World’s largest cruise company now operating at 65% capacity

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise company, has announced that it expects to resume guest cruise operations with 65 per cent of its total fleet capacity by the end of 2021 across eight of its world-leading cruise line brands.

Additionally, Carnival Cruise Line has announced plans that envision the brand’s entire fleet returning to service by the end of 2021, which would further increase Carnival Corporation’s total operating capacity to nearly 75 per cent by the end of the year.

Eight of the company’s nine brands – AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises and Seabourn – have announced plans to resume guest operations on 54 ships to date through the end of 2021, with nearly half of the capacity represented by ships homeported in the US. In addition to those ships previously announced by the company’s brands, Carnival Cruise Line’s intent to return to full fleet service in 2021 would add another nine vessels, totalling 63 ships to date that are expected to resume guest operations this year. Further brand restart announcements are expected in coming weeks, including resumption plans for more ships and itineraries for 2021.

Collectively, the brands are continuing to resume operations from ports around the world using a gradual, phased-in approach, including sailings in the US, Caribbean, Europe and Mediterranean, along with itineraries planned in Central America and to Antarctica, among others. The cruises include enhanced health protocols developed in conjunction with government and health authorities, and informed by guidance from the company’s public health, epidemiological and policy experts.

“With strong ongoing demand for cruising, we look forward to serving our guests with additional ships announced across eight of our brands and nearly three-quarters of our fleet capacity returning by the end of this year, marking an important milestone for our company and all those who rely on the strong economic impacts generated by the global cruise industry,” said Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corporation on July 19.

• Costa Cruises resumed guest cruise operations in May with sailings in Italy and Greece, and the line is now offering sailings to France and Spain, to be followed by sailings to Portugal and Turkey in September for a total of seven ships expected to be sailing in the Mediterranean by the end of the year.
• AIDA Cruises resumed guest cruise operations in March sailing in the Canary Islands and in May with sailings in Greece and Germany. The line is now offering additional sailings out of Germany as well as upcoming sailings in Spain, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands and the Persian Gulf from late July to December for a total of nine ships expected to be in operation by the end of the year.
• P&O Cruises resumed guest cruise operations with a series of summer sailings around UK coastal waters that started in June, and plans to expand to the Mediterranean, the Atlantic coast and the Caribbean starting in September for a total of four ships expected to be in operation by the end of the year.
• Cunard will resume guest cruise operations in August with one ship sailing UK coastal cruises, followed by sailings to the Iberian coast and Canary Islands, and plans to expand with a second ship returning to service in November with a combination of transatlantic crossings and Caribbean cruises.

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