Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. has extended its suspension of sailings through 30JUN, 2021. This applies to its Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands.
“The company will continue to work in tandem with global government and public health authorities and its Healthy Sail Panel expert advisors to take all necessary measures to protect its guests, crew and the communities visited,” NCLH said in a statement on its website.
Its last official announcement suspended sailings through MAY.
While NCLH, like its competitors, has been pushing back its restart date like clockwork, this latest extension is concerning for many in the industry, reports Cruise Week.
"What's unusual to the latest extension by NCLH is that we all thought the CDC would have given the guidance by now," one veteran industry source told Cruise Week. "And it's pretty strange that they haven't."
Many are starting to suspect cruising might not restart in the U.S. until JUL or later.
"There's a lot of downstream impacts of these month-to-month cancellations," one industry veteran told Cruise Week.
Another industry veteran echoed those thoughts, saying, "There is some responsibility, you would think, on the part of the CDC to issue reasonable guidelines that allow the industry to plan effectively so that industries and businesses associated with the cruise industry are able to plan effectively and give consumers reasonable guidance on what the future holds."
