PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – Carnival and Disney announced Tuesday they will cancel all U.S. sailings through the end of June.
“We are carefully reviewing the recently released guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and working toward resuming operations,” Disney posted on its website.
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Port Canaveral, which the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy call their homeport, had already said it is disappointed with the new CDC guidance on cruise lines.
“For a year now, we have been working closely with our cruise partners and directly with the CDC to find a way forward for the return of cruising from Port Canaveral,” Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray told Florida Today.
Carnival, the world’s largest cruise line which includes trips out of Jacksonville tweeted Tuesday it had notified its guests it had extended its pause in operations through June 30.
Important update regarding our operations in the U.S. through June 30, 2021. pic.twitter.com/C0ahZptfXj
— Carnival Cruise Line (@CarnivalCruise) April 6, 2021
At the same time, Norwegian Cruise Line is seeking permission to resume trips from U.S. ports on July 4, requiring passengers and crew members to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at least two weeks before the trip.
The Miami-based company said its precautions go well beyond steps taken by others in the travel and leisure industry that have already reopened, including airlines, hotel, restaurants and sporting events.
Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the ongoing issues with the cruise line during a news conference in the panhandle on Tuesday.
“They won’t let the cruise ship sail, and that’s totally unacceptable. We want to try to get that going,” DeSantis said.
The governor previously said he was working with Attorney General Ashley Moody to see if there were any legal recourse the state could take to put pressure on the CDC to allow cruises to resume, but also said they were not yet taking any action.