Luxury cruise line Cunard announced yesterday, that as a result of the continued impact of COVID-19 it will be extending the pause to its voyages.
For Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, Cunard is cancelling all sailings that were due to depart up to and including 31 July 2020.
For Queen Elizabeth, maintaining a shorter summer season in Alaska would not make these voyages viable, so the cruise line has taken the practical decision to cancel the entire Alaska season and all departures up to and including 8 September 2020.
“These are extraordinary times and this global outbreak continues to challenge Cunard and the travel industry as a whole," says Cunard president Simon Palethorpe.
"We would love nothing more than to bring our fleet back in to 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.
“We have been sailing for 180 years and we look forward to many more. We will get through these tough times together and look forward to welcoming our guests back on board again when the time is right.”
Cunard will be communicating with all guests, and their travel agents, who are booked on affected voyages.
As Cunard has done previously during this pause period, guests who are booked on cancelled voyages will automatically be given a 125 per cent future cruise credit. This may be used on any sailing before the end of March 2022. This covers all departures currently on sale.
Guests may now also use their future cruise credit for a second cabin to bring friends or family or to upgrade an existing booking.
Cunard will continue to monitor government guidelines and travel restrictions around the world, and this may mean further changes to the timing of when each of the ships returns to service.
