Carnival Corp to bring back 75 per cent of global fleet by end of 2021

Carnival Corporation expects to resume guest cruise operations on about 75% of its total fleet capacity by the end of 2021.

Eight of Carnival Corporation’s nine brands – AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) 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  brands, Carnival Cruise Line’s intent to return to full fleet service in 2021 would add another nine vessels, totaling 63 ships to date that are expected to resume guest operations this year.

Further brand restart announcements are expected in the 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.

Carnival Cruise Line has resumed guest operations with three ships to date sailing out of US. ports Galveston and Miami, and has announced its intent to have 15 ships in operation by the end of October.

Princess Cruises will resume guest cruise operations this weekend with its first ship sailing from Seattle to Alaska, and will expand with a series of cruises around UK coastal waters in late July.

Holland America Line will also  resume guest cruise operations this weekend with its first ship sailing from Seattle to Alaska, followed by sailings from Greece in August, and from Italy and Spain in September.

Seabourn resumed guest cruise operations with two ships sailing from Greece and Barbados, and plans to begin the Antarctica season in November with a third ship.

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.

P&O Cruises (UK) 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 with four ships expected to be in operation by the end of the year.

"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," said Roger Frizzell, Carnival’s Chief Communications Officer.

Related News Stories: