Princess Cruises Cancels Vacation Voyages Through May 14
SANTA CLARITA (CBSLA) — Princess Cruises, whose ships saw major COVID-19 outbreaks last year, announced Wednesday that vacation cancellations will be extended through May 14 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We appreciate the patience from our loyal guests and travel advisers as we work to meet the health and safety requirements for our return to service," Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz said. "We continue to prepare our ships for our return to service, and we are eager to see our guests back on board to create summertime memories."
In November, the company announced that all cruises would be suspended through March 31.
Additionally, all cruises longer than seven days sailing out of U.S. ports were said to be suspended through Nov. 1, 2021 and cruises in and out of Japan are paused through at least June 25, 2021.
Guests currently booked on canceled voyages will have the option to receive a refundable future cruise credit equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus representing 25% of that fare. Guests also can request a full refund.
The Santa Clarita-based company, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., will -- in the meantime -- continue to prepare to meet the Framework for Sailing Order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the further introduction, transmission and spread of COVID-19, according to company officials.
Meanwhile, Port of Los Angeles officials are monitoring the pandemic and working with the CDC, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the California Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and other agencies.
Princess Cruises' global ship operations have been paused since mid-March when the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
The company operates 15 cruise ships, which prior to the pandemic, saw about two million guests per year.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
