Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1313980
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE CANCELS M IAM I AN D P ORT CANAV E RAL CRU ISES FOR NO V E M B E R 2020 Five Additional Cruises Also Cancelled in Australia Carnival Cruise Line has notified guests and travel agents that it is cancelling the remaining cruises for the six total ships operating from PortMiami and Port Canaveral for November 2020. It has also cancelled five cruises scheduled to operate from Sydney, Australia from Jan. 16 - Feb. 8, 2021. Following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) decision to extend its no-sail order for cruise operations until Oct. 31, Carnival cancelled all but PortMiami and Port Canaveral cruises for the rest of the year. It has now determined that November 2020 operations will not be feasible. Carnival continues to work on protocols and procedures that would allow for the resumption of cruise operations, with a gradual, phased-in approach, designating Miami and Port Canaveral as the first two homeports for embarkations. Cruises currently scheduled for December from those two homeports remain in place for the time being while Carnival evaluates options. However, guests booked on cruises in December out of Miami and Port Canaveral still have the ability to voluntarily cancel their reservation and receive the same offer that all other impacted guests are receiving, which includes a combination future cruise credit (FCC) and onboard credit (OBC), or a full refund. In Australia, Carnival is notifying guests and travel agents that five cruises on Carnival Splendor from Jan. 16 - Feb. 8, 2021 have been cancelled. Those guests will receive the same offer of the combina- tion FCC/OBC, or a full refund. B M & T ••• November/December 2020 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 36 C R U I S E N E W S VACAYA MAKES HISTORY AGAIN WITH INNOVATIVE CLOSE-TO-HOME VACATION: 2021 NEW ORLEANS CRUISE VACAYA makes history yet again with an exciting and innovative CLOSE-TO-HOME vacation option – an 8-night adventure round-trip from easy-to-get-to and seductively gay-friendly New Orleans up the Mississippi River November 14-22, 2021. This fresh new getaway from VACAYA is the first US-based river cruise in LGBT+ travel history. Spacious luxury awaits aboard the floating masterpiece that is American Duchess by American Queen Steamboat Company. This uniquely American, boutique-style paddlewheeler offers exquisite dining, beautiful decks to take in the vistas, fun entertainment venues, and exceptional amenities. An included pre-night hotel stay at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside affords guests the luxury of a short walk from the hotel to the city's historic French Quarter. VACAYA cofounder and New Orleans native Randle Roper shared, "Luxury river cruising has taken Europe by storm and now LGBT+ trav- elers can sail the rivers of America with VACAYA. It's a level of luxury cruising that's been difficult to find in the States – comparable to 5-star brands like Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis that VACAYA Luxe guests have grown to love. Those new to river cruising will quickly discover why it's become passionate adventurers' new 'favorite way to travel,' and we're thrilled to continue taking our guests to exciting new places that have never been available to them within the world of full-ship LGBT+ charters." VACAYA cofounder Patrick Gunn adds, "One of VACAYA's missions is to offer our guests the opportunity to give back to the communities we visit through our ReachOUT program. On the New Orleans Cruise, we'll focus our efforts on supporting local LGBT+ and Black-owned businesses along the river. And that'll make a big difference in these times of great need."