Princess and P&O have extended their cruise pauses until mid-January due to the uncertainty around the return of cruising in the region.
Both Princess and P&O Cruises Australia have today announced they will extend their pause in domestic operations by a further month.
The pause, due to the uncertainty around the return of cruising, will now run until mid-January next year to give guests greater confidence in planning their Christmas and New Year holidays.
P&O
P&O’s voluntary pause will apply to cruises scheduled to depart from 18 December, 2021 through to 14 January, 2022 (for Brisbane) and 18 January, 2022 (for Sydney).
P&O Cruises Australia also confirmed it was cancelling its Melbourne summer season, which was no longer feasible to deliver because of the latest extension.
“We recognise this is disappointing for our guests who were looking forward to cruising with friends and family over Christmas and New Year, however, we wanted to make this announcement as early as possible to ensure they could plan with certainty for the holiday period,” P&O Cruises Australia President Sture Myrmell said.
“I would like to once again thank our guests for their loyalty and support. We look forward to the day when we can welcome guests back onboard to celebrate these special events on the holiday calendar.”
P&O Cruises Australia recently announced its intention to resume domestic operations with cruises for fully vaccinated guests and crew.
“Unfortunately, we are not yet clear on the requirements from governments and public health authorities for a phased return of domestic cruising but we remain hopeful these conversations will gather pace now there is real momentum around society re-opening,” Mr Myrmell said.
Guests whose bookings have been affected will be notified of the pause and options available either directly or via their appointed travel agent.
Guests can track the progress of their future cruise credit or refund requests via the tracking tool found on P&O’s website at www.pocruises.com.au.
Princess Cruises
As a result of Princess Cruises’ pause extension, Coral Princess voyages through January 17 are cancelled and Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess seasons through to March 2022 are being cancelled.
“It became apparent we would not be able to deliver planned deployment of Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess in Australia before they were due to start their published northern hemisphere voyages,” said Deanna Austin, Princess Cruises Chief Commercial Officer.
“We recognise that guests planning cruises over the popular summer and new year holiday period will be particularly disappointed with the changes, however, we wanted to give guests as much notice as possible so they could plan their holidays with certainty.”
For guests booked on a cancelled cruise, they have the option to move to an equivalent cruise. The rebooking process will have the added benefit of protecting the guests’ fare on their replacement cruise.
Alternatively, guests can choose a future cruise credit (FCC) equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 10% of the cruise fare paid (minimum $25 USD) or a full refund to the original form of payment.
Requests must be received through this online form by October 31, 2021, or guests will automatically receive the FCC option. FCCs can be used on any cruises booked by December 31, 2022, and sailing by April 30, 2023.
Princess says it will protect travel agent commission on bookings that were paid in full in recognition of the critical role they play in the cruise line’s business and success.
The most current information and instructions for booked guests affected by these cancellations, and more information on FCCs and refunds, can be found online at Information on Impacted & Cancelled Cruises.