Major Cruise Lines Suspend Operations Until September 15

MIAMI (CBSMiami/CNN) - Major cruise lines including Doral-based Royal Caribbean and Carnival Corp. have voluntarily suspended cruises out of US ports until September 15th.

Friday's announcement was made by the Cruise Lines International Association.

"Although we are confident that future cruises will be healthy and safe, and will fully reflect the latest protective measures, we also feel that it is appropriate to err on the side of caution to help ensure the best interests of our passengers and crewmembers. We have therefore decided to further extend our suspension of operations from U.S. ports until 15 September," the trade group posted on its website.

The Centers for Disease Control issued a no-sail order for cruise ships on March 14th and extended it in April through July 24th.

"The current No Sail Order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will expire on 24 July, and although we had hoped that cruise activity could resume as soon as possible after that date, it is increasingly clear that more time will be needed to resolve barriers to resumption in the United States," according to the trade group's website.

Carnival Cruise Line, which is owned by Carnival Corp., had previously announced plans to resume some US operations on August 1st. Carnival posted a $4.4 billion loss for the second quarter.

Last month, Royal Caribbean said demand for 2021 cruises remained strong, a sign that consumers are eager to take vacations again if there is no second wave of Covid-19 cases.

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