As we have all been wondering will the new ships that were planned to make their appearance in 2020 be completed on schedule, Royal Caribbean announced today confirming their newest ship Odyssey of the Seas will be delayed. The health crisis has unfortunately also impacted the shipyard operations, as well as their supply chain. As a result, the debut of their newest fleet member, Odyssey of the Seas, will be delayed, resulting in the unfortunate cancellation of all sailings between November 5, 2020 – April 17, 2021.
Royal Caribbean stated “We are saddened to have to share this news. There’s nothing we wanted more than to launch this revolutionary ship this fall, but trust us when we say that Odyssey will be well worth the wait”.
Royal Caribbean understands that this update will impact many guests and they want to be sure they’re taken care of. The compensation options from their global suspensions will also apply to these impacted sailings.
When Odyssey of the Seas does arrive, there will be a couple of updates…. to two onboard activities. The trapeze school will no longer be a feature of the SeaPlex. Also, they are modifying the age restrictions to the Sky Pad. Guests must be at least 7 years old to jump, and at least 13 years old to jump with a virtual reality headset.
So it looks like the Odyssey of the Seas, will now be debuting in 2021. From what they are saying it will be April, although we will have to wait and see if this remains the case as we lead into 2021.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities around the globe, and given the travel and port restrictions in various parts of the world, Norwegian Cruise Line has decided to further suspend voyages as follows:
All voyages with embarkation dates from August 1 through August 31, 2020
All voyages with embarkation dates from September 1 through September 30, 2020; except for Seattle-based Alaska sailings on Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy which continue to be scheduled to operate
Note: We are hopeful that through the support of the Alaska delegation and openness of mayors in Alaska port towns, we have the potential to resume voyages in September. For this reason, we have excluded the September voyages aboard Bliss and Joy.
All voyages in October 2020 to Canada/New England and cruises embarking in Vancouver, including:
Norwegian Bliss: October 12, 2020
Norwegian Joy: October 4, 2020
Norwegian Breakaway: October 4, 2020 and October 11, 2020
Norwegian Gem: October 2, 2020 and October 9, 2020
NCL states “We remain optimistic and expect to relaunch cruise operation in the near future. Given the fluid and evolving nature of the circumstances, we are making decisions as quickly and thoughtfully as possible and, as always, we are keeping our guests’ and travel partners’ best interests at heart”.
All guests with current and active bookings during this current suspension period will automatically receive their refund in the form of a future cruise credit (FCC) valued at 125% of the fare paid. These FCC’s will be issued no later than Thursday, June 25, 2020, and can be applied anytime within one year of issue date and toward any Norwegian Cruise Line voyage through December 31, 2022.
A lesser value refund is also available for guests who elect not to retain the bonus FCCs provided. These guests can elect to receive a 100% refund of the fare paid to be reimbursed to the original form of payment 90 days after the request for a refund has been submitted. All refund requests for this current suspension period must be received via the web form, which will be made available starting at 9:00 am EST on July 6, 2020, up until 11:59 pm EST on July 17, 2020.
As the Disney Parks begin to reopen, here is a message from Josh D’Amaro Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences & Products.
The magic is returning,
With the announcement of the proposed reopening dates for the Disneyland Resort, we are one more exciting step closer to reopening all of our Disney parks and experiences around the world. Throughout the past few weeks, we have reopened Shanghai Disneyland, Disney Springs and several Disney stores, and set dates for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts, with more announcements coming soon.
We are purposefully taking baby steps during this very intentional phased approach. As one of the first major theme parks to close our operations and the last to reopen, we have been deliberate about keeping the health and safety of our cast, guests and local communities top of mind. And as we look forward to bringing our cast members back to work, and welcoming you back as cherished guests – we know it will take all of us working together responsibly to recapture the magic.
We’re fortunate to be guided by a talented team of professionals who’ve helped us implement a variety of new health and safety measures reflecting the guidance of local health and government authorities. These are designed with both the cast and guests in mind for the unique environments of each of our parks, resorts and stores.
While certain aspects of your visit may change, I assure you the quality of our storytelling, magic of our experiences and the caliber of our cast members has not. We recognize the trust that you have in the Disney brand, and we will continue to earn your trust every day.
My confidence comes in part from all of the hard work our teams have been doing behind the scenes in the past few months… as well as by the early successes we have seen at Shanghai Disneyland, the first of our theme parks to reopen. Guest satisfaction has been extremely high, and we will continue to make sure that as we bring back experiences, our attention to promoting your safety, maintaining your trust and providing unique ways for you to come together with family and friends to create new memories remains high as well.
Walt Disney once said that it takes people to make the dream a reality, and as we prepare ourselves to reopen his original park, I want you to know how eternally grateful I am for all of you who have made Disney parks, stores, hotels, cruise lines, guided tours and vacation properties part of your lives, as well as for the cast members, crew members, Imagineers, and employees who have brought them to life for the past 65 years.
I know this has been a difficult year due to the impacts of COVID-19, but I can’t help but feel a great sense of hope and optimism. And like many of you, I look forward to hearing the laughter and seeing the joy of families making memories together… and I can’t wait to see you when the magic returns to all of our parks and resorts.
Be well, Josh D’Amaro Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences & Products
Due to the impact of COVID-19 and given the closure of shipyards along with the disruption to the supply chain, Royal Caribbeanhas made some updates regarding Allure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas,and Adventure of the Seas.
The Allure of the Seas Amplification has been postponed until further notice. Additionally, due to pier construction delays in the Galveston terminal, the pier will unfortunately not be ready to welcome an Oasis Class ship. Therefore, Allure will no longer sail from Galveston, Texas, and rather, local fan-favorite Liberty of the Seas will assume Allure’s itineraries in late 2021.
The Adventure, Explorer and Liberty of the Seas Amplifications have also been postponed until further notice. All Explorer sailings will be cancelled through August 2020 to complete a technical dry dock.
Royal Caribbean would like to Thank their guests for understanding that today’s ever-changing environment has led to decisions beyond their control and appreciate all of their guests continued support of Royal Caribbean. All guests and travel advisors will be notified of these changes.
