Cruise lines, both on the oceans and rivers, continue to update their sailings and policies as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Here’s the latest from luxury cruise lines:
Crystal Cruises
Reservations originating on the Crystal Serenity on the following dates are now cancelled:
- March 3: Sydney, Australia)
- March 17, 2020: Bali (Benoa), Indonesia
- March 28, 2020: Colombo, Sri Lanka
All guests scheduled to embark the Crystal Serenity on the above dates will receive a 100 percent refund of the cruise fare paid along with $500 per person for air consideration. Guests will also receive a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) of 25 percent of the base cruise fare paid, which can be used on any of Crystal’s experiences, including Ocean, River, Yacht and Expedition for voyages commencing on or before December 31, 2021.
Guests currently onboard Crystal Serenity that are scheduled to disembark in Bali or Colombo will now disembark the ship in Sydney on March 3. Crystal Cruises will refund these guests for the unused days of the cruise fare paid and the corresponding port charges as well as provide them with a 25 percent FCC. Crystal will also provide these guests with $500 per person credit to their shipboard folio to assist with travel arrangements.
Crystal Symphony’s April 24 sailing will now be cancelled. All guests scheduled to embark the Crystal Symphony on April 24, 2020 will receive a 100 percent refund of the cruise fare paid, $500 per person for air consideration and an FCC of 25 percent of the base cruise fare paid.
Seabourn Cruise Line
Seabourn Cruise Line has replaced the Southeast Asia port calls for Seabourn Encore through April 2020 “due to the unpredictable changes we have seen the past few weeks in travel restrictions and port operations throughout Asia.” Specific changes to the turnaround ports on the affected Seabourn Encore voyages include:
- April 7: Benoa (Denpasar), Bali; which will be redirected to Darwin, Australia
- April 17: Singapore; which will be redirected to Colombo, Sri Lanka
Port calls from March 23 – May 2 are also affected, with some destinations changed and others rescheduled to alternate dates. Guests who are booked on affected voyages will receive a future cruise credit. Both booked guests and travel advisors are being notified along with specific details related to their itinerary.
Viking Cruises
Viking Cruises currently has two ships in Australia/New Zealand. Viking Sun will sail a modified itinerary on its way to London/Greenwich, England. Guests scheduled to embark/disembark on March 9, 2020 will now do so in Benoa, Bali (an update that supersedes any communication prior to February 14, 2020). Viking Orion will be redeployed to Alaska, where the ship was scheduled to begin sailing in late spring.
Additionally, Viking has cancelled all itineraries that feature a Yangtze River sailing during the months of March through June 2020.
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