Carnival Warns Of U.S. Port Exit As More Cruise Lines Cancel Sailings Into Summer

As more cruise lines announce that they are canceling sailings in the U.S., Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) has warned that it will pull its ships from ports in the states.

The threat comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to keep its no sail order in place, preventing any cruise line from departing from a U.S. port through November 2021, despite pressure from the industry.

Carnival, which has canceled all U.S. departing cruises through June 30, issued the threat about moving its ships out of U.S. waters on Tuesday.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement, “While we have not made plans to move Carnival Cruise Line ships outside of our U.S. homeports, we may have no choice but to do so in order to resume our operations which have been on ‘pause’ for over a year.”

Carnival, along with all other cruise lines, suspended operations in March 2020 at the height of the pandemic to prevent the spread of COVID-19 onboard its ship, which were considered superspreaders for the virus.

Carnival has 14 homeports located along the east and west coasts and the Gulf of Mexico in the U.S., USA Today reported.

Duffy continued in her statement by requesting that the “cruise industry be treated on par” with other sectors of the travel industry, saying that “We remain committed to working with the Administration and the CDC to find a workable solution that best serves the interest of public health.”

On Friday, the CDC issued new guidance on the second phase of its Conditional Sailing Order, but it did not lift the no-sailing ban.

On the heels of the announcement by the CDC, several other cruise lines have extended their U.S. sailing cancelations into the summer, including Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland American Line, Royal Caribbean, Virgin Voyages, and Disney Cruise Line, USA Today reported.

But others have taken their cruise schedule to other parts of the world to resume sailing. Norwegian Cruise Line will set sail in July in Europe and the Caribbean, it announced on Tuesday, while Royal Caribbean International announced in March, it will start sailing in Israel, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. And Celebrity Cruises will return to sea for sailings to St. Maarten.

All three cruise lines will require passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated in some form to board its ships.

In an announcement on Tuesday, Carnival said it is notifying all passengers that had cruises booked that have now been canceled and is providing options for future cruise credits with added onboard credits or a full refund.

Duffy said about the cancelations, “We appreciate the continued patience and support from our loyal guests, travel advisors and business partners as we work on a return-to-service solution.”

Shares of Carnival Cruise Line were trading at $29.20 as of 12:59 p.m., up 60 cents of 2.10%.