Cunard has voluntarily and temporarily halted new North American departures for a month-long period, effective Saturday, 14 March through Saturday, 11 April, 2020 as part of the CLIA mandate in response to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
Cunard’s ships include Queen Victoria, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth, the latter two of which are currently in Australian waters and have also been impacted.
Queen Mary 2 was scheduled to depart Fremantle (Perth) on Saturday 14 March on a 35-night voyage to Southampton, UK, via the Indian Ocean and Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Instead, QM2 spent Sunday morning sitting idle at the Perth cruise port.
In a statement to LATTE, Cunard said: “In light of the uncertainty due to the COVID-19 situation and the increasing restrictions imposed on global travel, we have decided not to permit guests to board QM2 in Fremantle. All of our itineraries are under review.”
Meanwhile Queen Elizabeth’s scheduled 10-night round-trip departure from Sydney to New Zealand today has been cancelled in light of New Zealand’s strict new entry policy for tourists arriving in the country.
Cunard said the QE voyage cancellation was made “following advice from the country’s public officials that mass gatherings should be limited to no more than 500 people and Australians should reconsider their need to travel”.
“Guests impacted directly are being contacted regarding their voyage and their options,” a statement said.
Earlier, Cunard said that throughout this COVID-19 situation the luxury cruise line has implemented “enhanced levels of screening, monitoring and sanitation protocols to protect the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we serve.
“While Cunard has not had a diagnosed case linked to our operation, we realise this situation is dynamic and is larger than the cruise industry alone, and we will continue to do our part to support public officials to manage and contain this unprecedented public health challenge.”
Cunard apologised to guests for the changes at such short notice and thanked impacted passengers for their “understanding during this unprecedented situation”.A few days ago, Cunard released a video (below) by President Simon Palethorpe who spoke about the situation and gave details of the cruise line’s new Flexible Booking Terms, telling upcoming guests “we want to make sure that you have the holiday you deserve – either a the time you have planned or a time of your choice in the future”.Want to be in the luxury cruise know? Subscribe to our free eNewsletter here to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.
