On Monday, November 2nd, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) announced that all sailings till December 31st, 2020 will be canceled. This comes after the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted the no sail order in North America and implemented a new conditional sailing order on Friday, October 30th.

Although it might seem that cruise ships can soon return to normal following the lifting of the no sail order, that is not the case. The eight month no sail order expired over the weekend, yet was quickly replaced by a new order. The CDC, in collaboration with the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), devised the 40 page framework to aid in the resumption of cruise ship operations that is sure to halt any quick resumption’s.

The “Framework for Conditional Sailing and Initial Phase COVID-19 Testing Requirements for Protection of Crew” outlines the steps cruise lines need to take to ensure a safe environment for the crew and passengers as COVID-19 continues to spread. Noting the abundance of steps cruise lines are required to take to resume sailing, Cruise Radio believes that “if anything, it seems to make a return to service in 2020 nearly impossible.”

A statement from the Norwegian Cruise Line said that, “The company will continue to work in tandem with global government and public health authorities and its Healthy Sail Panel expert advisors to take all necessary measures to protect its guests, crew and the communities visited.”

All guests of this cruise line who had current and active bookings affected by the cancellation will receive a 100% refund of the fare paid.

A multitude of cruise lines announced their planned suspensions following the new order. This includes the Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises, who suspended their sailings to January 2o21. In addition, Carnival Corp. announced in a press release on Monday, that it will extend its suspension for North American brands through December 31st.