Princess Cruises Cancels Two of Its 2021 Cruises

Princess Cruises will not operate select voyages planned for early 2021.

Princess Cruises' World Cruise and its Circle South America cruise, which were to set sail early next year, are canceled, “due to restrictions and limitations with border and port access determined by government and health authorities and the continued uncertainty of airline travel,” the company announced on Tuesday.

The World Cruise was going to sail from North America aboard the Island Princess and the Circle South America cruise was going to sail from Australia aboard the Pacific Princess.

Passengers with travel booked on these voyages will receive a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) for 125 percent of what they originally paid. Guests can also opt for a full refund until September 30, via an online form.

"We share in the disappointment of this cancellation for guests of our world cruises because it’s a pinnacle cruise vacation experience, booked by some of our most loyal guests,” Princess Cruises president, Jan Swartz, said in a statement.

Princess Cruises has been completely suspended since March. In July, the cruise line announced that it was canceling most cruises until Dec. 15 due to health concerns sparked by COVID-19. Cruises aboard five ships, sailing from Australia, are expected to resume service in November.

But many cruise lines have been continually extending their service pauses throughout the summer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended its “No-Sail Order” until at least October, which has affected cruise lines with operations in the U.S.

Viking Cruises has taken a similar stance to Princess and announced that it will not resume cruising until 2021 as “recent events have shown us that the recovery from this pandemic will be sporadic, and the ability to travel freely across borders remains some time away.”

Carnival Cruise Line will not resume operations until at least October and said that its ships likely won’t run at full capacity until at least 2022. Royal Caribbean also has canceled its global sailings through September 15.

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. When in a new city, she's usually out to discover under-the-radar art, culture, and secondhand stores. No matter her location, you can find her on Twitter, on Instagram or at caileyrizzo.com.