Princess Cruises cancels cruises through mid-December citing COVID-19, months past CDC ban
Princess Cruises ships will not be cruising from U.S. ports until at least Dec. 16.
The company announced Wednesday it is canceling cruises worldwide until then, except for cruises in Australia, which are canceled until Nov. 1 due to “the continued progression of COVID-19 and related decisions of various government, health authorities, and airlines regarding travel restrictions.”
Princess Cruises, owned by Miami-based Carnival Corporation, operated several ships out of Port Everglades in Broward County before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company’s Diamond Princess ship experienced the first known cruise ship COVID-19 outbreak in Japan in early February, causing at least 712 infections and 12 deaths, according to a Miami Herald database. Princess Cruises was the first major cruise line to shut down its operations on March 12, followed by most others the following day.
The Coral Princess ship docked at PortMiami in early April so that passengers and crew with COVID-19 could be evacuated to Florida hospitals. At least six passengers and one crew member from the Coral Princess died, the Miami Herald found.
Citing ongoing COVID-19 infections on cruise ships among crew, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has banned cruising in U.S. waters until at least October 1.
Princess Cruises is offering full refunds through August 31 or a future cruise credit.
An earlier version of this story misstated the number of crew members from the Coral Princess ship who died of COVID-19. At least one crew member has died.
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 6:17 PM.
