Carnival Corp has extended lay-up of its Cunard fleet well into the summer and beyond as a result of the continued impact of Covid-19.
The luxury cruise brand with three vessels has postponed sailings of 2,691-berth Queen Mary 2 (built 2003) and 2,061-berth Queen Victoria (built 2007) through 31 July.
Its 2,081-berth Queen Elizabeth (built 2010) will stay at anchor through 8 September, effectively cancelling the vessel's entire Alaska season.
Itineraries for the three ships were initially laid up into at least late April.
“These are extraordinary times and this global outbreak continues to challenge Cunard and the travel industry as a whole,” president Simon Palethorpe said.
“We would love nothing more than to bring our fleet back into service, and give our guests the holidays they deserve and long for, but with the lockdowns and travel restrictions in place around the world, this is simply not possible at this time.”
Cunard said it will notify passengers booked on affected trips and give them a 125% credit toward a future itinerary through March 2022 or offer a 100% refund.
Cunard is one of many cruise providers to prolong its fleet suspension more than once.
Carnival, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in mid-March all decided to drop anchor on their fleets through 30 April.
Carnival and Royal Caribbean then extended their lay-ups ultimately into June after the US Centers for Disease Control banned all cruiseships in US territories through late July.
Norwegian suspended its fleet until 10 May and MSC Cruises until 29 May.
Other cruise companies that have laid up their ships include Viking Cruises and Saga Cruises through April, Fred Olsen Cruises until 23 May and Crystal Cruises through May.
Cruise providers are providing 100% refunds or future cruise credits as high as 125% to passengers whose voyages have been cancelled as a result of the fleet suspensions.
