Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has announced more cruises outside of the U.S. this summer on their three cruise lines as they await further discussions with the CDC about restarting cruises in July.
Oceania Cruises will resume operations with sailings to Scandinavia and Western Europe beginning in August and Regent Seven Seas Cruises will restart cruising with voyages from the U.K. beginning in September.
In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line will continue its phased restart with Mediterranean voyages on board Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Getaway in September, following its previously announced Caribbean and Europe itineraries beginning in July and August. In parallel, the Norwegian Cruise Line continues to await feedback on its proposal submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) on April 5, 2021, outlining its plan to restart cruising from U.S. ports starting July 4th and requesting the CDC lift the Conditional Sail Order.
All initial voyages will operate with fully vaccinated guests and crew in addition to the cruise line’s robust, multi-layered SailSAFE health and safety program, which includes universal COVID-19 testing prior to embarkation.
“We are pleased to unveil the next chapter of our resumption of cruise voyages embarking outside of the U.S. with sailings in Europe on all three of our award-winning brands. We value the health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew and the communities we visit above all else and we have worked tirelessly to develop our science-backed plan to safely resume cruising, including mandatory vaccinations and robust SailSAFE preventative protocols,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “As part of our two-pronged approach to return to cruising within and outside of the U.S., we are simultaneously planning for a potential resumption of cruising from U.S. ports while we await further discussion with the CDC regarding our proposal for a July 4th restart to participate in America’s national opening.”
As part of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ phased return to cruising, Oceania Cruises will restart cruise operations with the Marina in August, resuming her originally published voyage schedule commencing on August 29, 2021 in Copenhagen. Regent Seven Seas Cruises will return to sailing with Seven Seas Splendor cruising from the U.K. beginning September 11, 2021.
The voyage will also mark the resumption of Seven Seas Splendor’s inaugural season, with the cruise ship having only completed two cruises with guests after being christened in February 2020.
The first cruise in her inaugural season has Seven Seas Splendor scheduled to set sail September 11, 2021 for an 11-night voyage, round-trip from Southampton, England visiting Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. After her initial voyage, the cruise ship will transition to explore the beautiful Mediterranean before crossing the Atlantic to sail in the Caribbean. While many of her sailings are already sold out, there are still opportunities to cruise later in Seven Seas Splendor’s European season, and in the Caribbean early 2022.
Norwegian Cruise Line will continue its return to cruising with voyages in the Mediterranean during September and October on Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Getaway. Norwegian Epic will cruise seven-night Western Mediterranean itineraries from September 5, 2021 through October 24, 2021 and Norwegian Getaway will sail 10 to 11 day Greek Isles voyages from Rome (Civitavecchia) from September 13, 2021 to October 25, 2021.
Norwegian Cruise Line previously announced its initial restart with sailings originating in Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Greece beginning in July 2021 with Norwegian Joy, Jade and Gem. Certain sailings for Norwegian Cruise Line outside of these newly announced voyages have been cancelled. Impacted guests on voyages that will not operate will be notified accordingly.
