Carnival, Princess Cancel Australian Cruises Through December

As a result of coronavirus-related travel restrictions in Australia, Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises have announced they have extended the pause on operations in the region into December.

Carnival revealed the Carnival Spirit and Carnival Splendor would not depart from Australia through at least December 2, with impacted passengers and travel agents being notified about the new cancellations.

The cruise line previously announced it had extended its pause in departures from Australia through October 29. Carnival plans to resume sailings when government authorities, public health experts, local ports of call and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) agree it’s the right time.

As for Princess Cruises, the company has paused its Australian cruise operations through December 12, which includes voyages throughout New Zealand.

Princess Cruises passengers who paid in full on the canceled voyages will receive a refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equivalent to 100 percent of the fare paid, plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 25 percent of the cruise fare paid.

Travelers can also forfeit the bonus FCC offer and request a refund for all money paid on their booking by using this online form. Guests have until September 30 to elect a refund or they will automatically receive the default FCC offer.

An Allianz Partners survey released this week found that a majority of travelers who don’t plan to travel this year are targeting international destinations for 2021, with at least 20 percent of respondents planning to take a cruise ship as part of their adventure.