Royal Caribbean scraps all Alaska, Hawaii sailings
As expected, Royal Caribbean has been forced to cancel all northbound cruises out of US ports.
That means an end to the much delayed 2020 Alaska season due to the cruise ship ban imposed by Canada.
Last week Canada extended its ban on cruise ships until the end of October.
The initial ban was imposed in March for ships of more than 500 people, but is now not only extended but also expanded to include smaller vessels.
"Keeping Canadians and transportation workers safe continues to be my top priority during the Covid-19 pandemic," said Canada’s transport minister Marc Garneau.
Due to an old law, companies with foreign flagged ships cannot operate cruises to US destinations without an intermediate call at a foreign port.
With Canada out of bounds, it has sunk all Alaska cruise schedules, and also halts Royal Caribbean’s Hawaii and Canada-New England itineraries, including fall foliage cruises.
Customers on affected cruises are entitled to a 125% future cruise credit or a refund.
Royal Caribbean still plans a gradual return to service by August and plans to restart cruises out of China next month.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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