Carnival cancels Seabourn, P&O cruises; Costa to resume in Sept

Cruise operator Carnival on Tuesday announced further cancellations in response to the coronavirus pandemic at its Seabourn and P&O divisions while adding that its Italian Costa division planned to resume voyages next month.

The industry giant said the cancellations applied to the Seabourn Encore, Seabourn Ovation, and Seabourn Sojourn with the pause effective until November 25, December 20 and May 24, 2021, respectively.

Carnival had previously announced a pause in its global ship operations from March 14 to November 20, cancelling all voyages scheduled to operate during that timeframe.

“We've been saying for some time that our resumption of service will come gradually, and this action reflects that discussion. The health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew and the people in destinations we visit remain a top priority," said Seabourn president Josh Leibowitz.

In a separate announcement, Carnival said its P&O Cruises division had extended its pause in operations until November 12 and also cancelled two long itineraries due to depart in January 2021 in response to Foreign Office advice.

"As well as cancelling all cruises up until November 12, we will, sadly, also be cancelling Aurora's Caribbean and South America Adventure and Arcadia's World Cruise. Given long-term planning, combined with the complexity and length of these long-haul itineraries and evolving border restrictions, we need to ensure that we adhere to the guidance as it stands," said P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow.

However, the company said its Costa Cruises unit planned to resume sailings from Italian ports gradually on September 6 after Italian government approval of new health protocols.

The return to cruising will be progressive, involving an increasing number of ships, Carnival noted. The first ship to set sail will be Costa Deliziosa, on September 6, offering weekly cruises from Trieste to Greece.