Carnival Cruise Line has much-awaited news for its avid fans: the cruise line expects to resume operations in November and December after a long break in the industry, now in its seventh full month, which expires on October 31.
For companies that depend on Broward County tourism, the news is very good. The cruise line has passed over Port Everglades’s very short list, just two Florida ports, which will host their first recovery trips.
Crossings from Port Everglades will remain on hold until further notice, a Carnival Cruise Line spokesman said.
But the departure of Carnival Cruise Line does not necessarily mean that Port Everglades will remain empty for the rest of the year. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises are still scheduled to resume shipping from the port in early November, while Holland America and Princess Cruises settle for reservations from the port in late December.
In a press release Thursday, Carnival said it had designated PortMiami and Port Canaveral in Brevard County as residential ports for departure cruise ships if the company can resume cruise ships this year. Carnival cruises from all other U. S. ports are in the middle of the world. But it’s not the first time In November and December they were canceled, he said.
Carnival is pushing that departures this year are “not yet secure” as the corporate “continues to paint protocols and procedures that would allow cruise operations to resume with a slow and progressive approach. “
Recently scheduled cruises from PortMiami and Port Canaveral “will remain in position for the time being while Carnival evaluates options,” he said.
Port Canaveral is home to the Carnival ships Breeze, Elation and Liberty. PortMiami is home to Sunrise, Conquest and Horizon. Lately, Carnival’s online page shows no reservations from any of the ports until the end of December, but that’s because trips scheduled for November and early December are full, spokesman Vance Gulliksen said by email.
Carnival’s resolve to forget about Port Everglades, the third most active cruise port in the world, is not the result of its recovery plan, Gulliksen said.
The company in July said it would not leave Port Everglades if cruise ships resumed in 2020, Gulliksen said. Originally, the soon-to-be remodeled Carnival Radiance was scheduled to start sailing from Puerto Canaveral in November, while the Carnival Breeze was scheduled to continue. Port Everglades.
After the recovery of the Radiance (formerly Carnival Victory) was delayed due to the pandemic, Carnival moved the Breeze to Port Canaveral, leaving Port Everglades without a Carnival Cruise Line ship. Long Beach, California when it completes its recovery next April.
“Currently, Port Everglades is not part of our immediate plans and we will notify our consumers and component agents if this changes,” Gulliksen said. Florida is in PortMiami.
Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention
“The cruise industry is vital to us, and we are here for each and every cruise line, adding Carnival, when they are in a position to return to Port Everglades,” Ritter said in a prepared statement. the travel industry, we are very flexible with all our promotional messages for travel advisors and consumers. “
Retailers and restaurants near the cruise port are also able to resume cruise activities.
“Without a doubt,” said Lenore Gilbert, owner of Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill restaurant at Harbor Shops. “I wish the port was open. Once the port opens, the hotels will be full. Its place to eat, open for lunch and dinner from 11 a. m. at 9 p. m. , it attracts consumers who make electronic reservations at local hotels before their cruises but don’t want to eat alone at their hotel’s dining spot, he said. “I estimate that more than 25% of my business comes from cruise ships. “
As with other cruise lines operating from Port Everglades, reservations aboard Royal Caribbean and its sister celebrity cruises line in November and December must be made through their own websites as well as third-party booking sites, starting with two 11 nights scheduled to depart on November 2. But a Royal Caribbean spokesman couldn’t determine which of those trips will actually take place.
Carnival-owned Princess Cruises plans to resume sailing from the port with 3 departures on December 19 and the 10th more through the end of the year, spokeswoman Negin Kamali said.
Holland America is also expected to resume from the port, starting with 4 departures on December 19 and a few others by December 31.
The cruise industry has become accustomed to uncertainty since the start of the pandemic last spring.
After cancelling travel for six weeks from mid-March, cruise lines continued to settle for bookings beyond this initial suspension period, to cancel them, as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continued to be in line with reservations beyond this initial suspension period. But it’s not the first time They continually extended their order to “not sail” for the United States. The CDC’s most recent expansion will expire on October 31 and cruise lines are confident it will no longer continue.
All major cruise lines suspended operations worldwide in mid-March following COVID-19 outbreaks aboard several ships. Ships with inflamed passengers struggled to locate ports that would allow them to disembark their passengers, adding a Holland America ship, the Zaandam, which was forced to roam at sea while the government spent several days deciding whether to allow its 233 inflamed passengers and equipment to arrive. . on the ground in Port Everglades.
Cruise lines have been crossing the CDC for weeks to allow operations to resume this year. On Tuesday, CDC Director Robert Redfield’s board of directors to increase the agency’s ban order through February was overturned through Vice President Mike Pence at a meeting at the White House, according to several sources. On Friday, the CDC’s online page still says travelers “report all cruise trips around the world. “
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said November is possibly too early for the cruise to resume from Port Everglades.
“Port Everglades is a vital component of our economy, and we look to the resumption of carnival outside the gates of our port,” he said. “At the same time, I am involved in protecting the cruise and any delays, such as to the extent that we are involved, this is another step to make sure that the cruise vacation is even safer and more enjoyable.
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