Royal Caribbean Ships Will Return May 12

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., one of the world’s foremost cruise operators, released a statement last night extending the suspension of their fleet until May 12, 2020. While every cruise line imposed a 30-day stoppage, Royal Caribbean is the first major cruise conglomerate to extend the date past the initial time frame. Cruises calling on Alaska, Canada and New England are delayed further until July 1, 2020.

Royal Caribbean’s Statement 

Given global public health circumstances, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has decided to extend the suspension of sailings of our global fleet.

We are working with our guests to address this disruption to their vacations, and we are genuinely sorry for their inconvenience. We are also working with our crew to sort out the issues this decision presents for them.

We expect to return to service on May 12, 2020. Because of announced port closures, we expect to return to service for Alaska, Canada and New England sailings July 1, 2020.

Other Cruise Brands Affected 

The extension also applies to Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and Silversea Cruises, all brands operated by Royal Caribbean. 

WATCH: Interview with Christine LaVonna on board HAL Zuiderdam 

Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, announced two weeks ago that they would suspend sailing for 60 days. Viking Cruises was another cruise line which opted for a 60 day waiting period for their ships from the start. 

Carnival released the following statement: 

Where are the ships while they wait? 

While cruise ships wait for their passengers to return, many are anchored in groups spread across the Bahamas. The groups include ships from all different cruise lines as they wait. Check out the map below!

A map of cruise ship positions in the Bahamas

In most cases, the ships are empty except for crew members who are left waiting just like the rest of us. Captain Kate McCue made headlines last week when she announced to her entire staff on board Celebrity Edge that they would all be staying in balcony staterooms until cruising returned.