Royal Caribbean becomes the second cruise line to suspend sailings from the U.S., impacting four ships.

In light of a rise in COVID-19 omicron cases, Royal Caribbean is halting cruises on three of its ships and postponing the return of a fourth. This move follows Norwegian Cruise Line's similar action since the industry’s generally successful restart.

Due to ongoing global COVID-related challenges and out of caution, Royal Caribbean International announced it is suspending operations for Vision of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, and Symphony of the Seas. The affected sailings are listed as follows:

• Vision of the Seas sailings canceled through March 7, 2022
• Serenade of the Seas sailings from January 8 to March 5, 2022
• Jewel of the Seas sailings from January 9 to February 12, 2022
• Symphony of the Seas sailings from January 8 to 22, 2022

The cruise line made a calculated decision regarding which ships to delay, opting to push back the restart of Vision of the Seas, which has yet to resume service since the 2020 shutdown. Its return is now set for March 7, 2022. Serenade of the Seas was also selected, as it was scheduled for dry dock soon and would have been unavailable for a time. It is now expected to return after dry dock on April 26, 2022.

Passengers on the affected sailings are being informed and will have compensation options, including full refunds.

When asked by TPG about the proactive cancellation of sailings, Mark Tamis, Royal Caribbean's senior vice president of hotel operations, explained that this decision allows two key outcomes. First, it enables crew members who test positive but are asymptomatic to complete their quarantine aboard the ships. Second, it provides extra crew to support those unable to work for ten days, ensuring a high-quality vacation experience while safeguarding guests, crew, ships, and destinations.

The cancellations aren't due to concerns about passenger safety onboard compared to on land. In fact, of the 1.1 million passengers across Royal Caribbean group lines (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises) since the resumption in 2021, only 1,745 cases of positive tests (approximately 1.6% of guests) have been reported. All crew are vaccinated and undergo weekly testing, while all passengers, except for the youngest, must be vaccinated and test negative before sailing.

The main concern is operational efficiency. The cruise line aims to provide its guests with the full vacation experience they have paid for, which requires a complete crew. Frequent testing is identifying asymptomatic COVID-19 cases among crew members, necessitating a place for them to isolate while awaiting their return to duty.

By temporarily removing four ships from service, healthy crew members can assist their colleagues on active ships, while those who test positive can stay away from paying guests in a designated area, allowing them to quickly return to work once their quarantine period concludes.

Royal Caribbean does not take this decision lightly. "We feel awful whenever we have to cancel a vacation," Tamis stated. "It’s a difficult situation for us to be in."

Other cruise lines are facing similar challenges. On Wednesday, Norwegian Cruise Line announced cancellations for voyages on eight of its ships, some of which hadn't yet resumed operations.

Recent cancellations have also come from foreign ports by lines including MSC, Costa, Oceania, and Regent.

While an industry-wide shutdown seems unlikely, we are closely monitoring other cruise lines that may be considering cancellations in the near future.