Royal Caribbean Extends Pause Until Oct 1

Cruisers woke up to some not-so-great news this morning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their no-sail order, pushing the date back to October 2020. As a result, one of the biggest names in cruising is pushing back their sail date as well. 

Royal Caribbean International had planned to resume operation on September 16, 2020, but the updated order from the CDC made that date an impossibility. Instead, the cruise line has targeted October 1st as their new date for a resumption of services. 

In a statement on the Royal Caribbean International website, the cruise line explained their decision. 

At Royal Caribbean International, our guests and crew’s safety and well-being are always our top priorities. After further consulting with our partners at Cruise Lines International Association and in conjunction with the CDC, we have decided to extend the suspension of sailings for our global fleet for all sailings through September 30th, 2020. Our goal is to resume operations on October 1st, 2020.

The extended pause also affects Royal Caribbean Group’s other cruising brands; Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Cruises and Silversea Cruises. 

Per the CDC’s press release this morning: 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today the extension of a No Sail Order for cruise ships through September 30, 2020. This order continues to suspend passenger operations on cruise ships with the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

The news that cruising isn’t coming back to America until October comes as European cruise lines like Hurtigruten and a handful of river cruise lines are returning to service. COVID-19 infection rates are much lower in Europe and with proper precautions, cruising is possible.

Unfortunately for Americans, most of Europe has banned Americans from visiting so there’s no chance you’ll be cruising the Danube or the fjords of Norway anytime soon if you have an American passport. 

Did you have a cruise booked with Royal Caribbean for September? Let us know what you think about the new sail date in the comments below!