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Cruise Lines Cancel Mexico Port Calls

April 29th 2009

Carnival: Carnival Cruise Lines is canceling calls at Mexican ports for all current sailings. In addition, the line is canceling calls in Mexico for all voyages departing Thursday, April 30 through Monday, May 4.

"There are currently no reported cases of swine influenza on Carnival ships or in any of the ports that we normally visit in Mexico," the line said in a statement. "We are consulting closely with public health officials and government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Homeland Security to monitor the situation."

For most of the affected cruises the line has said it will be able to substitute the cancelled call with an alternative port and is currently working on those itineraries. Full details will be available by 5 p.m. today.

Guests who do not wish to sail on a modified itinerary will be given the option to reschedule their cruise for a later date. Visit www.carnival.com for updates.

 

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced it is temporarily suspending its port calls in Mexico for both the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) and Celebrity Cruises brands.

A statement issued by the cruise line company said, "The decision was made in an abundance of caution, and allows additional time to better understand the full impact of the Swine Flu."

The temporary suspension takes effect immediately and will be in effect for the immediate future. It will be regularly reviewed in light of any Swine Flu developments.

RCI currently has four ships making regularly scheduled port calls in Mexico -- Enchantment of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas. Two additional Royal Caribbean International ships were scheduled to make upcoming Mexican port calls as they repositioned -- Serenade of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas. Celebrity Cruises has one ship scheduled to make upcoming Mexico port calls as it repositions -- Celebrity Infinity.

All but one of the affected ships will either make alternative port calls or spend additional time at sea. RCI's Mariner of the Seas will sail a fully revised itinerary, visiting Canada and the US West Coast.

"Like our guests, we take all health matters seriously," Dr. Art Diskin, chief medical officer for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., said in a prepared statement. "Although authorities have not raised specific concerns regarding the ports we visit in Mexico, we want to err on the side of caution."

Additional details will be posted on the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises consumer Web sites.

 

Holland America Line: According to a statement on its Web site, Holland America is canceling its upcoming calls to Mexican ports in April and early May. The line said the decision is "in accordance with the recent travel advisory from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommending against non-essential travel to Mexico."

Of the line's 14 ships, a total of five ships (and five sailings) are impacted by the changes. Four are the current sailings of the Ryndam, Statendam, Westerdam and Zuiderdam. The May 1 cruise of the Veendam will also be impacted.

The line is developing alternate itineraries for these sailings and new ports of call will be announced as they are confirmed.

 

Princess Cruises: Princess Cruises has modified its itineraries to suspend calls to Mexican ports through the few remaining voyages of the spring season, which concludes next month, according to a statement on the Princess Cruises Web site.

Six Princess ships are currently scheduled for calls in Mexican ports through May, as they reposition to Alaska for the summer season. In total, eight itineraries and 22 calls in Mexico are affected, and passengers who are booked on these cruises will either visit alternative ports or spend an additional day at sea. Affected passengers will be advised of the itinerary changes once the new berthing arrangements have been confirmed.

In a statement, the line said, "We are sorry that circumstances beyond our control have caused these itinerary changes, and we recognize that these modifications may cause some disappointment among our passengers. However, we hope our passengers will also agree that adhering to the recommendations of the CDC is the best course of action for the safety of our passengers and crew."

Norwegian Cruise Line: As a precautionary measure, Norwegian Cruise Line has announced it is cancelling Norwegian Pearl's final two calls in Mexico on its current repositioning cruise. The stops were scheduled for today, April 29 and Friday, May 1.

Apart from this sailing, NCL's scheduled deployment does not include any other ports of call in Mexico until the end of September.

"The health and well-being of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance to Norwegian Cruise Line," the line said in a prepared statement.

 

 

 

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