Carnival's Cunard line delays voyages until March

Carnival's luxury cruise line Cunard will not sail again until late March 2021 at the earliest because of uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 crisis.

Cunard was due to resume sailing in November but its earliest voyage will now be on 25 March when Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to sail. Queen Mary 2 will not sail until 18 April and Queen Victoria will restart operations on 16 May.

The cruise line also said sailings from late March to mid-December 2021 in and around Australia, Japan and Alaska would be cancelled and replaced by European voyages, including around Cornwall, Ireland and Scotland.

Cunard president Simon Palethorpe said: "We are so sorry to all those guests who were due to sail on any of the cancelled voyages and for the disappointment this news will cause. After very careful consideration and reviewing the latest guidance, we simply do not feel it would be sensible to start sailing again with our current schedule so we have reviewed future itineraries."

Palethorpe said all holidaymakers whose cruises were cancelled will receive a future credit worth 125% of the value of their holiday or a 100% refund. Carnival has been forced to cancel cruises and extend the time it is out of operation as ports have remained closed around the world.

Separately the company said its Italian Costa Cruises brand was the first cruise company to earn the Biosafety Trust Certification covering all aspects of life on board a ship. From the first departure of Costa Deliziosa, scheduled for 6 September, all embarking guests will go through Covid-19 swab tests, it said.

Carnival shares rose 2.9% to £10.14.17 at 11:29 BST in a wider market buoyed by hopes of a Covid-19 vaccine and progress on US-China trade talks.