infinity® sailings departing December 13, 2021 through April 2, 2022
- Australia & New Zealand Sailings Cancelled – Celebrity Eclipse® sailings departing January 3, 2022 through April 17, 2022.
- Pacific Coastal Sailings Cancelled – Celebrity Eclipse® sailings departing March 26 through April 16th
Royal Caribbean Cancellations
Royal Caribbean felt compelled to cancel a two-night cruise aboard the Independence of the Seas that had been set to sail on January 22. In addition, Royal Caribbean Cruises has also canceled sailings aboard four other ships: Vision of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, and Serenade of the Seas. Vision of the Seas is being used as a quarantine vessel for the Royal Caribbean crew who have contracted COVID-19.
- Vision of the Seas’ return to cruising is postponed until March 7, 2022
- Serenade of the Seas sailings from January 8 – March 5, returning after dry dock on April 26, 2022
- Jewel of the Seas sailings from January 9 – February 12, returning on February 20, 2022
- Symphony of the Seas sailings from January 8 – January 22, returning on January 29, 2022
- Independence of the Seas sailing on January 22, 2022
Norwegian Cruise Line Cancellations
Norwegian Cruise Line canceled the Norwegian Gem’s latest 10-day sailing, which departed on January 9 from New York. The cruise effectively ended on January 13 after making a call in St. Maarten, but passengers and crew will remain at sea through January 19, when they disembark back in New York. Norwegian canceled sailings aboard eight ships due to “ongoing travel restrictions”. The Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Sky, Pride of America, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Sun, and Norwegian Spirit.
- Norwegian Pearl cruises with embarkation dates through and including Jan. 17
- Norwegian Dawn cruises with embarkation dates through and including Jan. 18
- Norwegian Getaway cruises with embarkation dates through and including Jan. 19
- Norwegian Escape cruises with embarkation dates through and including Jan. 22
- Norwegian Joy cruises with embarkation dates through and including Jan. 22
- Norwegian Breakaway cruises with embarkation dates through and including Jan. 23
- Norwegian Sky cruises with embarkation dates through and including Feb. 25
- Pride of America cruises with embarkation dates through and including Feb. 26
- Norwegian Jade cruises with embarkation dates through and including March 3
- Norwegian Star cruises with embarkation dates through and including March 19
- Norwegian Sun cruises with embarkation dates through and including April 19
- Norwegian Spirit cruises with embarkation dates through and including April 23
Holland America Cancellations
Holland America announced it will cancel departures aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam into February. However, the ship is scheduled to resume service from Ft. Lauderdale as of the February 19, 2022 voyage to the Caribbean.
New Sail Dates Announced for Noordam March & April 2022 Cruises. Due to evolving travel restrictions, Holland America Line is moving 2022 Noordam sailings from March and April 2022 to March and April 2023. Guests on Noordam roundtrip cruises that depart Yokohama, Japan, in March 2022 and Noordam cruises departing Yokohama, Japan, to Vancouver, Canada, in April 2022 will be moved to comparable crossings on the 2023 Westerdam.
Noordam, Oosterdam and Westerdam Spring 2022 Return-to-Service Dates Announced. The final three ships in the fleet to resume cruising with plans for Japan, the Mediterranean and Alaska, respectively. By late spring 2022, Holland America Line will have a complete fleet back to cruising with the restart of operations for Noordam, Oosterdam and Westerdam. Noordam will restart with a March 14, 2022, cruise in Japan; Oosterdam will begin cruising May 1 in the Mediterranean, and Westerdam will return to service May 8 in Alaska.
Holland America Line is working with Japanese authorities to begin cruising for Noordam March 2022 in Japan with four sailings scheduled. When Noordam sets sail in March, the ship plans to offer three 14-day cruises that deeply explore Japan. Sailing roundtrip from Yokohama (Tokyo), Japan, the ship makes several calls around the country and with a one- or two-day visit on each itinerary to South Korea, Taiwan or Russia. The 14-day journeys can be combined to form 28-day Collectors’ Voyages. In April, Noordam will cross the Pacific Ocean and sail a season in Alaska with cruises between Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Whittier, Alaska.
Oceania and Regent Cruise Line Cancellations
Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas canceled cruises are on ships sailing in regions that have installed new travel restrictions and COVID-19 testing requirements. South America has proven problematic with Brazil closed to cruise travel and other countries imposing new entry requirements for Argentina and Chile. The Seven Seas Mariner scheduled to depart Cape Town in South Africa and sail to Singapore has been canceled and the Seven Seas Navigator’s return to service has been delayed until March 9, 2022. The Seven Seas Voyager will not sail until March 26, 2022. The World Cruise, which was scheduled to depart San Francisco in early January, is now sailing the first segment, an 18-night voyage through the Panama Canal to Miami. The next four segments will all leave from Miami, visiting the Caribbean and Amazon before returning to San Francisco on April 10.
Windstar Temporary Suspension on Voyages
Windstar temporarily suspended voyages on Star Legend, Wind Surf, and Wind Star through the end of January.
These cancellations show that the cruise industry’s COVID protocols are working. All of the major cruise lines invested heavily in being able to sail safely during the COVID pandemic. The new “mini” pause won’t last long.
